Theatre Talk: In Our Own Little Corner

[SomeTameGazelle]

10 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

I mean, they knew Hugh was the lead, that big of a reaction would only be merited if it were an actual surprise. But it was the first preview and maybe you can just chalk it up to excitement that the show was finally going on after a year-long delay.

Still, save the big cheers for the curtain call.

If you know nothing about the show, the reveal that

Spoiler

Harold Hill has been in amongst the salesmen all along

could be a real surprise which deserves a brief reaction. But the performative prolonged acknowledgement of the star's entrance is a real drag on the performance. 

Edited December 22, 2021 by SomeTameGazelle
Hiding spoiler

[bosawks]

We're going the 22nd of January, fingers crossed, it'll be our first big family outing at the theatre since all of this started.  Some of us have been back here and there but this will be the first family outing for the crew.

We had to jump on right away to get tickets and even then we're sitting in three different groupings.

Edited December 22, 2021 by bosawks

[bosawks]

41 minutes ago, bosawks said:

We're going the 22nd of January, fingers crossed, it'll be our first big family outing at the theatre since all of this started.  Some of us have been back here and there but this will be the first family outing for the crew.

We had to jump on right away to get tickets and even then we're sitting in three different groupings.

And yes, I definitely had some ticket shock.

Especially since I've only been back for Off-Broadway.

Edited December 22, 2021 by bosawks

[aradia22]

Have fun, @bosawks! It feels like the kind of show you bring a big group to. Very curious to hear your thoughts. 

My most expensive tickets so far (Caroline, or Change) are nowhere near Music Man level but I'm definitely not springing for anything above rush/off-Broadway prices with the threat of cancellations (either mine or the theater's).

[aradia22]

GAAAHHHH! Why don't I have any way of getting to New Jersey? (A sentence I rarely say.)

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Kate-Baldwin-Aaron-Lazar-To-Lead-THE-BRIDGES-OF-MADISON-COUNTY-at-Axelrod-20211222

[aradia22]

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BroadwayWorld has confirmed that Waitress, which announced yesterday that it would resume performances this Saturday, December 25th will now remain closed, having played its final performance on December 20, 2021. The show was previously scheduled to run through January 9, 2022.

With just two weeks left in the run on Broadway, the producers have decided to curtail the remaining performances of the engagement following new cases of COVID being detected in the company and crew at the Ethel Barrymore theatre.

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/WAITRESS-Wont-Re-Open-on-Broadway-Show-Played-Final-Performance-on-December-20-20211223

[aradia22]

https://www.instagram.com/p/CX1nsj6PIcs/?utm_medium=copy_link

Obviously not great that so many people have to call out sick but what an amazing opportunity for this person.

Edited December 24, 2021 by aradia22

[EtheltoTillie]

On 12/24/2021 at 3:55 AM, aradia22 said:

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/WAITRESS-Wont-Re-Open-on-Broadway-Show-Played-Final-Performance-on-December-20-20211223

Aw, I really wanted to catch Waitress, especially after watching the Adrienne Shelley documentary. :(. 

[Bastet]

During curtain call of The Music Man's Thursday preview performance, Hugh Jackman gave a nice nod to swing actor Kathy Voytko, who played Marian after Sutton Foster tested positive for COVID, and to swings and understudies in general.

Yesterday and today's performances were canceled.

[aradia22]

Went to see Caroline, or Change last night with Sharon Brown. The show is still in good shape but I don't know if it was having the understudy on, omicron woes, or the low attendance but it felt a little lower energy and more uneven. You could really feel the absence of Sharon D. Clarke not just because her performance was fantastic but because of how supported all of Caroline's other relationships in the show. 

