Theatre Talk: In Our Own Little Corner

[DisneyBoy]

On 5/14/2023 at 2:28 PM, Spartan Girl said:

But if I may get something off my chest: I hate Boq. Not only was he so blindly stupid when Glinda made it pretty clear she wasn’t interested in him, but I can’t bring myself to feel sorry for him where Nessa is concerned. Not condoning anything Nessa did, but to be fair, she gave him an out at the dance, correctly calling him out that he only asked her out of pity (and because Glinda put him up to it), and instead of manning up and being honest, he doubled down and kept stringing her along. The Tin Man deserved a better back story, dammit!

Oh I agree with you about the Tin Man backstory. I don't quite recall all the details surrounding what it is in The Wiz (again, loving the Witch of the East or something?), but it being about a broken heart is at least relatable.

Boq in Wicked is a great example, though, of how people do the avoidance dance and blame others rather than use two brains cells and get honest and make smart decisions. Boq could easily just tell Glinda how he feels, but he plays it coy and shy and waits, probably sensing the outcome will be negative and just wanting to hold onto hope. Glinda's too shallow to ever be attracted to him, but then, he's shallow for latching onto her because aside from her looks she's no big catch. So....yeah. Then, because of Nessa's machinations, more time gets wasted, allowing him to easily blame her for his lack of courage and confidence and not "getting his chance". Him storming out to confess his love to an engaged woman who never kept in touch with him is textbook denial. He's looking for someone to blame for his lot in life, that's it. Even without Nessa to "block" him, he'd probably still be bitter about his height and lack of pull with the ladies.

But here's the thing...we've probably all been there, right? I don't think Boq is lovable, but he is relatable. Through no fault of his own he's less desirable to the one he wants, and then it slowly eats away at him until he's a whiny man baby and his life becomes a total mess.

Nessa, obviously, is in a similar boat. Her inability to walk makes her feel left out, and seeing Boq getting shafted by the popular kids probably makes him seem like someone with similar trauma. It doesn't mean he's ideal for her, though. I suspect Nessa has just latched onto him and projects some White Knight narrative that is based on nothing but them both being outcasts and him asking her to the dance. Hardly love.

The show does such a poor job of explaining how she changes laws to force him to remain her constant servant in Munchkinland that I'm not sure why he doesn't just leave. He obviously doesn't want to be there and Nessa forcing him to stay is bizarre and can't make her feel good.

Then she nearly kills him by casting a spell on his heart. And blames her sister for it all, even though she salvaged the situation in a pinch. Wow. Yeah, I have pity for Nessa but she gets messed up because of her own BS, and so does Boq. They're both deluded. Sadly, so are a lot of people, especially those in power.

In a show where someone with good intentions get scapegoated by a corrupt government and murdered by an angry mob, you need to show how simple situations affect relatable people and get them to the point where they blame an innocent for all their problems. In Boq and Nessa, this show does a good job with that.

 

(Although did we really need Tin Man's origin - or Scarecrow and Lion's - crammed into the much more interesting story about Elphaba, Morrible, Glinda, Dillamond and the Wizard? I'd argue no.)

 

EDIT:

Weirdly, I don't think any of the romantic entanglements in the show are much to write home about. Glinda and Fiyero could have been "dancing through life" if Elphaba didn't wake them both up to how vapid they were...but she did, so they wouldn't have worked out. Fiyero being with Elphaba feels like fan service, to be honest, so I never bought it. Boq with either Glinda or Nessa doesn't work. And as much as people see this as an Elphaba/Glinda love story, I really don't. Glinda's still not good enough for Elphie in the end, far from it. And Elphie is a little too caught up in her beliefs to be invested in a relationship.

They probably should have just left the romance stuff out altogether. It could have been a much more interesting political show.

Edited June 18, 2023 by DisneyBoy

[DisneyBoy]

On 4/5/2023 at 7:57 PM, Dr.OO7 said:

One of the benefits and drawbacks of seeing The Phantom Of The Opera as many times as possible before it closes is that the more often you attend, the more likely it is that you'll catch an error. There was a HUGE one at the performance I saw tonight. Meg comes into the  Phantom's lair at the end, pulls back the cape. . .
And there was NO MASK.
The actress just had to sit there stunned without lifting it up for the final effect.

Ah cool! I always get so nervous at the end of the show for that final reveal, dreading the inevitable freak show where the Phantom actor doesn't disappear in time and is revealed sitting there, looking sheepish.

Apparently, if he gets stuck and can't vanish, he's supposed to poke the mask out from under the cape, so Meg simply takes that and holds it up while he sits there, surely blushing.

Boy, I miss this show. Were you at any of the closing weekend performances?

On 4/18/2023 at 8:00 AM, Spartan Girl said:

I still need to see the final one. I keep waiting in vain for someone to post it despite them cracking down on bootlegging. Hell, I wish the producers had done it themselves: if they can post the final chandelier crash, they can certainly give us that final moment!

Thank you for that awesome clip Dr 007. See, I'm not a fan of certain actors who milk that final moment for every tear they can squeeze out of the audience, but that was well-done. A mix of "yes, I do care about you/damn you're about to get murdered, so what's one kiss?/geez you're pitiful" all in one quick kiss.

