Theatre Talk: In Our Own Little Corner

[ebk57]

9 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Did you notice that in the last scene

  Reveal spoiler

they had removed Jessica Hecht's gifted books?

  They did that very quickly during the scene change. 

I also liked the inside jokes about Bill Irwin being a clown/mime.

I didn't, but my friend immediately leaned over and pointed it out (quietly), which made me laugh.  I loved the Bill Irwin mime jokes!!

[EtheltoTillie]

I was just looking up the play and see that it premiered in 2018 and continued in 2019.  That means

Spoiler

they had to edit the last line in for the 2022 production

. 

 

Edited February 8 by EtheltoTillie

[EtheltoTillie]

Well now after having enjoyed the play so much I’m very disturbed to read about the allegations against Tomas Middleditch. Damn you, show. 

I had seen it referenced months ago in the celebrity predator thread. 

[choclatechip45]

I saw Wicked last night for the first time on Broadway (saw it previously in London) with the whole family. Everyone loved it. 

[EtheltoTillie]

23 minutes ago, choclatechip45 said:

I saw Wicked last night for the first time on Broadway (saw it previously in London) with the whole family. Everyone loved it. 

I saw both Broadway and London too.  Enjoyed both.

[ebk57]

16 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Well now after having enjoyed the play so much I’m very disturbed to read about the allegations against Tomas Middleditch. Damn you, show. 

I had seen it referenced months ago in the celebrity predator thread. 

I'd read about him before going in.  Sometimes I can separate the person from the art.  In this case, I could do that since other than than what I'd read in the same thread, I didn't know anything about him.  And the play is so good! 

I was happy when it extended on Broadway, because if it hadn't, I would have had to haul my ass to the Kennedy Center in March to see it.  And any time I can avoid hauling my ass to the KC is good.

[Spartan Girl]

Saw the touring production of MJ. Whatever I think of Michael Jackson, I don’t hate the music. The numbers were incredibly choreographed and Jordan Markus and Deandre Hamilton both captured Michael brilliantly. They both practically glided on the stage.

Also, I saw the proshot of Waitress the Musical on Max. Never thought that movie could make a good musical, but they managed to pull it off. My only gripe is I found Dr. Pometer even more repulsive than he was in the movie; the actor playing him reminded me strongly of Xander Harris. You can make a guy as dorky as you want, but that doesn’t make his cheating on his wife—with his pregnant patient—any less despicable. 

[EtheltoTillie]

I too was glad to be able to catch the Waitress musical. I had missed the Broadway production. I too had been wary of it, and by the time I became interested it had closed. I really liked the songs. The story does have that problematic aspect, but what doesn’t?  

Edited February 17 by EtheltoTillie

[Spartan Girl]

29 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I too was glad to be able to catch the Waitress musical. I had missed the Broadway production. I too had been wary of it, and by the time I became interested it had closed. I really liked the songs. The story does have that problematic aspect, but what doesn’t?  

I wouldn’t call it “problematic” per se, just shoddy writing. You want me to like Dr. Pometer, don’t just write him as goofy and awkward to gloss over the fact that his messing around with a patient behind his wife’s back for no apparent reason. At least have us learn more about him and his marriage, or at least have him ACT a little more conflicted about what he’s doing.

No disrespect to the late Adrienne Shelley.

Edited February 17 by Spartan Girl

[Quof]

I saw the OG cast of Waitress. I very rarely see a production twice, but while planning a trip to NYC in early 2019 I saw on Sara's social media that she would be doing a listening party for her album Amidst the Chaos, after a Waitress showing while I was in town.   I thought "I'll buy the cheapest ticket to the show, just to attend the listening party". 

It was hosted by Gavin Creel.  I'm so glad I didn't pass up that opportunity. 

[Is Everyone Gone]

I saw Waitress 6 times on Broadway and just watched the pro-shot. LOVE that musical. Sara Bareilles is amazing, and I wish she'd write another musical.

[EtheltoTillie]

A couple of years ago some of us had commented on The Bedwetter.  I really liked it.  Anyway, I saw it had opened in Wash DC and recommended it to a friend there, and she loved it.  Anyone in Washington should try to see it.