I've seen multiple actresses in the same role and even though I have my preferred interpretation, I can usually evaluate them on their own merits. But it's really unfair to compare Sharon Brown and Sharon D. Clarke. Clarke is a stronger actress and she not only performs the show most nights (while Brown is the understudy) but she also has her experience with the show in London. There is dramatically more depth to her performance as Caroline. But I also felt like Sharon Brown wasn't totally free to make her own choices the way (for example) each Jenna did during her run in Waitress. She seemed to be given a lot of the same direction as Clarke playing Caroline as more subdued but that didn't feel natural to her. She wasn't bone weary and simmering with rage. She was actually a softer and kinder Caroline. She was more openly kind to Noah and her children. Her scenes with Caissie played differently... especially the one where she comes close to threatening her with the iron. And she seemed much closer to the loss of her husband and the breakdown of that relationship because of the abuse and it seemed to motivate her actions more. I wish she'd had more time to lean into that interpretation more than trying to mimic aspects of Clarke's version. It's not just little preferences, Clarke has a much more holistic grounding in Caroline that fully encompasses the text. Brown felt more like she was picking up on certain aspects of Caroline's personality while other scenes didn't ring as true. 

I thought she was in good voice but it wasn't always that controlled. I can see why people who love Tonya Pinkins might have enjoyed her. She opted for straight tone with a lot of vocal power most of the time, so much so that she would border on being flat. But she really brought it together for Lot's Wife which also felt like her strongest acting moment... even if it was somewhat divorced from the rest of her performance. She gives you that full on emotion. She brings you to church. I really heard more of the gospel elements in her vocals.

Rheaume Crenshaw was on as Dotty. I didn't find her markedly better or worse than Tamika. It was interesting to have a Dotty who seemed more like a contemporary of Caroline's. Tamika read as younger than Sharon Clarke and while older than a typical student, not too far out of that range. But Rheaume does seem a little old for bobby socks and her going to night school and having a boyfriend created more potential for Caroline to try to change. I assume Anastacia McCleskey will be on when I see it again.

Samantha Williams really shone as Emmie this time. Like everyone else, her performance felt a little off because it was calibrated for Clarke and not Brown but she was able to handle the change the best. Admittedly, it might be because her big numbers are the solos. I hope she's remembered around Tony time. 

[aradia22]

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Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations, the smash hit Tony Award®-winning musical will play its final Broadway performance on Sunday, January 16, 2022, at the Imperial Theatre (249 West 45th Street). The musical, with a book by Tony Award nominee Dominique Morisseau, choreography by Tony Award winner Sergio Trujillo, and direction by Tony Award winner Des McAnuff, will have played 488 performances (pending any additional COVID cancellations) and 21 previews.

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/AINT-TOO-PROUD-Will-Close-on-Broadway-January-16th-20211228

[Spartan Girl]

That sucks but at least there’s still the touring production. I’m supposed to see it at Wharton Center this summer.

[EtheltoTillie]

On 12/26/2021 at 7:04 PM, Bastet said:

During curtain call of The Music Man's Thursday preview performance, Hugh Jackman gave a nice nod to swing actor Kathy Voytko, who played Marian after Sutton Foster tested positive for COVID, and to swings and understudies in general.

Yesterday and today's performances were canceled.

It was just announced that Hugh Jackman tested positive also.

[bosawks]

I usually take my nephews into NYC for lunch and a show as part of their Christmas present.

This year we’re punting until probably May when they’re back from college.

[EtheltoTillie]

I'm here in NYC and I have not gone to a Broadway show yet since the pandemic.  I have been to a movie theater a couple of times.  I ride the subway every day.  But no B'way shows. 

[aradia22]

I'm way more terrified of the subway. At Studio 54, everyone was vaccinated, the ushers were vigilant... plus, unfortunately with the theater being undersold, there was opportunity for social distancing. Getting there (it was a 7pm show so I was on the train at 6pm) there were a few unmasked people like during the day. Coming home (show ended at 9:35pm but my particular train was running slow) ALMOST EVERYONE WAS UNMASKED. Many of them got off after 42nd St but there were still a lot of unmasked riders all the way to my stop. Maybe it was day after Christmas lawlessness but I'm even more committed to not taking the subway unless I absolutely have to get uptown. You know those people aren't vaccinated. 

[Spartan Girl]

I’m glad Hugh is doing okay and hope he gets better soon. 

