THEATRE GOSSIP #554: The “Goings-on of Kristi Dawn” Edition

Old thread:

zzzzzzzzz

I'll be back at about r50 or so. To give you all enough time to berate the OP.

Though I'm a big fan of Kristin I can't imagine what her career will look like in 10 years. Sutton and Kelli, on the other hand.......

I mean, Sutton and Kelli seem to be making all the right career choices and are being given the most interesting opportunities. Kristin, otoh......

Thumbs up (largely) from the Times' Jesse Green today for Illinoise and Doubt.

Weak tea, o-pee

Is Amy Ryan competitive for a Tony nomination? I know Tyne would have probably been given a nomination. Chicks like her always win awards

Yes, why wouldn't she be? She opened the show.

I have tix for ILLINOISE that I bought months ago and I'm eager to see it but I could barely get through that ponderous NY Times review and those photos of the dancers dressed in adolescent rompers. I hope it's better than all that.

Report back on why the singers are dressed as butterflies, R10! (The show does look awfully twee.)

Sufjan eligible for Tony would be a nice development.

I saw it on Wednesday - it is VERY twee but I enjoyed the dancing and the great sound in the Armory enough to overlook that.

I don't think he'd be eligible, R12. The music is primarily from his 2005 album of the same name.

I laughed! I cried! I wet my pants!

In ten years, Kristi Dawn will be eligible for Medicare

Maybe it's a reference to FOLLIES, R11.

[quote] Sutton’s two Tonys in shows no one gave a shit about.

Thoroughly Modern Millie and Anything Goes were hardly “shows no one gave a shit about.”

No one outside of Broadway cared R18.

Kristi Dawn sounds like the name of a Special Ed kid from my 8th grade, which was circa 1975…

Don't even waste your time engaging with that asshole, R18. He has no idea what he's talking about and he says stupid shit for attention.

R21 still crying about his Sutton fan bullshit.

[quote] Kristi Dawn sounds like the name of a Special Ed kid from my 8th grade, which was circa 1975…

Damn you're old!

"Kristi Dawn......what's that flower you've got on....."

Obligatory KZ mention!

Except, r14, Pete Townshend won a Tony for Best Score for TOMMY. Also written for a recording.

I think the rules were changed shortly after that, R25.

I believe the rule used to be that there had to be a percentage of new music written specifically for the show for it to be eligible. And there were a few scores prior to Tommy that were that hybrid that were either nominated or won, but after Tommy, it was changed within a couple years, and now the score must be wholly original (outside of including a novelty song, say something like Tiny Dancer from Almost Famous, that was previously associated with the adapted property).

The Armory isn't a Broadway house so the show isn't eligible.

Can we just cut the stupid Sutton v Cheno crap. So dumb.

We were discussing the show moving to a Broadway house. Please keep up.

[Italic] Tommy [/Italic] looks little

Scalper tix to Illinoise are going for 800-900 bucks a pop.

I saw the original Tommy three times. Every subsequent production I've attended was an utter disappointment. There's no way you can capture again what that show did at that time, even with McAnuff at the wheel. And given his post-Tommy track record, ESPECIALLY with McAnuff at the wheel.

Since I wasn’t raised Catholic, “Doubt” holds zero interest and resonance for me. Cherry Jones was wonderful in the original production, and she was reason enough to go then. The movie was awful except for Viola Davis’ one good scene. And Amy Ryan got a tepid review from Jesse Green in the Times for this production, even as he raved about Liev Schreiber.

I know a lot of people liked “Ray Donovan” but is Schreiber a big enough name to keep a dated play like this running?

I’ve seen two modern plays on Broadway where the audience literally gasped out loud, as if one. The first time was The Heiress, when Cherry cries out to her aunt as the stage lights black out. The second was Doubt, when Adriane Lenox tells Cherry that maybe the attention paid to her son is better than the alternative.

The Notebook really left me cold. Trite music, shallow performances from everyone under 50, and lazy direction that basically planted actors and left them stranded. I predict less than glowing reviews, but audiences will eat this up and pay top dollar to be manipulated. There was a weird, uh, coup de theatre at the end that resulted in a premature standing ovation. But I guess some people really want this kind of thing.

[quote] I’ve seen two modern plays on Broadway where the audience literally gasped out loud, as if one. The first time was The Heiress, when Cherry cries out to her aunt as the stage lights black out. The second was Doubt, when Adriane Lenox tells Cherry that maybe the attention paid to her son is better than the alternative.

I gasped when I read on here that Cherry Jones told Cole Escola she would return to "Oh, Mary" to *learn.*

Rolling my eyes at R34...

One does not need to have been raised Catholic to appreciate DOUBT, just as one doesn't need to be a former showgirl to appreciate FOLLIES, or British to enjoy JERUSALEM, or Irish to admire THE FERRYMAN. etc.

So fucking provincial.

What is 37 even talking about? Oy vey.

R39, don't blame me if you only read the posts on here that respond to you. Some of us read all of them.

You don't have to be Catholic to appreciate "Doubt." Actually, I'm not sure what you have to be to appreciate it because I thought it was the dullest fucking thing I'd seen in ages. I went to the first preview at MTC way back when because I adore Cherry Jones and I happened to be in NYC, and I walked out of there thinking- What a dud. I was totally shocked when it became the success it was. I thought the film was marginally better than the play, with the exception of the overacting Viola Davis, leaving her snot all over the furniture.

[quote]I know a lot of people liked “Ray Donovan” but is Schreiber a big enough name to keep a dated play like this running?

It's doubtful.

I know this an outlier take but I was also very disappointed in the original production of Doubt and particularly in Cherry's performance, which seemed phony and artificial. Like a grad student playing an old lady. But then I loved the film and thought Meryl was fantastic. I know many people thought it was one of her hammier performances, but I loved her in that and found the whole film riveting.

[quote] Like a grad student playing an old lady.

I agree with you, R43. She did a similar thing in her performance in the revival of Moon for the Misbegotten. It felt very strained and artificial. Cherry had an odd period around this time where her performances (for me, at least) were really falling flat.

And she sure knew how to play an old lady wonderfully, as evidenced by anyone who saw her in "Pride's Crossing" at the Public. What a performance!

Cherry always exceeded at playing those exuberant I-ain't-down-yet! types. I wish she had done a Rosalind or a Viola or even a Peter Pan on Broadway 30 years ago. Great in pants roles.

[Quote] There was a weird, uh, coup de theatre at the end that resulted in a premature standing ovation.

Care to describe it, R36? I love a good coup de théâtre, but I’m too cheap to pay Broadway prices to satisfy a mild curiosity. TIA!

It’s not plot relevant, so I hope no one is offended by the SPOILER. They just reveal the previously hidden orchestra during the last bit of the finale, which got the audience to their feet instantly. It didn’t make much sense to me, but it was not nearly as cheap and manipulative as the plot and music. .

I would have been more impressed if the 6 leads had re-enacted the end of Michael Jackson's video for "Black or White."

R38 that's the problem with identity politics.

People feel they should only relate to others just like them.

R32 wasn't The Lehman Trilogy much worse? I vaguely remember tickets for it reaching $1500 or so.

I saw the new Charles Busch play, Ibsen's Ghost. It was good, not his best, but Jen Cody should get an OBIE for this.

Where is Dee Hoty?

If Dee Hoty married Jen Cody, she’d be Dee Hoty-Cody.

I think Jen Cody's married to Sutton Foster's brother.

She is. And was well know to we of Datalounge.

[quote]Since I wasn’t raised Catholic, “Doubt” holds zero interest and resonance for me.

So then if you're not Jewish, neither FIDDLER ON THE ROOF nor THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK hold any resonance for you? If you're not African-American, then both THE COLOR PURPLE nor A RAISIN IN THE SUN have "zero interest and resonance" for you? I have no idea what your religious, ethnic, and cultural background may be, but you sure come across as a narrow-minded fool.

[quote]I know a lot of people liked “Ray Donovan” but is Schreiber a big enough name to keep a dated play like this running?

"Dated" in what way? That's a very odd comment, but I guess consistent with your other foolish remarks. Also: DOUBT is a limited run production of the Roundabout, so Schreiber doesn't need to "keep it running" for long. And of course, it was intended to also star Tyne Daly

[quote]You don't have to be Catholic to appreciate "Doubt." Actually, I'm not sure what you have to be to appreciate it because I thought it was the dullest fucking thing I'd seen in ages.

Then you were in the vast minority. How you or anyone else could not find the story of DOUBT compelling is beyond me.

Ha! I read the title of that article above not as "‘Imaginary’ Star Betty Buckley" but as "Imaginary star Betty Buckley."

:-)

At least Betty Buckley is honest that she doesn’t have the stamina for a Broadway run instead of blaming it on ripping up her Equity card, like some other lady I know!

shimmy

Whom did you elders see in Deathtrap? I saw John Cullen and liked him a lot, although I was still a teenager.

Also r57 is an insufferable asshole. Now and (apparently) forever.

CULLUM not Cullen, Damn autocorrect.

I saw the original cast of DEATHTRAP but didn't find it very amusing or scary. It might have been late in those particular actors' runs so maybe that would have explained a lack of energy on their part. But years later, seeing the great Lumet film was an entirely different experience. Clever, scary, stylish, funny and even sexy.

Why does London love [italic] Sister Act [/italic] so bloody much?

[quote] Then you were in the vast minority. How you or anyone else could not find the story of DOUBT compelling is beyond me.

I never claimed anyone to have shared my opinion. I stated it as mine and mine alone. And I didn't think Shanley said anything about the topic of Catholic priests molesting boys that hadn't already been covered in TV movies or theatrical movies or several other forms of media in much more compelling ways. It's a stodgy, dull play that wants you to think it's open ended, but it tips its hand far too early.

R65, because British audiences often have shit for taste. It’s nit Londoners who will go see Suster Act it’s the bus coach idiots from outside London who will pile in there.

Sister Act is an unusual piece in that most Americans expect the movie onstage (as we have become expectant of), including all the church-centric reimaginings of Motown songs as seen in the movie. Instead, Alan Menken and Glenn Slater created - I would argue - a truly inspired score based on late-70s Philadelphia funk/r&b, with the show being set there and then. The opening medley along with Delores’s first song is some of Menken’s most interesting and inventive work since Little Shop, but it seems Americans only want the movie whereas in the UK they appreciate the show for what it is. That being said, I would have been curious to see what Whoopi would have done and how they would have adapted what is a very range-y sing for (much, much younger) original star Patina Miller to Whoopi’s strengths… but, Covid made that an impossibility at the time. Count me as a fan of the show, but I get why it disappoints audiences stateside.

I will also add that the immersive UK Newsies is ten times as interesting and impressive as the original Broadway version, despite not attracting a cast half as talented (or attractive)… yet, for Menken to have his only Tony for that score is a shame since Sister Act is infinitely more accomplished and dynamic.

If a Newsies cast isn't attractive, what's the point of the show?

The huge disparity between the body/beauty standards of Broadway chorus boys and West End has been well-documented… but, having seen the current UK Moulin Rouge!, Newsies, &Juliet and SUNSET BLVD. all within the last year confirms that it is quite true. Broadway is a different level when it comes to chorus boys and their relative talents and perceived attractiveness.

