This Week on Broadway for August 10, 2025: Jon Maas on David Merrick and 42nd Street

Summary

BroadwayRadio Podcast Summary
Episode: This Week on Broadway for August 10, 2025: Jon Maas on David Merrick and 42nd Street
Release Date: August 10, 2025

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Overview

In this episode of BroadwayRadio, host James Marino engages with guests Peter Felicia, Michael Portantier, and special guest John Moss to delve deep into the illustrious career of legendary Broadway producer David Merrick, focusing particularly on the iconic musical 42nd Street. The discussion weaves through personal anecdotes, behind-the-scenes insights, and the tumultuous events surrounding the original production.

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Key Discussions

1. Show Tune Spotlight: "Only with You" from Nine

Timestamp: [01:59]
Peter Felicia and Maeve discuss the significance of the song "Only with You" from the 2003 revival cast album of Nine, highlighting Antonio Banderas's connection to the musical and his attempted involvement in future productions.

Maeve: "Only with you from the 2003 revival cast album of Nine... Antonio Banderas is still age appropriate."

2. Theatre World Awards and Antonio Banderas Incident

Timestamp: [04:07]
Maeve recounts an amusing yet awkward incident involving Antonio Banderas and Linda Hart during an awards ceremony, illustrating Merrick's complex relationships within the Broadway community.

Maeve: "He came on stage and literally crawled over to her on his hands and knees as if to apologize."

3. Peter Felicia and Friends Review

Timestamp: [06:00]
Peter Felicia shares positive feedback from Cheryl Hodges Seldon's review, praising Jackie Hoffman and the overall performance, while also highlighting the emergence of newcomer Asia Barrows.

Cheryl Hodges Seldon: "Jackie Hoffman was hilarious, as always, and Peter is without equal as a raconteur."

4. Lunch with Jill Eikenberry and Michael Tucker

Timestamp: [11:33]
Maeve narrates a nostalgic lunch encounter with actress Jill Eikenberry, reflecting on past Broadway productions and personal interactions.

Maeve: "It was quite nice that she knew what I was talking about because sometimes people forget their less than stellar situations."

5. John Moss on Working with David Merrick

Timestamp: [17:03]
John Moss shares his experiences as David Merrick's assistant during the original production of 42nd Street. He provides firsthand accounts of Merrick's demanding nature, interactions with notable figures like Woody Herman, Ethel Merman, Bob Fosse, and Gower Champion, and the chaotic yet memorable opening night.

John Moss: "I saw Cliff Jar walk in... Now, if you were to say to me... and suddenly, the house lights blinked on and off, and they made an announcement. Ladies and gentlemen, unfortunately, this performance is going to be canceled."

6. Handling the Press and Cliff Jar's Involvement

Timestamp: [21:37]
John elaborates on the challenges faced with press agent Cliff Jar, leading to a canceled performance due to press scrutiny and Merrick's paranoia.

John Moss: "Cliff Jar was known as a hatchet journalist... Merrick, who was paranoid to begin with, decreed that no one could talk to the press, especially Cliff Jar."

7. David Merrick's Personal Struggles

Timestamp: [42:19]
John reveals the later years of David Merrick, including his addiction to cocaine and the eventual decline that affected his professional and personal life.

John Moss: "David Merrick was addicted to cocaine... he was found in a pile of cocaine when he had the stroke."

8. Helen Nickerson's Role and Departure

Timestamp: [46:23]
John discusses Helen Nickerson's tenure as Merrick's general manager, her eventual firing, and the internal conflicts within the office.

John Moss: "Helen... was one of Cliff Jar's sources... she and Merrick really kind of were in this hate, mutual hate relationship."

9. Critique of Howard Kissel's Book

Timestamp: [49:19]
John criticizes Howard Kissel's portrayal of David Merrick in his book, labeling it as fictional and not reflective of his firsthand experiences.

John Moss: "Howard Kissel's book... is completely fiction. Basically everything that I was present for is bullshit."

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Notable Quotes

• Maeve on David Merrick's Focus:
  "He never talked about the past... just wasn't interested. He was just looking forward." [38:59]

• John on Merrick's Leadership Style:
  "He wasted no time making significant decisions, like sending Helen Nickerson back to New York and putting me in charge of the opening night." [32:19]

• John on the Opening Night Party:
  "It was a non-stop 24/7 job... seeing David Merrick drinking white wine in the Wienerwald." [37:34]

• Peter Felicia on Fostered Roles:
  "Peter, I have no idea if you think it's possible that Merrick delayed the official opening..." [24:50]

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Concluding Insights

The episode offers an intimate glimpse into the high-stakes world of Broadway production through John Moss's eyes. It underscores David Merrick's relentless drive and complex personality, the intricate dynamics of Broadway productions, and the personal challenges that accompany a life in theater. The candid revelations about Merrick's struggles add depth to his legendary status, painting a picture of a man who was both revered and troubled.