[Dr.OO7]

The Nutcracker is the latest casualty:

https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2021/12/28/new-york-city-ballet-cancels-remaining-nutcracker-performances-due-to-covid-breakthrough-cases/?amp

Thank God for the instinct that told me to see it earlier this month. Ironically, this was because the Alvin Ailey performance that I had originally planned to see was itself cancelled due to the pandemic 

Deja Vu. . .

[aradia22]

I finally made myself listen to the Broadway cast album for Girl From the North Country. It was... fine. I didn't hate it but it just kind of washed over me and I thought some of the actors' voices were a little irritating or else an awkward fit for these folk songs. I don't know the original songs to know if the arrangements altered them but sometimes the phrasing felt crazy like there were too many words to fit the melody. And with such lethargic arrangements, I can see why some people said they were bored. Anyway, I've come to the conclusion that the only way I'm going to appreciate the show/album is seeing it live. But this album didn't sell me on seeing it live. For anyone who has seen it, if I wasn't particularly moved by any of the Bob Dylan songs, will they be more enjoyable in the context of the story? "Hurricane" would have driven me crazy if I hadn't been able to google the lyrics. Do the book scenes help make sense of it because from the album it seems even more convoluted than most jukebox musicals. The medleys felt particularly rough.

One of the tracks I enjoyed a little more was "I Want You" but I know Colton Ryan left the show. I also enjoyed "Like a Rolling Stone," "Girl from the North Country," and "Duquesne Whistle."

Edited December 29, 2021 by aradia22

[Spartan Girl]

Happy to report that Wharton Center is now requiring proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test in addition to requiring masks! Hopefully that keeps everything running smoothly so Cats and Frozen will go on this month as planned!

[ebk57]

On 12/29/2021 at 4:30 PM, aradia22 said:

I finally made myself listen to the Broadway cast album for Girl From the North Country. It was... fine. I didn't hate it but it just kind of washed over me and I thought some of the actors' voices were a little irritating or else an awkward fit for these folk songs. I don't know the original songs to know if the arrangements altered them but sometimes the phrasing felt crazy like there were too many words to fit the melody. And with such lethargic arrangements, I can see why some people said they were bored. Anyway, I've come to the conclusion that the only way I'm going to appreciate the show/album is seeing it live. But this album didn't sell me on seeing it live. For anyone who has seen it, if I wasn't particularly moved by any of the Bob Dylan songs, will they be more enjoyable in the context of the story? "Hurricane" would have driven me crazy if I hadn't been able to google the lyrics. Do the book scenes help make sense of it because from the album it seems even more convoluted than most jukebox musicals. The medleys felt particularly rough.

One of the tracks I enjoyed a little more was "I Want You" but I know Colton Ryan left the show. I also enjoyed "Like a Rolling Stone," "Girl from the North Country," and "Duquesne Whistle."

Because I have a brain like a sieve and I retain nothing, I can only say that on our last trip (almost 2 years ago-sigh...), we saw 6 shows.  I was looking forward to Six the most, but ended up loving Girl From the North Country the most.  It's a lovely, quiet, moving show.  But don't ask me for details as to why.  I just know that I loved it. 

I'd say, if you can get relatively cheap tickets (and I don't see why you can't), and feel like venturing out, you should see it. 

[aradia22]

Quote

Mrs. Doubtfire will take a hiatus on Broadway from January 10 to March 14, 2022 at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre (124 W 43rd St, NYC).

Audience members currently holding tickets March 15 or later will keep their locations. Anyone with tickets during the hiatus can exchange for a later date or get a complete refund from point of purchase.

Oh, wow. This is a HUGE move. I think the limited runs might be safe but I wonder if any of the open-ended shows will join with a hiatus. 

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/MRS-DOUBTFIRE-Suspends-Performances-Through-March-14th-20220102

[aradia22]

I debated putting this in the celeb thread but theater is perhaps still a little too niche.

Quote

Company actor Claybourne Elder is having a full-circle moment.