Jesus, you guys really enjoyed ganging up on me. No, I don’t think you have to be — fill in the blank — to be interested in a piece or empathize with the characters. But I had a lot of Catholic friends growing up and heard my fill of repressed and crazy nun stories. The strictness and provincialism (which I consider a more accurate description of the word than R 38 managed) of the Catholic education at mid-Twentieth Century never made sense to me and bores the fuck out of me now when I happen to see it dramatized.

Do we really need a re-enactment of reactionary nuns fighting against Vatican II reforms as if that has anything to do with the cultural wars we are fighting now? It’s escapist, misplaced nostalgia and a case of another ageing, over-rated-and-nearly-forgotten playwright trying desperately to seem relevant.

Jesus Christ, r72, I'm so glad I dropped out.

r71, have you seen any of the big Broadway musicals since the pandemic? Attractive sexy chorus boys and girls are now a thing of the past.

Yes R71, I saw Bad Cinderella in previews, plus Parade (twice) and Sweeney Todd last year, among others. To wit; Bad Cinderella literally had 15-minute song/scene about ripped hot guys working out as the queen’s guard (with a new song by ALW) and that cast was ready for OnlyFans. Obviously, the show was a flop so nobody cares. But, given the flop status of that perhaps it’s true that hot chorus boys are not needed.

Well, maybe not COMPLETELY gone ...

R62, you have repeatedly referred to me as "insufferable" on DataLounge whenever I have quoted more than one poster here in any of my responses. Apparently, that "triggers" you, for some very strange reason. But I stand by the comments I made in R57 -- that it's foolish and narrow-minded for someone to state that they can't respond to DOUBT because they're not Catholic, and ignorant to refer to that play as "dated ". And if you don't agree, then I think you're a cretin of the first order.

Sexy chorus boys in Sweeney Todd? An idea to conjure with.

[quote]But, given the flop status of that perhaps it’s true that hot chorus boys are not needed.

Flawed logic. All BAD CINDERELLA proved is that, of course, hot chorus boys ALONE are not enough to make a show a hit. But that doesn't mean it isn't nice to have them on hand.

Every Broadway musical these days needs to have overweight women and effeminate girly men, generally black and often stating that they really want to be women, but meanwhile will just be queer, queer, QUEER!

This is supposed to sell tickets.

Big plus sized girl in Beautiful Noise.

Keep it gay, keep it gay, keep it gay!

Or genderqueer, if that's the best you can do.

[quote] I never claimed anyone to have shared my opinion. I stated it as mine and mine alone. And I didn't think Shanley said anything about the topic of Catholic priests molesting boys that hadn't already been covered in TV movies or theatrical movies or several other forms of media in much more compelling ways. It's a stodgy, dull play that wants you to think it's open ended, but it tips its hand far too early.

Shanley isn't really writing about the Catholic Church scandals. I don't think that is really his subject or his interest. Doubt is a play about the perils of moral certainty. To have doubt was once considered the hallmark of a thinking person. Instead, our society has been reduced to people screaming at each other from the opposite sides of an issue. Now, if someone expresses doubt or uncertainty about an issue, they are called weak, ineffectual, wishy washy etc. You see it all the time in the political arena. The title of the play contains the subtitle, "A Parable," and that is where the play's relevance comes in. Doubt does work as a good old fashioned melodrama of "did he or didn't he," should you wish to only take it on the surface. But Shanley's intent runs far deeper into a critique of our talking heads society that reduces all arguments to black and white, with no grey middle.

Worst theatre gossip thread ever.

[quote]The huge disparity between the body/beauty standards of Broadway chorus boys and West End has been well-documented… but, having seen the current UK Moulin Rouge!, Newsies, &Juliet and SUNSET BLVD. all within the last year confirms that it is quite true. Broadway is a different level when it comes to chorus boys and their relative talents and perceived attractiveness.

Also, the recent Broadway and London revivals of ANYTHING GOES starring Sutton Foster.

The latter got a pro-shot but their sailors/chorus boys could not compare to these:

[quote]Every Broadway musical these days needs to have overweight women and effeminate girly men, generally black and often stating that they really want to be women, but meanwhile will just be queer, queer, QUEER!

[quote]This is supposed to sell tickets,

Obviously, the socialists currently in charge don't have a head for business.

They care more about pushing a 'woke' agenda than making profits.

They need to be ousted from power before they destroy Broadway completely.

It's show business, not show charity.

Everything's coming up TYNE!

Whenever I need a little pick me up, I watch this. Patti should've gotten a nomination for this scene! What a fucking riot.

Why should she be nominated for playing herself?

It’s not the occasional queer show that’s killing Broadway, it’s the shit like Back to the Future that's killing it. Naked money grabs with no talent anywhere except the special effects guys.

Broadway is now a theme park for tourists. It’s already been destroyed, but by capitalism

I, too, saw DEATHTRAP as a teen R62. Twice. Once with John Cullum, and a second time with Robert Reed. I loved it both times. As it ran for quite a while, I think it was as good as this teen thought. That jump-scare at the end of act one was one of the most memorable audience reactions I've still ever seen. It's sad that "thrillers" are no longer a thing on stage.

R88 R89 because Patti can’t have one good experience, ever, someone who worked on the movie said that director Taylor Hackford ripped her to shreds in front of everyone for not paying attention to continuity and wearing a bracelet in one scene and not wearing it during coverage shots. He apparently blamed her for fucking up the shots. You can see the disappearing bracelet in the movie, so I’m apt to believe the poster who wrote about it. What’s said is before that happened they seemed to get along great by all accounts.

That's not Patti's job, that's wardrobe's job.

That's continuity's job.

SIX is now part of the 1,000 or more performances club. MJ The Musical has just 123 more performances (or until roughly the end of June) until it gets there.

They all work together. Wardrobe and props have people on their teams who are to keep an eye on such things.

Is 1000 performances (for a musical) such a big deal? That's only a little more than 2 years, no? Aren't there roughly 412 performances per year?

It's more than the last two Best Musical Tony winners --- combined.

I'm sad KIMBERLY is closing. I think it's the best new musical in years.

So NBC Universal puts Ariana Grande on SNL to try and get her back on the map before Wicked

The songwriter & librettist & director of a Tony winning Best musical open a new musical (albeit Off Broadway), and the NYT sends a 3rd stringer to review?

[R99] Ditto on Kimberly Akimbo. One of the best new musicals of it's decade, in fact. But I do think you need a performer like Victoria Clark for it to really work; no shade to Colleen Fitzpatrick who seems lovely, but she doesn't do it for me. Is there anyone you can think of who could have come in and successfully replaced Victoria?

Katie Britt.

Billy Porter

I agree about KA in terms of its quality, but think it had a respectable run, longer than I thought. I saw Fitzpatrick and agreed that she wasn't up to the task. I can see Cherry Jones in it, but I don't think she sings.

Maryann Plunkett could do it well.

Maryann Plunkett would be terrific in the role and would naturally create a sadder image of a young girl in an old lady's face and body (like Mary Louise Burke in the original play), unlike Victoria Clark who looked more like a hip mom dressing too young for her age.

Vicki Lewis is playing the lead in McNalley's Master Class in Arizona this month directed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge.

What does a DLer on this thread think?

WTF?... or hell yeah, I'll plunk down 50 bucks or whatever, you go Vicki!

Dodge is no genius.

Billy Porter would be poignant as Kimberly.

He could as “Love Is On the Way” from the First Wives Club as a second act encore.

Billy Porter is as poignant as my sphincter.

Datalounge wit is sinking as fast as Broadway quality.

And don’t even mention the tech quality here. An entire morning of nothing but glitches…(!)

[quote]Patti should've gotten a nomination for this scene!

Patti should have gotten a nomination for Beau Is Afraid.

Phillip Seymour Hoffman ruined the film version of Doubt for me because he played the priest like a creepy pedo throughout. Where was the Doubt? The rest of the cast was great but, seriously, Viola's snot was very distracting.

For jerks, maybe… the rest of us were watching a great scene, not snot-searching.

[quote]Phillip Seymour Hoffman ruined the film version of Doubt for me because he played the priest like a creepy pedo throughout.

I'm not sure I agree with that, but I think he was terribly miscast as Father Flynn because it's very important that the character has a significant amount of sex appeal, which I think helps explain Sister Aloysius's intense aversion to him.

[quote]Billy Porter is as poignant as my sphincter.

So, he's uncontrolled and overused?

Brian O’Byrne had just the right mix of cagey and charismatic, on stage.

My mom got goosebumps when she ran into him at Angus after I took her to see the original production…he was very kind to her.

Has Playwrights Horizons ever remounted a production? This post seems to suggest that Mr Burns is returning.

If so, I'm thrilled. The original production is one of my all-time favorites.

Freewheeling!

I agree that PSH screamed “guilty” in the film.

The film works better when you really don’t know what happened.

Kinda like in my movie. One never knows if I was acting or if I really talk like Nell in my personal life.

[quote]Brian O’Byrne had just the right mix of cagey and charismatic, on stage. My mom got goosebumps when she ran into him at Angus after I took her to see the original production…he was very kind to her.

Yes, I think he used to hang out there a lot during the run of DOUBT. I spoke with him there one night and I complimented him highly on the perfect New York accent he used in the play, so different from his own. I told him I had grown up in NYC around people like that, and I thought his accent was spot-on. That really seemed to mean a lot to him.

R123 he was in OZ, playing the nutty IRA bomber.

Tonight I saw Opening Night, the new Ivo van Hove and Rufus Wainwright musical based on the John Cassavetes film, currently in previews in London.

Christ, what an abortion. van Hove’s usual bag of staging tricks are well-suited to the source material (he’s previously staged it as a play), but the score is dreadful. Just terrible. Wainwright is not a musical dramatist, nor does he seem to have a sense of what constitutes dramatic structure or theatrical cohesion. Every number is tonally all over the place, often neither appropriate for the character nor the drama . The first act is a slog, the second goes off the rails completely.

The cast do their best, but… urgh. Benjamin Walker, Amy Lennox and Shira Haas are great but their roles are underwritten. Nicola Smith does her best, but she’s either required to scowl pensively or shout. Sheridan Smith works hard, but to little effect.

I consider myself an Ivo van Hove fan - I thought his recent production of Jesus Christ Superstar was remarkable. But this is a bad, puzzling misfire.

Thanks for the report r115. Yikes!

WHET erstwhile DL Theatre Gossip fave Andrew Keenan-Bolger? I came across a re-upload of his infamous nudies today and realized I hadn't read anything about AKB here for a long time.

R127-Well? Let's all see them.

Brian O' Byrne sexy? Okaaaay.

WEHT Brian O'Byrne and the actress who played the young nun opposite him, Heather Goldenhersh? For awhile, it seemed like she was in everything. I think they got married but I can't remember the last time they appeared in anything, at least in the legitimate theatre (sorry, couldn't resist).

[quote]WHET erstwhile DL Theatre Gossip fave Andrew Keenan-Bolger? I came across a re-upload of his infamous nudies today and realized I hadn't read anything about AKB here for a long time.

Andrew is soon to open in a new Off-Broadway play in which he apparently will get to show off his body a lot. See link.

[quote]R71 The huge disparity between the body/beauty standards of Broadway chorus boys and West End has been well-documented… Broadway is a different level when it comes to chorus boys and their relative talents and perceived attractiveness.

A friend of mine was quite an important English performer and she said the quality of chorus girls was always a bit dodgy.