I definitely want to see a bootleg of the final two performances because both were similar in the sheer amount of love from the audience. The "invite only" final crowd were appreciative, sure, but let's get real - the real hardcore Phans coughed up serious $$$ to be there at the Saturday night show and refused to leave after the performance was over.

An official video would be amazing, but either of those performances would be too rowdy to release to the public as a video. For one thing, the show was interrupted by cheers constantly, and for another, the last they apparently want is to remind people how *perfect* Hal and Maria and Gillian's work was, especially now that they're going to erase it all if they can.

It would be awesome to see a video release of a much earlier performance, say, one starring Michael Crawford....

[Spartan Girl]

I saw the 50th anniversary tour of Jesus Christ Superstar today, my last show of the season. I like how they basically had Jesus and the apostles be dressed like millennial hipsters. Jesus had a manbun, earring, and was carrying a guitar, which he played during “Gethsemane”—I almost thought he’d Belushi it at the climax, but alas, that probably would be out of character lol.

Jack Hopewell definitely hit all the high notes as Jesus…felt it right there.😉

The music is great, but it always jars me that they really show him all bloodied up at the end. Some other production clips have him so bloody he looks like Carrie, but this one wasn’t so bad. Although they do throw on body glitter to represent the 39 lashes.

And thankfully this production does end with the cross levitating off the stage. Instead it just has him being taken down and meeting with Judas in the afterlife and sit quietly together until the lights go dark. I think that works better.

I’ve now seen almost every Andrew Lord Webber show that I want to, the only on3s left being Evita and Sunset Boulevard. Everything else I’ll gladly pass on—especially Bad Cinderella.

[Dr.OO7]

22 hours ago, DisneyBoy said:

Ah cool! I always get so nervous at the end of the show for that final reveal, dreading the inevitable freak show where the Phantom actor doesn't disappear in time and is revealed sitting there, looking sheepish.

Which has apparently happened several times, though none that I've seen. The Phantom actor acts as though he's died and Meg takes his hand in a gesture of comfort.

22 hours ago, DisneyBoy said:

Boy, I miss this show. Were you at any of the closing weekend performances?

Yes, I went to the charity performance on April 14. I entered the lotto for several other shows throughout April, including the final weekend, but didn't win, sadly.

22 hours ago, DisneyBoy said:

I definitely want to see a bootleg of the final two performances because both were similar in the sheer amount of love from the audience. The "invite only" final crowd were appreciative, sure, but let's get real - the real hardcore Phans coughed up serious $$$ to be there at the Saturday night show and refused to leave after the performance was over.

You'd probably have to settle for an audio version, if that at all, because the ushers got VERY vigilant about walking around to make sure no one was recording.

[DisneyBoy]

Yes, I heard that the ushers were amped up a bit and on the lookout for those final shows...which is silly considering the show was ending and people were there to express their love for it. It was historic. Why not turn a blind eye? It's not like they would be *gasp* fired!

6 hours ago, Dr.OO7 said:

Yes, I went to the charity performance on April 14.

Ahh nice, so you got to see Ali, Sierra and Sarah afterwards. Did they do anything other than promote that charity auction? No singing? No anecdotes?

If all they did was ask people to give more money, that seems pretty lame (though obviously not their personal choice).

Was it ever stated who won those items and for how much? Ali's Christine dress/gown must have gone for a bit...

Edited June 20, 2023 by DisneyBoy

[DisneyBoy]

6 hours ago, Dr.OO7 said:

Which has apparently happened several times, though none that I've seen. The Phantom actor acts as though he's died and Meg takes his hand in a gesture of comfort.

Oh cool, that's the first I've heard of it. And it's a perfectly valid alternative choice, given he dies in the book. I kind of wish I'd seen a performance end that way!

[choclatechip45]

I saw Rent at Paper Mill Playhouse. I liked some of the directional choices to make it feel less dated. I know some of the staging choices were interesting. Overall I really enjoyed it. 

[Spartan Girl]

I must admit Once Upon A One More Time is piquing my curiosity. And Back to the Future is opening soon on Broadway, and I’m a big fan of the movie, so whether it’s merited or not, I’d probably want to see it.

If anybody sees either show, feel free to post your thoughts!

[Scarlett45]

I was getting the mail today and saw this flyer for a local theatre in Chicago, and before I opened it, I wondered “Should I get season tickets for my mom and I so she can have something to look forward to this winter?” I saw the line up and said “yes. It’s fate.” I will confirm with her, this looks amazing!

[ebk57]

I have tickets for Some Like It Hot and Sweeney Todd for our August trip.  We have room for 2 more shows.  I'll decided between the 3 or 4 other things I have slight interest in.

I just bought tickets for Swept Away in December here at Arena Stage.  Avett Brothers wrote the score and the cast looks pretty good.  I've read good things.  Something to look forward to. 

 

Oh, did I already mention I have tickets to Mockingbird at the Kennedy Center in August?  This will be the 3rd time / 3rd Atticus we've seen.  Love the play.

[aradia22]

@ebk57 I wish I'd seen Camelot on my original date so I could tell you about it. Kimberly is fun if you haven't seen it yet but imo not a revelation. It feels like an off-Broadway show mixed with a sitcom but it's enjoyable as a competently executed smaller show. 

