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Welcome to Last Week on Broadway for Monday, February 23rd, 2026. I'm Broadway Radio's Matt Tamminini. We've got some news both on Broadway, Off Broadway and in London for you in today's episode. I will also be running you through everything happening on this week's theatrical schedule in New York City. Exclusively Off Broadway stuff. Not a lot going on on Broadway this week, but that will certainly be changing in the coming weeks as we get into March and all of the spring shows beginning their preview performances. Before we dive into the news, I did want to let you know that we have two sponsors for our show this week, Gusto and Squarespace. I'll have information in the show notes on how you can save some money from both of these wonderful companies if you want to check that out. I'll be talking about both of those more here in just a little bit. But as we are heading into this week, everybody on the Eastern Seaboard in the Tri State area understand that there is a huge snowstorm heading into New York City and the surrounding areas as anywhere from 1 to 2ft of snow is expected to fall through Today, Monday the 23rd, every show on Broadway has decided to postpone their Sunday evening performances. Andrew Liet, All Out, Book of Mormon, Chicago, oh Mary, Stranger Things, the First Shadow and Wicked and Operation Mincemeat. It's a little disappointing for Operation Mincemeat because this was to be the final performance of the original Broadway cast that will not happen. And so what they decided to do instead is after the 2pm matinee, which was now their final performance, they went over to the Laurie Beachman Theater and did a live stream concert of all of the songs in the show at 5:30. It was streamed on their Instagram account. I will have information on that in the show notes. If it's still there. I'm not sure as I'm recording it is actually probably still going on. In fact it is still going on as I'm looking at their Instagram, but hopefully it'll be archived somewhere and you can check that out. You want everyone to be safe and you were glad that all of the producers made the decision not to push things, but obviously disappointing for that incredible original cast and all of the fans that wanted to see that final performance but obviously doing the best that they possibly could in a bad situation and hopefully this will be something that People can watch and celebrate and enjoy for many, many years to come. Alright, diving into some show and casting news, I teased at least two of these three announcements. But earlier this week we got the final principles added to the cast of Titanique on Broadway. Variety had it exclusively, but former star of Broadway, one of the Scream movies and in the Heights film, Melissa Barrera will be making her Broadway debut as Rose in Titanic. She played Vanessa in the film and as far as I was concerned was was wonderful. So I'm excited to see her make her Broadway debut. She'll be taking on the Kate Winslet role, of course, and then opposite her, her fiance in the show, which is the the role of Cal played originally on screen by Billy Zane will be Lortel Award nominee John Riddle, who originated that role off Broadway. In fact, we had him here on Broadway radio to talk about it many, many years ago. So he is coming back to the show. Obviously a Broadway stalwart, having been in Phantom, the original Hans in Frozen on Broadway, tons of other credits, a wonderful star. The one casting that I did not know about is his in the role of the iceberg. Now you might be saying if you don't know Titanique, there's a role of the iceberg. Not only is there a role of the iceberg, but the role of the iceberg won an Olivier last year and that Olivier winning star Leighton Williams will be making his Broadway debut reprising his role as the iceberg. So they join the likes of Marla Mendel, Constantine Rossouli, two of the writers of the show returning to the roles of Celine Dion and Jack respectively. They're joined by Jim Parsons, Deborah Cox and Frankie Grande. You know, I said this earlier in the week, like I don't think that Melissa Barrera is a big enough star to really move the needle for this show. I thought they probably needed a star to move the needle. The original rumors that I heard were that Matthew Morrison, now as we know, going to be in Just In Time, was going to be playing Cal. And then there are even rumors, as much as I didn't really believe it, that Anna Kendrick was going to be playing Rose. That probably would have moved the needle. You put Jim Parsons and Anna Kendrick in a show together, like that's interesting. That obviously didn't end up happening. I like Melissa Barrera. I'm not sure that she is really going to sell many tickets on her own, but hopefully the show does all of the heavy lifting. You know, this is one that I'm rooting for. I'm a little nervous about it, but hopefully it ends up being a successful run at the St. James Theater. Alright, moving up a little bit through the theater district. Over at the Winter Garden Theater, the upcoming Broadway revival of Death of a Salesman that'll be starring Nathan Lane and Laurie Metcalfe not only announced its complete cast, but it also announced that it is extending its run by two months. It had originally planned on closing up on Tony Sunday, but it is now going to play through August. Now ninth previews will begin on March 6th with opening night on April 9th. And