It’s because the UK is small - there’s a much sparser population in which triple threat beauties might bloom. Where as because America is so comparatively vast - many, many more of those specialized types pour into New York from all sides and producers have their pick ten times over.

I can only assume this applies to chorus boys as well as girls.

[quote]R83 To have doubt was once considered the hallmark of a thinking person. Instead, our society has been reduced to people screaming at each other from the opposite sides of an issue.

[italic][bold] SHUT THE FUCK UP ! !

I'm all for anything embarrassing to the wretched Sheridan Smith.

They are still married, with children. He works more than she does.

Yes r134 she has been pushed relentlessly for years - someone powerful must like her.

ITV keeps giving her more and more work, including TV specials about her private life. There must be sine insider connection for her and/or her agent,

I know Beanie was ripped to shreds for her Funny Girl, but I always thought Sheridan was somehow worse!

Michael Mayer is a horrible director and shouldn’t be around a casting office is all I have to say about that.

DL, you've failed me. And all of us who delight in deserved bitchery.

Apparently in I LOVE YOU SO MUCH I COULD DIE at New York Theatre Workshop, writer and performer Mona Pirnot, as directed by her husband Lucas Hnath, sat with her back to the audience and had AI read the script to the audience.

Please tell me someone saw this and can report on this coup de theatre firsthand.

Andrew Keenan-Bolger recently had a run in the fun DRACULA: A COMEDY OF TERRORS Off-Broadway. (I saw it close to the end of its run, when Taylor Trensch stepped in for a week.)

Sweeney closes on 5 May

Stepped in for a week - sounds like all of AKB's boyfriends.

“Broadway's current revival of Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's Sweeney Todd will close up shop May 5. The production began performances February 26, 2023 and opened March 26. The production was initially slated to close with the February departure of original stars Annaleigh Ashford and Josh Groban, a run that was ultimately extended with current stars Sutton Foster and Aaron Tveit.“

ILLINOISE moving to the St. James. Before Tony cut off.

How to Dance in Illinoise.

So above it was said that Sufjan Stevens wouldn't be eligible for a Best Score Tony because after TOMMY won that award, it was decreed that the award had to go a score that was "wholly original"? How would that have affected EVITA or JCS that began their lives as song cycle/recordings?

Sutton and Tveit wasn't an extension as much as a stretch.

AKB updates: -his dog Archie, who has his own Instagram, has not been seen in years -his husband Scott stopped working and is living off his trust fund full-time -he will be starring off-Broadway in Scarlett Dreams, a new play from S. Asher Gelman, "creator of the cult hit, AFTERGLOW" -he and his husband (but not his disappeared dog) travel a lot -his color palette is no longer teal -he loves vintage swimsuits -his husband has let his head pubes grow out

Sarah Jessica Parker has been nominated for an OLIVIER award for Plaza Suite. Matthew was not nominated.

The happy couple, Andrew and Scott.

I don't understand why Sweeney Todd is closing, especially since it grosses over 1 million per week , (except for that in between weeks when they were no stars.). Can't they find two other replacements? Obviously it doesn't have to be a perfect fit lol.

[quote]ILLINOISE moving to the St. James. Before Tony cut off.

Thanks, that's pretty amazing news. Would it be considered a musical for the various awards? I suppose so. Shades of CONTACT.

r151 According to Broadway Journal:

[quote]Weekly running costs for the 2023 revival are projected to be about $840,000, not including royalties and percentage rent.

One would hope Tveit and Foster aren't being paid the same as Groban and Ashford, but either way it seems like they'd need to do considerably above a million to remain profitable.

The rumours have been that they tried for other names before opting for Tveit and Foster but no-one was interested.

R146, Elton John and Tim Rice’s AIDA had an all-star concept album released long before the show came to the stage and not only was it nominated for Best Score but they actually won back in 2002 or thereabouts. I think the score needs to be wholly written for the stage in order to be eligible for a Tony, but it’s ok if a concept album or some such has been released prior to the show actually coming to Broadway.

Well, weren't ALW's concept albums done to create interest for an eventual production?

AKB’s concept albums definitely were.

[quote][R127]-Well? Let's all see them.

They were on a torrent site.

Torrential rain of cum. —amirite?

[quote]his color palette is no longer teal

Fucking finally, of all his affectations that one was the most annoying. Closely followed by him claiming none of his IG photos are staged.

“The rumours have been that they tried for other names before opting for Tveit and Foster but no-one was interested.“

Steve and Eydie would have been ideal.

There are so few viable “names” on the level of Josh Groban to fill seats in an expensive production like this… my ultimate dream would have been Raul Esparza and Toni Collette, but obviously it was not meant to be.

I thought Taron wanted to play Sweeney?

[quote]Agree that Esparza and Collette would have been amazing in SWEENEY TODD, and they would have sold tickets. Esparza is now busy with that new musical which I predict is going to be a flop for several reasons. Too bad he couldn't have gone into ST before starting work on that.

And yes, there are few if any names on the level of Josh Groban who are right for the role of Sweeney and could remotely sing the score. Which is why they cast Aaron Tveit -- something I still can't believe every time I say it or type it.

Is Illinoise really moving? Color me dubious.

Having seen ILLINOISE, which I certainly enjoyed, I nevertheless think it would be a hard sell on Broadway. Far too esoteric for the bridge and tunnel crowds and certainly not for tourists. Spectacular dancing but the story-telling is very muddled and tends towards the depressing. MOVING OUT and CONTACT, it ain't. Word of mouth would not be great in spite of the rave reviews. Also, isn't Robbie Fairchild already booked into THE ARTIST musical in Paris (though he's surprisingly not the lead here)?

I'm wondering if the upthread post is simply a DL-created rumor.

The Times review praised the show but said a move to Broadway would be a mistake.

That didn't stop DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES.

R167 and we all know what a bum decision that turned out to be!

[quote] Sweeney closes on 5 May

As expected. There was no way Sutton and Tveit were going to keep it open after the box office was cut in half.

Will OH MARY extend again or move?

R169, It was still above $1 million weekly with Aaron and Sutton.

Sutton is headed back to Broadway this Fall. Let's give the girl a break!

Well, someone has to refute this absurd article before it's too late.

The claim:

Harold Arlen plagiarized the melody of Over the Rainbow from Norwegian composer Signe Lund.

The reality:

Some pianist decided a good way to raise his profile was to use the flavor of the month (plagiarism), and accuse Arlen of being a one-hit-wonder plagiarist. Nevermind that Arlen had numerous hits well before The Wizard of Oz (Get Happy, Stormy Weather, Paper Moon, etc.). The article also seems to excuse Lund's Nazi sympathies, which simply reeks of antisemitism. As for the similarity of the melodies, coincidence is far from uncommon, and there are only 12 notes.

[quote] The Times review praised the show but said a move to Broadway would be a mistake.

r166 where does it say that? It says it feels like a work in progress, but that's quite far from what you're citing.

R172 only if she'll return the favor.

and now a new bad Illinoise review from the NYT dance critic

I’ve listened to the piano piece. The second section is an exact copy of the opening stanza of Rainbow, except it’s in minor. There are no other similarities other than that opening melody. Whether or not Arlen heard it or saw it working in that music store decades before he wrote Rainbow is up for debate. There’s some circumstantial evidence he might have seen it. I seriously doubt that he found an old copy of the music and directly plagiarized it the night before he played it for everyone.

Yeah, based on the law the estate can be sued, but there isn’t a jury in the country that would reward a lawsuit over this. Yeah, she was a Nazi (and not very good composer) but that really doesn’t have legal bearing on a case like this, nor should it. Yeah. I found the tone of the article weird and a spurious attempt to grab headlines. There’s been some attention paid, so I guess it worked for him? I didn’t find it to be convincing at all.

Tonya, Tovah, Adam K antor, Tony Danza Craig Bierko and more. (Apparently) no director! It's a DL Cavalcade of Stars. Five shows only.

Wicked is now the top-grossing show on Broadway, having moved ahead of The Lion King. Wicked has been out-grossing Hamilton for a while now.

Meanwhile, Joe Mantello keeps raking in the millions while lounging by his pool in the Hamptons. Must be nice.

Mantello's pool is in Palm Springs.

And with the tours and all the international productions, Mantello and all the rest don't need a pool to be swimming in it. Can only imagine the $$$ gushing in every single week. For a mediocre show.

PS a mediocre show with Tonys only for sets and costumes (and the long-gone idina)

I don't think Wicked or Mamma Mia! ever pretended to be groundbreaking or high art, r182.

Mantello deserves everything, including the pool. He is a very good actor and one of the best commercial directors alive.

Incredibly, someone on ATC wrote the following about the closing of SWEENEY TODD on Broadway: "On a production level this is the definitive Sweeney and deserved a longer run."

Can you imagine the ignorance and/or total lack of taste behind that remark -- especially in this case, when there is a full-length, pro-shot commercial video of what was basically the brilliant original production with George Hearn, Angela Lansbury et al?

Ha! Someone else wrote the following about Aaron Tveit on ATC, that he "has a lot of nascent sex-appeal and it should’ve been underlined" in the marketing.

If his sex-appeal is "nascent," I wonder hold old he'll be when it comes to the fore? (I'm guessing the poster meant to write that Tveit has "innate sex appeal," an opinion with which I disagree.)

r185 Which will be airing on TCM tomorrow!

The poster who labeled the current SWEENEY TODD as "definitive" on a production level reminds me of all those who have declared the same thing about the current MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG -- this despite the fact that many of them have never seen ANY previous production and are judging only from the cast albums, in some cases only from the original cast album.

I have one friend who told me "This was the first time I understood the story and the characters of the show." When I asked him how many previous productions of MERRILY he had seen, he answered that he had only seen one: the 2019 Off-Broadway production by the Fiasco Theater, a minimalist version of the show in which all of the characters were played by a cast of six. Scary how many people are so susceptible to hype and will gladly parrot whatever they've read in reviews and marketing materials.

Kevin Spacey's triumphant return to Broadway opposite Twinks McGee in NASCENT SEX APPEAL!

There were so many issues with that current Sweeney Todd, it's hard to know where to begin. Josh Groban's pissed off soccer dad approach to the role, though he sang it beautifully. Annaleigh Ashford climbing Groban like a jungle gym. The terrible contemporary choreography. The lack of scares or any tension. Indistinct staging that leaves you wondering where scenes are meant to be taking place or what is even happening on stage. The full original orchestration sounding small and muffled. It was nice to see Sweeney Todd staged on a large scale, but the 1982 video of the national tour in its worst moments (and there are some) is better than the entirety of the new production. I've seen Sweeney Todd work in large and small productions - but never a staging that was quite as tepid as the current production. As far as definitive, Hal Prince's 1979 original Broadway production is yet to be surpassed.

Whenever Jonathan Groff goes through a revolving door, he sings "This is 1922!"

It is also possible to just be an old fuck who hates everything new and different. I have seen Sweeney and Merrily many times, and found a lot to love about both Broadway productions I had the same reaction to Into Woods. If you set the bar at your *memory* of the original production, nothing is ever going to live up. Wouldn’t it be a special hell if you could actually experience these productions again like Emily Webb going back to her 12th birthday?

Re “Days of Wine and Roses” moving to Broadway — It was always unlikely to be a commercial hit. But am I wrong in thinking it was done for love rather than money? That it was a serious adult show by a serious contemporary theater composer with two Broadway stars giving their best performances to date, making it well worth doing?