Personally, I'm curious about New York, New York for the set pieces/choreography though the book is apparently terrible. Good notices for Parade but I didn't want to see it at NYCC so I still don't at Broadway prices. (The leads seem miscast/distracting to me.) Nothing about Shucked makes me want to see it besides liking some actors in the cast. I haven't read the reviews for Once Upon a One More Time yet but I've skimmed enough to know they weren't great. 

People rave about &Juliet and I'm planning to see Here Lies Love. Did you see Funny Girl with Lea? My friend loved her.

[ebk57]

19 hours ago, aradia22 said:

@ebk57 I wish I'd seen Camelot on my original date so I could tell you about it. Kimberly is fun if you haven't seen it yet but imo not a revelation. It feels like an off-Broadway show mixed with a sitcom but it's enjoyable as a competently executed smaller show. 

Personally, I'm curious about New York, New York for the set pieces/choreography though the book is apparently terrible. Good notices for Parade but I didn't want to see it at NYCC so I still don't at Broadway prices. (The leads seem miscast/distracting to me.) Nothing about Shucked makes me want to see it besides liking some actors in the cast. I haven't read the reviews for Once Upon a One More Time yet but I've skimmed enough to know they weren't great. 

People rave about &Juliet and I'm planning to see Here Lies Love. Did you see Funny Girl with Lea? My friend loved her.

Thanks for the rundown.  I don't have any interest in NY, NY, especially after seeing the performance on the Tonys (and I saw the movie and it's not very good).  I'm coming in the week after Parade closes, which is fine because I don't want to see it anyway.  And no thanks on Lea or Funny Girl.

I'm considering Kimberly, and Shucked, and Goodnight Oscar.  I see there are finally discounts for Goodnight Oscar, but they only go through mid-July.  Full-priced tickets are ridiculous for a play. 

Or maybe we'll just go out for nice dinners for 3 nights... 😄

[DisneyBoy]

On 6/27/2023 at 9:06 PM, ebk57 said:

Personally, I'm curious about New York, New York for the set pieces/choreography though the book is apparently terrible.

The book is beyond terrible. It's a fragmented series of ideas and cliches. You root for no one. You believe nothing. They just keep trying to get you to cheer by saying "New York!!" It's sad. But sure, the fire escapes look great and the transitions are nice.

On 6/27/2023 at 9:06 PM, ebk57 said:

Goodnight Oscar. 

It's a solid performance from Hayes, but a slight piece. You don't buy his relationship with his wife at all and the script is not as highbrow or smart as it wishes it were. I was bored throughout but it did entertain at points. Don't buy expensive seats.

[aradia22]

https://playbill.com/article/broadway-camelot-gets-early-closing-notice

Camelot is closing early. Technically it extended and this is backtracking on that extension, but an LCT revival like this was never intended as a short run.

Quote

Lincoln Center Theater's Broadway revival of Lerner and Loewe's Camelot has set an early closing date for July 23 at the Vivian Beaumont Theater. The production had originally been announced to run through June 25. It extended shortly after its April 13 opening night to run through September 3. This closing notice shortens that extension.

As of its final performance, the production will have run for 38 previews and 115 regular performances. Production representatives say a U.S. national tour and West End bow are planned for the Bartlett Sher-directed revival.

 

[DisneyBoy]

I don't know why they're bothering with a tour. People said this version was more boring than the original and lacked the magic, both in terms of stage effects and overall vibe.

 

[Crs97]

I have always been the biggest fan of Camelot and was extremely eager to see this version until they said Merlin was no longer a wizard.  I didn’t know that was the hill I would die on, but here we are.  The tour can skip my city.

[choclatechip45]

I saw Parade this afternoon. Ben Platt and Michaela Diamond are fantastic. 

[DisneyBoy]

They really are good, her in particular. How did you like the piece? Did you go in blind or know the details of the events beforehand?

[choclatechip45]

2 minutes ago, DisneyBoy said:

They really are good, her in particular. How did you like the piece? Did you go in blind or know the details of the events beforehand?

I really liked it. Obviously heavy material. I knew the details of events beforehand, but still felt the emotional punch, especially from Michaela. 

[DisneyBoy]

I found her voice especially strong in person....yet in every recording or live performance they seem to mix her down, so Platt drowns her out. It's annoying.

[choclatechip45]

12 hours ago, DisneyBoy said:

I found her voice especially strong in person....yet in every recording or live performance they seem to mix her down, so Platt drowns her out. It's annoying.

I agree. I found her accent annoying at times.

[MicheleinPhilly]

I saw the touring production of Moulin Rouge here in Philly over the weekend and really loved it. But I'm also a lover of the movie. 

The standout for me was the set design and costumes. I could not look away from the stage for even a second because everything was just so rich and colorful and vibrant. 

Overall, it was just tons of fun and I had a big, dopey grin on my face for most of it. 

[Spartan Girl]

3 hours ago, MicheleinPhilly said:

I saw the touring production of Moulin Rouge here in Philly over the weekend and really loved it. But I'm also a lover of the movie. 

The standout for me was the set design and costumes. I could not look away from the stage for even a second because everything was just so rich and colorful and vibrant. 

Overall, it was just tons of fun and I had a big, dopey grin on my face for most of it. 

I can’t wait to see it next year!

