THEATRE GOSSIP #595: The "Montego's Turn" Edition

Here's the previous thread.

DEI hire.

I guess they want to keep the rear mezz and the rear orchestra closed off for the summer on Sundays. Maybe they're saving on electricity if they don't have to run the AC as often with a fraction of the audience sitting in the theater ?

Will Izzy make it off the toilet for an early closing?

It’s kinda funny that Jean Smart gave lots of interviews about turning down Follies and Sondheim and she just “didn’t like the role” and yet she chose this play that is bombing, and ending her stage career literally on the shitter.

To be honest, I'm kind of there with Jean. I know this is sacrilege to the eldergays. The Sondheim score is incredible, but the book/premise feels horribly dated. Yes, it's written in and about a very specific time, but these bitter, miserable people are tiring. Just get a fucking divorce and move on. In terms of book/structure/story, I think it ranks as one of the worst in the Sondheim canon alongside Merrily We Roll Along and The Frogs. Thank God for that gorgeous score.

Is LaChanze too old for Rose? I mean... on paper she is... but how does she 'read' on stage these days? I imagine she could have given a very powerful performance as Rose and, unless I'm mistaken, would have had no issue belting that score.

But, who am I kidding, short of an A-list movie/TV/music star taking over, this production is closing when Audra leaves.

I don't think Follies is dated at all.

It's a show about aging and regret and middle age. About pining for our pasts.

Which we all do at some point.

Doing a one person show where you get to come in at leisure and slip into a plaid flannel shirt, a dirty wig and sit on a toilet is a lot easier than bumping into chorus boys nightly in a corseted evening gown and heels.

Will producers be more wary of starring Audra on Broadway again?

I wouldn't hold my breath for any more shows with Audra as the ONLY name on stage.

Very talented actress.

Not a seat filler.

R10 we said that after

Porgy and Bess

Shuffle Along

Lady Day

Frankie and Johnny

So….im thinking not.

Let's not kid ourselves: of course Audra will get another chance, if she wants one.

People are all upset about the return of Scott Rudin. I'm glad he's back. He's a great producer, he picks smart work and puts together a great team. What was he supposed to do, crawl into a hole and die? Broadway is better with him producing. He didn't kill anyone...

R14 …that we KNOW of.

Just noticed on TDF that Johanna Day is on for Jean Smart in IZZY at least thru Thursday, 7/10.

Laurie Metcalf isn't the big box office Rudin thinks she is. Audiences are going to respond to Rudin's return by choosing to not spend a fortune on tickets.

Allegedly, they pursued Keke Palmer for Louise. Too bad they couldn't get her because they needed another name in the cast. Sorry, Danny.

Do you really think audiences know/care that much about Scott Rudin, R17? In any case, the play (which I adored at its final performance in Chicago) is on its own a tough sell -- unsentimental, intimate, with minimal scenery or other visual distractions.

Bernie and Marty. This is very cute. Also LOVE that "was she nominated?" line from Bernie! Ha!

Audra is a wonderful actress. There’s a moment in kast night’s episode of The Gikded Age where her character processes in her head what a cunt Phyllicia Rashad’s character is and she moves her head ever so slightlly. Wonderful work.

Our Queen Returns To The Stage!!!!!

I get KeKe and NeNe confused. Which one would be the better Louise?

from previous thread:

[quote]Things like this make me think of Sondheim's comment “The sad truth is that musicals are the only public art form reviewed mostly by ignoramuses.”

What a self pitying Debbie Downer. He must have been a barrel of laughs to be in a relationship with. Uggh.

Oh well, nowadays all public art forms are reviewed by ignoramuses all over the internet, so chin up.

Is that supposed to be witty, R23?

I saw the Steppenwolf play that Rudin is producing. It is not very good.

I thought I remembered hearing not great things about the Steppenwolf play, too, when it was produced there. Both word of mouth and reviews which seemed to say the play was very slight, saved only by Metcalf's performance.

R22 I’m surprised she is reviving this show for her comeback. She’s doing it at Carnegie Hall too.

It didn’t get great reviews the first time.

She does not sing career songs in it.

No:

Don’t Cry For Me Argentina, nothing from Gypsy, and no Ladies Who Lunch.

But she does sing Last Time I Saw Richard and Alone Again, Naturally.

Is there a proof that Sondheim actually said the words cited in the earlier post? ("Ignoramuses"). I' can be convinced he said it, but not in a formal interview.

Jean Smart injured her knee. I wonder if she'll still be able to sit on the toilet.

Pardon me for asking what could be viewed as a dumb question-do some Sally Bowles in this current production of Cabaret (or the Mendes one) play Sally as American and not a Brit? I would assume that some would not be capable of doing a decent accent. I know Marisha Wallace, the current Sally on Broadway, is American but has lived in London for several years and just got her UK citizenship.

[quote]I get KeKe and NeNe confused. Which one would be the better Louise?

The only role NeNe could handle is Mr. Grantziger's secretary. Maybe.

Grosses are out. Call Me Izzy is more like Call Me A Flop.

Gypsy $293,000 down $700,000. They should have just let Tryphena fill in during Audra's vacation.

I once stayed at the Montego Glover, and it wasn't one of the best Jamaican resorts, to say the least. It was part of a package holiday arranged by the travel agency.

Omg on the Montego Glover grosses. That is awful that her week made $293,000.

Even Jean Smart sitting on a toilet with a bad knee did better!

I can’t believe Jean Smart chose to sit on a toilet for her Broadway return. What must her sons think?

R30, check out page 253 of FINISHING THE HAT: COLLECTED LYRICS (1954-1981)

Hey, R28, maybe do some actual research before posting your vague, fact-free impression? The first 3 reviews I found when I Googled the play's title and "review" were raves.

CHICAGO TRIB: The script to Samuel D. Hunter’s “Little Bear Ridge Road,” a beautifully personal play at Steppenwolf Theatre from one of the theater’s leading chroniclers of the emotionally blocked American, describes the one and only location in the play as “a couch in a void.” Remarkable what the set designer Scott Pask did with just that . . . Within the taut script of “Little Bear Ridge Road” flows many other compelling themes . . . Both halves of his couple are drawn with such loving forbearance that I would be amazed if it were otherwise . . . All of that is in the room in director Joe Mantello’s beautifully calibrated production . . . Few readers will be surprised to read that Metcalf ranges deep into a character with a throbbing heart, but a heart with so many walls around it that no one can hear its cries. So indeed she does. But I was struck here by how much Stock pushes her to go yet further. In my time I’ve watched Metcalf wipe the stage with other actors but not only does Stock hold his own here with one of the best stage artists of her generation, he brings out the best in her . . . I can’t overstate how good it is to see this star, a consummate Chicago-style actor, back in the city that made her famous because it fell in love with her honesty.

NEW CITY STAGE: Steppenwolf Theatre Company retains their title as the gold standard for drama with their new production of “Little Bear Ridge Road” . . . Metcalf’s star power will draw in audiences, but her performance is what will stick with them. Raspy voice, hunched posture and dry gibes . . . she embodies the role of the prodigal hermit with a grace that concurrently steals the show while allowing room for her co-stars to shine. Hunter’s writing is witty, crisp and perfectly paced. The message . . . is a slow burn that intensifies the more you think about it. A brief appearance by nurse Paulette (Gerachis) ushers in a climax that is equally imbued with promise and pathos. The juxtaposition of bitter and sweet crafts a recipe that will have you asking for seconds.

RACHELWEINBERGREVIEWS.COM: In LITTLE BEAR RIDGE ROAD, Samuel D. Hunter has accomplished a rare and magical feat: He’s given us a play that’s mundane and profound at the same time. With Joe Mantello directing, Steppenwolf’s ensemble of Laurie Metcalf, Micah Stock, John Drea, and Meighan Gerachis make the play yet more fascinating and emotionally raw . . . LITTLE BEAR RIDGE ROAD actually represents Hunter at the height of his powers . . . Usually, a play with such little dynamic movement is a recipe for disaster. But this is riveting . . . LITTLE BEAR RIDGE ROAD is a remarkable examination of mundanity and the delicateness and messiness of humanity. And yet Hunter’s playwriting relays this study in the simultaneous bleakness and resiliency of his characters’ lives without getting preachy about it. Hunter lets Sarah and Ethan speak for themselves; they don’t get didactic. It’s in the realness and the rawness and the bleakness of their experiences that the play finds its deeper resonance. And of course it’s so immensely successful because Metcalf and Stock are so good at mining all the deeply human, messy layers of their characters and the hope that maybe, somehow they can kind of connect in the end.