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Additional Highlights

• Peter Felicia's Review: Peter shares his thoughts on Michael Portantier's review of the new cast recording of Floyd Collins, praising Jeremy Jordan's performance and the overall quality of the revival's score.

  "Jeremy Jordan brings everything one could ask for to the role of Floyd in terms of vocal beauty, range, and emotional expressiveness." [62:08]

• Community Theater Spotlight: Maeve discusses the community theater production Floating Down to Camelot at the Spotlighters Theater in Baltimore, highlighting its relevance and the strong performances of the cast.

• Musical Moments Tribute: The hosts pay tribute to Jane Morgan, celebrating her legacy and contributions to Broadway, especially her role as Mame in the original Broadway production.

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Conclusion

This episode of BroadwayRadio is a treasure trove for theater enthusiasts, offering rich narratives, expert insights, and personal stories that illuminate the behind-the-scenes complexities of Broadway's golden era. Whether you're a long-time fan or new to the world of musical theater, the discussions provide valuable perspectives on iconic productions and the people who brought them to life.

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For more insights and episodes, subscribe to BroadwayRadio at broadwayradio.com or find them on your preferred podcast platform.

Transcript

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

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[Maeve]

Maeve.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

What on earth are we celebrating? A holiday. One I just invented. The moon's full, the gin's in the.

[Maeve]

Bathtub, and all my dearest friends are.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Here, even the ones I haven't met yet. Light the candles, get the ice out.

[Maeve]

Roll the rug up. It's.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

No it may not be anyone's.

[Maeve]

Birthday, and though it's far from the first of the year, I know that.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

This very minute has history in it. We're here.

[Maeve]

It's a time for bake and Mary.

[James Marino]

Hello and welcome to Broadway Radios this week on Broadway for Sunday, August 10, 2025. My name is James Marino and in the broadcast today we have Peter, Felicia and Michael Portantier. Peter is a playwright, journalist and historian with a number of books. Peter's new Day by Day Desk Calendar, A show tune for today, 366 songs to brighten your year has been released. Peter also has columns at Masterworks, Broadway, Broadway select and many other places. Hello Peter.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Hi Peter.

[James Marino]

What is the show tune for today?

[Maeve]

Only with you from the 2003 revival cast album of Nine, because this is Antonio Banderas birthday and he did appear in that revival of Nine. I'm sorry that he didn't get to do Zorba, which he said he was going to do the lead in in 2010. That that never happened. But you know, Anthony Quinn was 68 years old when he played Zorba on stage, so that as of this writing, Antonio Banderas is still age appropriate. And given the fact that we hear the 60 is the new 40, he may yet surprise us and play the gregarious Greek. And by the way, if 60 is the new 40, does that mean that 9 is the new 8 or 7 or 6? I don't know. Anyway, so that's the show doing for today.

[Peter Felicia]

I love the way he sings that song.

[Maeve]

Isn't this something?

[Peter Felicia]

His voice is so beautiful. But also I love the way he Pronounces only with you.

[Maeve]

Indeed. I agree entirely.

[Peter Felicia]

And I. I'm sure I told this story. The album had just come out on cd, and I mean literally just come out. And I got an advanced copy of it for a review. And I knew that Antonio was going to be at some event at Sardis that I was going to. So I thought, well, let me bring that CD just in case he doesn't have it yet and he might want to see it. So I showed it to him and his eyes lit up and he couldn't believe I had it because he hadn't received it yet. And so, of course, I gave it to him. And actually, I got a little bit in trouble with the press person for doing that, but I was like, I'm not gonna not give it to him. And then I saw him again about a week later at another event, and I said, antonio, did you get to listen to the cast album? He goes, yes, I listened to it three times.

[Maeve]

Speaking of trouble with a press agent, that brings me to the Theater World Awards, when we were giving him a Theater World Award for a period of nine. So anyway, Linda Hart called me up and said, oh, you know Antana Bander getting an award. She's an award winner herself, by the way, for Hairspray. So anyway, she said, I'd love to present the award to him because I do know him. So I said, fine, Good. Yes. Then I got a call from the press agent saying, listen, this. This Linda Hart thing, no, she doesn't know him. No, she can't give him the award. I said, oh, you know, I've told her she can. I'm not going to walk that back. You have to. I said, I cannot. I'm not going to. And then I started fearing that he wouldn't show up at the awards. I don't know what was going on, but something was obviously going on. So she gets up there and she says, antonio Banderas directed me in a picture, and we really had a good time, and I was really thrilled to be in the picture. And then when I saw the picture, he totally cut me out of the picture. So he came on stage and literally crawled over to her on his hands and knees as if to apologize. She stuck. She stuck out her gluteus maximus for him to kiss. But that's where he drew the line. He didn't kiss it. He got up and accepted his award. So that was the story with Linda Hart. But it seemed like that there was no real bad blood, that she really just wanted to tell the Story.