As he prepared to return to the stage on Saturday after a bout with COVID, the actor offered to buy tickets for several lucky followers to see the Broadway revival of the Stephen Sondheim musical in which he stars. The gesture was inspired, in part, by one of his first trips to New York City 15 years ago, when the actions of a generous stranger encouraged him to pursue his dream of becoming a performer.

"I went to see The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee in the standing-room [section]," Elder recalls to PEOPLE. "At the end of it, I was walking out, and this man and a woman walked up to me and said, 'Hey, you look like you were enjoying that show more than people who are sitting in the expensive seats.' "

The man handed him $200 and made Elder promise he would use the money to see Sweeney Todd starring Patti LuPone. The production was "incredible," but that act of generosity would make a far larger impact on Elder's career.

"I was deciding whether or not I wanted to move to New York," he says. "I grew up in Utah, and I was thinking New York is this big, scary city. Having this stranger do this thing is one of the reasons that led me to think like, 'It's going to be okay, and I should move to New York.' "

Last week, the actor shared his experience in an Instagram post to explain why he'd decided to sponsor several tickets to his own show. Alongside the message, he asked his friends and followers: "If you know this guy - let me know. I would love to thank him."

Quote

It had been years since Howell had thought about that then-23-year-old he met outside the Circle in the Square Theatre. When Howell received a call from his old friend, he never suspected who would be waiting on the other line of the three-way FaceTime.

"[Claybourne] just started telling the story and said, 'We went to see Putnam County Spelling Bee.' And as soon as he said that, I just said, 'No way,' " Howell tells PEOPLE. "Because I knew exactly who he was."

To learn that, not only had his random act of kindness inspired Elder to pursue his dreams, it also encouraged him to give back to other theatergoers in the same way left Howell overwhelmed, to say the least.

"It really made me think about how powerful acts of kindness can be," he says. "I did it, and I didn't think about it most of the time. It's really affirming to hope that all of your random acts of kindness ripple at some level in the recipients' lives, but the level to which this has been amplified and come back around... [that] Clay was motivated to do the same thing for strangers is just really powerful."

Elder maintains that the experience has been "one of the most beautiful things that has ever happened" to him. He is taking it as a sign to continue paying it forward. After almost two years of devastating losses for the theater, his friends and followers helped him secure over $5,000 to buy Company tickets to those who couldn't otherwise afford them.

https://people.com/theater/actor-in-broadway-company-reunited-with-stranger-who-bought-him-tickets-to-see-patti-lupone-15-years-ago/

[aradia22]

Quote

Paradise Square has announced new preview and opening dates for Broadway as a precaution due to the spike in positive COVID-19 cases from the Omicron variant. The new musical will now start previews on Tuesday, March 15, 2022 and open Sunday, April 3, 2022 at the Barrymore Theatre (243 West 47th Street).

The show was previously due to begin performances on February 22, 2022.

"During Christmas week, when there were over 560,000 positive daily cases in the US, over 70,000 positive daily cases in NYC and scientists suggested that the virus had yet to peak, we grew deeply concerned for the ongoing safety of our cast, crew and creative team, who were scheduled to begin Broadway rehearsals this month," commented producer Garth H. Drabinsky. "We hope that a later start date for rehearsals and performances after the current wave is predicted to subside will better protect our company, audience and theatre community."

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/PARADISE-SQUARE-Delays-Broadway-Opening-as-a-COVID-Precaution-20220104

[aradia22]

I will still manage to see it before it closes but... eek!

 

[ebk57]

7 hours ago, aradia22 said:

I debated putting this in the celeb thread but theater is perhaps still a little too niche.

https://people.com/theater/actor-in-broadway-company-reunited-with-stranger-who-bought-him-tickets-to-see-patti-lupone-15-years-ago/

I have thoughts - and questions.

This is a lovely story.  Truly.

How did I miss Patti in Sweeny Todd?  How?? 

Why did he take a picture of the guy that gave him the $200?  It seemed odd that he had a picture, but not a name.

