BROADWAY BREAKDOWN
Host: Matt Koplik
Episode: Matt Reviews Real Women Have Curves, Old Friends, and Dead Outlaw
Date: May 8, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode marks Matt Koplik’s final review installment for the 2024–2025 Broadway season. True to form, Matt offers razor-sharp, opinionated, and thorough perspectives, focusing on three major shows: Real Women Have Curves, Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends, and Dead Outlaw. Before plunging into these central reviews, he provides brief takes on the Encores! production of Wonderful Town and J2 Spotlight’s Zorba. In typical Matt fashion, expect passionate arguments, deep musical theatre knowledge, juicy quotes, and a refusal to sugarcoat any failings—while balancing genuine appreciation when a show deserves it.

QUICK TAKES: ZORBA & WONDERFUL TOWN

Brief Thoughts on Zorba (J2 Spotlight)

• Background: Kander and Ebb’s 1968 musical, originally marketed as "Cabaret’s follow-up," written with Joseph Stein, based on Zorba the Greek.
• Matt’s Main Take: The show is “very, very sad,” and requires a tight ensemble. J2 Spotlight’s production succeeded due to a selfless, well-cast ensemble that “caught each other” and lacked the “ego” seen in weaker casts.
• “When you see a good ensemble, that is what you see. And I saw it a few times on Broadway this season...” (21:49)

On Director Rob W. Schneider:

• “Rob understood the tone of the show. He understood what it was trying to be, what it needed to be... He did not impose himself on it.” (25:30)
• Praises directors who serve the story over ego: “The best directors, I find, don't have an ego about that. Everything they do comes from trying to make the story connect.” (26:38)

Wonderful Town at Encores!

• Production Context: A last-minute replacement for the planned Wild Party, starring Anika Noni Rose, it’s a multi-racial reimagining of the 1953 musical set in 1935 NYC.
• Matt’s Reaction: "This production is bad. It's very, very bad. I kind of hated it. Hated almost all of it." (41:38)
• He defends the show’s quality as a musical—“Wonderful Town is a good musical. Is it bulletproof? No.”—but criticizes the Encores! team for a lack of understanding of period, style, and tone. (43:09)
• Laments misdirected casting and poor execution of “Golden Age comedy.”
• “[The production] doesn’t feel like the production team actually likes the material. It feels like they are trapped, having to do it." (46:19)
• On Anika Noni Rose: “It breaks my heart to say that Anika Noni Rose is just both miscast and misused as Ruth. She has no gumption to her. She has no warmth to her.” (48:35)
• On numbers like “Conga”: “There’s no build. There’s no character. There’s no story. There’s no attitude. There’s no humor. And first of all, it makes it messy.” (51:25)
• Praises Etai Benson (“He understands the assignment… you make a bold choice, you do it tightly, and you do it quickly. Sluggishness is the death of comedy.” 53:55)
• Summary Judgment: “Do I recommend this Wonderful Town? No... But I’m telling you, this is actually a very good musical.” (55:43)

MAIN REVIEWS

REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES

(Timestamps: 34:08 – 64:05)

Background

• Based on Josefina Lopez’s play/film (also known for launching America Ferrera’s career), the musical—set in LA, 1987—follows 18-year-old Ana, her Mexican-immigrant family, and their dressmaking factory.

First Impressions and Revisiting

• “Overall, I enjoyed Real Women Have Curves. Let’s get that up front now before we get into the weeds with this. I enjoyed it. It’s a fun time. It’s a very sweet show. I can’t say that I think it’s great.” (38:39)
• Matt saw it twice; found improvements on rewatch, but core reservations remained.