[quote]R22 Our Queen Returns To The Stage!!!!!

All of Manhattan theater society will fly there to praise her, and bask in her gentle, rippling brilliance.

[quote]R24 Things like this make me think of Sondheim's comment “The sad truth is that musicals are the only public art form reviewed mostly by ignoramuses.”

So, what is a “private art form”?

R44 Liberace by way of La Cucarachie

What's really sad about 'GYPSY' is that the average ticket price was only $32. I think the last time an 'average' ticket price was that low was 25 years ago.

As the song goes from the musical, 'Some people can't even give it away...' I truly doubt this show will continue past Labor Day. Someone on another forum said so far, this is the least successful run of 'Gypsy' in it's 60+ year history. (The 'Tyne Daly' revival was the most successful, so they said).

R46 the Tyne Daly revival also made a fuck ton of money because it toured before Broadway.

It was also the only revival that made enough money for a replacement star.

The actress playing Mr. Grantziger’s secretary in this revival is terrible. The part gives an actress a chance to steal the scene but this one just hooted a lot and didn’t land a single line successfully.

LaChanze is 63

I doubt that GYPSY will even make it to August. Audra is probably desperate not to return in this July heat.

[quote]So, what is a “private art form”?

Good question. I think we should all face the fact that Sondheim sometimes just spouted whatever came into his head without giving much thought to whether or not it made any sense. Doesn't make him any less of a genius, just a human being, rather than a god whose every word should be taken as gospel.

I wonder if at least some of the investors in GYPSY are furious about how ineptly the show has been produced, not to mention Audra's frequent absences?

Which closes first, GYPSY or IZZY?

I was chatting with a friend who has seen Death Becomes Her four times. She's never seen Hilty and only saw Simard once. She said the audience really didn't seem to mind that they were out and Simard's understudy is hilarious. And their frequent absences don't seem to affect the box office.

I've seen Simard's understudy. She's miles away from hilarious.

[quote] R44 So, what is a “private art form”?

I'll show you later.

How much later?

[quote] Samuel D. Hunter has accomplished a rare and magical feat: He’s given us a play that’s mundane and profound at the same time

I smell box office!

Sondheim was the most hilarious and bitchy conversationalist in the world. I didn’t know him well, but I talked with him occasionally and he was brilliant. Especially when you discussed old movies.

Hilty and Simard are talented actresses but they're not exactly beloved well known stars. Why would they be missed?

Also: will Jean Smart's knee be reason enough to close early?

R61. Yes

Montego's Turn

^ I would describe it as perfectly respectable.

R64 I’m always clamoring for a Rose that is perfectly respectable! 🙄

[quote]R44 So, what is a “private art form”?

[quote]R45 Liberace by way of [italic]La Cucarachie.[/italic]

Maybe it’s when we all used to sing Madonna songs into a hairbrush before the mirror, growing up.

Would you rate it higher, r65?

R67. No…that’s the point. She’s miscast as well, just in a different way than Audra.

George C Wolfe, or whoever cast this shit show, Audra McDonald and Montego Glover, wins the award for finally doing what Betty Buckley, Sam Mendes, Bernadette Peters and Patti LuPone couldn’t do. Killing Gypsy.

No dialect in Glover's version.

Call Me Izzy may be the worst title since Starmites.

R70 starring Johanna Day on the toilet since Jean Smart broke her knee on hers!

She doesn't sound miscast, r68.

Poor Johanna Day. Awful playing to an empty theatre.

I bet you Smart has in her contract that the show doesn't close prematurely while she's in the role. Hence, she goes out sick, her replacement steps in, and they announce the closing while Smart is out.

I read somewhere that a lot of stars have that in their contract that a show won’t close early with them in it.

If you wonder why casts are replaced and then a few weeks later, the show closes

Now Smart is out indefinitely. I'm sure the producers will use this excuse to close early. With those reviews, something had to give.

Fade out...

[quote]Call Me Izzy may be the worst title since Starmites.

I should be ashamed of myself for knowing this, but "Call me Izzy" was a climactic line for Jane Seymour in a Hallmark Christmas movie in which Jane plays the queen of a fictional nation who learns that being a royal is nice and all that, but true love is what matters most.

R75 That was me who shared that info a few months ago, when we were speculating about whether Audra would stick with the show while the box office started falling. I had found out that info from a friend of mine years ago, who worked in an agency that handled 'big name' stars on Broadway. This was almost always a clause put in their contract. No doubt Smart has it in hers, and I'm certain MacDonald has it in hers. (Julie Andrews had it in hers 30 years ago). Big name stars do not want to be on the stage when a closing is announced early due to a bombing box office.

R78, you’re the gayest of the gays today! Congratulations!

It was my first reaction when I learned of Jean Smart's new play, but I managed to resist sharing it on DL . . . until now.

R79 yes, thank you! It makes so much sense when you see odd casting right before closures!

CALL ME IZZY sounds like a comedy. Wonder if people buy tix thinking it will be a laugh riot like Hacks. Also wonder if Smart's illness has in part something to do with her discovery that acting for TV is a lot easier than a live performance several times a week. She is 73 after all.

So what's taking the Broadhurst?

Word from Nashville rehearsals is that the "Dolly" musical is an absolute mess due to a novice book writer.

[quote] Also wonder if Smart's illness has in part something to do with her discovery that acting for TV is a lot easier than a live performance several times a week.

"Designing Women" was filmed on a soundstage in front of a live studio audience like many multicamera sitcoms of the late 20th century.

They rehearsed/shot the episodes weekly concurrently with the TV season (September-May) which is why there were usually around 24 episodes per season.

Also, the reason why TV stars weren't able to pursue other projects until the summertime.

[quote]Pardon me for asking what could be viewed as a dumb question-do some Sally Bowles in this current production of Cabaret (or the Mendes one) play Sally as American and not a Brit? I would assume that some would not be capable of doing a decent accent. I know Marisha Wallace, the current Sally on Broadway, is American but has lived in London for several years and just got her UK citizenship.

I don't think it's true that most Americans can't do a British accent. It's just that Brits are generally tough on Americans when they attempt and won't give them a break and are often "That's not good enough! You suck!"

On the other hand, American liberals (who run the U.S. entertainment industry) are Anglophiles, so they're usually "That's good enough! Here's your Oscar!"

Thus, it creates the myth that Americans are not good at doing British accents and that Brits are masters at American accents.

But there are plenty of Brits who suck at doing American accents and still get praise for it.

And don't get me started on Maggie Smith and Judi Dench, who can only play British grand dames and liberals act like they're the best actresses ever.

[quote]That was me who shared that info a few months ago, when we were speculating about whether Audra would stick with the show while the box office started falling. I had found out that info from a friend of mine years ago, who worked in an agency that handled 'big name' stars on Broadway. This was almost always a clause put in their contract. No doubt Smart has it in hers, and I'm certain MacDonald has it in hers. (Julie Andrews had it in hers 30 years ago). Big name stars do not want to be on the stage when a closing is announced early due to a bombing box office.

My first reaction to this was that it's ridiculous to think anyone, even a big star, could have it in their contract that a show can't close while they are in it, but I guess that might be possible if the language of the contract also made it clear that if the box office dropped to a certain point, the star would agree to leave the show for whatever reason -- made up injury, fake family crisis, whatever -- so that it could then close.

Is that what you're suggesting?

By the way, I can't help feeling that everything bad that's happened with GYPSY is due to bad karma for the annoyingly pretentious and presumptuous way that Audra's performance in the show was touted to the heavens in the press and marketing materials even before the first preview had happened.

By the way, that never happened.

What never happened?