[Spartan Girl]

Has anyone ever seen Kimberly Akimbo? Is it any good? Asking because it’s going to be in Detroit next month, which means it might be in my next season, and I'm wondering if this is going to be the "I only saw this because I'm a season holder" show. But then again, I liked Jagged Little Pill more than I anticipated, so I am keeping an open mind.

Edited February 18 by Spartan Girl

[Quof]

I saw it on Broadway, it was fabulous, but I question whether a touring cast could match the performance of Victoria Clark as the lead.  

[Spartan Girl]

I have to commend my local paper’s review of MJ The Musical for addressing the issue of whether it’s possible to separate the art from the artist, which has been discussed in a lot of the threads lately. The writer concluded that everyone has to deal with it in their own way, but she welcomed a two-and-a-half long nostalgia break from the real world, and I had to agree with that assessment. 

That being said, I still believe that some of the Michael Jackson fans are so nuts, they make Swifties look mature.

[ebk57]

I was really happy that Eureka Day extended in NY because if it hadn't, I was going to have to go to the Kennedy Center to see it next month.  Well, now I'm reeeeally happy I saw it because the show cancelled the run.  Because...reasons.  

I'd be glad about that, except that 2 of my BILs still work there.  We'll see how that goes...  

 

Meanwhile, in case I didn't mention this before, next trip is mid-March to see Othello, Streetcar, and Operation Mincemeat.  Plus, more food!

[Is Everyone Gone]

Kimberly Akimbo is wonderful! Saw it on Broadway. I'd highly recommend it.

[Spartan Girl]

Jeremy Jordan is going to eat this role. Hope someone here can catch the Floyd Collins revival at Lincoln Center when it opens and let the rest of us know how it is.

[EtheltoTillie]

I’ve never heard of this show before, but I am intrigued. This must be the same story that the movie Ace in the Hole is based on. 

[Spartan Girl]

6 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I’ve never heard of this show before, but I am intrigued. This must be the same story that the movie Ace in the Hole is based on. 

Well, be warned, the musical’s ending will rip your heart out.

[bosawks]

4 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Well, be warned, the musical’s ending will rip your heart out.

But that song though, sigh….😔 

[EtheltoTillie]

5 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Well, be warned, the musical’s ending will rip your heart out.

Well Ace In the Hole also ends tragically. I like Light in the Piazza. Might try this. 

[Spartan Girl]

On 2/22/2025 at 7:33 PM, bosawks said:

But that song though, sigh….😔 

I know. Like I posted back in November, it has haunted me when I first heard it because I was already a mess over things, and now I can’t stop listening to it. Im a glutton for punishment.

They wouldn’t have released that video of Jeremy if there wasn’t a new recording in the works. I need to hear him do the final song so badly.

[DisneyBoy]

Kimberly Akimbo is a really special piece. I highly recommend seeing it.

[chitowngirl]

It’s HS Musical season! Just saw ours last night and they didn’t disappoint! They are doing it for the shear joy of it and 99% are not doing it to get on Broadway, though it does happen. Support the HS arts if you can!

[PRgal]

44 minutes ago, chitowngirl said:

It’s HS Musical season! Just saw ours last night and they didn’t disappoint! They are doing it for the shear joy of it and 99% are not doing it to get on Broadway, though it does happen. Support the HS arts if you can!

I was in Jesus Christ, Superstar in high school.  Despite auditioning every year, I never got in, except for JCS.  And that was only because they needed strong voices and had more singing than the other shows we did.  I could not dance and my acting skills (despite what I thought) were mediocre at best.  :D. As a teen, I didn't think writing was my calling (and I won several writing awards!).  I don't think I realized that it was until my 20s.

[Is Everyone Gone]

I just saw Nicole Scherzinger in Sunset Boulevard. Holy shit. Performance of a lifetime. 

[PRgal]

1 hour ago, Is Everyone Gone said:

I just saw Nicole Scherzinger in Sunset Boulevard. Holy shit. Performance of a lifetime. 