Whey did he have to raise money from "friends and followers" and not just him and the company? 

I know all of that sounds churlish, but it really is a lovely story.  He seems like a good guy. 

[aradia22]

Quote

How did I miss Patti in Sweeny Todd?  How??

I know there's some debate over John Doyle making actors play instruments but I didn't know Sweeney Todd before seeing it and while I thought it was weird (mostly the way people were killed... I forget what the effects were but it was jarring) I did enjoy it. Plus, it taught me that the show is supposed to be FUNNY, especially Johanna and Anthony, which I don't think comes through in all productions. Most of my "memory" of the show is from re-listening to the cast album which is still probably my favorite recording of Sweeney (sorry, Angela). 

Now that you mention it, it is weird they had to buy tickets and couldn't just get comps, even if there would have been fewer tickets available comped. 

In the before times, I stage doored a show he was in. He had a very grounded, earnest vibe. It might just be the Utah. ;)

[ebk57]

1 hour ago, aradia22 said:

I know there's some debate over John Doyle making actors play instruments

Oh right - that production!  My best friend hates John Doyle directed shows.  I've never seen one, and after hearing him rant about them, I kinda put them at the bottom of any list I have.  I guess I'd put that production out of my head. 

I saw the original production, back in the Stone Age.  Loved it.  Also saw it at the Kennedy Center Sondheim Celebration with Christine Baranski.  Also loved it. 

 

Glad to hear he's a lovely person in person.  I do get that house seats/comps can be tough to come by, so anything he could arrange for people is lovely.

[bosawks]

10 hours ago, aradia22 said:

I know there's some debate over John Doyle making actors play instruments but I didn't know Sweeney Todd before seeing it and while I thought it was weird (mostly the way people were killed... I forget what the effects were but it was jarring) I did enjoy it. Plus, it taught me that the show is supposed to be FUNNY, especially Johanna and Anthony, which I don't think comes through in all productions. Most of my "memory" of the show is from re-listening to the cast album which is still probably my favorite recording of Sweeney (sorry, Angela). 

Now that you mention it, it is weird they had to buy tickets and couldn't just get comps, even if there would have been fewer tickets available comped. 

In the before times, I stage doored a show he was in. He had a very grounded, earnest vibe. It might just be the Utah. ;)

I red ribbon would unspool to signify the murder to my recollection.

And if I also remember correctly Sweeney made his appearance by coming out of a coffin Nosferatu style.

I liked both effects and after Tommy, I think Sweeney is my favorite Michael Cerveris performance. 

[aradia22]

Quote

I red ribbon would unspool to signify the murder to my recollection.

I think it was like the lighting or a screeching electric violin. I was not prepared. 

Ceveris was a great Sweeney but Fun Home will always be special to me even if he wasn't the "star" in the same way.

[Spartan Girl]

Cats at the Wharton Center was something else. It really is just meant to be enjoyed as a visual spectacle and nothing more. Seriously don’t exhaust yourself with the plot. That was the movie’s biggest mistake—that and the CGI.

I think they’ve updated some of the costumes from the original show. Did Mister Mistoffelees’ outfit always light up and change colors? Because that was an awesome surprise.

[Scarlett45]

On 11/10/2021 at 3:30 PM, ancslove said:

Can Chris Pratt even sing?

The list of potential Fiyeros is endless, I feel.  Depending on who wants it, you have so many possible candidates:  Aaron  Tveit and Andrew Rannels (both who I believe played the role on stage), maybe George Blagden, Billy Magnussen, Jonathan Groff, Matthew Morrison, Elijah Kelley, maybe even Adam Lambert.  
 

I was thinking of Jeremy Jordon but Elijah Kelly would be a great choice!

[SomeTameGazelle]

On 11/10/2021 at 4:30 PM, ancslove said:

Can Chris Pratt even sing?

He sang as Andy on Parks & Rec and basically mimicked Eddie Vedder. So maybe? 