while there's not a ton of big names in the ensemble for this production that is being directed by Joe Mantello, one name that did jump out to me is Joaquin Consuelos. He is the son of Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos. We had just recently talked about his dad, Mark Consuelos, because he is going to also be making his Broadway debut this spring and in Fallen Angels opposite Rose Byrne and Kelly o' Hara from the Roundabout Theater Company. So both Consueloses will be on Broadway this spring. As somebody who literally has been watching his parents on screen for most of my life, I feel very, very, very old reporting that he is going to be on Broadway now. So congratulations to the entire cast, Consuelos Ripa Family all right, let's take a real quick break from the news and talk about our first sponsor for this week, Gusto. As somebody who owns my own business, I have my own llc. I can tell you that it is sometimes very difficult to get clients to pay me, but I know that anytime I am working with a company that runs all of their payroll through Gusto that it is going to save me so much time and so many headaches because I know know that everything is being run efficiently, professionally and as logistically soundly as possible. This time of year obviously has a lot of people focusing on taxes and as a small business owner, I know that that can be very, very confusing. Whether you are on the client side or on the admin side, Gusto makes things so much easier. They handle everything that you have to do. They take care of all the tax forms, all of the onboarding docs, all of the tax forms, all of the contact information that you need to make sure that everything that needs to be done during tax season is done properly and without any kind of red flags that are going to make the IRS look any more closely at you. Gusto is online payroll and benefits software built for small businesses. It's all in one remote, friendly and incredibly easy to use so you can pay, hire onboard and support your team from anywhere. How they do it is you pay a monthly fee and then you can run your payroll as many times as you want, however many paychecks you need, however many employees you need. There's no hidden fees. There's no surprises. It is just the payroll part of your business done for you without you having to jump through any hoops. According to the business software and Services Review company G2, Gusto was the number one payroll software company for fall of 2025. There are over 400,000 small businesses that trust Gusto. I have used it. I am a fan. I know that things are going to run smoothly anytime that I'm working with somebody that has Gusto. So try gusto today@gusto.com Broadway and get three months free when you run your first payroll. That's three months of free payroll@gusto.com Broadway one more time gusto.com Broadway. Getting Back into the News Last week the Tony Awards Administration Committee released its second set of rulings, this time making determinations about five Broadway shows that began performances and opened later in the fall and then early in 2026. Those productions include Bug, Marjorie Prime, Oedipus, Chess and Two Strangers Carry a Cake Across New York. There weren't any rulings that I thought were unusual or even really unexpected. On the play side, both Bug and Marjorie prime are going to be considered in the best revival of a Play category, even though this is their first times on Broadway. But that means that their authors, Tracy Letts for Bug and Jordan Harrison for Marjorie prime, are eligible to win Tonys as their author because according to the rules, if a show has never been on Broadway before but it is in either the best revival of a play or best revival of a Musical category because it is considered part of the theatrical canon, if the author is still alive, they are eligible for a Tony. So Tracy Letts, Jordan Harrison are both eligible in that regard in a similar respect, but not exactly the same because it has been on Broadway before. Danny Strong will be considered eligible for the best book of a musical for Chess because it is considered a new book. Oedipus obviously has been on Broadway before and therefore will be eligible in the best revival of a Play category. But what is also interesting is that Robert Ike, not Sophocles, is going to be considered eligible if the play wins for best revival because he did a new translation, a new interpretation. So if Oedipus wins best revival of a play, Robert Icke will win a Tony as its author in some no brainer but needed to be determined Rulings in terms of performers, both Carrie Coon and Namir Smallwood are going to be eligible for their respective Best performance by an actor or actress in a Leading Role categories for Bug. Similarly, Christiani Pitts and Sam Tutty will be eligible for Best Performance by an actor or actress in a leading role in a musical for Two Strangers Carry a Cake Across New York. There were a few other design things that needed to be fleshed out and those rulings were there, but the vast majority of eligibility decisions were consistent with how the opening night credits were listed. Alright, let's dive into some show and casting news. Last week Second Stage announced a complete cast for their upcoming production of Adam Box the Receptionist. It is being directed by Sarah Benson and will begin performances on April 15th at the Pershing Square Signature Center. The receptionist will star 2 time 2 time