So it's actually good?  I have the cast recording and she just didn't sound....right to me.  Glenn Close (and Diahann Carroll, who played Norma in Toronto) WAS Norma.  The vibe was there.  

[Is Everyone Gone]

On 3/1/2025 at 8:15 PM, PRgal said:

So it's actually good?  I have the cast recording and she just didn't sound....right to me.  Glenn Close (and Diahann Carroll, who played Norma in Toronto) WAS Norma.  The vibe was there.  

It was good! A real re-imagining of the show. 

[Spartan Girl]

The 2025-2026 Broadway series for my theater was announced! We’re getting A Beautiful Noise, the new touring production of Beauty and the Beast, The Wiz, Back to the Future, Hadestown, Kimberly Akimbo, Clue, and &Juliet! 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

Couldn’t be more excited for Back to the Future and Beauty and the Beast! Anybody seen & Juliet or Clue, please share what you thought!

[MicheleinPhilly]

I'm going to see the touring production of &Juliet later this month and The Wiz in June. I'll keep you posted! 

[PRgal]

5 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

The 2025-2026 Broadway series for my theater was announced! We’re getting A Beautiful Noise, the new touring production of Beauty and the Beast, The Wiz, Back to the Future, Hadestown, Kimberly Akimbo, Clue, and &Juliet! 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

Couldn’t be more excited for Back to the Future and Beauty and the Beast! Anybody seen & Juliet or Clue, please share what you thought!

&Juliet will be part of the Mirvish 2025-2026 season as well! Other shows include Shucked, MJ: The Musical and A Beautiful Noise.

[Spartan Girl]

40 minutes ago, PRgal said:

&Juliet will be part of the Mirvish 2025-2026 season as well! Other shows include Shucked, MJ: The Musical and A Beautiful Noise.

I enjoyed Shucked and MJ. Can’t wait for Beautiful Noise.

[PRgal]

My six year old kid asked me if I liked the rain.  I said no.  But then he was like, but rain…. And I finished it off with “will make the flowers grow?”  He said yeah, though he had no idea I was making a Les Mis reference.  

[ebk57]

Quick thoughts on the 3 shows on this trip:

Othello - they talked really fast and loud, which worked out for my friend who live here because he caught the last express train to his apartment.  It's set in "the near future" but other than the costumes, nothing suggests the near future.

Streetcar - Paul Mescal, Patsy Ferran and Anjana Vasan (Stanley, Blanche and Stella) were excellent.  I now know that I will never see another show directed by Rebecca Frecknall.  I can't tell you how much I disliked this production.

Operation Mincemeat - Fabulous!  Funny and quite touching.  We will probably see it again on the July trip. 

I will spend the next 2 days eating.  And possibly taking in a couple of museums.

[EtheltoTillie]

I’m really curious about what you didn’t like about Streetcar.  If you get a chance let us know. 

[Is Everyone Gone]

I posted this elsewhere but went to see Streetcar last night and here are my thoughts:

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

Just back from Streetcar Named Desire at BAM. What I paid: $230 (bought last night). Just to be upfront because I know prices have been a topic.

What I loved: Patsy Ferran as Blanche. She really carried the entire show. She was very different from Vivien Leigh. Vivien was soft-spoken, fragile, winsome. Patsy was the opposite: neurotic, chatty, domineering, quite cruel, and most of all, ANNOYING. You could sense why even Stella found her sister aggravating. This Blanche was more aggressively alcoholic than I saw the character. She was constantly gulping alcohol.

Ferran cycled seamlessly between moments of absolute clarity with delusion. She cycled in and out so often that it became part of the fabric of the show: one moment Blanche could be dropping truth-bombs, another she would be completely lost in her own fabrications. Like when she was telling Stella what she thought about Stanley ... no lies detected. At those moments, her voice was clear and clipped and authoritative, like a female CEO. Other times, her voice trailed off as if she couldn't quite finish her own lies. Ultimately, she broke your heart.

What I liked: Eduardo Ackerman did an amazing job pinch-hitting as Mitch. He was kind, decent, sort of wimpy, until the second act and then he was just as bad as Stanley with the slut-shaming. I also liked Anjana Vasan as Stella. I thought Vasan and Ferran captured the complicated sister dynamic well. I thought it was interesting that this Stella definitely didn't seem to believe Stanley at the very end.