Can’t you read? ^^

[quote]Someone on another forum said so far, this is the least successful run of 'Gypsy' in it's 60+ year history. (The 'Tyne Daly' revival was the most successful, so they said).

The whole production seemed centered around how much of a legend McDonald is (which is true) but little thought seemed to have gone into actually making it a memorable show, or having McDonald give an iconic performance. It seemed to be an obvious grab at a Tony. And with all that controversy surrounding Lupone's comments, THAT should have been the moment for Audra to have come out on the Tony stage and remind everyone why is she is a Broadway star. That mess of a "Rose's Turn" just showed the viewing audience that they hadn't a clue as to what the show they were producing was really about.

I think Taraji P Henson would have been a much better choice. This was too fussy a production, and too methody.

I hadn’t heard much about the Dolly musical other than it was happening r85.

According to Chaka Khan’s website her musical is due to debut in London in 2026.

It’s all a bit exhausting if you ask me.

Where's the Kay Starr musical?

Is the Dolly Parton musical premiering in Nashville or are they all just there gathering up research and/or rehearsing?

I can't think of worse director for it than Bart Sher.

Well....of course, there Scott Ellis, Rob Ashford, Lear de Bessonet...

For fuck's sake, let's just have a Kim Carnes musical at this point.

R92, I can read just fine, but I still don't know what you're saying "never happened."

Bart Sher’s new musical Millions in Atlanta was pretty bad. Not a good score from Adam MAGA Guettel, either.

Did you read, r89, r98? It's rather obvious.

Some of the problem with Gypsy is simply that it's Gypsy. Broadway has had it when it comes to that musical. Too many revivals, too often. It was not well directed this time and Audra went off in a weird direction, but it's still Gypsy, and Broadway's had sufficient.

[quote]Not a good score from Adam MAGA Guettel, either.

MAGA? Is Adam Guettel really MAGA?

Looking at all of the Gypsy seats still available on Telecharge for this week makes me wonder how they'll make it until the end of this month. The critics raved but the audiences stayed away.

Well, R103, presumably much of the audience for GYPSY will return when Audra returns and IF she can stop calling out. But that's a big if.

R103 the audiences interested in seeing Audra, saw the show in November and December. Those were the super fans of Gypsy/and or Audra.

If you haven’t seen it by July…you are neither and just a causal fan of Broadway. Those people are getting tickets to Wicked and Lion King.

Actually, those are good points, Kecia L. I should have said that, obviously, SOME of the audience for GYPSY will return when Audra returns, but it may not be much.

Maybe people saw Audra on the Tony Awards and were so exhausted by the over-emoting and hollering they haven't the energy to buy tickets?

"Two hours of that? Naw, I'm good."

People on ATC are talking about Brody Grant leaving THE OUTSIDERS. Some are making mention of rumors that there was some sort of scandal involving him, and some are saying that he has been out of the show a lot, but no one has mentioned that aside from individual absences, he was out of the show for a full month for reasons that were never disclosed. Even the fact that he was out for a month was kept very, very quiet, so maybe even the ATC posters are unaware of it.

Audra is back starting today. Still lots of empty seats especially on Saturday.

[quote] (The 'Tyne Daly' revival was the most successful, so they said).

That because Tyne was the best Madame Rose.

I liked Tyne very much, r110, but I prefer Angela.

R110. Agreed. Plus the entire cast was great and so.was the production. Jonathan Hadary is the best Herbie I've ever seen.

[quote]I was chatting with a friend who has seen Death Becomes Her four times. She's never seen Hilty and only saw Simard once. She said the audience really didn't seem to mind that they were out and Simard's understudy is hilarious. And their frequent absences don't seem to affect the box office.

Remarkably, I believe there are multiple understudies and those understudies cover BOTH lead roles and switch off between them. I guess that keeps things interesting for them, but the stamina and preparation to be able to jump into either role with a few hour's notice is impressive. I agree with your friend, I saw the understudies and they were fabulous.

Audra may be the last Mama Rose on Broadway. The musical has become so dated that I don't see another revival happening for decades, if ever.

R114, I mean, hers will probably be the last Mama Rose on Broadway in most Eldergays' lifetimes, sure, but it will be revived again.

When I saw this revival, I was struck by the fact that, despite this particular production's faults and casting, it remains as brilliantly written as when it debuted. It WAS kind of fun hearing an audience less familiar with the material audibly gasp at moments, like when Rose volunteers Louise to replace the missing stripper.

I love a Johanna Day show!

[quote] For fuck's sake, let's just have a Kim Carnes musical at this point.

Pure As New York Snow: A Kim Carnes Musical!

The difference between Golden Age Broadway Musicals and today is that those classic musicals tended to be built around actual big stars with tons of talent.

Today we have shit like Six and DBH and And Juliet which are basically tacky Vegas casino shows that are loud and stupid and don't require stars.

And, Gypsy isn't "dated". This revival of Gypsy flopped because:

1) Audra McDonald is a ridiculously talented actress. Who is ALL wrong for Rose (with nothing to do with her ethnicity). Rose needs an actress with strong comedic chops/instinct. That's not Audra's forte. Again, brilliant actress/singer but she's not a comedienne. And, vocally, not really a great fit either.

And, not a box office draw.

2) It was not a great production. Cheap looking and with a director not well suited for the material.

3) Was anyone demanding a new Gypsy? (not really).

r115

MANY people gasped in the lead up to Everything's coming up Roses

I have seen at least 5 live productions of Gypsy(including BP, PL, AM) and I do not remember that ever happening before

Gypsy has been so overdone that most gay men could play Madame Rose on stage without rehearsal.

R118 Joy Woods also deserves blame. She is someone being foisted upon us all, despite no talent.

R119 Maybe it was "gasping in horror"

r120

We're ready!

Izzy has been canceled on HGTV. Tough year to be an Izzy

Gypsy is dated in a few ways. Vaudeville and burlesque are largely out of style. It's a period piece, hence why you can't have a production without a really big star fronting it.

Maybe if they updated it to where Rose was big in internet porn back in the 2000's and her daughter wants to follow in her footsteps.

[quote]R76 Now Smart is out indefinitely.

Jayzus. You know, I can’t be the first to think she has to shit or GET OFF THE POT.

Well, I thought that R63's clip of "Montego's Turn" was much, much better than Audra's. I wish I could have seen her actual performance, but judging from the sound of the half audience that attended, they appreciated her as well.

And just a reminder, that I don't blame Audra for her performance (she can be an excellent actress) as much as I blame the real culprit, Director George C. Wolfe. He could have made the concept work, the physical production more attractive, and guided and/or reigned in his performers to a more three-dimensional, nuanced performance, rather than this production that looks like an under-rehearsed, non-Equity touring company. And he could have chosen a better choreographer.

IMHO

I knew a lot of the audience I was in for GYPSY were unfamiliar with the show when Herbie proposes marriage to Rose and people sighed and applauded. They had no idea what was to come.

What do you mean no Gypsys in the future!!??? Fuck you!

[quote]R118 Audra McDonald is a ridiculously talented actress. Who is ALL wrong for Rose (with nothing to do with her ethnicity).

The true test of Audra’s talents - is she the one true star who could bring back MAME and make it palatable??

Shhhhhhh. [italic]I’ve heard rumors… [/italic]but that’s all I’m sayin’!

ENOUGH FUCKING GYPSY!!!!

I'm guessing Audra won't touch MAME when she actually reads the script.

R119 Everything's coming up Rose's what?

If Audra plays Mame, Mother Burnside will have a stroke.

Apparently Audra had veto power over Wolfe’s directorial choices.

Gypsy is dated in a few ways. Vaudeville and burlesque are largely out of style.

It was out of style in 1959, r125. It was out of style by the time they get to Rose's Turn.

^meant to quote that...

[quote]Gypsy is dated in a few ways. Vaudeville and burlesque are largely out of style.

Even this production couldn't hide the fact the show is still a brilliantly written show. It's not going anywhere.

Gypsy and Cabaret have both been revived too often. There have been at least two Follies revivals since 2001, and I imagine another isn't far off. I would like to see some new musicals, or things that have rarely been revived, on Broadway for a change, and not thrown together jukebox crap, either.