Of course money may have come into it with the thought that it would give a higher profile to a cast album and possibly to regional theaters and opera companies now considering doing the show because of the Broadway run (and Tony nominations).

Worth the gamble, no? At least in the long run.

[quote]Re “Days of Wine and Roses” moving to Broadway — It was always unlikely to be a commercial hit. But am I wrong in thinking it was done for love rather than money?

Love and the very likely probability of some Tony nominations, possibly even a win or two.

The original Sweeney will never be surpassed for many reasons, one being there are no more Princes, Lansburys, and Carious in the world, and they aren’t coming back given the current training in the Broadway world.

Yeah, no R192. I enjoyed the current Merrily quite a lot, though I think the Kennedy Center production was just as good, and both productions make as strong a case for the revised material as possible. Really liked the Encores!/Broadway Into the Woods as well, for its musicianship and some very strong performances, particularly Sara Bareilles, and also how it was able to really move at a breakneck speed, due to the spare design. This Sweeney though is not all it could have been and I feel is really hampered in the areas I mentioned.

Youngsters in the world and in media proclaiming what is the GOAT when they know nothing that predates 2018 is part of our 'trending' problem.

How the hell is Hadestown still playing to 100+% of capacity with an average price of $148. I'm not saying it's not good -- but wow that's success.

And r183 you're off-base to lump Mamma Mia and Wicked together. Mamma Mia always knew it was fluff, but Wicked very much has always taken itself very seriously; the Tony losses were emotionally devastating to them, even if they are knowing laughing all the way to their pools.

r197 You think there are "youngsters" posting on ATC?

Are they all on Broadway World?

[quote]Will OH MARY extend again or move?

Regardless of whether or not it's a good idea to move it uptown, the thought of it playing the Booth is delightful.

Whatever your thoughts of the current Sweeney and Merrily, both are undeniably hits, which something Prince couldn’t manage with either. That is no small achievement for a Stephen Sondheim musical.

Frankly, I’m happier with these more recent productions than I was with those in the 90s and 2000s. I’d add in the Marianne Elliott Company and the National’s Follies production. As with Shakespeare, there will always be “fans” who object to just about any production.

At any rate, get ready because it looks like Signature Theater is going to do Follies in their next season.

[quote]R166, where does it say that? It says it feels like a work in progress, but that's quite far from what you're citing.

Sorry, I read several reviews at the same time and remembered incorrectly. That was from a different review, not the one in the Times.

If that NY Times dance review of Illinoise doesn't kill it..............

Yikes! Really harsh.

[quote]If his sex-appeal is "nascent," I wonder hold old he'll be when it comes to the fore? (I'm guessing the poster meant to write that Tveit has "innate sex appeal," an opinion with which I disagree.)

A little off-topic, but I read an article about China's economy in the Washington Post recently that included the phrase "insipid demand." I think the author must have meant "tepid demand."

All things go!

My thoughts on ILLINOISE were much closer to Gia's than to Jesse's.

[quote]Nobody knows how to write anymore

Seems to have flown out the same window as thought.

Well, Jeffrey Donovan is hot and Adam Kantor has a big dick.

Ok if Sutton is headed back to Broadway, it must be Mattress.

Or "All in the Family: The Musical."

[quote]R173 The claim: Harold Arlen plagiarized the melody of Over the Rainbow from Norwegian composer Signe Lund.

Disputed passage is at [bold]01:25 mark

Or mattress.

Sleep No More - no more?

[quote]Whatever your thoughts of the current Sweeney and Merrily, both are undeniably hits, which something Prince couldn’t manage with either.

How are we defining "hit"? The original "Sweeney" ran longer than this revival.

Doubt if anyone reads dance reviews in the NYT.

[quote]How are we defining "hit"? The original "Sweeney" ran longer than this revival.

Yes, and they didn't have "dynamic pricing" and "premium pricing" back then. And neither Len Cariou nor Angela Lansbury were huge pop stars with tremendous crossover appeal. Also, it's unlikely that a show like SWEENEY would ever do as well in its original production as in a revival. So I don't think Hal Prince should be blamed for any lack of greater success of the original production.

R226 and you’d be wrong

R216^

Well, r218, we'll see if r226 is...

Get a new joke writer …

[quote]Sweeney closes on 5 May

[quote]As expected. There was no way Sutton and Tveit were going to keep it open after the box office was cut in half.

[quote][R169], It was still above $1 million weekly with Aaron and Sutton.

Yes, SWEENEY TODD has been grossing over $1 million ever since Foster and Tveit took over in early February.

Just last week, it grossed $1.3 million.

They were only contracted for February-May, anyway.

I guess they chose not to extend, and the producers couldn't find big names to replace them so opted to close the show instead.

The grosses were pretty dire (below $1 million) with the understudies -- in the three weeks between Groban/Ashford's departure in mid-January and when Foster/Tveit came in February.

The trouble with the world today...

Any plans for this Sweeney to tour, does anyone think, even a limited tour? I wouldn't mind seeing it just to compare and contrast. I saw the original production (and cast) and a couple others since, and I hate to be THAT DL Elder Theatre Gay, but, so far, not one has been better than the Prince production. (Similarly, I saw the recent tour of Hello, Dolly! because I'd only ever seen a high school production and the bloated movie. The show itself and production were great; Miss Buckley less so, but there you go.)

An L.A. production, maybe?

Maybe Morgan Fairchild or someone else embarrassing will do the L.A. SWEENEY?

Word in L.A. is that it's Tony Danza and Pia Z.

Rancho Mirage, not the Hamptons.

They spent so much time promoting the full 26-piece orchestra for this production of Sweeney, I feel like they couldn't get away with touring with a 12 piece band, so a tour seems unlikely? Unless it's a tour with long enough sit-downs that they can hire most of the orchestra locally? Have there been any recent national tours that went on the road with a full 25'ish piece orchestra?

Or conversely did any show like King & I or South Pacific, touted for its full orchestra, tour with less? Did anyone care.?

Jill Zarin *IS* Tour Beggar Woman!

Jordan Fisher is tour Anthony.... Oh, wait...

what the fuck is that going on on stage at the Lunt-Fontanne? 😳

Theater-adjacent question: I just watched "Funny Girl" (the movie) for the first time in years and was curious about why the opening, pre-credits segment where they play what seems to be an overture is labeled on screen as "Entr'acte." Isn't the entr'acte supposed to precede the second act?

The Sutton-Aaron Comedy Hour, featuring songs from Sweeney Todd, R233

I started it!

For years now, tours, even with small orchestras, pick up local musicians on he road. That's the norm.

Steppenwolf reduces its next season from eight productions to five, and one of the shows it's doing is Noises Off. No denying times is hard, sir.

234 was there a standard break in the middle of the film? If not then for tv it was just cut and moved to the front of the movie. If yes then it was a pre-peat of the break to come.

What happened with the Sutton Foster/Hugh Jackman match-up? False rumors?

Jackman is replacing Urie in the Broadway Mattress.

Hey nonny nonny that's still gay!

[quote]234 was there a standard break in the middle of the film? If not then for tv it was just cut and moved to the front of the movie. If yes then it was a pre-peat of the break to come.

Yes, there was an intermission (with music) as well.

Sarah P is playing The Mattress.....but it will just be a twin.

On my copy of FUNNY GIRL, the overture plays before the main title against a completely black screen that says neither "Overture" nor "Entr'acte." I'm almost certain that what's heard on the home video version (and on the soundtrack album) as the overture was played before the main title credits in the original release version of the film. Where did you see the version that said "Entr'acte" at the beginning?

R139, Lucas Hnath is the biggest fraud in recent theatre history. Not since Moises Kauffman has there been a bigger fraud. His last Broadway "play" featured Deirdre O'Connell playing Hnath's mother, whom he had recorded by someone else to transcribe virtually all of the "text" of the "play"--meaning the entire play was nothing more than a transcription done of her words, that were then lip-synched by O'Connell. So, really, his mother was the "author."

And Kelli O'Hara is our Shani Wallis.

Ex-c-u-u-u-u-s-e me, r247, Shani Wallis is our Shani Wallis.

And the result, r246, was reportedly moving and thrilling. Sorry I missed it.

The play referenced in R246—"Dana H"—was the last piece of theater that Sondheim saw before he died.

[quote]And just this week, two days before he died, he did a doubleheader, seeing a Wednesday matinee of “Is This a Room” and an evening performance of “Dana H.,” two short documentary plays on Broadway.

[quote]“I can’t wait,” he said as he anticipated seeing those shows. “I can smell both of those and how much I’m going to love them.”

Maybe it was Lucas Hnath's ass that sSondheim was smelling, R250.

[quote] was reportedly moving and thrilling. Sorry I missed it.

But, Lucas Hnath, of course you saw it!

[quote]Where did you see the version that said "Entr'acte" at the beginning?

TCM.

Lord. Sutton was the LEAD in two TV shows that ran multiple seasons on cable channels. They did not originate on streamers. Kristin had a supporting role on a TV show (Pushing Daisies) that never found an audience and barely ran one season. She was just a guest star on Glee. Sutton’s “Anything Goes” played in movie theaters. Sutton’s Tonys were for lead roles in hits. Kristin’s Tony was for a supporting role in a huge flop. Kristin’s sitcom “Kristin” was a huge flop of “epic proportions” (also a flop). Kristin’s biggest film role was in “Deck the Halls,” a massive flop. Kristin’s Dusty Springfield biopic died in development. Kristin’s career has been fine. If you want to convince yourself she’s a bigger star than Sutton, go ahead but it’s not by a lot. Personally, as an actor myself, I’d rather have Sutton’s career. No question.

Interestingly, both showed themselves at their worst as Marian Paroo. Rock bottom in River City.

Patti Lupone was the talent. There are prop and wardrobe people on set who are there to make sure she’s wearing a bracelet. Not to mention the script supervisor.

There was no reason that Dierdre O'Connell could not have been the saying the words live in Dana H. Mouthing them to Hnath's mother's recording was purely an attention-getting gimmick.

Deirdre Sorry.

[quote] an attention-getting gimmick

That's the essence of a Lucas Hnath play, R257.

R246 & R257 how did she win the Tony for that?

They should go older.

How about John Travolta and Cyndi Lauper for Sweeney? Or Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith? Kelsey Grammer and Ellen Greene?

Those would sell tickets.

Not that O'Connell isn't a brilliant actor, but I think it was a weak year, coming out of Covid. She's such a great actress, she should have been allowed to say the words. She still would have won.

Aida won in 2000.

Esparza and Toni C would be good too

Hamilton expected to be at TKTS this summer. Not sure the Disney + idea was a good one.

I’m not going to argue with the insane Sutton people. The garbage performance she’s giving in Sweeney puts to rest any notion of her “talent.”

R266- did you see Sutton in Sweeney or listen to a bootleg?

I thought Kristin was great in The Music Man.

Kristi Dawn what's that flower you've got on?

Could it be a faded rose from flops gone by?

AKB is shilling pube razors now! Art!

Jesse Green pans "The Notebook"—

[quote]Romantic musicals are as personal as romance itself. What makes you sigh and weep may leave the person next to you bored and stony. At “The Notebook,” I was the person next to you.

...