What I disliked: I hate to say it, because he's one of my favorite actors, but Paul Mescal as Stanley was a massive disappointment. First of all, his accent was hilariously bad and he kept slipping in and out of it. But more, despite the sledgehammer "STANLEY IS A BAD MAN" drums, you never sensed the charm or sexual magnetism that would make Stella willing to endure beatings and other abuse. He wasn't bad, but he kind of faded into the background. I expected way more. I suppose it is hard to top Marlon Brando's legendary performance, but I was just expecting more from Mescal.

I was mixed about the production. Very minimalist, with only a raised platform and some props. I kept thinking that one partition that separated the two rooms at the Kowalskis would have given the production a much better sense of spacing. But I found the constant loud drum music and scenes being cut with interpretive modern dance to be just too ... idk, on the nose? It was as if Rebecca Frecknall didn't trust the drama and tension to organically happen, and was like "LOOK HERE, STANLEY IS BAD!" or "LOOK HERE! BLANCHE IS HAVING A BREAKDOWN!"

But overall, I thought it was worth the price I paid, definitely worth seeing Patsy Ferran's performance.

 

[Spartan Girl]

I saw Life of Pi at my theater. Worth if only for the magnificent animal puppetry, and the set transitions were gorgeously seamless. 

[ebk57]

16 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I’m really curious about what you didn’t like about Streetcar.  If you get a chance let us know. 

I hated the dance breaks.  I really, really hated the guy literally banging the drum kit and scaring the shit out of everyone, to the point that when act 2 started and he started banging, I gave him the finger and the woman sitting next to me gave me the side-eye.  I hated the on-stage rain.  It added nothing (like the dance and the drums) and the cast didn't even look wet after it stopped.  Which made me wonder if it was really raining on them or not.  And I really didn't care. 

I'm all for reinterpreting plays.  It keeps things fresh and gives a new point of view.  This production just annoyed me throughout.  Although, to give it a point in its favor, I did like the cast members who weren't directly involved in the scene sitting on the side of the stage and bringing props over to lay on the raised stage platform when needed.  That was kinda cool. 

I did like the cast, although I wasn't totally convinced by Mitch.  Reading now that his understudy went on the following day, perhaps he wasn't feeling well Friday and that's why he didn't come across. 

After reading about Cabaret and seeing Streetcar, this is why I will avoid Rebecca Frecknall projects going forward. 

[EtheltoTillie]

Thanks @ebk57  I hadn’t read about it and didn’t know about the drums and so on.  Now I’ve read some reviews. Think I will skip. I was definitely not interested in that cabaret production. 

Edited March 17 by EtheltoTillie

[MicheleinPhilly]

18 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

I saw Life of Pi at my theater. Worth if only for the magnificent animal puppetry, and the set transitions were gorgeously seamless. 

I have a ticket for this for July and I have ZERO interest in it. I really didn't like the book all that much (I know, I know) and have avoided the movie. But it came with my subscription package. I'm thinking of just giving it away. 

Speaking of subscriptions, 2025-2026 Ensemble Philly just announced: 

Your subscription packages includes Kimberly Akimbo, Back to the Future, Suffs, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Shucked, The Outsiders, and The Notebook.

Swap and add-on options include Beetlejuice, SIX, Cirque Dreams Holidaze, Clue, The Sound of Music, and Chicago.

I'm a little underwhelmed and may just do a 3-show package. 

[Spartan Girl]

41 minutes ago, MicheleinPhilly said:

I have a ticket for this for July and I have ZERO interest in it. I really didn't like the book all that much (I know, I know) and have avoided the movie. But it came with my subscription package. I'm thinking of just giving it away. 

I understand not liking the story. IMO it's worth seeing if only for the animal puppets and the gorgeous scenery. It's definitely a visual spectacle more than anything.

[BetterButter]

Producer Sonia Friedman And Hugh Jackman Announce New Partnership To Stage “Intimate And Accessible” Live Theater In Small Venues