[aradia22]

Stephen Sondheim's townhouse

https://www.compass.com/listing/246-east-49th-street-manhattan-ny-10017/1352939100748859761/?fbclid=IwAR2oxaRWJoIpaL1s_u-xaY0dRTDBCQaD19rH4bBt9_il6qy65hypjYJVrb8_aem_ARgvEeXTW80bdG69175tw648DXEP6HNYovJMJkTBcwwNZgjbXv_HDQrmQW9_kvbVMsU&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

[Dr.OO7]

It looks like Broadway might be next. . .

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/iatse-holds-strike-authorization-vote-150711454.html

[ebk57]

Tentative agreement reached, so it looks like we'll be okay.  As long as it passes with the membership.  Here's hoping!

[Spartan Girl]

On 7/20/2023 at 9:09 PM, ebk57 said:

Tentative agreement reached, so it looks like we'll be okay.  As long as it passes with the membership.  Here's hoping!

I’m glad. I know Broadway strikes haven’t been long historically, but I’m glad the producers and companies were able to see sense and (hopefully) give them a fair deal. I don’t see why they can’t do that for SAG and WGA.

[aradia22]

Called every day this week. I can see available seats (sometimes a lot of them) but they wouldn't let me past date, so I will not be seeing this production of Camelot.

[ebk57]

16 minutes ago, aradia22 said:

Called every day this week. I can see available seats (sometimes a lot of them) but they wouldn't let me past date, so I will not be seeing this production of Camelot.

I don't suppose if you just show up they'd let you in? That's what we used to do back in the stone age. 

I don't understand this policy.  If there are empty seats, they should want to fill them.  How stupid.

[aradia22]

Maybe I should have tried that on one of the nights with more availability (Tuesday/Wednesday). I don't think it would be worth the schlep to Lincoln Center tonight (since they're closing tomorrow and what seats are available now could go by the evening performance). 

As I'm typing this, there are still 15 seats for the 2pm matinee and 14 seats for the 8pm show. I feel like they might be nicer at the box office (you can only call Telecharge) but I don't know what they're playing at since I know LCT regularly papers their productions and Camelot has been a divisive so the seats could very well go unused. 

[ebk57]

Yeah, I think what we had to do back in the day was show up and wait till the last possible second to make sure the seat would be empty, then they would let us in.  Sometimes, we had to wait for the first late-seating break, but still...  

If you didn't get in, you could scout around the 'hood for a nice outdoor restaurant... 😉

[DisneyBoy]

Some theatres - I think - keep an eye out for empty seats and leave them free in case there's an audience issue and someone needs a place to move to.

[aradia22]

Quote

Paper Mill Playhouse [...] has announced initial casting for its world-premiere production of The Great Gatsby [...] Jeremy Jordan will star as enigmatic millionaire Jay Gatsby, and [...] Eva Noblezada will star as socialite Daisy Buchanan. Additional casting will be announced in coming weeks.
 
The highly anticipated production will play October 12-November 12, 2023 at Paper Mill Playhouse (22 Brookside Drive). Opening night is Sunday, October 22. Tickets may be purchased now as part of a Paper Mill Playhouse subscription package and single tickets will go on sale on August 14, 2023.

The Great Gatsby features a book by Kait Kerrigan (The Mad Ones), a jazz- and pop-influenced original score by Tony Award nominees Jason Howland and Nathan Tysen (Paradise Square), and direction by Marc Bruni (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical). The production will be choreographed by Dominique Kelley. Music supervision, arrangements, and orchestrations are by Mr. Howland. Daniel Edmonds (Shucked, Paradise Square) is Music Director.

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Jeremy-Jordan-Eva-Noblezada-Will-Lead-Paper-Mill-Playhouses-World-Premiere-of-THE-GREAT-GATSBY-20230724

This is NOT the Florence Welch Great Gatsby scheduled for ART in 2024.

[aradia22]

https://www.theatermania.com/new-york-city-theater/news/03-2014/appropriate_67885.html/

Read this review after the announcement that Sarah Paulson is going to be performing in this play for Second Stage. I don't think it's for me. Family dramas have to be really special for me to care these days. Mild spoilers in the review but I skimmed it because it gave the best sense of the plot. 

[aradia22]

Very interesting review of Here Lies Love with more historical context. Also, SPOILERS

https://www.rappler.com/entertainment/theater/inventing-imelda-review-here-lies-love-broadway

Quote

The storyline draws from a number of sources, including Carmen Navarro Pedrosa’s controversial biography, in which we find the musical’s counterpoint narrator, Estrella Cumpas (played here by Melody Butiu).

In a series of interviews in 1984, Pedrosa recounts that Cumpas had asked her for financial help at the time Pedrosa was writing the book, and that Imelda had Cumpas abducted, then offered her a P300 pension and jobs for her children. Cumpas lived in relative comfort for a while, then later contacted Pedrosa again to ask her help to migrate to London, where Pedrosa had been living in exile, but which the author had to decline. That is the sad, humdrum subplot of Cumpas, who in this musical nonetheless serves as a foil to Imelda’s decidedly more thrilling narrative. 

[...] It is to the Broadway production’s credit, then, that much has changed since the 2013 version. Press statements have made it abundantly clear that the musical is anti-Marcos. An insert in the playbill includes a Historical Overview, starting from the Philippine-American War to the People Power Revolution, along with a QR code for more nuanced timelines and sources. 