[quote]In any case, the de-slicking was a mistake; it turns out that the Hollywood varnish was the only thing holding the picture together. In its place, the musical makes few convincing arguments for a separate existence. Certainly Michaelson’s relentlessly mid-tempo songs do not; they are pretty but flyaway, as insubstantial as blue smoke.

He praises Maryann Plunkett at the end, while lamenting that she is underused.

Dot Plunkett

Who could write a musical version of Moonstruck? With Laura Benanti and Patti LuPone reteaming as mother and daughter? With Derek Klena in the Nicolas Cage role? And Anita Gillette in the Anita Gillette role?

some staffer at Broadway World has it in for Burton Lane!

his bio is full of glaring WTF factual errors!

how many can you spot DL? see link below

R272. They tried. I remember Marisa Tomei mentioned for a workshop.

The Moonstruck musical as well as the Tammy Faye musical, both with music by Henry Krieger, have faded away. Obviously, the Elton John/Jake Shears Tammy Faye is moving forward after a well-received West End run last year and it seems Moonstruck is dead in the water.

[quote]Where did you see the version that said "Entr'acte" at the beginning?

[quote]TCM.

Thanks. I have no idea why TCM would have labeled the FUNNY GIRL overture as the "Entr'acte." That's completely wrong, and i would have expected better from them.

I’m dead, R276, rememba? Nobody gives a can there anymore. It’s all booze and dope.

That was… not very good R271. She’s cold as ice. And constantly flat.

Climate Activists Disrupt Broadway’s ‘An Enemy Of The People’; Cast Member Michael Imperioli Stays In Character, Physically Confronts Protester:

I believe there is already a Moonstruck musical. Idina did the workshop. Can’t remember who wrote it.

It’s interesting that this “woke” moment happened with one of the most famous TV murderers ever, yet Michael Imperioli mitigated and made it ok for the audience at that moment. He is very left and voted for Biden if that matters, it’s cool he dealt with this as he did as the star,

Everything is woke now, is it? This thread is like Fox News at times.

Makes you wonder if Michael Riedel posts here.

Who knew that Circle in the Square could stop climate change? This protest strikes at the heart of capitalism - Ibsen!

Well, if NYTW can be expected to stop the war in Gaza, anything is possible.

One might wonder why these protests aren't staged in front of those who are mostly responsible for doing nothing on climate change - Republicans. But, the protesters know that if they tried to demonstrate, they'd get the shit knocked out of them. They might think they are brave by interrupting a Broadway show, but, in fact, they are cowards.

Poor audience. They didn't know wtf was going on. At least they went on with the performance unlike the West End Les Miz where they sent the audience home.

r278 I can attest to how warm, heartfelt and affecting she was in person. In some ways she got to me more than BP.

Don’t say anything bad about Maryann. Her husband is also a very nice guy.

Damn, those Notebook reviews sucked. Not surprised. The pop songs have zero theatrical know how—and the triptych multi-racial casting is annoying as fuck.

I agree about the music and the criticism are all valid but I still loved it. Sue me. And Maryann deserves all the praise. It's a Tony-level performance.

And yet I guarantee The Notebook will be a hit. Maybe not a now-and-forever hit, but there’s an endless supply of middlebrow (and uni-brow) suburban wives and girls, and international tourists who want to me moved.

We already know it's a hit. it's been grossing $1m+ since previews.

R298 no, it hasn't.

It went into previous on February 10.

That week of February 6-11 it grossed 364k

February 13 - 18 = $1.013m

February 20 - 25 = $880k

February 27 - March 3 = $783k

March 5 - 10 = $769k

It officially opened on Broadway yesterday (March 14).

Sorry, that was for R293.

Are you truly sorry 🧐

[quote]One might wonder why these protests aren't staged in front of those who are mostly responsible for doing nothing on climate change - Republicans. But, the protesters know that if they tried to demonstrate, they'd get the shit knocked out of them. They might think they are brave by interrupting a Broadway show, but, in fact, they are cowards.

Agreed, 100 percent. And I wonder why they picked this particular show for their protest, but I'm guessing it's because they had heard there's a scene where the house lights get turned up.

Speaking of me . . .

Awful

It sounds like an assignment song shot straight out of the BMI Workshop.

Looks like the environment protesters chose the play because it's about environment protesting

[quote]It sounds like an assignment song shot straight out of the BMI Workshop.

What's wrong with following basic, time-honored principles of songwriting at least some of the time? That was a smart-ass comment.

R301 lovely of you to arise from your coma—your post is an early favorite for most fucking obvious (or is it oblivious?!) statement of the year.

R303, I didn't know that An Enemy of the People dealt with that topic. I've never seen nor read it.

In short, spray your cunt acid elsewhere.

[R303] I was responding to [R297], you moron.

R304 and R305 appear to be evil twins?! Which twin has the Tony..er, Toni

Also good know that R304 loves to post about plays he’s utterly unfamiliar with. Standard MO on the DL.

[quote] Also good know that [R304] loves to post about plays he’s utterly unfamiliar with. Standard MO on the DL.

I didn't post about it. I was just backing up the original poster and agreeing that you're a massive asshole.

Keep going—your the best thing to prove the point!

*you’re

[quote] Keep going—your the best thing to prove the point!

The point that you're an asshole? You do just fine on your own, hon.

Kristin should not be showing her knees.

Yes —that’s very Jeremy Strong of you.

I would be more interested in what audience or cast members had to say about the protest.

I'm not interested in this bilious subject at all and wish this thread would move the fuck on.

I'm no Cheno fan, but she was a recurring character on The West Wing, which was huge in original broadcast, and worked with some top name actors. That's on a higher level than anything Slutton ever did.

Kristin's knees are indeed terrifying and imposing.

[quote]Kristin's knees are indeed terrifying and imposing.

Is it because she was raised in church: Time on your hands should be time on your knees?

OR

Is it because that was how a midget with a helium voice got auditions? It's not the work, it's the stairs!

As you said, Kristin was “recurring” on The West Wing, not a series regular. It was a small part. Sutton has been the lead series regular number one on the call sheet in two TV shows.

We...don't...care.

Maryann Plunkett's Dot is second-tier at best. And her voice, even at its best, has always been pitchy.

Her performance in Me and My Girl - now that was first tier. A real star turn, and she matched Lindsay. Her voice was still pitchy, but it didn't matter with that score, and she sang it better than Emma Thompson had

“Younger” ran 7 seasons by the way.

Yeah, I'm with R320. The minutiae of the careers of these two women are excruciatingly uninteresting. Can we move on, please, thanks.

That -love and -1 drubbing at Wimbledon was some hole…

I'm really enjoying the Giants in the Sky podcast but it's amazing how some of the actors who were actually in the show have such bad memories. Example: Maureen Davis who was Sleeping Beauty for the entire run thought that the show was filmed early in the run and doesn't remember original cast members coming back to film late in the run. I know it's been almost 40 years but even I remember that. Otherwise she had some great stories about being the 'witch double' during the transformation among other things. I think the only person he hasn't interviewed is Betty Lynn.

Anything on Death Becomes Her?

CONGRATS to whoever posted about ILLINOIOSE moving to the St. James Theatre in time for the Tonys! You were right.

I do, however, think it's a mistake.

The post or the move?! ;)

I hate hate hate people who call the film of Dolly bloated. Have they never seen pictures of parades at the turn of the Twentieth Century? I mean these things were monster celebrations, huge events. And crowded sections of Manhattan were filled with magnificent buildings long gone and grand ballrooms and restaurants long gone. These things were big and ornate. Look at the interior of the old Met or Penn Station. Thank god there were once people like De Cuir and Sharaff and their talents were caught on film. These people who criticize Dolly for its heightened Hollywood lavishness wish that it was filmed on an 8mm handheld camera. I mean total morons.

The scale smothered the small story, r329.

And that picture of the Sutton Anything Goes. Where is the chorus? A few people dancing should be done at the clubhouse of a retirement community. Casting people who are still ambulatory.

The story may be intimate but so is the story of My Fair Lady a musical renowned for its lavishness. Why does a single man like Higgins have an army of servants? Why is Eliza shown off at Ascott? And in Dolly the musical they throw in huge locations that if done on a smaller scale would be ridiculous. I mean you want a restaurant you can put in Louis Armstrong and his band and a huge production number you've got it. You want a big 14th Street parade with Streisand singing the power anthem to end all power anthems you've got it. None of these are in The Matchmaker. I mean as far as I can remember.

'Ascot.'

MFL deals with wealth and high society, r332. Opulence contrasts with Eliza's humble station. Cukor would have been a much better fit with Dolly. He had taste. Kelly was just too MGM for the material.

I've never seen Maryann Plunkett in a musical but I worked with her through two seasons of the National Actors Theater and she was a standout in every show she did. I was surprised she came back for a 2nd season after the way Tony Randall treated his actors. Lynn Redgrave despised him and refused to work with him again. I've always felt Plunkett should have had a much bigger career, at least onstage. Excellent actress.

Interesting, R335. I think this is the first I've ever heard that Randall treated his actors badly. I don't doubt you, but can you give some examples?

r327 it isn't a mistake for ILLINOISE but it is a disaster to all of the other shows coming in. It will eclipse them all. It also will take 10 weeks to recoup.

I love Kristi Dawn but the ending of that song was rough on her vocally. He needs to raise the key for her.

R337, I don't doubt that ILLINOISE is great for what it is, but it doesn't necessarily sound like a show that will appeal to the typical Broadway audience. But maybe there is enough of a New York audience to keep it running for as long as it takes to make back its investment.

[R336] It was more that Tony didn't really know what he was doing (or getting into) when starting the company and he made a lot of blunders, big and small. He also horned in on the directing of the shows (he himself only directed one show), which didn't sit well with the actors. And the first season, he refused to make tickets available for Tony voters, saying that he couldn't spare them because of his subscriber base. That pissed the community off and the first season got no nominations whatsoever. Not that they would have scored many, but Redgrave and Plunkett did wonderful work in two of the shows that season and Redgrave especially got good reviews.

He relented that policy after the first season, but the damage had been done. (However, Maryann Plunkett did get a much deserved nomination for Saint Joan in Season 2.)

Tony had his heart in the right place in terms of wanting to create a company that would perform the classics at prices everyone could afford, but his ego and lack of business sense really did the whole endeavor in.

[quote]I think this is the first I've ever heard that Randall treated his actors badly.

He married one of the interns.

Yes, he definitely did that, too.

I had an acquaintance who starred opposite Randall in a summer stock tour of Music Man.. He would come up beside her every night before her entrance and say things like “you know you’re going to fail, don’t you? They’re going to hate you tonight. “ a real mind fucker. She left the tour early because he was so hateful.

I heard that when they were filming NYC scenes for The Odd Couple, the crew was always having to pull Tony Randall out of porn theaters.

Hard to do, since it was filmed In LA full-time. The NY scenes were one-time only— filmed bits for the credits…

I remember during our second season, one of my co-workers and I went into Tony's office after hours. He had a wall of file cabinets that contained a collection of playbills that would wet the panties of every theater queen in the tri-state area.

When I heard he married Heather, I could not reconcile the two things.

[quote]Maryann Plunkett's Dot is second-tier at best. And her voice, even at its best, has always been pitchy.