R139. Yes, where’s the revival of “Bajour!”? Cher could play Anyanka!

Here’s a question: Who will play Madame Rose in the 2060 revival?

[quote]Audra McDonald is a ridiculously talented actress. Who is ALL wrong for Rose (with nothing to do with her ethnicity). Rose needs an actress with strong comedic chops/instinct. That's not Audra's forte. Again, brilliant actress/singer but she's not a comedienne. And, vocally, not really a great fit either.

Except for the fact that Tyne Daly was not a comedienne and certainly not a singer. But she, too, was a ridiculously talented actress and for some reason, she made 'Mama Rose' unforgettable. Unlike her replacement, Linda Lavin, who was an actress with strong comedic chops / instinct, with a Broadway singing voice - and was a complete dud as 'Mama Rose'.

I guess Hamilton is dated too since it's about old dead Revolutionary War guys.

Tyne Daly could play comedy. She demonstrated that in Gypsy.

Audra would be even dumber casting in Mame which most certainly requires a VERY strong comedic talent.

I think Taraji could take a crack at Mame, after she does Joe Turner's Come and Gone.

Between Straw and Joe Turner, Taraji could win the Oscar and Tony next year.

R88 BINGO! You understood perfectly. A great example is when 'Victor / Victoria' closed in July, 1997. The show was in trouble once the horrible reviews came in, and Julie Andrews made damn sure she would not be on the marquee when they announced it was closing. Poor Raquel Welch had to take the hit and watch the show close with her name above the title, weeks after she took over the role.

R145 Taraji won’t win any awards. She made a Horrible enemy with lots of voting groups when she shit all over The Color Purple while promoting it. The role should have gotten her a nomination, but she was snubbed and Oprah blames her for a lot that went wrong

[quote]Tyne Daly could play comedy. She demonstrated that in Gypsy.

Prior to GYPSY, she had never played comedy - nor sang professionally. Who knew she could ? Who thought she could ? But the producers took a chance, and she came out a winner. Once on stage, she showed she could play comedy and sing the score.

Unfortunately, that didn't happen with MacDonald.

Toni Collette or Catherine Zeta Jones could play Mame or Rose.

I don't get it. Was Raquel Welch not a big enough star to contractually insist she wouldn't be in V/V when it closed?

The most brilliant delivery of the pre-"Roses" monologue was Tyne Daly's. She was great. What a shame that CBS gave the tv movie to Bette Midler.

Tyne Daly's innate sense of comedy was evident even in Cagney & Lacey.

From Madam Rose to Madam Sally...

R150 I believe that is correct. Plus, she was not the big-name actress opening the show, and I'm not sure if 'fill ins' get to have that caveat in their contracts once they negotiate.

I still say Smart will be out through next week and a closing notice will be posted next week. I'm sure that damn knee just won't heal !

So, r154, you're saying Jean Smart knows her show is a smelly flop and will never return, using her supposedly injured knee as her excuse?

Wow. Are the producers and investors all in on this?

A girl has to do what a girl has to do, r155.

Someone posted a video of the Izzy audience 5 minutes before Sundays performance and there were rows and rows of empty seats. There were, maybe, 100-200 audience members. Johanna deserves better.

R157 even I sold more seats!

That seems idiotic. Saying Gypsy is dated is like saying Amadeus is dated cuz Mozart’s music is from an earlier era.

None of the old theater yentas I know have any interest in Gypsy. They feel like they've seen it a thousand times and don't love a black Rose. I loved it. The audience gasped A LOT when I saw it which I'd also presume means people are seeing it for the first time.

I feel bad for Johanna Day. She was in that show with Nancy McKeon off Broadway and when everyone lined up to meet Jo after I asked a staff person where Johanna was and they said "oh she just leaves."

The people who will go see the Laurie Metcalf show do not care about Scott Rudin. They want to see her and they do not care. Isn't it an open secret he produced a lot of other shows from afar since he was "cancelled?"

What happened with Brody Grant?

[quote] So, [R154], you're saying Jean Smart knows her show is a smelly flop and will never return, using her supposedly injured knee as her excuse? Wow. Are the producers and investors all in on this?

Possibly. The longer they run the more money they lose. Might as well get out with a little dignity.

R161. Did you say dignity????

I was just going to post "Raquel Welch for MAME!" but then I googled her and she's dead (!!)

Well, Beanie Feldstein for Gooch!

[quote]Here’s a question: Who will play Madame Rose in the 2060 revival?

Jesus, who the fuck cares. Of course, I've seen every Broadway Madame Rose except for the Merm, so I may be a bit jaded on the subject.

Did Elaine Stritch ever play Rose, for the Kenley Players or anyone? Because that would be terrifying.

Eileen Heckart IS Madame Rose!

[quote]Here’s a question: Who will play Madame Rose in the 2060 revival?

Jo Jo Siwa

I don't think so, R165. You probably know that she was the proposed Rose for the show's London première, but they couldn't raise money with her as the star, so they (thank God) went to Angela Lansbury.

^^ of course. Thank you.

Maybe Lucie Arnaz could redeem her mother's interpretation by doing a high profile concert version.

Lorna Luft as Vera? Roslyn Kind as Gooch? Or vice versa.

Some allegations about Brody floated around online last year, quickly deleted of course... Lots of drama at that theater…

[quote]Joy Woods also deserves blame. She is someone being foisted upon us all, despite no talent.

I half agree with this. Saw the show last week and I thought Joy Woods was WONDERFUL (in Act I and early in Act II.) But her transition to Gypsy Rose Lee was off.... miscalibrated. An angry Gypsy Rose Lee is perfectly justified by the text, but, at least at my performance, Woods was almost off the rails... enraged with a volcanic level of anger. I'm guessing it's a better match up with Audra's histrionics... but Montego Glover was giving a more measured performance and so Louise seemed borderline deranged in comparison. I thought Jordan Tyson's June was more successful overall.

Also, I'm FAR from an apologist for this revival, but I'm puzzled by the comments that the production looked cheap. I didn't leave the show feeling I'd seen some low-budget community theatre mounting. I thought the scenic/lighting design was good. I mean, the car they drove in, the dressing room, the apartment were all well designed. I actually really liked the Act II "Let Me Entertain You" montages were staged/lit.

I've heard the Eldergays rave about Tyne's Rose for years and I'm sure it was a memorable performance -- she's a very good actress. But, then I see this and I kind of shrug my shoulders. It's a very rote, surface performance. I'm not expecting or wanting Audra levels of uncontrolled emotion. But this almost feels like she's marking it.

I mean, I know she wasn't everyone's cup of tea in the role, but I think Bernadette's Rose's Turn is infinitely more powerful -- even in the abridged version she was forced to perform at the Tonys.

This discussion has devolved into a folly.

[italic][bold]FOLLIES ! ! !

[quote]So, [R154], you're saying Jean Smart knows her show is a smelly flop and will never return, using her supposedly injured knee as her excuse? Wow. Are the producers and investors all in on this?

I don't know what's going on behind the scenes (I have no connection to the show), but here is what I will say:

Yes, the fact that this show is a box-office flop and not even close to living up to expectations is a secret to no one: not to Smart, and not to the producers / investors. There half-way to the finish line (Aug 17), so the choice is to keep this going and keep throwing more good money after bad, or cut their losses NOW. If I was an investor, I would expect them (and pressure them) to cut their losses now. I would rather they gave me back whatever's left in my investment, than for them to use it to keep the show open.

As I said earlier, I'm 99.99% positive that Smart has it in her contract to leave the show somehow before the notice is posted due to lack of ticket sales. Having an 'injured knee' at the mid-way point of the run is the perfect excuse to leave the show and have her understudy take over. Then they can say the show is not working without its star name, and has no choice but to close (makes sense to the public and the press). I'm also 99.99% positive that Smart will receive her full salary. so she will get paid for the remainder of the run.

So yes, you can say the producers and investors are all 'in on it'. They knew of the clause in Smart's contract before they all invested (her contract and other financials pertaining to the show would have to be disclosed to them before they gave any money), and they knew of the clause that Smart would get paid the full run of the show no matter how early it closed. Again, that was all disclosed before they signed off as investors.