Tony Award winner Katie Finneran, Mallory Johnson, Nael Nacer and Will Poulin. It's business as usual at the Northeast office were the cheerfully dutiful receptionist Finneran answers phones, brews coffee and gossips with coworkers. But when an unexpected visitor from the central office will pullen walks through the door, business becomes far from usual. Sticking off Broadway but heading downtown a bit to the Public Theater. The full cast for the upcoming Off Broadway premiere of Alexander Molochenkoff and Eli Rarey's Seagull, Cole and True Story was announced. The show will begin performances at the public theater on March 22nd and is currently scheduled to play through April 20th 6th. Gus Burney will lead the cast along with Andrei Burkovsky, Ohad Mazur, Miles McCabe, Quentin Lee Moore, Keshette Pratt, Zuzana Sadowski, Eric Taboch and Alan Zafir. This semi autobiographical piece is inspired by an experience that Molochenkov had staging a production of Chekov's the Seagull that involves, according to press notes, comedic mayhem, artistic rebellion and deeply personal reflections on displacement, censorship and the pursuit of creative freedom. Sticking Off Broadway Moving back to Midtown over at the Jerry Orbach Theater at the Theater center, it was announced last week that the Office, a musical parody, will end its seven year off Broadway run coming up on March 21st. It was the first musical to reopen Off Broadway after the COVID 19 pandemic and has been running there since 2019. If you love all of the Dunder Mifflin shenanigans, you have just a little under a month to check this one out. And then finally on the news side, we are going to go from one beloved TV property that spawned a stage adaptation to another because last week Bazbomble Boy of Deadline reported that Game of Thrones will have a new prequel play that will play at the roar Royal Shakespeare Company this summer. Game of Thrones the Mad King will play at Stratford Upon Avon sometime this summer. They don't exactly have the dates announced for this yet, but it is a semi prequel to the TV show. It is going to be set about 15 years before the TV show begins. The production is said to have a kind of a focus on star cross lovers set against the backdrop of a jousting tournament in Harrenhal. I don't know anything about Game of Thrones, so tell me if that's right or wrong. There will be some familiar characters that are at the center of this story. There's a young Ned Stark, his sister Lina, Jaime Lannister, and Robert Baratheon. I don't know if that's how you say his name. Those are gonna be the main four characters at the center of the story. There will be other characters from the TV show and obviously the George R.R. martin books as well that show up in smaller roles. The show is being penned by playwright Duncan McMillan and directed by Dominic Cook. They have been collaborating on this show for a couple years. You know, Grace Aki has often talked about how theater is the next area of expansion for these mega franchises. We've seen it with Harry Potter, we've seen it with Stranger Things, we're seeing it with Hunger Games in London right now. Although I've heard that shows awful these major properties, they've done film and in some cases they've done tv. Sometimes they've done both. And as she said, like theater is the next way for companies to monetize ip. So as Grace has told us, don't be surprised if this continues to happen with more and more things that we are used to thinking of as exclusively on screen properties. Alright, before we dive into this week's theatrical schedule, let's take another real quick break to talk about our other sponsor for this week, Squarespace. Whether you are a technological guru like our beloved James Marino, or you are not a technical guru like me, Squarespace is a perfect partner to help you build your online presence. Squarespace gives you everything you need to offer services and get paid all in one place. From consultations to events and experiences, showcase your offerings with a customizable website designed to attract clients and grow your business. Get paid on time with professional on brand invoices and online payments, plus you can also use Squarespace to streamline your workflow with built in appointment scheduling and email marketing tools. No matter what type of business you have, whether you are an actor trying to show off your headshots, your resume, your reels, all of those things, or you own a small store and sell things online, Squarespace has a collection of cutting edge design tools that allow you to build your online presence in whatever way fits your brand and business. With Squarespace email campaigns that you have all of the tools that you need to engage customers, promote your services and to grow your business. You can also sell content because Squarespace makes it easy to monetize everything that you are trying to sell online. And what's great is that Squarespace isn't going to just leave you out there on your own. They supply you with analytics that help you make smarter people business decisions to make sure that you are getting the most out of your online presence. So head to squarespace.com broadway for a free trial and when you're ready to launch, use offer code Broadway to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Again, head to squarespace.com broadway and use offer code broadway to save 10% on your first purchase of a website or domain. Let's look at this week's