[Peter Felicia]

What a good sport he is.

[Maeve]

Yes, indeed. Oh.

[James Marino]

So, Peter, I'm gonna turn the tables on you.

[Maeve]

Oh. Oh.

[James Marino]

You know, from somebody who has seen 18,000 plus 13,000 actually.

[Maeve]

Anyway, go on.

[James Marino]

13,000.

[Maeve]

Yeah. That's all soon.

[Peter Felicia]

A mere 13,000.

[Maeve]

Right.

[James Marino]

From somebody who has seen 13,000 performances and reviewed many of them to now where we have reviews of Peter Felicia from Monday, August 4, at Peter Felicia and Friends, Broadway Tales and Tunes. One review said, jackie Hoffman was hilarious, as always, and Peter is without equal as a raconteur. That was said by our Cheryl Hodges Seldon. So, Peter, how was Peter Felicia and Friends?

[Maeve]

Oh, I think it went very, very well. It certainly. Everybody showed up. Everybody did a nice job by singing, and I mean, it was just so wonderful. What I was really happy with, and perhaps the happiest of all was the fact that I had talked.

[Peter Felicia]

Oh, you were worried about your story, your joke you were going to tell.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Well, all right.

[Maeve]

Yes, I was very worried about the story I was going to tell about Ethel Merman. Because when I was a kid and first heard Gypsy, it was on a tape that a neighbor had made for me. So I didn't have any liner notes. So when I was listening to Here She Is, boys, Here she is, world, here's Rose. Da da da da da da da da. I thought, oh, I know what's happening. Ethel Merman, who's always. Well, Rose, who's always been critical of Louise, is being critical of her performance as a stripper. And now she's going to show her how to do it. Ethel Berman is going to hold your hats and Hallelujah, Mama's going to show it to you. I mean, what other conclusion could I reach? And I really think that at that point, Ethel Merman took off her dress. And then. How do you like them egg rolls, Mr. Goldstone? I really assume that Ethel Merman had taken off her bra. Mama's got to let go, and there go the panties. And Ethel Merman is totally naked on stage. That's obviously what happened. And the music stopped. And indeed, what we hear is, why did I do it? What did it get me? I assume that meant that she was having second thoughts on having stripped. Totally. So that was the assumption I had made as a kid. That year the movie came out, and I was very disappointed when Rosalind Russell just sang. She didn't remove as much as the nearing. Because I was a teenager, I. In. In the 60s, when you were a teenager, you didn't see any naked women. And this was my chance to see A naked woman, but it did not happen. So. So that was that. But the real. The real wonderful thing was the fact that I had talked about hearing the Castell I'm Sorry, the studio cast album of Brigadoon with Shirley Jones and Jack Cassidy. And the song I really went crazy for was the love of my life that Susan Johnson did. And when I went to see the movie of Brigadoon, I was terribly disappointed it wasn't in it. But it was considered obviously too salty in the 50s for movie audiences, and it was removed. So then Meg Bussert got up there and proved my point tremendously. She got every laugh from the salty, if you will, lyrics that were rather benign by today's standards, to say the least. But the point is that she nailed every one of them. That the audience had such a good time, that that was, for me, the highlight, because she validated what I had to say. But that does not mean that the other people weren't wonderful. Karen Mason started the show with some people, which led to my Ethel Merman story. So. So she was quite, quite wonderful in starting it off. And I was amazed and delighted that she actually pronounced my name the way I pronounce it, so. Because so many people don't. And so that was a nice surprise. But, boy, really, everybody. Leroy Reams was so wonderful. Josie De Guzman was so wonderful. And Jackie Hoffman. Yes, indeed. Now, the thing about Jackie, which I have to say is that she had had some minor surgery a couple of weeks earlier and said, I don't think I can do it. And I said, well, gee, I wish you would, because I have this wonderful story about Mary Rogers. And. And she came through. She. She said, I cannot do something like shy or any other. The only number I could really do, I really feel, under these circumstances, were the swamps of home. And because that was vocally less demanding of her, she felt, and she certainly did remarkably well by that. So that was really quite wonderful as well. So a good time was had by all, I dare say, and a newcomer named Asia Barrows certainly tore down the hunk with I Got Love from Pearly and Home from the Wiz. So. So you may want to keep your eye on Asia Barrows, because I think she's going to be with us for quite some time. So, yeah, I. It seemed to do well. And we've been invited back. We may go back as soon as September 22nd.