[aradia22]

Quote

Today, it was announced that the acclaimed Broadway musical Girl from the North Country will play its final performance at The Belasco Theatre on January 23, 2022, following 31 previews and 117 regular performances. Girl from the North Country originally opened on Broadway on March 5, 2020 to rave reviews, but closed just a week later due to New York's COVID restrictions. The production re-opened on Broadway on October 13, 2021. The production is in advanced conversations with the Shubert Organization to open again in the spring.

Quote

"Working on Broadway with this show has been an incredible and beautiful experience," said producers Tristan Baker and Charlie Parsons. "We are eternally grateful to our amazing cast and crew for their unwavering commitment, fortitude and professionalism to deliver the very best show each night. We are most appreciative to our fans and the Broadway community for welcoming us with open arms. We really believe in this show and are looking forward to seeing it in another Shubert house in the spring."

"Girl From The North Country is an important part of this season," said Robert E. Wankel, Chairman and CEO of The Shubert Organization. "We have always been supportive of this show, and we are excited about bringing it to another theater in the spring."

"Although this is a very challenging time for all forms of live entertainment, Broadway is still open with gold standard protocols in place to keep everyone on both sides of the curtain safe," said executive producer Aaron Lustbader. "We are looking forward to bringing Girl from the North Country back to Broadway later this spring."

Unlike Mrs. Doubtfire, this doesn't have a confirmed return date or theater but is in talks to move to a different Shubert theater in the spring. I wasn't planning on seeing anything else in January but now I'm wondering if I should see this while I can in case it doesn't come back. (I probably won't because the weather is bad and I am lazy and enjoying more nights at home. I will chime in on my third visit to Caroline, or Change and seeing Flying Over Sunset soon though.)

[aradia22]

Quote

In 1986, when Lily Tomlin won a Tony for her one-woman show, The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe, the show was a blockbuster, critically and publicly adored. Tomlin’s wit animated the solo play’s many characters, written for and with her by her longtime partner (now wife) Jane Wagner. [...] Reviving Universe, though, has always been a little dicey. In 2000, Tomlin brought it back to Broadway, where the collective passion for it cooled. Tomlin’s charisma still crackled, but even adjustments to the more obviously time-stamped references couldn’t stop critics from worrying that the play seemed stale, passé, antediluvian. Now another two decades down the slippery ribbon of space-time comes the current revival. If the years between 1986 and 2000 were cruel, the years since have been homicidal. All the play’s freshness and wildness have gone, and the production at the Shed in Hudson Yards piles still more wet blankets on its head. For the remount, Tomlin and Wagner and director Leigh Silverman have chosen Saturday Night Live’s versatile, wonderful Cecily Strong to play Tomlin’s part — a casting choice that seems, on paper, to make perfect sense. Instead, it’s a trap. Strong has been lured into decaying material that now works like a tar pit: The more she struggles, the deeper she falls.

[...] Built for Tomlin, a performer who commands her audiences, Universe needs Strong to have more confidence, more reserve, more mystery and secret knowledge. Instead, her eyes plead, and her attempts to rally the room seem desperate. She doesn’t get much help from the production either. There are a few clever touches, as when a mimed object turns, suddenly, into a real one, but a certain gloom smothers the comedy. The set looks sad. Silverman loves to isolate Strong in blackness, the stage yawning behind her, a single burning spotlight picking her out of the cold room. In a theater, there are all sorts of darknesses. You can tell when you’re looking at one without warmth.

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To play these dozen roles, Strong samples widely from her box of tough-dame accents, but she lands only one joke in the show’s hour and 45 minutes. “Bob is the truest feminist I’ve ever met,” Lyn says to a friend. “He’s the only man I’ve ever known who knew where he was when Sylvia Plath died.” This got a laugh after a long stretch of uncomfortable silence. (

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There’s a danger too in being seminal. When these characters were written, they weren’t clichés. But the ’80s took this stuff and ran with it. Right around the time this show exploded, movies started crawling with wise homeless people, old-soul teens, and prostitutes with hearts of gold. When Tomlin first played Trudy, they were sparkling little gems of incongruity — who would have thought that the bag lady hearing voices was actually tapping into our shared humanity? But then we fought our way through movies like The Fisher King and Down and Out in Beverly Hills. Being reminded of that cloying, smug trend — the portrayal of mental illness as a sign of grace — is not pleasant.