There are clips from Iginuhit ng Tadhana — the 1965 movie that was allegedly instrumental in propelling Marcos to a second term as president. This propaganda piece bolstered the myth of war hero and political redeemer that Marcos created for himself, a reference that may have been lost to the general American public, but for those in the know, underlines the theme of reinvention and myth-making that is part of the dictator’s playbook. 

Quote

 

The problem remains the subject matter herself, one that poses an artistic dilemma for a musical that is premised on the celebratory nature of disco.

Imelda Marcos projected her lifestyle and conspicuous consumption as aspirational, the embodiment of the dreams of the masses, who, incongruously, her family’s corruption kept downtrodden. Moreover, over the last several years, Imelda and her family have harnessed conventional and social media to recast the dictatorship in better light. Today, history books in the Philippines describe the Marcos era as one of prosperity and progress.

There lies the problem of inventing Imelda. Bryne’s trademark irony punctuates the early scenes of the young “Rose of Tacloban,” who comes off as a social-climbing, gold-digging ingenue. Less than halfway through the show, the narrative pivots to grant Imelda some empathy — after all, how long can an audience, especially a non-Filipino one, endure a story about a totally unsympathetic character?

 

Spoiler

While we delight in the spectacle of a decidedly pernicious Marcos (Jose Llana), Imelda (Arielle Jacobs) is seen as victim and even savior. Drug-addled and betrayed by her philandering husband, she has an epiphany in Studio 54, where she accepts her fate and decides to love-bomb her blighted nation.

As the people’s Mater Dolorosa, she elicits compassion with her self-pity. But her role as the crucial half of the conjugal dictatorship is never completely extrapolated. Only Ninoy Aquino (Conrad Ricamora) sees through the veneer and points out her excesses, but they seem venial compared to the human rights abuses committed by Marcos, hard data of which are flashed on multiple screens. And of course, when Marcos imprisons Ninoy, it is she who comes seven years later to free and save him. 

Quote

 

One can only offer so much detail on the long and convoluted saga of the rise and fall of the Marcoses. But in a narrative of breakneck speed (90 minutes), Imelda becomes the true heroine: complex, flawed, and brought down by hubris — almost Grecian in her tragedy. During one number, when she sang, “It takes a woman to do a man’s job,” the audience actually exploded in applause.

In the end, as Imelda shrinks from the glare of helicopter lights overhead, you still see her as a victim of circumstance. Her final song, “Why Don’t You Love Me,” is the anguished bellow of a lost soul, unable to comprehend the fate handed to her, when all she wanted was to “spread love.”

During the postscript, when it was announced that Marcos’s son has become the new president, there was a chorus of boos from the audience, followed quickly by an angry Filipina shouting, “He’s my president!” It shows the divisiveness of the Marcoses to this day: for there are still millions of Filipinos who believe in the myth, the lies, and the hype. 

I doubt if that disruptive audience member even bothered to read the background materials. But that little incident sums up the Marcoses’ — Ferdinand and Imelda together — lasting and dangerous legacy, and one that Imelda and her children continue to perpetuate: that generations after them have lost the ability to think for themselves, and have swallowed, wholesale, their fabricated mistruths.

 

 

Edited July 28, 2023 by aradia22

[aradia22]

https://www.rappler.com/entertainment/theater/here-lies-love-review-messiness-discord-dance-floor/

Quote

 

Everyone around us seems to have a moment of pleasant confusion, unsure of the rules but ready to play, not minding severance from their companions. But I reach for my friend’s hand and hold it tight, thinking of our respective Filipino families. Displacement, corruption, graft, exile, torture, censorship, curfew, incarceration, state violence, imperialism, American occupation, greed: my family’s oral history of Martial Law courses through my mind and clashes with neon lights, accelerating disco, bemused faces following the stage. With this hypnotic, purple-blazed moment of an authority declaring our inevitable division, a discordant spectacle plays out on the dance floor. 

The discord lies in the fabulousness of the spectacle, a world dripping with sequins and rainbows as it pays homage to Philippine obsessions with pageantry. Clint Ramos’ costumes are immense and multi-hued, a dazzling array of proud ternos and suits that make Annie-B Parson’s choreography even more glittery and dizzying. Multiple-screen projections (designed by Peter Nigrini) flash a disturbing fusion of historical fact, artistic license, and live camera feeds as campaigners thread their way through the audience, blending truth and myth into one mega-dance party. Alex Timbers’ direction is innovative for Broadway, causing those of us on the floor to swivel around to witness the action while politicians and bomba starlets skitter through the upper echelons of the audience. 

Yet this aesthetic serves to prop up an otherwise superficial pop song cycle, using Imelda Marcos as a muse for love and romance while the deeper politics of the Philippines burn in the background, occasionally thrusting out as shock value for the audience.

 

Spoiler

Historical events such as the Plaza Miranda bombings (fog floods the stage, police bring batons down on protestors) and the loud gunshot signifying Ninoy’s murder live as mere unmetabolized moments, the songs in a hurry to move on and keep the dance floor throbbing. 