So Smart comes out a winner - she gave the performance she was asked to give and directed to give, and saw a small advance in ticket sales before the show opened and the reviews came out (keep in mind, there were those who called this a flop when they saw it in previews). She gave it the good ol' college try. She gave it a shot (about 6 or 7 weeks) and then leaves at the end of June, enjoys her summer, and still gets paid every week through the middle of August.

Investors / Producers come out with a half win, if they're optimistic and look at the glass 'half full'. They're not going to lose more money.

So now, we just wait for the notice to be posted. It seems inevitable with the notices that Smart will be out 'indefinitely' (re: never coming back). Honestly, I would not be surprised if there's an announcement by Sunday.

Why can't Smart just sit on a stool or chair for the show. It's just a fucking monologue. It should have been down at the Hayes.

Has anyone else seen ART’s Two Strangers (Carrying a Cake across New York) either here or in London? It has hopes of Broadway but I don’t see that happening.

Can Smart sing? If so, could she have been a credible Mame onstage? (not that I think the musical. is revivable.)

If Jean can't quietly sit on a toilet for an hour and a half 8 times a week I very much doubt she'd have the stamina for even the quick changes in Mame, much less the musical numbers.

I blame Wolfe for all the problems in this production of GYPSY. Also, the new choreography is decidedly NOT an improvement over the Robbins original. The strip is a complete disappointment. It doesn't build at all in the interim stages until the very end when suddenly (and out of nowhere) Louise turns into a skilled Josephine Baker-like dancer.

I will say that I saw the show a week before it opened, 6th row center, and I was blown away by Audra. Her acting singing, and most of all her incredible "Rose's Turn" gave me chills. It seemed nothing like the over-the-top ranting she did on the Tony awards show. Maybe she was thrown off by the giant size of Radio CIty and decided to over-compensate. I remember Catherine Zeta-Jones having the same problems with her "Send in the Clowns" at Radio City. I'd be curious to go back and see if Audra's performance has changed that dramatically in the show.

Start a separate Gypsy thread, fuckwits.

[quote] Why can't Smart just sit on a stool or chair for the show. It's just a fucking monologue. It should have been down at the Hayes.

It should have been at Don't Tell Mama.

Why the hell is she on a toilet in a play on Broadway? Does Izzy have the trots?

Wolfe is 70 and didn't look well in the few times he was appearing on camera for Gypsy. Maybe he didn't have the stamina to stand up to Audra.

Wolfe hasn't directed anything good in a long time. Shuffle Along was awful.

George Wolfe, talented as he is, has never directed a classic musical on Broadway before. His talents are in developing new work. This GYPSY revival I think is actually mostly the fault of poor producing. Somebody who was not the director should have come in during tech and demanded important changes be made, such as the hideous lighting, choreography, and a number of poorly cast bit parts.

Tom Kirdahy is the lead GYPSY producer and, good guy though he is, it's not how he operates.

Stro's NY, NY last season was another Kirdahy production. I rest my case.

Also Billy Porter wrote in his memoir that George C Wolfe thinks Sondheim is extremely overrated…so George started the production with contempt for the lyricist.

Not a good start!

R141 I'm guessing Sarah Porkalab - but she will only play Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.....and on Friday she'll only do the first act.

Trivia info that I know maybe one person may be interested in:

Tyne and Tim Daly's father was actor James Daly from Medical Center. He was also the substitute host on the Today Show in April, 1964, conducting a live interview with Frances Farmer when she went off the rails and called out everyone in her life who had ever done her wrong - quite a list. Would be nice if that kinescope was still around. Anyone work for NBC?

[quote] George Wolfe, talented as he is, has never directed a classic musical on Broadway before.

Wolfe directed On The Town. I thought it was terrible and inflicted Lea DeLaria on us as a "singer" but he DID direct it.

I loved the later On the Town revival that opened about 10 years ago. That production was a DREAM. I'm glad the Wolf directed revival wasn't the "last word" on that wonderful show.

R192= Mary Testa

[quote]He was also the substitute host on the Today Show in April, 1964, conducting a live interview with Frances Farmer when she went off the rails and called out everyone in her life who had ever done her wrong - quite a list.

Source, r190?

R191 Good point — I blocked that production from my memory. If anything, that should have been a clear warning to hire somebody else.

[quote]Also Billy Porter wrote in his memoir that George C Wolfe thinks Sondheim is extremely overrated

I find this absolutely shocking. Billy Porter has a memoir?

Did anyone else watch the Met's new production of Aida on Great Performances on PBS? It's kind of a mess -- the newly added archeologists bring absolutely nothing to it, the Amneris was channeling Gloria Swanson in Sunset Blvd. and the Triumphal Scene had an uncountable number of people on stage, mostly lined up like the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. But the piece de r. was the choreography for the Dance of the Shirtless Soldiers in the middle of that scene. It was like the director of a small-town dance studio decided to try to choreograph Janet Jackson's backup dancers for the spring recital -- a whiff of hip-hop, some jazz dance, a bit of ballet, all mashed up. No shame to the dancers, who did what they had to do, but I was embarrassed for them. (In an earlier scene they kept picking up and putting down the young acolytes for no apparent reason. Whuh...?) And don't get me started on Yannick Nezet-Seguin's bad dye job.

Turn up the temp boys!!!!

Those who went to see 'Izzy' this past week with Smart's 'stand-in' taking the stage said it's awful. Two-time Tony nominee Johanna Day is unprepared for the job, forgetting her lines and her blocking (since the second performance, someone has been off to the side feeding her lines to her when she goes up on her lines), and she has been having coughing spells on stage (not part of the action). So she's obviously sick, and trying to give her best shot in this performance. There have also been reports that this week, each performance is playing to an audience of less than a hundred people. How can this possibly continue ?

I'm curious - if they don't announce a closing by this weekend, I wonder if they're offering Smart a bonus to return ? Come back for a few performances to try and make up what it lost this past week ?

[quote]I find this absolutely shocking. Billy Porter has a memoir?

More shocking - someone actually admits to reading it ! [R189]

One W/W - I guess I did find the ONE person who was interested in it.

R176, you say you have no connection to CALL ME IZZY and therefore don't know what's going on behind the scenes, but then you insist you know exactly what's in the contract that Jean Smart signed with the production. So, which is it?

Also, even if it's true that the contract has a clause stating that the show would not close while Smart is still in it, I would be shocked if the clause also provided for full payment of her salary for the full run even if the show closed early. I HAVE heard of such "pay or play" contracts in the movies, but is anything like that done ever done in the theater?

I'm dubious about this whole contractual thing re Izzy and Jean Smart. The show was always announced as a limited run so why would Jean find it objectionable to be performing in the final performance?

I think people misjudged Jean Smart

She’s won 18 Emmy’s for Hacks and is an industry darling…but that doesn’t lead to ticket sales (see also Audra McDonald.)

She’s also meme friendly but it’s lesbian fan fiction with Hannah. Those people aren’t spending hundreds of dollars to fly to NY and see her recite a monologue on a toilet.

[quote]Start a separate Gypsy thread, fuckwits.

Hold our beers.

STFU!

Audra was brilliant as Rose—finding more depth in the character than I’ve ever seen another Rose. She was unabashedly Black. Her Rose’s Turn channeled the frustration so many Black women feel.

Audra is the great Bway actress of the day and only a superlative actress could have pulled of what Audra did. When else have you seen a Rose where the audience weeps with her at the end, sympathizing with her unrealized dreams.

But honestly Gypsy, while holding together well, doesn’t fit with among modern musicals. The theatre is just too big for it to have had a long run. It has done respectably with Audra but what Gypsy is ever a huge hit?

I’m thrilled I got to see it. Hers was one of the best performances I’ve seen on any stage—the way she can build a character and channel emotions is incredible.

It's summer in Palm Springs, and Claybourne Elder is doing cabaret.....

Speaking of Follies — aren’t we always? — I wonder if Sondheim and Prince considered casting Rosemary Clooney as Sally. Or was Clooney‘s mental breakdown too recent?

Why hasn't fan fave Elder had a bigger Broadway career?