I have to respectfully disagree. Plunket has always been a first-rate performer, IMHO. Her Dot was every bit as good as Bernadette. And pitchy? No way. She has a vibrato, but she hits those notes square on. And she rarely misses a performance. Her career never really took off because she intentionally decided to leave the business and raise a family. After her kids were in college, she returned, most notably in the Apple Plays at the Public Theater, again giving nuanced, strong performances. I haven't seen The Notebook, but I'm not surprised that she's being singled out for the quality of her work in that piece. She's a Broadway standout!

She went from playing Agnes of God to Dot and she was fantastic in both.

Maryann Plunkett is married to Jay O. Sanders.

Yes, we know.

I was paired with Randall on the $25,000 Pyramid in the early 80s. He was a jerk and cold as ice.

Are these the lyrics or are they making them up as they go along?

It’s still crazy to me that Plunkett beat Patti LuPone for the role of replacement Dot.

I have to agree with LuPone that Sondheim must have really hated her

To anyone who missed his heyday and watches old Tony Awards and game show clips, you can see from outer space that Randall was a prissy, holier-than-thou cunt. It’s surprising he apparently was straight since he comes across as so femme/gay in that distinctly 60s/70s way (not quite Paul Lynde level, but close).

Why do Suffs have no heads?

[quote]It’s still crazy to me that Plunkett beat Patti LuPone for the role of replacement Dot.

There is no way that LuPone could play Dot. She doesn’t have the pathos. Just like she was never going to play Cinderella in Into The Woods.

[quote] Why do Suffs have no heads?

Would you want to look at Shaina Taub's head?

R356 she played 'Fantine' in the original LES MIZ in London.

On the topic of Bernadette, in the Giants In The Sky podcast she doesn’t really answer the question whether or not she would still play Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney… of course, Paul Ford writes in his book that she auditioned for the Sweeney movie several years ago and performed “Worst Pies” and “By The Sea,” I believe, though did not get the role. Considering Lea Salonga did all of the female Sweeney material in Old Friends just this year (brilliantly, I might add), it seems Bernadette isn’t into it. Personally, I think in a concert situation like the multiple recorded NY/San Fran Philharmonic set-ups she could pull it off… but, time is running out. It would be a perfect capper to her notable Sondheim resume (Follies, ITW, ACW, Sunday, ALNM) before venturing into Mrs. Lovett territory. I’d also be curious to know if she was ever offered to replace Patti in the most recent Company… not an ideal role for her, but I do think she has it in her.

[quote]On the topic of Bernadette, in the Giants In The Sky podcast she doesn’t really answer the question whether or not she would still play Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney… of course, Paul Ford writes in his book that she auditioned for the Sweeney movie several years ago and performed “Worst Pies” and “By The Sea,” I believe, though did not get the role.

SPOILER ALERT!!!

R359, I'm a big Bernadette fan, but if you think she could still sing the role of Mrs. Lovett at this stage in her life and career, you're delusional. Twenty five years ago or more, she might have been wonderful in the part.

[quote] if you think she could still sing the role of Mrs. Lovett at this stage in her life and career, you're delusional.

That didn't stop me!!

Fair enough, R361, but what about Joanne in Company?

A theatrical couple...

R352

That Lempicka song is utter shite.

SHITEPICKA!

Poor Jay and Maryann. They suffered through that shit play only to have one of Broadway World's half blind photographers shoot them in their bored stupor.

[quote]A theatrical couple...

Maryann Plunkett has an alarmingly high forehead.

The first time I saw Sunday in the Park Plunkett had replaced Peters. The idea of that being Lupone is pretty awful.

Bernadette and Maryann are Glindas, Patti's an Elphaba.

[quote]After her kids were in college,

She only has one kid, a 30 year old son named Jamie.

Betsy Joslyn was an excellent Dot. She had the role full time between Peters and Plunkett then it was back to understudy. They even put her photos outside the theatre.

No Charges In Climate Activists Disruption of Broadway’s ‘An Enemy Of The People’; Michael Imperioli Says “No Hard Feelings”:

Da'Vine Joy Randolph Calls For Better Pay For Theatre Artists:

Sure, fat cunt. Drive the prices of tickets up even further so no one can afford them.

[quote]R304 I didn't know that [italic]An Enemy of the People[/italic] dealt with that topic. I've never seen nor read it. In short, spray your cunt acid elsewhere.

Can the next thread be titled “An Enemy of the Cunt Acid” ?

“Kristi Dawn Washes Away Cunt Acid, Or Suttnin’”

In a few years Da'Vine Joyce Randolph will be crawlin' back to Broadway.

Who knew these threads would be a magnet for grumpy old racists?

Patti LuPone missed out on:

The Witch in Into the Woods

Dot in Sunday in the Park With George

Sally in Follies

Bernadette missed out on

Joanne in Company

Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd

Fosca in Passion

Between the two, they played all the roles.

Patti is a Hattie not a Sally

[quote]“I was a lead in a musical and I could barely pay my rent. I’m in Harlem in a one bedroom apartment struggling.”

I’ve not seen the stage version of Ghost. Is Oda Mae considered a lead role?

Equity has always negotiated good salaries. She probably got more than Equity minimum. But obviously a certain portion goes to union dues, agent fee and health insurance. That’s just part of the business you’re in.

By the end of 2024, Equity minimum will be $2,638 per week. That’s over $123,000 per year for the kids in the chorus. That’s at least $40,000 more than the entry level kids, secretaries, office clerks, HR coordinators who are sitting in the audience are making.

Yes, r381, but Theo’s $40,000 per year jobs aren’t hard to get and don’t end as suddenly and intermittently. The downtime is worked into the paycheck, just as it is in film and television.

There is no way Bernadette could play Joanne in Company. Joanne is an acerbic man eater.

Both Patti and Bernadette are not everywoman. Neither are they brilliant actresses. They have a niche and they don’t play outside of it.

And also, r381, a Broadway show is not an entry level job.

Also, entry level jobs don't require singing, dancing, and acting.

R385. Don't forget banjo playing!

Special Skills: You should see me on a patio!

[quote] And pitchy? No way. She has a vibrato, but she hits those notes square on.

In that clip above, Plunkett almost never is on pitch. I have perfect pitch. She’s flat almost the entire time. Her overly fast vibrato is the result of shallow underpowered breath, and the result is a tremolo and flatness. It’s just technically not good singing. There’s an instrument there, but it’s not suited for Dot. Outside of the singing, she’s stiff as a board and has zero chemistry with Mandy. It’s a regional theater level performance at best. Not Broadway.

[quote] Betsy Joslyn was an excellent Dot. She had the role full time between Peters and Plunkett then it was back to understudy.

Betsy Joslyn is completely unsuited for Dot. She’s almost a high coloratura soprano. She breaks into head voice for all of her high notes, which is fine for a soprano role in an opera but removes all the drama for a Broadway belt role. I saw her on tour as the Witch and it was a complete flop. Joslyn as Dot would be a complete bore.

I think I saw Betsy Joslyn in a new musical based on the old Our Gang comedies at Goodspeed around 1990. She played the schoolteacher Miss Crabtree but I think the leads were all the kids and a dog. It was awful. Does anyone else remember any details about this show that was aiming for Broadway?

I thought Bernadette was a flop as Desiree.

I have to admit, that though I've liked Plunkett as an actress in many things, I couldn't stand her in Me and My Girl. I found her annoying and over the top. I did really like whoever it was who did it at Encores.

[quote]I’ve not seen the stage version of Ghost. Is Oda Mae considered a lead role?

R381 No, she's supporting like the movie.

Da'Vine was Tony-nominated in the Featured Actress category for that role.

You are in an extremely small group, r391. Stritch was the one who most people thought flopped. Bernadette’s Desiree and Dolly both received some of her best word of mouth and reviews in the second half of her career.

Saw this comment on ATC speculating on how actors will supplement their income with the impending cut in realtor commissions: "Is the business in the building on 36th St. between 9th and 10th Avenues still going on?"

What's this referring to?

Lea Salonga was by no means “brilliant” singing the Mrs. Lovett part in “Old Friends” in London. She was facile, adequate, but she has lost whatever sparkle she had when she was younger. Maybe because she got fat.

Most Broadway principals are making $4-$5,000 a week, with "names' and "stars" getting much more. That's a very good living. Particularly if you're also doing teaching and readings on the side.

[quote] Who knew these threads would be a magnet for grumpy old racists?

Or an even bigger magnet for people who think EVERYTHING is RACIST.

I saw Salonga in "Old Friends" in London and I was glad when it was over. As much as I love her, her Mrs. Lovett was mediocre, at best.

I saw the Michael Ball and Maria Friedman at the original Old Friends event, and it was electric. Ball being so good shocked the hell out of me.

R395. An OnlyFans studio rental apt.

R397 not in Manhattan —I make more than that working 930-430 at a financial firm…as a cog in the machine.

What machine?

Don't be ridiculous, R402. A salary of $4,000-$5,000 a week is an excellent salary, even in Manhattan. Of course, there are many variables as to whether it's enough money for you, most notably whether or not you've got a family and you're the only one earning a paycheck. But as a salary itself, its very good.

I’m not ridiculous—I’m realistic.

R493 THE machine. Working for THE MAN. Wall Street - the Power Brokers - the 1%.

Get real.

Sorry for R403

THE machine. Working for THE MAN. Wall Street - the Power Brokers - the 1%.

Get real.

I love you bitches talking about who was terrible in Sunday in the park and into the woods. Do you really think sometime would have chosen people who were as terrible as you describe? Pardon me if I take his opinion ( and mine having seen Plunkett) over yours.

Sondheim not sometime. I have to proofread.

I too saw Plunkett in SUNDAY, and I thought she was great.

R408. I agree with one exception. Cynthia Sikes as the Bakers Wife. No idea how she got cast unless she gave an incredible audition but didn't deliver after that. Fortunately, she missed alot of performances but unfortunately (for me) I saw her three times during my obsession with the show.

Take any check on Broadway and divide it by 2 - that is what they will have as take-home pay after agent and/or manager commissions, taxes, union dues etc. Still not horrid but someone in the chorus on Broadway is netting about 60K a year which is low for NYC living but not undoable.

Why do you all keep talking about these weekly salaries in terms of annual income? What percentage of Broadway performers get a job that lasts a year?

R412, in this case, we were not talking about chorus people, we were talking about leads whose salary is between $4,000 and $5,000 per week. Not per month, per week. And yes, we all realize that is a very small percentage of working actors, but that's whom we were discussing.

R413, again, we're talking right now about the ones who DO get the jobs. Though of course your point is well taken that, as far as I know, contracts are generally not for more than six months, even if the show runs much longer.

Are you in charge of what we’re talking about?

[quote]Are you in charge of what we’re talking about?

No, I'm just pointing out the posts we were referring to. You sound like the asshole who sat next to me when I went to the theater the other day, and when he refused to stand up to let someone into the row and I asked him why he wasn't standing, he asked me, "Are you in charge of this row?" Assholes do tend to say and write things like that.

You sound fun, R416.

No, really.

Well, I thought Lea Salonga was terrific in all of OLD FRIENDS including her Mrs. Lovett and her soccer mom hairdo.

R413 yeah most of my runs are just weeks long affairs!

U pick stinkas, Carolee!