The conjugal dictatorship and Philippine history are distilled into a love triangle between Imelda, Ferdinand, and Ninoy, though it’s less a triangle and more of a set of dyads, as the relationship between the two men remains flat and unexplored, despite their law school frat days at the University of the Philippines.

Quote

 

Under Timbers’ direction, fresh-faced Imelda (Arielle Jacobs) is all rose and no thorns, a belting voice in love with love who is rebuffed by the youthful and ambitious Ninoy Aquino (Conrad Ricamora). Apparently, it’s for being too tall, but when a magnetizing Miss Philippines (Kristina Doucette) walks onstage and Ninoy escorts her off, the image simultaneously equates Imelda with the nation and feminizes the Philippines as a sexually desirable woman ready to give Ninoy what he needs that Imelda cannot.

When Imelda later visits the jailed senator, she sings, “you were my first love / but you said I was too tall,” gaining a laugh from the audience that highlights deeply unaware pettiness while also trivializing the oppression faced by Marcos’s opposition. If only one man’s beauty standards were different, or one woman’s genetics rendered her more petite, then we would not be in this chaos! This moment obscures deeper political conflicts within the regime and throughout the Philippines beyond Manila, but of course, this is just a pop song on a concept album. 

Marcos (Jose Llana) mixes charisma and threat, most evident when walking through the crowd and shaking their hands, drawing the audience on the floor into the gaze of the cameras, projecting them onto the walls for the audiences above. He morphs into a tired, weakened philanderer, with the events gaining momentum when Ninoy’s mother, Aurora Aquino (Lea Salonga), takes the stage, singing “Just Ask the Flowers.” The draw is less about the historical figure of Doña Aquino or outrage over Ninoy’s death, but rather the presence of Salonga herself, who first graced the Broadway Theatre as the Vietnamese bartender Kim in Miss Saigon. For folks following Salonga’s journey as a pop culture icon, there’s a sense of completion in seeing her play a more noble role, and a Filipino one at that. 

 

Quote

 

Here’s where more of the messiness and discord of Here Lies Love breaks through: in its mix of real-world stories of Filipino and Filipino-American pride and despair, its controversial production history and present (most recently, the move to use tracks instead of live musicians), and questions surrounding why this show emerges now, one year into the presidency of Bongbong Marcos and after decades of documented historical distortion to clean up the Marcos family image. It’s precisely the mash-up of art, culture, history, hyperbole, denial, and facts that have created an authoritarian nostalgia in the Philippines. And to evoke this seductive nostalgia in an American audience, real quotes and transcripts are used in the songs that fill the mouths of Filipino actors.

Concurrently, Byrne relates that he did not know how to deal with the massacres, death, and US involvement. Instead, the majority Filipino and Filipino-American creative team does the heavy lifting to fill the gaps in this song cycle with new add-ons from its debut at The Public in 2013, such as projected images of the impoverished countryside juxtaposed against Imelda’s extravagant and expensive projects. From its inception, Here Lies Love takes a romanticized view of the Marcos regime. Despite its additions, glossy carnival aesthetic, and self-branding as “an innovative template on how to stand up to tyrants,” at its core it is immersive but does not incite action, leaves no explicit strategies for dealing with democracies under threat, and tacks on the fact that Bongbong is currently president yet does not take a stance on how that administration and political family affects the homeland and diaspora. 

I did not dance during the show. I could not. I thought of loved ones forced to separate under the whims of tyrants as I watched the audience jump and clap their hands, how I as an American had a privileged choice whether to stand still or sway. I thought of past and present Filipino artists and students red-tagged in the Philippines, journalists who had been killed or forced to flee. I thought of the Filipino and Filipino-American artists on this show, the pride and hope wrapped up in this unruly text and the earnest desire to make our culture more visible and loud. I thought of the immense gap of history among the diaspora, how desperately we need conversations to understand the beautiful, complicated psyche of the individuals and communities from our archipelago. So I did not dance. I squeezed my friend’s hand. Amidst the barrage of sound and light, the proclamations of passion and 1081, I listened to their soft, outraged weeping. There, I felt love.

 

 

[Spartan Girl]

So Paul Reubens died, and I was just wondering did anyone ever see The Pee-Wee Herman Show on Broadway?

[aradia22]

Seems like a lot of people are calling out of shows lately with covid

[aradia22]

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/New-Jason-Robert-BrownTaylor-Mac-Musical-MIDNIGHT-IN-THE-GARDEN-OF-GOOD-AND-EVIL-to-Premiere-at-Goodman-Theatre-20230816

Quote

Chicago will be first to experience the new musical Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil—based on John Berendt’s iconic non-fiction book—next summer. With a book by MacArthur “Genius” Grantee Taylor Mac and music and lyrics by Tony Award winner Jason Robert Brown, the world-premiere production will be directed by Tony Award winner Rob Ashford, with choreography by Tanya Birl and sets by Christopher Oram. Berendt’s 1994 blockbuster book, a Pulitzer-Prize finalist that was on the New York Times Best-Seller list for 216 weeks and was adapted for Clint Eastwood's 1997 film of the same name, is the story of a socially prominent Savannah, Georgia, antiques dealer who was tried, and retried, for murder. Tickets to Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (appearing June 25 - August 4, 2024 in the 856-seat Albert Theatre) are currently available by Goodman Membership; to purchase, call 312.443.3800 or visit GoodmanTheatre.org. Individual tickets go on sale at a later date.