Strengths

• High-energy opening; establishes characters, world, and tone effectively.
• Accessible, tuneful score that doesn’t over-emphasize “high-belting.”
• Engaged ensemble and well-constructed moments, esp. among the women in the factory.
• “It is trying to be an upbeat, feel-good musical...and it has a lot of that Lin-Manuel Miranda energy.” (45:16)

Critiques

• Tonally Confused: The messaging and vibe shift awkwardly between sitcom-y comedy and real-world drama (immigration, deportation).
  • “I do sometimes get a tonal whiplash between the comedy and the heavier portions.” (45:33)
  • “A lot of the performance of the comedy...felt a little sitcommy Disney Channel acting...” (46:17)
• Climax Issues: The pivotal “Real Women Have Curves” number feels forced and unearned.
  • “It’s a well-written number, it’s well staged... But it didn’t feel as earned for me as it does in the movie.” (49:31)
• Modern Musicals Critique: Reflects a trend of “stating your messages simply, loudly, and in light, over and over and over again.” (53:15)
  • “When you watch something that you are supposed to be moved by and you’re not moved, you feel like you’re being manipulated but it’s also not working.” (46:13)
• Set/Design: “I don’t like the design of the production. I think it’s a rather ugly set design...” (61:44)

Notable Performances

• Justina Machado (Carmen): “The most nuanced performance...She has a fully formed character. It’s a very well earned Tony nomination.” (61:06)
• Florencia Cuenca (Estella): Great staging and “one of the better numbers in the show.” (61:23)
• Aline Mayagoitia (Itzel): Smaller but “very grounded performance.” (62:35)

Final Word

• “It’s a perfectly sweet, perfectly enjoyable musical. It’s not top of my list if I’m being honest, but it’s not bottom of my list either.” (63:11)

STEPHEN SONDHEIM’S OLD FRIENDS

(Timestamps: 64:22 – 89:18)

Background

• Sondheim revue, curated/produced by Cameron Mackintosh, directed by Matthew Bourne—an elaborate concert with large orchestra and all-star cast (Bernadette Peters, Lea Salonga, Joanna Riding, Beth Leavel, etc.).

Content & Structure

• No dramatic through-line or concept; a “showcase and...appreciation of Sondheim material for theater lovers.” (67:33)
• Song selection is broad but inconsistent ("odd ones"), occasionally grouping by show (e.g., an “Into the Woods” clump).

Critiques

• Context Loss: “Sondheim didn’t really write songs to be performed out of context... They always work better in context.” (69:30)
• Many numbers (“A Weekend in the Country,” “Into the Woods” sequence) feel awkward and lack impact outside their original narrative.
• Uneven star distribution: “Lea Salonga and Bernadette Peters absolutely have the most material.” (88:00)
• Bernadette Peters: Revered, but Matt finds her “isms” are beginning to overshadow substance. “She was never the most incredible singer...the older she’s gotten, the more careless she’s gotten with tempo and rhythm.” (73:40)
• Certain numbers feel stale or sloppily integrated: “They actually kind of...start the joke too late and then they don’t have it built quite as well as in Hey, Mr. Producer!... But it’s still fun enough.” (84:50)

Highlights

• Lea Salonga as Mrs. Lovett: “She’s allowing herself to have fun and get a little messy. And that’s really cool to see.” (77:28)
• Joanna Riding’s “Not Getting Married Today”: “Phenomenal... really kind of puts her whole body into it and got a really great hand.” (79:40)
• “A handful of really wonderful numbers,” and moments of sheer musical joy—particularly the lush orchestra and ensemble vocals (esp. in “Ballad of Sweeney Todd,” “Sunday”).

Final Take

• “Is it worth it? Yes and no. I don’t find it to be a terribly special revue... There are a handful of really wonderful numbers, a handful of really strange song choices or songs that I think are handled oddly.” (85:15)
• For Sondheim completists, an enjoyable greatest-hits night; for others, perhaps lacking purpose.

DEAD OUTLAW

(Timestamps: 89:18 – 101:50)

Background

• Audible Theater’s true-crime musical by David Yazbek (music/lyrics), Eric Della Penna, and bookwriter Itamar Moses (The Band’s Visit), directed by David Cromer.
• Story of Elmer McCurdy, a failed outlaw whose corpse became a traveling sideshow oddity for decades.

Structure & Style

• Narratively oddball, blending chronology with meta-theater and occasional bursts of direct address; clocks in at 100 minutes, no intermission.
• “It mostly goes in chronological order,” but with clever shuffles to keep the coroner’s perspective active. (94:08)
• Ensemble cast; Andrew Durand as Elmer, Tom Sesma (multiple roles incl. coroner), Jeb Brown (narrator/gang leader), Julia Knitel (multiple roles).