She wasn't on the list, r208.

I'm shocked I'm not reading anything here about Jordan Roth's uber-pretentious one person performance art piece at The Louvre.

If I could start a thread I'd start one about him but maybe it just needs to be discussed here.

For that matter I'm shocked that Jordan's revolting shenanigans come up so infrequently on the DL.

I think Rosemary Clooney was already too heavy and too dependent on drugs/alcohol even by1970 to be considered for Broadway. Also, according to wiki she was born in 1928 so she'd have been only 42, really too young to fit the timeline of a Follies showgirl in 1940.

[quote]you say you have no connection to CALL ME IZZY and therefore don't know what's going on behind the scenes, but then you insist you know exactly what's in the contract that Jean Smart signed with the production. So, which is it?

I see you still struggle with reading comprehension.

Please point out exactly where I 'insist' I know what's in the contract that Jean Smart signed with the producers. I'll wait...

If audiences are going to pay a lot of money to see Jean Smart on Broadway they want to see her in something where she can look (and behave) more like Deborah Vance than scraggly trailer trash. Something fun and sexy and glamorous, not something so clearly depressing. I'd say the same thing about far bigger stars like Julia Roberts, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Aniston, ScarJo, et.al. if they were considering Broadway.

I'm really surprised that she wouldn't have understood that.

Judging by his wooden acting on The Gilded Age, I think we can guess why Clybourne Elder hasn't become a big star...

As for Jean Smart, I feel bad for her but ....what were they all thinking? She's very much liked but you need to be at a certain level to safely helm a successful solo show. And, she's not really at that level.

It also didn't help that the show sounds...dire. I mean, the title alone is not going to entice anyone.

[quote]R190 Tyne and Tim Daly's father was actor James Daly from Medical Center.

Gdamn[italic] nepo babies - -

[quote]r202 I HAVE heard of such "pay or play" contracts ….

That phrase always grates on me. If the actor performs, then they’re also going to get paid. So it’s not really “play OR play.”

It’s really “play and get paid or don’t play and get paid.”

[quote]I'm dubious about this whole contractual thing re Izzy and Jean Smart. The show was always announced as a limited run so why would Jean find it objectionable to be performing in the final performance?

Read my posts again. I'm talking about if the show closes EARLIER than the designated closing date in August.

If the show was profitable, had a successful box office, and filled the theater at each performance at 85% and higher, there would be no 'objection' to performing in the final performance when the limited run was over. But that's not the case, here.

The show is hemorrhaging money, the box office is a failure, the show has been performing to audiences under 100 people on average. and most likely on the verge of closing before the scheduled mid-August date. A star of Smart's caliber ordinarily does not want to be associated with a disaster like this in its waning days, and when / if the producers decide to pull the plug. They don't want their name on the marquee while the box office is falling like a rock. Why ? Because the blame will be put on their shoulders - especially for a one woman show like this - for the failure of this play. That is why name stars put in their contracts a clause that gives them the chance to leave, should the show fail and has no choice but to close early.

Now, I'm not INSISTING I know what's in Smart's contract, I'm betting she's one of those actresses who probably had this clause put in. And I'm not INSISTING I know about her compensation, but I'm guessing she will get paid her full salary whether the show closes or not, as do most big name stars. So right now, it's convenient at 'the mid-way' point she claims a 'knee injury' and takes time off while her understudy goes on, and the box office does worse. No doubt, Smart and the producers have been in discussion during this time off, on how to go forward from here. Do they put everyone out of their misery and announce a closing tomorrow / this weekend and have Johanna Day play out the rest of the week ? Do they decide to close and convince Smart to return this Saturday/ Sunday and continue with hopes in trying to beef up the box office in its final days (like what's happening with 'Boop!' since they announced its closing) ? Or do they say 'the hell with it' - convince Smart to return, and let it run through to its scheduled closing in hopes things improve ?

For the record, on another forum, they are reporting that this limited-run production cost investors between $7.5M - $8M to stage. With one star in the show which runs 80 minutes, and bare minimum set design, and no music - where did that money go ? (Most are speculating on promo and advertising, which the producers have done a lot of the past six weeks).

R206 = Kecia Lewis

Oh god. Should be:

[quote]So it’s not really “pay OR [bold]play[/bold]”

Now I’m making it MORE confusing!

[quote]Audra was brilliant as Rose—finding more depth in the character than I’ve ever seen another Rose....

I think you forgot "imho" R206.

I was one of the ones weeping at the end of Rose's Turn, but not for the reasons you state.

I’m sure Izzy would rather close because of the star’s injury rather than nobody wanting to see it.

Always happy to see Emily Skinner working.

Julia, Nicole, and Scarlett all have done Broadway before, R214. Looking at IBDB, The Blue Room, Three Days of Rain, and A View From the Bridge were all big hits, while Cat on a Hot Tin Roof wasn't.

What would be the ideal vehicle for Jennifer Aniston, I'm once again wondering?

[quote]What would be the ideal vehicle for Jennifer Aniston, I'm once again wondering?

The Secret Affairs of Mildred Wilde

I know they have but I'm saying if they were doing Broadway NOW in the current environment and mood, audiences want to see them in more glamorous, sexy and fun shows. Especially if it's a new play, a new title.

I'm sure even a much bigger TV star than Smart like Aniston could not have created a bigger box office in a show like Call Me Izzy.

She runs a higher risk with a new show.

I have VIP tickets to a screening of Clue where I get to meet Lesley Ann Warren in November.

Should I ask her about almost getting canned from Dream?

Ask Lesley Ann why her career went down the shitter.

Why were they going to can her, r229? She was the *name*.

^r228

R230

I saw Dream. The only thing I remember is that at one point an enormous glittering Oscar was wheeled out, and it had a hand print on it.

I remember the word about her being difficult at the time, r229, but I never heard they would can her.

[quote]r224 What would be the ideal vehicle for Jennifer Aniston, I'm once again wondering?

As pondered, definitely Neil Simon.

[quote]r228 Should I ask her about almost getting canned from Dream?

Ask her what she has against yellow velvet divans. (Isn't that the set piece she attacked with scissors?)

dream

Margaret Whiting sounds like a class act. We don't have many of those any more.

This interview is great and goes into Lesley Ann and destroying the furniture during a Dream rehearsal.

The press agent for the show said in the clip that Lesley basically destroyed her own career because of her antics.

[quote]What would be the ideal vehicle for Jennifer Aniston, I'm once again wondering?

"Rachael Lily Rosenbloom (And Don't You Ever Forget It)"

I remember hearing Lesley was being considered for a Roxie replacement in Chicago but producers didn't pursue her because of her behavior on Dream.

I don't imagine anyone here saw her in the musical version of GONE WITH THE WIND before it died on the road?

We were supposed to get it in Denver but it closed in LA, r242.

[quote]I don't imagine anyone here saw her in the musical version of GONE WITH THE WIND before it died on the road?

My college roommate had the British cast album on vinyl. (Yes, I'm an eldergay.) I actually liked a few of the songs, including the stand-in song for "Tara's Theme."

Aniston should do "The Gingerbread Lady".

[quote]It's summer in Palm Springs, and Claybourne Elder is doing cabaret.....

Well, he may be very limited in terms of talent, but he sure knows his audience.

R213, what you wrote was:

[quote]As I said earlier, I'm 99.99% positive that Smart has it in her contract to leave the show somehow before the notice is posted due to lack of ticket sales. Having an 'injured knee' at the mid-way point of the run is the perfect excuse to leave the show and have her understudy take over. Then they can say the show is not working without its star name, and has no choice but to close (makes sense to the public and the press). I'm also 99.99% positive that Smart will receive her full salary. so she will get paid for the remainder of the run.

To me, that reads like you are insisting you know what's in the contract, or VERY close to insisting.

[quote]r245 Aniston should do "The Gingerbread Lady".

There are roles for the other Friends in the play, too, if Jen wants to share the spotlight.

------------------------------------------------------

Courtney Cox IS Toby Landau, Jen's pal, an overly vain woman who fears the loss of her looks

Matt LeBlanc IS Jimmy Perry, another pal, a gay actor in danger of losing a part in a play (originally to have been Matthew Perry, but...)