Usually like JRB's scores (minus Honeymoon in Vegas, etc.) The only Taylor Mac show I've seen is Gary (which I hated aside from seeing Nathan Lane on stage). 

Strong cast for the reading. Curious to see who goes to Chicago.

[aradia22]

Fall is creeping up and I'm realizing I don't have a lot of shows books (mostly concerts) so I'm evaluating the current/upcoming shows and what I might want to budget for.

CURRENT SHOWS

Funny Girl: About to close, if I don't win the lottery (which is even more unlikely at this point) I won't see it. It's fine. I'm seeing Lea in concert in the fall.

Here Lies Love: I will be making my best effort to see it. I just need to find a day I won't mind standing for a while. 

Once Upon a One More Time: Tempted to see it before it inevitably closes but it looks so lackluster. Even for a lottery/rush ticket... there are other shows.

&Juliet: Still seems pretty popular and I don't need to see the OBC.

SIX: Also pretty popular. Feels like I could see this whenever; not a priority.

Kimberly Akimbo: Curious how it changed since off-Broadway previews... not that curious.

Sweeney Todd: Might be easier to get a ticket in the lean months? I don't really need to see Sweeney again.

Shucked: I waffle. I would want to see most of the OBC if I was going to see the show at all. But I do not feel like this one is for me. 

UPCOMING (ANNOUNCED)

Hadestown: Betty Who and Phillip Boykin joining in September. Might finally see it (saw it off-Broadway at NYTW)

Love Letters: First with Victor Garber, then with Brooke Shields. Probably won't make the effort to get tickets though I'm tempted to go get things signed.

Teeth: February at Playwrights Horizons when I might not be in the city. I missed White Girl in Danger. This is an exciting project on paper.

Merrily We Roll Along: Curious about the star cast. I've never seen a proper production.

Here We Are: Didn't want to splurge on tickets. If it's unfinished, I think I'll be content if they (hopefully) release a cast album.

Rachel Bloom's Death, Let Me Do My Show: Very short run at the Lucille Lortel in September. No idea what demand will be like. Probably too rich for me.

The Notebook: Opening March 14th. I love Ingrid Michaelson's music. I haven't been too caught up in the music they've released so far because her voice is so specific... but Sara Bareilles managed to write one of my favorite musicals so I'm hopeful.

The Gardens of Anuncia: LaChiusa score. Exciting cast. I might see it late in previews or try to stay a little later in the fall to catch this after it opens.

Poor Yella Rednecks: From the writer of Vietgone. I found that show engaging and worthwhile but also super cheesy. I'd like to catch this. Maybe I'll go for the $30 under 35 tickets since I'm not subscribed to papering services anymore.

Buena Vista Social Club: I'd have to delay my trip to see this one but I usually like what I see at the Atlantic. 

I Can Get It For You Wholesale: I imagine it might be easier to rush this than other recent CSC shows. Low interest for me though.

Gutenberg: I never got into Book of Mormon so there's not much to sell this to me right now. 

Mary Gets Hers: Interesting concept. Tickets aren't too badly priced. It is a play though... I'll think about it. 

Walk on Through: I do love Gavin Creel and his pop albums are decent so I know he can write music. I'm not a museum novice but I've read good things. You can't buy single tickets yet though and I'm not sure what the dates are besides November.

The Connector: Not going to be around in January. Something tells me this is going to be one of the JRB shows I don't care about.

The Lonely Few: A Zoe Sarnak musical! I'll try to catch this in April.

How to Dance in Ohio: I don't love the songs I've heard. It just sounds like contemporary musical theater in the most basic way. I'm curious to hear what neurodivergent people think when more audiences get to see the show. 

All the Devils Are Here: Interesting concept from Patrick Page. It reminds me off that Len Cariou show I saw. Probably won't make a big effort to catch this. 

UPCOMING (MAYBE?)

Cabaret: Strongly rumored West End transfer. Haven't been impressed with the screamy clips and direction but people love this new "immersive" interpretation.

The Wiz: No theater confirmed but I'd love to finally see it.  

[aradia22]

I was trying to find the name of another actor, and learned that Peter Saide passed away in 2020. I loved him in R&H's Cinderella (without the weird Douglas Carter Beane book) with Lea Salonga and I got to briefly stage door after Desperate Measures. A talented actor with a gorgeous voice. He was so young. 

https://playbill.com/article/peter-saide-nyc-based-australian-actor-dies-at-age-36

Quote

Peter Saide, a New York City-based Australian performer, passed away February 26 at the age of 36. The singing actor, who was seen Off-Broadway in the 2018 production of Desperate Measures, was rushed to the hospital due to complications from DVT following surgery and died shortly after.

Last fall, he was seen in the George Street Playhouse production of Last Days of Summer. In 2019 he was also seen in the Bucks County Playhouse production of Mamma Mia!, the world premiere of the musical comedy Love and Other Fables at Theatre by the Sea in Rhode Island, and in the York Theater Company gala staging of I Do! I Do!.

Throughout his career, Mr. Saide performed at The Ogunquit Playhouse, San Diego's Old Globe, the Paramount Theatre in Aurora, Illinois, the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, and with One Year Lease in New York City, among other theatres.