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Most damagingly, our appetite for certain rhythms has also changed. Wagner has a fine hand for the quotable line [...] In performance today, though, all those little micro-ideas batter at our attention, chopping up the time into tiny particles, making the evening seem long. Has something changed in how we process this stuff? Did Twitter make us allergic to mottoes? Or is the love of aphorisms something that phases in and out of favor? I’m not sure. I watched this show, and with every passing minute, I found it more puzzling that there had been a time when people could love it so devoutly. What the heck was the past thinking? What a shame it’s not around anymore, or I’d ask.

OUCH https://www.vulture.com/2022/01/theater-review-cecily-strong-search-signs-intelligent-life-universe-tomlin-wagner.html

[EtheltoTillie]

On 1/12/2022 at 8:50 PM, aradia22 said:

OUCH https://www.vulture.com/2022/01/theater-review-cecily-strong-search-signs-intelligent-life-universe-tomlin-wagner.html

Ouch. Poor Cecily. Everything this review says captures why I gave this show a pass when it first came out. In my view its ideas were already stale and its comedy unfunny.  I never understood its cult status. 

Edited January 20, 2022 by EtheltoTillie

[EtheltoTillie]

So my first theater experience post pandemic was eh. I just came from the revival of Assassins.   I was given a last minute invite to this from someone who had an extra ticket.  There's an hour and forty-five minutes I wish I could get back, and my friend agreed.  This is really weak Sondheim.  The audience loved it.  The cast was very good.  I think some people have posted that they like it (maybe older productions).  I'd love to hear anyone else's opinion.

Is @Rinaldo out there?  Need your expert opinion.

Edited January 23, 2022 by EtheltoTillie

[aradia22]

Saw the last performance at the Belasco of Girl From the North Country today. Thoughts to come, I promise. I just need some down time and I'll get around to all my reviews. Having now seen it, I could have lived without seeing it but I didn't hate it. I do wonder if this is another American in Paris situation where I was so primed by all the people saying it was boring and terrible that I adjusted my expectations. 

Mare Winningham gave a curtain speech and there was probably some more enthusiastic than normal applause (nothing crazy, just at the end of musical numbers, but the audience felt like they were maybe a little extra supportive and laughing at more "jokes" than a normal crowd). That's the only thing that really set it apart. It was no last show of the Side Show revival but it was nice to see the show with an appreciative (but not over the top) crowd. 

[Dr.OO7]

I forgot to mention this, but there is now both a black Christine and a black Raoul in the London production.

[dbklmt]

https://www.theatermania.com/broadway/news/james-snyder-fired-from-harry-potter-cursed-child_93262.html?utm_source=daily&utm_medium=email&utm_content=headline

😮😮😮😮

[Dr.OO7]

A new trailer for "Phantom Of The Opera", featuring Emilie Kouatchou, who will be the main Christine as of Wednesday, January 25.

 

[Spartan Girl]

Jonathan Freeman officially retired from Aladdin this last week. Here’s a clip of his final curtain call and passing the cobra staff to the new Jafar:

I’m so glad the show got to have the OG Jafar for so long. As a hardcore Disney dork, him in person when I went to NYC in 2018 was such a surreal experience. I only wish I could’ve gotten his autograph.

[aradia22]

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Sierra Boggess and Chip Zien will head the cast of the long-awaited New York debut of Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman's Harmony.

National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene will present the musical beginning March 23 in the newly renovated Edmond J. Safra Hall at the Museum of Jewish Heritage–A Living Memorial to the Holocaust. Opening night is scheduled for April 13 for a run through May 8. Tony winner Warren Carlyle directs and choreographs.

Boggess will play Mary with Zien as the Rabbi. Additional casting will be announced.