On that topic, does Carolee hold the dubious crown of having starred in the most Broadway flops ever? She’s very talented and sweet in person, but looking at the seemingly endless list of flops she has appeared in is pretty shocking. Depending on criteria of what determines a flop, there’s Lestat, Scandalous, Finding Neverland, Tuck Everlasting and Bad Cinderella. Plus, The Scarlet Pimpernel, The Addams Family and Parade which may or may not all be considered flops, though I do not believe any of them made their money back on Broadway. And, of course, the all-female 1776…

Finding Neverland lasted 17 months, so...flop?

[quote]Finding Neverland lasted 17 months

Only because...

Carolee has nothing on me!

Choreo from Lempicka. Thoughts?

[quote]Only because.

People went?

[quote]On that topic, does Carolee hold the dubious crown of having starred in the most Broadway flops ever? She’s very talented and sweet in person, but looking at the seemingly endless list of flops she has appeared in is pretty shocking.

From Theatre Gossip Thread #419

In the late 90s, around the time of the original PARADE, there was a newspaper article about this new era of 'POMO' MUSICALS. The author was identifying what he perceived as a wave of post-modern Broadway and off-Broadway fare and predicting its success or future. In the article, he dubbed Carolee Carmello as "the queen of POMO Musicals." I remember this because I met Carolee a few months later and asked if she had read the story. She hadn't but was delighted with her queenly title. So I found the story and gave it to her as a gift. She liked the story.

I've used every Googlish trick I know to find the article, but with no success. So please feel free to continue the search - it was a good story.

Harvey Weinstein was the lead producer of Finding Neverland, so it’s unlikely we will ever know if it actually made its money back in its grand 17-month run, R422. Ditto The Scarlet Pimpernel which ran even longer, but seems dubious that it was out of the red at any point.

PS And it was indeed a flop. It did not recoup its investment according to this scathing article, also about how Harvey funneled AmFar donations into the production, as well.

Thank you, r428/r429 ...

This is awesome Hirschfeld but why is Channing giving the finger?

I'm beginning to get delicious tingles that LEMPICKA is going to be this decade's CARRIE. OMG that choreography was thrillingly bad.

That Lempicka choreography was so horrible, I kept expecting Lauren Bacall to walk out and start croaking "A Remarkable Woman."

[quote]That Lempicka choreography was so horrible

It's no Charmoli

Lempika.

We could really use a good flop right about now. Bad Cinderella came close, but weirdly ALW blunted the fallout. Most shows now are just boring and superficial, not trainwrecks. Lempicka, please deliver!

[quote]This is awesome Hirschfeld but why is Channing giving the finger?

Same reason Pearl Bailey has a beard and a hairy chest. They were both bad asses.

r435 Holy motherfucking bloody what in God’s name oy vey whatthefuck holy hell. (And great repeated rhyme of ‘back’ with (wait for it) ‘back.’)

Lempicka is like a Simpsons parody. Without the laughs.

Lempicka little Lemtalka little

What’s particularly delicious is that the writers think they’ve written a masterpiece.

Lempicka looks CRAPTASTIC.

Loved Illinoise. Robbie Fairchild and Ricky Ubeda were beautiful.

R427, I would be curious to know what the author of that article felt it was that distinguished "post-modern musicals" from those that had come before. Sounds like a rather amorphous, arbitrary distinction to me.

Bad Cinderella was old school over the top wtf flop show, if Ken Mandelbaum was allowed to write he would agree.

West End has a huge disaster, Opening Night. It’s a belly flop.

Of course Sondheim hated Patti LuPone, at least as far as casting went. Who wanted to hear the song "SunnyinnapakwiGeorge?"

R395, OMG. I forgot all about ATC! I took a quick look and understand why.

I have to echo the reports on Bernadette in both Night Music and Dolly. She was a deeply moving, funny Desiree. And she was sensational as Dolly.

A friend went to see"Opening Night" and said that it is horrible. But then, the original movie does not scream "make me into a musical," also Rufus really needs to stick to three minute songs....his "Operas" were awful. Having said that, I bought tickets for June the moment they went on sale. People are saying that it might close but I doubt it.

I never miss a Gena Rowlands musical!

[quote]also Rufus really needs to stick to three minute songs

I loved his musical adaptation of Shakespeare's Sonnet that he did with Robert Wilson—which supports your point, as it was a collection of short songs.

Lempicka little, talk a little. Cheap cheap cheap!!!

At this point I'd guess ILLINOISE could win Tonys for Best Choreography, Ricky Ubeda in Featured Actor, Lighting, maybe Set and Sound Design, and probably Best Musical. It's not that great but he competition will be pathetic.

The only saving grace to "Lempika" is the beautiful voice of Andrew Samonsky.

R434 / what would that '81 Woman of the Year rehearsal footage have been used for? thanks

Thank you, R455, that was a beautiful rendition.

Ricky Ubeda is great. Remember him as a kid winning So You Think You Can Dance and he was brilliant back then.

The Outsiders will win the Tony for Best Staring Wistfully Into The Distance.

The best of the Prince/Sondheim collaborations Pacific Overtures has never been hit anywhere at anytime.

I saw ILLINOISE in Chicago....I thought it was good but not Best Musical material. Ricky Ubeda is fantastic, though.

What a crazy season. I have no idea what will win in almost any category, much less be running six months from now.

"Here Lies Love" sweep incoming!

Saw first preview of OUTSIDERS. Had to keep putting my program in front of my mouth to stifle the laughter. Nobody on the team seems to understand what a musical does, can be, or even works.

What a season. Maybe Huey will be the Best

How embarrassing for Robbie Fairchild to lose a Tony to a reality show contestant!

R435 thanks for posting that - it was horrifying and tells me all I need to know about LIMP PRICKA.

Robbie and Travis Wall's dance.

what would that '81 Woman of the Year rehearsal footage have been used for? thanks

[quote] I was thinking maybe some show like 60 Minutes was doing a profile on Bacall coming back to Broadway, or some other TV news magazine and perhaps it never wound up airing.

Also, back in '81 it wouldn't have been unusual for the local Live at 5's resident goddess Sue Simmons to feature a story on a highly anticipated new Broadway musical. Something she might have chatted about with Pia, Chauncey and Katy K.

That seemed like a lot of footage for a Live at Five segment. Also, I didn't hear Sue in the b/g dropping F-bombs.

Smile, 60 Minutes...

Yes, I was thinking about that one, too!

A very fine movie, destroyed by the Broadway stage.

I am now feeling old, remembering that I saw r472's video when it first aired. Still hard to believe Hamlisch is gone.

I only knew Tony Charmoli's name as a kid, watching Sid & Marty Krofft shows in reruns growing up. He used to direct for them (and I think he choreographed the Pufnstuf movie). I didn't know he worked on Broadway until much later as an adult.

[quote]A very fine movie, destroyed by the Broadway stage.

Assuming you're referring to Smile, r474, the movie picked a tone and ran with it. The musical faced a balancing problem with injecting some feel-good tone to it. It wasn't going to work. The film's strength is its dark tone. It's a fun recording to listen to, though.

Yes, the Howard Ashman lyrics are excellent, as always.

[quote] We could really use a good flop right about now. Bad Cinderella came close, but weirdly ALW blunted the fallout. Most shows now are just boring and superficial, not trainwrecks. Lempicka, please deliver!

What about me? I’m on Netflix so you can view the trainwreck!

Has anyone here done Robbie Fairchild? I heard he was a real slut during the Broadway run of AAIP, which is what led to his breakup with Ashley Day.

Ashley Day is happily married to Adam Kaplan now. And no doubt better off.

R481. Amen

Tony Charmoli directed several of Mitzi Gaynor's specials (DL alert! They're no longer on Amazon), and on Broadway WOTY was directed by Robert Moore. In the overhaul done for the 1983-84 1st national tour of Woman of the Year, still starring Bacall, some songs were replaced, and the show was directed and choreographed by Joe Layton.

You gals just wanna talk about old shows. These should forever now be called the theater history gossip threads.

Maybe because old shows are more interesting to talk about than "Suffs" and "Lempicka," R484.

Yes, the source of some video footage of woman of the year is fascinating

See I was under the impression it wasn’t Fairchild being a slut but rather Fairchild not being totally open about being gay that led to the demise of his relationship with Ashley.

I heard it was a BRUTAL breakup

So was Hugh & Sutts ever a real item? Did they mess around? Is she still married. We know he isn’t

R487 Brutal in what way?

R489 if you followed Ashley and Robbie on Instagram, you saw the relationship dissolve in real time. It was upsetting to witness because there was a time when Ashley was in LOVE with Robbie.

The producers of Illinoise are moving quickly to Broadway because they believe they have this year's Best Musical. So, either look for it to change theaters after the initial 13 weeks, or return to the St. James when Sunset Blvd closes.

Then Robbie can return after The Artist crashes and burns.

r491 I haven’t seen it, but based on how quickly they’re moving and how low they’re running costs are reported to be, I imagine they could move quickly to any available theater

[quote]I heard he was a real slut during the Broadway run of AAIP, which is what led to his breakup with Ashley Day.

Then you must have heard wrong, R480. The Broadway run of AAIP was [bold]before[/bold] the West End run.

[quote]Fairchild not being totally open about being gay that led to the demise of his relationship with Ashley.

For the first six months, his parents thought Ashley was a woman.

Oooof 😑

R495. Easy mistake

Hello Cabaret!

Unlike many Park Ave Armory shows, ILLINOISE is set up like a classic proscenium musical (without an actual proscenium) and standard theater seating so it wouldn't need much re-designing or substantial re-teching to move into the St. James.

Other than the fir trees that are suspended upside down from the grid over the stage, the set is mostly just some basic platforming behind a dance floor. As it's a dance piece, there's not that much scenery, though the overall effect is quite stunning, at least at the start before you realize it all just sits there. The projections on a billboard are fairly simple. The costumes mostly look like they were purchased at Walmart.

Anyway, a relatively easy and cheap transfer. And, as I said upthread, it will be the show to beat for Best Musical even if it's only just ok, not that special.

Justin Peck is a great young choreographer but I'm not yet convinced he's a director (he clearly did not know what to demand from his very weak librettist).

[quote]See I was under the impression it wasn’t Fairchild being a slut but rather Fairchild not being totally open about being gay that led to the demise of his relationship with Ashley. I heard it was a BRUTAL breakup,

Whatever the details of that marriage and breakup, how terribly sad that, well into the 21st century, a gay man -- especially one in show business, with a ballet background -- would feel the need to marry a straight woman due to societal/family pressure or career or whatever. Absolutely pathetic.

[quote]For the first six months, his parents thought Ashley was a woman.

Biological?

R500 making the story sadder is that Robbie admitted on Instagram that he was also a victim of a failed attempt at reparative therapy practices.

[500], Ashley Day was Fairchild's (male) costar in the 2017 West End production of An American in Paris. He was still married at the time to his childhood sweetheart, the (female) ballet dancer Tiler Peck. Here's an interview with Robbie and Tiler in 2015.

I bet Tiler took a desk lamp and showed him her hoo-hah.

That revised title song for the “Woman of the Year” tour is pretty awful. Why did they think it needed a redo?

R505 Kander and Ebb wrote the new title song because the original one would not have worked well as time passed and the events mentioned in the song became more distant. In the original song, Tess Harding says she "took tea with Gertrude and Alice," "saw the Scala walk-out by Callas," knew Nixon and Nehru, etc. Not that "Woman of the Year" gets produced much, if ever, nowadays, but if staged today the leading lady would have to be 90 to sing the original title song.