“So he is gone. You will not find him in any church, the theatre was his cathedral and the table his alter,” Mr. Saide's father, Tom Saide, shared in a statement. “And when you are on the stage, or writing the stories, or composing or playing or singing the music, or off the stage working in your field, or in a quite place, stop for a nano second, and he will be there if you want him.”

Friends and family have taken to social media to share their condolences and memories. Mr. Saide is survived by his father, his mother Marilyn Kingsford, and his sisters Carmen Saide and Anna Satmari.

 

[Spartan Girl]

@aradia22 What about Back to the Future? Any thoughts on that?

[ebk57]

On 8/15/2023 at 2:51 AM, aradia22 said:

Seems like a lot of people are calling out of shows lately with covid

We saw 4 shows last weekend and there were understudies on in 3 of them.  I don't know it was due to covid, but still...  One lead out (in Shucked) and the other shows had supporting actors out, but I don't think I missed anything since the understudies were great. 

Shucked - more fun than it had any right to be.  I really enjoyed all of it.  The music was fun and there were lots of laughs.

Some Like It Hot - a brassy, sassy musical humdinger! I like how they expanded the Daphne/Osgood story line.  I didn't really like the Sugar character re-write, so I was less invested in that story line.  And while there's no way they could end it as perfectly as the movie ended, they did fine.  It's not quite as fabulous as the movie, but it's really good. 

Sweeney Todd - got much better in Act 2.  Not that it was bad in Act 1, but I thought Annaleigh was more... "appropriate?" ... as the show went on.  Groban's voice is beautiful, but he's really not terrifying at all.  Still, I thought it was a good production. 

Goodnight Oscar - Sean Hayes is fabulous, and his playing of Rhapsody in Blue at the end is entirely worth the price of admission!  Which is a good thing since the play isn't very good, and neither is most of the cast.  

[aradia22]

Quote

What about Back to the Future? Any thoughts on that?

Not for me

[aradia22]

https://www.theatermania.com/news/drag-artist-william-and-drew-droege-to-join-titanique-off-broadway_1712764/

Quote

Titanique, the musical send-up of the blockbuster film Titanic, has announced two new cast members set to join the off-Broadway company at the Daryl Roth Theatre. RuPaul’s Drag Race star Willam will take over the role of “Victor Garber” (currently played by Anthony Murphy) beginning Tuesday, September 5, while actor-comedian Drew Droege (Bright Colors and Bold Patterns) will take over the role of “Ruth” (currently played by Russell Daniels) beginning Thursday, August 31.

Written by Tye Blue (who also directs), Marla Mindelle, and Constantine Rousouli, Titanique spoofs the classic love story of Jack and Rose to the music of Céline Dion, featuring iconic songs including “My Heart Will Go On,” “All By Myself”, and “To Love You More.”

The cast currently stars Jackie Burns as Céline Dion, Lindsay Heather Pearce as Rose, Michael Williams as Jack, Brandon Contreras as Cal, Anne Fraser Thomas as The Unsinkable Molly Brown, and Marcus Antonio as The Iceberg. Cayleigh Capaldi, Brad Greer, Dimitri Moise, Nya, and Kristina Walz round out the ensemble. Chani Maisonet and Terrence Williams Jr. join the cast as background vocalists on September 5, and Tess Marshall joins as a swing on August 31.

Titanique is scheduled to run at the Daryl Roth Theatre through January 7, 2024.

Whoa. Also, interesting Willam wasn't cast in a female role.

Edited August 28, 2023 by aradia22

[PRgal]

Rowdy audience members kicked out of Grease in London

 

[Luckylyn]

15 hours ago, PRgal said:

Rowdy audience members kicked out of Grease in London

 

This is unfortunately part of a problematic pattern at shows.  

Bodyguard the Musical cancelled due to disruptions from the audience 

Audience Behavior is getting out of control 

 

 

[PRgal]

People, especially younger people, seem to think musicals are like concerts.  

[DisneyBoy]

On 8/20/2023 at 1:24 PM, ebk57 said:

Groban's voice is beautiful, but he's really not terrifying at all. 

I just read yesterday that his post-covid absence performances have more fire. But yeah, I'd enjoy seeing his understudy. Groban isn't anything more than slightly gruff.

And I just saw a clip from the closed Brazil production of Wicked where the audience sang, screamed and filmed Defying Gravity without hesitation. It horrified me. The Glinda on stage was even dancing around as the Elphaba flew over the audience, trying to deliver her performance, not that you could hear her. I couldn't believe that kind of atmosphere was tolerated. You'd think the entire audience was drunk or at a rock concert or something. Are all Brazil shows like that?

I had to ask to move twice during 2 different shows on my last NY trip because of rude people next to me openly chowing down on bags of snacks and talking throughout, or fidgeting every 30 seconds. It was very disruptive...I think I'd have walked out of Wicked Brazil, though, if that was the nightly atmosphere!

How is the problem fixed? How do you retrain people to be quiet and attentive when they're the ones paying and feel entitled to do whatever they want?

Edited August 30, 2023 by DisneyBoy

[PRgal]

I think theatres need to start the show by announcing that the show is NOT a concert and audience members cannot sing or film or have their phones on during the performance.