The musical tells the true story of the Comedian Harmonists, an ensemble of six young men in 1920s Germany who took the world by storm with their blend of sophisticated close harmonies and uproarious stage antics, until their inclusion of Jewish singers put them on a collision course with history.

https://playbill.com/article/sierra-boggess-and-chip-zien-will-star-in-new-york-premiere-of-barry-manilows-harmony 

Interesting that the first casting announcement is not for any of the six in the group. Will they go with "unknowns"?

[Spartan Girl]

Saw Frozen at my theater. It’s a shame the pandemic cut its Broadway run short, but judging from the turnout and the amount of sales going on at the souvenir stand, the tour is cleaning up!

Just like the visual draw of Aladdin was the carpet, the big spectacle was Elsa’s dress transformation (and the sets in “Let It Go”. Easily the best part of the show. Caroline Bowman was a fantastic Elsa—and apparently she’s married to the guy who plays Hans.

My mom wasn’t impressed with how the Olaf puppet was done (though the actor was hilarious). Sven the reindeer was done more elaborately.

Noticed that they might have tweaked the show to include stuff from Frozen 2 like the mom being Northuldra and Elsa’s white pantsuit (stunning). But FFS Disney, stop trying to let Anna and Elsa’s parents off the hook! They screwed up their daughters big time, and instead of getting called on it, they put on pedestals. It’s the one thing I hate about this whole franchise.

[Rinaldo]

On 1/23/2022 at 6:11 PM, EtheltoTillie said:

So my first theater experience post pandemic was eh. I just came from the revival of Assassins.   I was given a last minute invite to this from someone who had an extra ticket.  There's an hour and forty-five minutes I wish I could get back, and my friend agreed.  This is really weak Sondheim.  The audience loved it.  The cast was very good.  I think some people have posted that they like it (maybe older productions).  I'd love to hear anyone else's opinion.

Is @Rinaldo out there?  Need your expert opinion.

I'm not sure what I can have an opinion on, as I haven't seen this production. In the two productions I have seen (Signature Theatre VA, Broadway revival), it was very effective, with a vaudevillian nightmarish time-jumping atmosphere. It would think it needs strong casting and direction to come across with its potential effect. At its original off-Broadway presentation, audiences tended toward the hostile, but it sounds like you were more just bored? I can't say what may have happened in production; certainly I don't find Sondheim's contribution weak, though the music is almost all pastiche (imitation of older styles), which would need to be well characterized in performance.

Edited February 4, 2022 by Rinaldo

[Spartan Girl]

I am a little curious about MJ The Musical, despite the obvious controversy.

[aradia22]

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The musical will be directed by Blitz Bazawule (Beyoncé’s Black Is King), and screenplay by Marcus Gardley (The House That Will Not Stand, The Chi). Fantasia as Celie, Colman Domingo as Mister, Haile Bailey as Nettie, Taraji P. Henson as Shug Avery, Corey Hawkins as Harpo, H.E.R. as Squeak, Danielle Brooks as Sophia.

https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/02/oprah-winfrey-the-color-purple-cast-musical/amp

Interesting... I saw the revival with Cynthia Erivo. Perhaps she was just busy with Wicked or maybe they genuinely preferred Fantasia. I haven't read the book yet and I know it goes through a long timeline but this seems like a strange mix of actor ages. 

[Spartan Girl]

Cast looks good to me! My only gripe is that the musical adaptation follows the original novel with Celie and Albert being friends at the end which is just…ick. But I’m still going to watch this.

[SomeTameGazelle]

15 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

I am a little curious about MJ The Musical, despite the obvious controversy.

The reviews I have seen are that the story is thoroughly bad, acting is mostly bad, but musical performances and dancing are top-notch. 

[SomeTameGazelle]

Workshop for the stage musical adapted from the TV series Smash planned for this summer. Songs will be from show-within-the-show Bombshell. 

 

https://variety.com/2022/theater/news/smash-broadway-adaptation-summer-workshop-1235171546/amp/#aoh=16439976587265&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From %1%24s