Lisa Kudrow (aka the one who can actually act) IS Polly Meara, Jen's devoted but anxious teenaged daughter

David Schwimmer IS Lou Tanner, a worthless ex-lover

R217 give it up. Take or pay is a phrase used in many other business contracts, including buying and selling public power, water, natural gas, etc. The term is well understood

[quote] Take or pay is a phrase used in many other business contracts, including buying and selling public power, water, natural gas, etc. The term is well understood

But not well remembered.

I’m not saying the phrase “pay or play” isn’t widely understood, r249… just that it isn’t really accurate.

But lots of accepted things are stupid. This phrase is hardly the first instance of that.

Maybe “pay and/or play” describes such an agreement better?

A small sample of Jean Smart's singing:

Never having seen either, I get PROMISES PROMISES mixed up with SEESAW.

[quote]Aniston should do "The Gingerbread Lady".

Nobody should do "The Gingerbread Lady."

Pay or play = a contraction of pay whether or not you play. It is accurate—why is that hard?

Because the OR means it’s one or the other. For example, you can be here OR there. Separate things.

In reality, if the performer’s course of action in the show’s run is to play, there will still be pay. So the paying and the playing are not necessarily separated.

The two REAL options are “play and be paid, or not play and be paid.” Pay is always going to be there, yet “pay or play” sets the two words against each other in a way that doesn’t really apply.

If we must dwell on it, the phrase is also a little screwy because is “play” the player/performer doing their job on stage, or does it symbolize the producer and the performer “playing” together by both doing their work, ie the show? Because the performer is never going to pay. It’s not like the performer has to PAY for their own replacement if they don’t PLAY the role - though in that scenario the saying would make more obvious sense.

It’s simply not a well conceived phrase.

I'm starting to miss talking about Audra: GYPSY!

[quote]To me, that reads like you are insisting you know what's in the contract, or VERY close to insisting.

Again, reading comprehension escapes you. Can't help you with that.

This link may help you, though...

R257 there’s so much wrong in your post.

You get paid whether or not you play (your role.). The end. No other meaning. Simple.

Aniston should produce / star in a revival of "Woman of the Year". I'm certain she'll give a performance to delight the masses !

The Lesley Anne Warren dish at r239 begins around 9:00 if anyone is interested though the entire interview is great. Susan Schulman seems like an angel.

Lesley a bit less so.

Well, at least [italic]Backstage [/italic]magazine seems to back me up, stating, “The expression is a bit confusing since it implies that the actor is either “paid” or “played.” Obviously, if the actor is played, they must also be paid.”

Though I know there must be others out there who similarly stand with me, I shall not devote too much more Googling to this, as I am of course a busy, BUSY bee!

(signed, the much wronged) [bold]R257

You’re the only one here not getting it. 🤷🏻‍♂️

I don’t think any others have commented, so how do YOU know?

Anyone ever heard of “Follies”? Sounds like an interesting show. Maybe we should discuss it

The Shadow knows!

Girls, girls! You're both insufferable!

Retire that reply, pls.

Retire the tedious bickering first. Nobody cares.

Jennifer Aniston could be really touching in a revival of Rabbit Hole. It won Cynthia the Tony and Nicole was Oscar nominated.

Plus, it has a choice role for an older woman (so she would still feel like a young, leading lady) and a role for a male co-star so she could flirt with someone backstage.

I know the play dated but Jen would make a wonderful Doris in Same Time, Next Year. Pair her with someone like Bobby Cannavale.

There are so many tickets available for Izzy over the next week I don't know how it can hang on until August even with Smart who is due back tomorrow.

She doesn’t care. She’s paid anyway.

Why is that, r275?

The only positive thing to come out of Dream was the pairing and subsequent wedding of John Pizzarelli and Jessica Molaskey. Boy, do those two have stories!!!!

Looks as if Smart could have been a respectable Mame.

Does anyone know if Aniston have any stage experience?

As for Clooney (whom I adore as a pop/jazz singer) I question whether she could handle a stage role. Her film career never took off, but I'd be happy to have heard her sing some of Sally's songs.

Finally, re Whiting: I'd be a class act too if I had Jack Wrangler's giant cock waiting at home.

R249, I have always heard the phrase as "pay or play," and it never made sense to me, considering what it means. A specific time I remember it being used was when Meryl Streep was up for the title role in the movie of EVITA and supposedly she didn't get the part because she insisted on a "pay or play" contract that stipulated she would be paid her full salary whether the movie was actually made or not. (Supposedly, she did this because there had been so many false starts on that movie.)

That's how I've heard "pay or play" used, although I think it's a confusing phrase to describe what we're talking about here.

You just explained it yourself!! What’s the problem

..contract that stipulated she would be paid her full salary whether the movie was actually made or not. That’s it—you already had it. There’s nothing more to understand. Getting paid whether you go on or not is the same thing.

A utility required to pay a power supplier whether or not they need to draw the power is the same thing. A water system agreeing to pay whether or not they need the water delivered at that time is the same thing. And so on.

R259, my reading comprehension level is fine, the problem is that you keep insisting you didn't write what you DID write.

R260, if after reading R257's very clear post you still don't understand why "pay or play" is an odd and inaccurate phrase to describe a situation in which a performer is paid their full salary whether they "play" (perform) or not, there's no helping you.

You see the “or” in your last line? That’s the “or” in pay or play.

Wrangler's giant cock got nowhere near Maggie Whiting.

R273, I was the one who posted on the previous thread that a good vehicle for Aniston could be Same Time Next Year. But I agree Bobby Cannavale is an excellent casting suggestion. I can actually see Netflix making a miniseries out ot this like The Four Seasons.

Has anyone here ever read the script for Same Time, Next Year? Or seen a production in the last 40 years?

I doubt it.

Will the late Richard Greenberg see an influx of his plays now? Jen Aniston could do Three Days of Rain, which was a hit for Julia Roberts.

[quote]Three Days of Rain, which was a hit for Julia Roberts

Financially, r286, but definitely not critically.

I think having a black Madam Rose and asking audiences to pretend that she isn't black as she trapezes with her white Jewish lover AND black children's act through Jim Crow America was very odd to me. Maybe changing the show to address the inevitable racism they would have faced would have been a vastly different show that the estates would have blocked, but it would have at least been interesting. I did enjoy it, although it felt very cheap looking and Audra's vocal styling does not work at all with this score though she gives it her all (when she shows up).

This might be the dullest Theatre Gossip thread yet.

[quote]This might be the dullest Theatre Gossip thread yet.

So, r289, what did *you* bring to the party?

[quote]and asking audiences to pretend that she isn't black

Nobody is asking the audience to pretend that, r288.

R290 I don't know...I think bitching about a never ending boring discussion/argument about "pay or play" is adding more to the discussion than said discussion but looking over what you've contributed to this thread, I wouldn't get too bitchy if I were you...you're not exactly Perle Mesta.

[quote]I think bitching about a never ending boring discussion/argument about "pay or play" is adding more to the discussion

What exactly does it add, r292?

I think Aniston and Courtney Cox should revive "Legends!" It hasn't been done since Collins / Evans.

Re: the doubts of R285 - Same Time Next Year was done by no less than Kenny Leon and Phylicia Rashad in 2014 in Atlanta and that production was rumored to have Broadway ambitions. A few years before that, Eve Plumb (from The Brady Bunch) did a stock production of it with John Bolton, an excellent actor who has done lots of Broadway.

STNY remains a regional and stock staple. It may not get the volume of productions it once had in the era when it was EVERYWHERE, but it's still done. The Concord Theatricals website lists 4 productions coming up in 2025-26 worldwide.

I visualize a Broadway revival that flexes its budget muscles with automation to redecorate the room for each era. It's not a great script, especially for today's audience, it could use some cuts and it would need a comedy director (who?). Because of Slade's pedigree, critics would thoroughly trash the writing worse than they did PLAZA SUITE, because it's not as good a play as that one, nor as funny. But with the right stars people would buy tickets. Any script with STNY's production history will usually still ultimately work: it has survived being produced at all levels of talent and budget, and seen by all kinds of audiences.