Ashley was Robbie's understudy.

Congratulations, Eldergays. You're finally getting your Mame revival!

MAME in Florida

Because...of course.

MAME is so Cypress Gardens.

Ben Platt's... at the Palace!

Well, at least How to Dance in Ohio won't have the distinction of being the biggest flop of the season anymore.

R511 will he make his entrance from the back of the house and open with "I Feel A Song Comin' On"?

...at the Palace

I would have guessed Ben Platt was 40 but he’s only 30.

Is Ben Platt or his dad paying for that Judy audio? In addition to the singer and the songwriter, ALL the musicians deserve money for you to use their work to sell something else.

Platt at the Palace. What a fucking shitshow. We deserve so much better.

His dad must have ruled out paying for MSG again

I like how most articles reporting on this point out he's just the first announced, everyone's clearly hoping he's not actually going to be the reopening performance.

Also - "directed by Michael Arden" - why does a concert need to be directed? God, he's not going to dance, is he?

Nails on a chalkboard

The worst thing in the press release about the Ben Platt show is the part that refers to his "storied career." Statements like that really do nothing to counteract the impression that he is an egomaniac and somewhat delusional in regard to his level of fame, and I feel that way even though I'm a fan of his work (mostly).

I can’t believe we’ve gone from Judy Garland to… Ben Platt. Exhibit A — the Decline of Western Civilization.

Ben Platt's father's storied checkbook is paying for his "residency" at the Palace.

Breathtaking! Overwhelming! Incredible!

Has there been much talk here about Stereophonic, as it's moving to Broadway? Sorry, I missed it if there was any.

R524, I don't believe there has been much talk of STEREOPHONIC yet, probably because relatively few people saw it Off-Broadway in its limited run.

Okay, thanks, R525. I know a fair amount of people who saw it at PH. Was curious about this transfer and what people thought. I think it opens next month.

I know that the last Glenn Close revival played the Palace, but I had held out hope that Sunset Boulevard was going to be what did the reopening honors.

[quote] Ashley Day was Fairchild's (male) costar in the 2017 West End production of An American in Paris.

Robbie F was only allowed three months in AAIP by British Equity. Ashley was signed to understudy him and then take over the role when RF left, which he did.

I put money in Stereophonic. It better do well.

[quote]I put money in Stereophonic. It better do well.

It's a beautiful play and production.

Granted, plays on Broadway are always a hard sell. But I think they'll be okay.

R529, the actors should get their cocks out. That would help.

I loved stereophonic off broadway. Thought it was great.

I was a little underwhelmed by Stereophonic, but I think it'll do ok on Broadway.

It actually seemed almost too big for PH.

And if EVER there is a case to be made for a "best ensemble" Tony Award, this is it.

Any breakout stars in STEREOPHONIC? I loved Eli Gelb in SKINTIGHT at the Pels as Idina's gay son. Does he have a good role in this one?

There are people sitting through Lempicka [italic] right now [/italic]. Jealous, bitches?

[quote]There are people sitting through Lempicka right now . Jealous, bitches?

And have they walked out yet?

R535. Sitting or sleeping?

It's not an either/or, r537.

Eli Gelb is a huge whore. He was fucking two different friends of mine (female) at the same time with neither knowing about the other. And there were others also at the same time. Real sex addict behavior.

[quote]There are people sitting through Lempicka right now . Jealous, bitches?

Lempicka doesn’t start previews until tomorrow night. Nobody is watching Lempicka tonight.

Invited dress. But thanks for playing

Chris Stack is also in Stereophonic.

Deadline reviews "An Enemy of the People":

NYT:

“Stereophonic”is fanstastic, I saw it twice at Playwrights Horizons, not quite like anything I’ve ever seen before. Highly entertaining slice of life and the best part is when the actors finally tune up and start playing and singing they are great.

[quote]The other alterations [in "An Enemy of the People"] feel just as justified, even killing off the doctor’s wife, who had no agency, and combining her with Petra, who now has plenty. Poking fun at the doctor’s ambient sexism and largely eliminating his icky detour into eugenics are likewise improvements, as is an overall trim that reduces the playing time of the five-act play to barely two hours.

What if the doctor's wife's lack of agency was part of Ibsen's characterization of her? And what if some audience members are capable of accompanying the doctor on his detour into eugenics and understanding its ickiness in an historical context. "Improvements" are in the eye of the beholder.

They’ve got a hit on their hands at that basement theater next to a parking garage and the green witch.

The likes of Amy Herzog cannot improve upon Ibsen, that's for sure. And her incompetent husband the director Gold never met a play he didn't ruin.

R546 well they can go see that other version, the one you are producing in your head.

And her incompetent husband the "director" Gold never met a play he didn't ruin.

Eli Gelb is a straight slut.

That's what's been established, yes, R551.

For me, the standouts in Stereophonic were Sarah Pigeon and Tom Peckina. Will Brill was also fun.

I don’t remember the rest of them as well. I had to google Eli Gelb. Found him very unattractive when I saw the show.

I just looked up Eli Gelb's photo.

Man, straight women are NOT choosy, are they?

It’s unfortunate that SUNSET BLVD. did not swoop in early at the St. James to make Tony Awards cut-off since there is little doubt the production would win most of the top prizes in this shitty Broadway season. Illionise is not the same level as what SUNSET BLVD. is/will be, and, also it may be too competitive next season with Kristin, Idina, etc. perhaps presenting diva duel.

I agree R553 and R554, I was surprised when it was happening because I also think he's very homely and nebbishy, but apparently he has skills in bed.

I have heard from many people that STEREOPHONIC was great Off-Broadway, but it does sound like the kind of show that probably won't have enough mass appeal for a profitable run on Broadway. Partly, though not only, because of its length.

[quote]I was a little underwhelmed by Stereophonic, but I think it'll do ok on Broadway. It actually seemed almost too big for PH.

Too big in what way? I believe the Off-Broadway production had a cast of only seven, and wasn't it a unit set?

Caught The Notebook segment on CBS Sunday Morning. The leads change races throughout the show.

R425 the lempicka choreo looks just like this Lady Gaga number where she invites a fan on stage & he nails the moves. The outfits too!

[quote]Nobody is watching Lempicka tonight.

This is what, in dramatic writing, is known as "foreshadowing."

Is Lempicka the worst title of a show in recent memory?

I love Will Brill in everything he does. Is he gay?

I was wondering that myself, R563.

I thought "Lempicka" was the name of a drag queen and the show was like "Hedwig" or "To Wong Foo..."

[quote] Too big in what way? I believe the Off-Broadway production had a cast of only seven, and wasn't it a unit set?

Too big in the way when you see a successful band in a small club, something I've experienced twice. It's like the walls are being pushed out by the largeness of the content/talent.

[quote]Is Lempicka the worst title of a show in recent memory?

Not necessarily.

Tamara Lempicka's paintings are phenomenal and still resonate today, I'd imagine even with younger folks. I don't get why they're not more a part of the advertising campaign. The paintings are certainly more alluring and intriguing than photos of Eden Espinosa and her co-stars. Are they not in the public domain or something?

They made a big deal of putting up her art in all the front of theater displays

Barbra should speak up as part of the advertising campaign. She bought an original Lempicka once she started making big money, acc. to her memoir.

R570, why should she speak up to support some producers' ad campaign for a show she has no investment or interest in? Not only that, she sold that paitning years ago.

STEREOPHONIC is sensational. The best play I've seen in NYC in years. I was stunned that it was so good. I bought a random ticket to see it on a Sunday matinee at Playwrights Horizons because I like the playwright, and boom!

What's better than knowing nothing about a show that turns out to be pretty damn brilliant?

I think it'll be fine in a Broadway house, but I am so, so happy I saw it OB, without any expectations.

It better win the Pulitzer.

[quote]It’s unfortunate that SUNSET BLVD. did not swoop in early at the St. James to make Tony Awards cut-off since there is little doubt the production would win most of the top prizes in this shitty Broadway season. Illionise is not the same level as what SUNSET BLVD. is/will be, and, also it may be too competitive next season with Kristin, Idina, etc. perhaps presenting diva duel.

But Illinoise and and Sunset wouldn't be in the same category for the Tonys. (The shows, not the performances.)

I'm so happy for STEREOPHONIC's playwright David Adjmi!

R572/R574=Miss David Adjmi, doing ovrtime on the DL.

There's pointless bitchery, r575, and there is stupid bitchery.

And DL has plenty of both!

Robbie Fairchild won’t be transferring with Illinoise to Broadway. I wonder who they will get to dance his part?

I'm available!

Oh, wash the sand outta your vadge, R576. FFS, where do you think you are, exactly?

According to this article, Sarah Porkalob is an 'innovative Broadway star.'

Who is this Sarah Porkloin, or whatever her name is? Is she an actual known entity, or are they pretending she is, like Rula Lenska?

New here, r582?

No, R583--now who the fuck is she?

[quote]Who is this Sarah Porkloin, or whatever her name is? Is she an actual known entity, or are they pretending she is, like Rula Lenska?

That was quite uncalled for, R582. Don't expect me to show you around London if you're ever visiting from America.

Ha! My apologies, Miss Lenska!

R584. Some background....

As if LA theater isn't doing badly enough. They got Tarell Alvin McCraney to nail the coffin shut.

Dolls!

Some bitchy theatre queens are dragging my new show I’m bringing to Carnegie Hall.

I’m sorry I like singing rock songs from my youth and I’m sorry you want something different.

To appease you queens I’m even singing a Judy Garland standard for Christ’s sake and I hate singing songs like that!

Will some of you help me and counter the bad reviews?

Exactly, R588.

Porkachop sure looks classy in that photo at R587.

Patti LuPone is a churl! When she was doing “Patti LuPone on Broadway” she had a male quartet backing her up. I thought after intermission, going into the Act 2, she would let them sing one song before she returned to the stage. Nope! She couldn’t be that gracious.

Porkylob the Pig is one of the low budget Williamstown shows this summer.

Ashley Day is so much hotter than Robbie’s current Canadian ballet dancer boyfriend, who looks like a less microwaved version of Frankie Grande.

Did Stereophonic make its debut at Signature? If it played somewhere else in 2022, it can't qualify for the Pulitzer.

[quote]R582 Who is this Sarah Porkloin, or whatever her name is? Is she an actual known entity, or are they pretending she is, like Rula Lenska?

[italic]Porkalob [/italic]was one of the most talented Broadway slackers ever. She also had a lot of pain and struggle throughout her run. Despite that, she had a good heart, which is hard to encounter in a bulldagger. At a time when gay people were oppressed beyond belief, they identified with her struggles and she theirs.

Hi Ashley! R594 sorry about the breakup but welcome to DL!

Robbie’s current boyfriend is handsome. All these guys are hot. They are dancers with incredible bodies. Not sure what their personalities are like, but that’s another story.

[quote]Porkalob was one of the most talented Broadway slackers ever. She also had a lot of pain and struggle throughout her run. Despite that, she had a good heart, which is hard to encounter in a bulldagger. At a time when gay people were oppressed beyond belief, they identified with her struggles and she theirs.

Clearly you identified with this performer so strongly that you chose to misgender them.

75% of literal violence!

[quote]Did Stereophonic make its debut at Signature? If it played somewhere else in 2022, it can't qualify for the Pulitzer.

Pretty sure the premiere was this fall at Playwrights.