Strengths

• “I really enjoyed this Off Broadway... the music is cool, it’s an interesting story, it’s a true story, it’s a lot funnier than I expected. The staging is well done, the cast is great...” (94:50)
• "It is a smart musical. It’s… genuinely a musical." (99:01)
• Praise for Andrew Durand: “A very compelling lead… very special singing actor. He’s got a great voice and is a really passionate actor, the likes of which we rarely see in his generation.” (101:13)
• Tom Sesma’s razzle-dazzle number as the coroner is a crowd-pleaser, though he appears less in Act II than Matt remembered.
• Julia Knitel noted for the “sort of time-lapse” song, playing a producer’s daughter at three ages—“It’s funny, it’s cute, it’s endearing.” (98:02)

Reservations

• “There are pockets of this show that are kind of slow and a little boring. But then there are also pockets that are incredibly funny, incredibly engaging.” (96:51)
• “I don’t think that it’s the size of the theater that really kind of handicaps the show. I think the problem with Dead Outlaw is that now there is an expectation on it.” (96:22)
• “Ultimately, it’s probably too weird of a show for enough people to get on board with, but it is a very intelligent show and ultimately sets out to do what it is, what it wants to do.” (97:31)
• Ends quietly rather than with a big musical-theater high.

In the Tony Race?

• “Down to Dead Outlaw and Maybe Happy Ending... Dead Outlaw ultimately is probably too weird of a show for enough people to get on board with, but it is a very intelligent show...” (97:31)

Final Word

• “I do recommend Dead Outlaw, it’s on the higher end of my list, but it’s not in my top five. Probably not in my top ten either. I don’t know.” (101:05)
• “There is so much to enjoy here... but there is a dryness to it as well that will not be for everyone.” (100:01)

Notable Quotes

On Real Women Have Curves

• “I do sometimes get a tonal whiplash between the comedy and the heavier portions.” (45:33)
• “The comedy...felt a little sitcommy Disney Channel acting...” (46:17)
• “When you watch something that you are supposed to be moved by and you’re not...you feel like you’re being manipulated, but it’s also not working.” (46:13)
• “The title number...does not feel earned, whereas the scene felt earned in the movie.” (51:56)

On Wonderful Town

• “This production is bad. It's very, very bad. I kind of hated it. Hated almost all of it.” (41:38)
• “Do I recommend this Wonderful Town? No... But I’m telling you, this is actually a very good musical.” (55:43)

On Old Friends/Sondheim

• “Sondheim didn’t really write songs to be performed out of context... They always work better in context.” (69:30)
• “Lea Salonga…she’s allowing herself to have fun and get a little messy. And that’s really cool to see.” (77:28)
• “It doesn’t have much of a purpose for existing outside of just allowing performers you like to do Sondheim.” (85:23)

On Dead Outlaw

• “I really enjoyed this Off Broadway... the music is cool, it’s an interesting story, it’s a true story, it’s a lot funnier than I expected.” (94:50)
• “There are pockets of this show that are kind of slow and a little boring. But then there are also pockets that are incredibly funny, incredibly engaging.” (96:51)
• “Andrew Durand is such a special singing actor... and is a really passionate actor, the likes of which we rarely see in his generation.” (101:13)

TIMESTAMPS FOR MAJOR SEGMENTS

• [00:35] – Episode starts / Introduction & context
• [21:49] – Zorba review
• [28:52] – Wonderful Town review
• [34:08] – Real Women Have Curves review
• [64:22] – Old Friends review
• [89:18] – Dead Outlaw review
• [101:50+] – Outro and next week’s tease

OVERALL TONE & STYLE

Matt blends passionate, sometimes foul-mouthed, always knowledgeable theatre commentary with audience-conscious analysis. There’s a healthy skepticism of both over-praising and unwarranted trashing—whether reviewing splashy new shows, esteemed revivals, or compilation revues, Matt always aims to explain not just what worked or failed, but why. Even when torn, he respects personal audience reactions: “That’s ultimately what all art is…and then afterwards, it is all of us trying to figure out why it is we had the response we had.” (45:03)

FINAL THOUGHT

For listeners hungry for candid, detail-driven, full-context Broadway criticism—with a dash of critical affection—this episode exemplifies Matt Koplik at his best: never bland, never shallow, and always ready to defend a good ensemble, call out empty spectacle, or beg for more honest performance in modern musical theatre.