theatrical schedule and as I said at the beginning of the show, it is all Off Broadway. We're going to start tonight, Monday night, assuming things don't get pushed back because of the blizzard, which I think probably they will, but who knows. Hopefully the storm is not as bad as is anticipated, but if everything goes according to plan over at the Cherry Lane Theater downtown, Claire Barron's play you Got Older will officially open. The show is directed by Ann Kaufman and star stars Aaliyah Shawkat along with Peter Friedman, Misha Brooks, Paul Cooper, Caleb, Joshua Everhart, Nadine Malouf and Nina White. Moving over to Tuesday, we have not one but two Off Broadway openings. Let's start first with Mother Russia from the Signature Theater. It is written by Lauren Yee and directed by Teddy Bergman. The cast is tremendous. It features Stephen Boyer, Adam Chandler Barat Rebecca, Naomi Jones and David Turner. This one is currently on sale through March 15th. Hopefully it gets an extension because I think Lauren Yu's brilliant and that cast is incredible. Now the other opening that we have on Tuesday night, this one is also playing through March 15. It is written by Jake Brash and directed by Shelley Butler. This cast, also incredible, features Carolyn Aaron, Heidi Armbruster, Noah Galvin, Peter Maloney, Mary Beth Peele, Matthew Saldivar and Chip Zion. Like really just an absolutely stacked cast in this one. And then the other show that has a milestone on Tuesday night is from the Vineyard Theater. It is Bug House that will be beginning performances. It is conceived and directed by Martha Clark with a script from Beth Henley starring John Kelly. The show is a world premiere and is currently scheduled to play through March 29th. Martha Clarke brings us inside the mind of one of the 20th century's most startling outsider artists, Henry Drager, a reclusive janitor whose extraordinary body of paintings and writings was only fully discovered after his death in his cramped Chicago apartment. Darger created a vast fantastical universe filled with child warriors, epic battles and haunting beauty. An alternate reality through which he could escape his own. Beth Henley, who won a Pulitzer Prize for Crimes of the Heart, adapted Drager's own writings and into this show. So I this is fascinating. It sounds super interesting. This is not a story that I'm familiar with, so I'm excited to hear what it is all about. Moving to Wednesday, we have another show opening Off Broadway, this one also at the Pershing Square Signature center, but it comes from Second Stage. We talked about it last week. It is Aya Ogawa's Meat Suit or the shit show of Motherhood. This show does come with a warning. Motherhood is not for the faint of heart and and neither is this play. The show is currently set to run through March 15th and then heading downtown to New York Theater Workshop on Wednesday night, the new musical from the beloved Bankson's My Joy Is Heavy will begin. Performances this is a quote transcendent musical memoir written by the Banksons, directed by Rachel Chavkin and choreographed by Steph Paul. There's not a whole lot of information on the show, but it is said to be a deeply personal portrait of the unexpected joys and humor that are forged in the wake of loss. If you're familiar with anything from the banks ends 100 days, the keep going songs, they basically tell their own story through music and through musicals. I love them, so I'm thrilled to hear about this one. It is currently on sale through April 5th. The then on Thursday we have another show opening Off Broadway. This is Chinese Republicans. It was written by Alex Lin and directed by Chae Yu. The cast features Jennifer Akita, July Lee, Anna Zavilson, Jody Long and Ben Langhorst. The show is currently scheduled to play through April 5th and then heading down to the Public Theater on Thursday night will begin performances for the world premiere of Antigone and then parenthetically this play I read in high school. It is by Anna Ziegler and directed by Tyne Raffaelli. It is a riveting take on Sophocles classic as this production reimagines the story of Oedipus daughter Antigone through a bold new lens. The cast features Celia Keenan Bolger playing the chorus, Susannah Perkins as Antigone, Tony Shalhoub as Creon, along with Calvin, Leon Smith, Haley Wong and more. This show is currently scheduled to play through March 29, then on Saturday over at MCC. This is not an MCC show but it is a rental over there. Blackout Songs will end its Off Broadway run. Then on Sunday over at New York City center from the Manhattan Theater Club we will have opening night for Bigfoot. This is a new musical which features lyrics by Amber Ruffin who also co wrote the book with Kevin Scoretta and music by David Schmoll. It is directed and choreographed by Danny Meffert. In addition to a great group of writers, the cast includes Gray Henson, Jade Jones, Crystal Lucas Perry, Katarina McCrimmon, Alex Moffat and Jason Tam. And then wrapping up the week, we will have another show closing this time from the Public Theater on Sunday as they are beginning performances on Antigone, they will be closing the Elevator repair Services production of James Joyce's Ulysses. Alright everybody, that's all that I have for you today. Thank you as always for supporting Broadway radio. If you want more Broadway radio, head over to patreon.com broadwayradio thanks for listening. This has been Matt Tammanini and I'll talk to you soon.