OF COURSE this theatre thread is boring. The new season just started, and Call Me Izzy is the only thing that's opened.

R295. The room should stay exactly the same. The characters grow and change but their little adulterous hideaway never changes.

I don't think Jean Smart would be so cavalier as to treat her fans that way. She doesn't seem like the type. I tend to believe the knee injury stories. She is a professional. She's is NOT some common jezebel starlet.

But if somebody convinced her that audiences would flock to a show because she has a hit on HBO MAX?! Then they need a thorough tongue lashing. And yes, foul language should be included.

You come to Broadway to spread your artistic wings and fly. You don't treat it like some dime store hussy who's good for a good romp then when the afterglow fades and the sting of the morning creeps through the windows decide it wasn't the thrill you thought it would be and take off running with a poorly written note next to the nightstand. The great white way is artistic beauty in its most pure form.

R294, Joan Collins is a bitch! Everyone knows that!

Jean Smart still has a fan base from Designing Women. Eldergays and frau's.

[quote]I don't think Jean Smart would be so cavalier as to treat her fans that way.

It has nothing to do with her treatment to her fans. It has everything to do with business, and what's the best business / career strategy for her.

She's supposed to be returning to the stage tomorrow night (we'll see) and as of 30 minutes ago when I checked, 3/4 of the seats are still available - for a Saturday night play starring Jean Smart. And the tickets were discounted. How in the world is 'Izzy' still alive ?

[quote]for a Saturday night *bad* play starring Jean Smart.

Fixed it for you, r301.

[quote] Susan Schulman seems like an angel.

She is now. She died in 2022.

But back to the scintillating topic of Pay or Play:

This chick, who “persued” an LLM states

[quote] That’s where the Pay-or-Play agreement comes into play (and gets real handy). This essential clause guarantees an actor’s right to compensation even if they are replaced, [bold]drop out[/bold], or the project gets cancelled. Without this clause, you risk financial loss despite your initial commitment.

Why should a performer who voluntarily “drops out” of a project continue to profit from its entire run, maybe for years?

Could Jennifer Aniston be right for a revival of WE WON’T PAY! WE WON’T PAY!

??

Johanna Day will be on, again, for both shows tomorrow. I guess Smart isn't ready to return yet.

Jean would have been better off doing a one woman show about Ann Blyth.

[quote]She's supposed to be returning to the stage tomorrow night (we'll see) and as of 30 minutes ago when I checked, 3/4 of the seats are still available - for a Saturday night play starring Jean Smart.

Again, she's on a hit show on a small streaming service, it's not even main HBO. That does not guarantee putting asses in seats no matter how many Emmys they keep giving it. People want to apply the network model to streaming shows, and it's not working for a reason. Apples and oranges. We're not talking the days of 30 million viewers a week anymore.

What this run could do is bring in a new base for her. From those who know her name, have heard of Hacks in passing but never watched it. That's where the business strategy should have come into play.

It's not Smart, r308, it's the show. Stop acting like she's only known for Hacks.

They showed a commercial for IZZY with Smart this morning during “The View.” I’m sure the airtime had already been long paid for but it still seems like false advertising now that she’s unlikely to ever return to the show.

she's on a hit show on a small streaming service, it's not even main HBO...

What fresh, hellish bullshit is this? There’s only one streaming service, called HBO Max. That’s where her show is.

[quote]Looks as if Smart could have been a respectable Mame.

Does she have access to a time machine? "Mame" is never going to be revived on Broadway.

[quote]r298 You come to Broadway to spread your artistic wings and fly. You don't treat it like some dime store hussy who's good for a good romp then when the afterglow fades and the sting of the morning creeps through the windows decide it wasn't the thrill you thought it would be and take off running with a poorly written note next to the nightstand. The great white way is artistic beauty in its most pure form.

Tennessee William ova he’uh.

Once again I'll say this Izzy disaster is not so much about Jean Smart's lack of fans as it is about the play.

If Jean had chosen a one woman show along the lines of Bette Midler's I'll Eat You Last (about glam Hollywood agent Sue Mengers, sitting the entire show surrounded by sumptuous throw pillows on a beautiful divan in a gorgeous caftan), she 'd be breaking box office records.

Now, I don't mean Smart should have done that play, but she needed to find a vehicle that would show off her brash comic strengths and her regal beauty and bring in the audiences who love her for what they know she delivers. The PR photos alone would sell the show, even a new unknown title, with the right material.

I get it, she wants to stretch and play a very different character from what we've all seen her do.....but NOBODY wants to see her in a plaid flannel shirt and dirty wig, no matter how good the play, not even Moon for the Misbegotten.

r295, your example PROVES that Same Time, Next Year is not reviveable on Broadway right now. If the beloved Phylicia Rashad and Kenny Leon, who seems to be able to get anything he wants done on Broadway, couldn't bring STNY to NY, no one can, not even Jen Aniston. Well, maybe if she starred in it with Brad Pitt.

There is some truth to this role not being the best fit for Jean's talents. But would a Julia Louis Dreyfuss, Tina Fey or Jen Aniston have fared the same BO wise had they been the lead in Izzy? Who knows.

Hacks is Jean's first solo moment in the spotlight. Jean is an exemplary actress, but she has maintained her career being part of ensembles alongside other actors. Maybe putting her alongside a Jason Alexander or another well-known name in a production perhaps would have also been a better fit for her first time in decades.

It's not that Jean doesn't have the talent to play trailer trash. She was fantastic as Kate Winslet's mother in Mare of Eastown and excelled with as a working class woman on Fargo. But nobody wants to pay Broadway prices to watch her play that kind of character in a mediocre one person play they've never heard of.

Bring on the glamour, Jean!

Speaking of one-woman shows, remember Full Gallop with Mary Louise Wilson as Diana Vreeland? Wonderful.

Sarah Snook also starred in a HBO critics' darling, and her solo Broadway show sold out, won her a Tony, and managed to turn a profit. But that's because it had an innovative staging and a better-known title.

I'm sorry I missed it, r319. I did get to see her in Bosoms and Neglect.

Jean could do a revival of “Hey, Ma! Kaye Ballard!”.

Making their Broadway debuts, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, and Lisa Kudrow in a revival of ...

Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean

Making their Broadway debuts, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, and Lisa Kudrow in a revival of ...

The Sisters Rosensweig

Making their Broadway debuts, Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox, and Lisa Kudrow in a revival of...

Crimes Of The Heart

A Letter to Three Wives.

[quote] It's summer in Palm Springs, and Claybourne Elder is doing cabaret.....

[quote] Well, he may be very limited in terms of talent, but he sure knows his audience.

Hopefully, the finale is him unzipping and helicoptering his dong at the audience. Otherwise they'll probably all be sound asleep.

Jennifer can do The Graduate.

Muriel blocks me whenever I bring up it's name R211, No doubt I'll get banned again for the next 48 hours just by responding to you. See you all on Monday ! SMH

R329 - Muriel blocks you when you bring up The Louvre?? That actually tracks... I feel like Muriel is more a fan of the Museum of Ice Cream.

According to DL villain, Joy Woods, DL villain Spike Lee was at DL sensation, Gypsy this evening.

The problem with IZZY is that's it's a schlocky, bad play. People don't want to see shows that suck, no matter who's starring. End of story.

[quote]Muriel blocks me whenever I bring up it's name

Muriel blocks you, r329. for misuse of apostrophes.

I feel like Jean had to have done at least one TV movie with enough similarities to Call Me Izzy.

[quote]r334 I feel like Jean had to have done at least one TV movie with enough similarities to Call Me Izzy.

Well, she played Aileen Wuornos, another woman in plaid shirts with messy hair.

Jen Aniston IS Shirley Valentine!

Jen Anniston in Master Class

Jennifer Aniston *IS* Jean Smart in Call Me Izzy

[quote]I think having a black Madam Rose and asking audiences to pretend that she isn't black as she trapezes with her white Jewish lover AND black children's act through Jim Crow America was very odd to me.

Shhh! We're not allowed to observe these facts! The bullies will come for us!

[italic]All about June and the chitterling circuit![/italic]