[James Marino]

Oh, that's great. That is wonderful. So, one other question before we get into the meat of our discussions today made me think of Michael bringing his Thing to Antonio Medarus reminded me of you having dinner in Baltimore and running into Jill Eikenberry.

[Maeve]

Oh, it was lunch, actually. But yeah, it was the strangest thing that we were going to have lunch with one of my oldest and dearest friends. We met in 1967, and Linda always loves to go to the Baltimore Museum of Art. So our friends said, well, let's have lunch there. And so Linda saw Jill Eikenberry there and they came into the restaurant and I went over to her and I want to talk about Onward Victoria. Now, that was a musical that lasted one night on Broadway and she starred in it. So I went over to her and I said, I want you to know that I saw on with Victoria twice. I did, you know, because I went to a preview. I didn't tell her that on opening night, my friend Howard Rogan said to me, listen, can you give away 100 tickets to friends? You know, I mean, so I didn't want to bring that up, but. But anyway, she actually said, oh, you made my day. Which may have been a perfunctory response, I don't know. But nevertheless, it was. It was quite nice that she knew what I was talking about because sometimes people forget their less than stellar situations.

[Peter Felicia]

As you may know, she has sung from that score at 54 below.

[Maeve]

No, I didn't know that.

[James Marino]

Oh, yes.

[Maeve]

Oh, that's. Oh, that's good to hear.

[Peter Felicia]

So, yeah, so it all comes back to, you know, 54 below.

[Maeve]

It does. But how wonderful that that would seem to indicate that she wasn't displeased that I brought up, which is hardly one of the great things on her resume. One Night Broadway Stand. But she did seem to be very pleased that I mentioned it, and I was very disappointed. I couldn't bring something up to mind to say to Michael Tucker, her longtime husband. They've been together more than 50 years. It's really something, you know, and that's. That's wonderful, you know, I mean, in, you know, people always talk about relationship, a gay relationship, you know, three years. That's, you know, really 50 years in. In heterosexual terms. Well, really, a show business marriage of 52 years. I mean, wow. You know, that's really something. Very few people can, in show business can really say that they. They had that experience. So it's really quite nice to. To know that they're still together. And. And I did sneak a legal look over every now and then. They. They had a good time talking to each other as well, the four or five people they were with. So but who expected to see Joe Lichenberry in Baltimore Museum of Art. But as one of my Facebook friends said, Michael Tucker comes from Baltimore and so that they visiting friends or relatives and that's what was going on there.

[Peter Felicia]

One more Jill Eikenberry thing. Yesterday they showed Arthur, the film Arthur with Dudley Moore and Liza Minnelli and Joe Eikenberry at the Paris Theater. And I, I didn't make it, but I, but I, I did see the trailer for something else that I saw there and I, you know, I forgot how young and beautiful she was then. Well, I've seen her not long ago and still really, really fantastic looking.

[Maeve]

You bet. Yeah, you bet. Absolutely true. Yes, indeed. And I don't know how many people know there was a musical version of Arthur written by those people who went off to Los Angeles after it didn't get very far and created friends. So they did very well. David Crane and Mart Kaufman, I believe their name. So. But the author musical is pretty good. I actually saw a high school production in Jersey. I mean how about that? That's the only time I've seen it, frankly.

[James Marino]

So Jill Ikenberry and Michael Tucker starred in a television show together, LA Law, you know.

[Maeve]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Peter Felicia]

Well that's where I know them from.

[James Marino]

Yeah, yeah, that's where I first knew them from there. So also not officially introduced but has been talking all this morning, Michael Portantier. Michael's a theater reviewer and essayist. He is the founder and editor of cast albumreviews.com we'll talk about that in a little bit. He is also a theatrical photographer whose photos have appeared in the New York Times and other major publications. And you can see his photography [e-mail] hello Michael.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Hi.

[James Marino]

Some, some in house promo to do here. Jan Simpson had not one but two shows released this week. All the drama, Dinner with friends, a 2000 winner for the Pulitzer Prize for drama and also stagecraft where Carrie Gitter talked about Gina Gilda that was released to the public last week. It was just Patreon members. It's available now to the general public. With us today we have a very special guest. John Moss is with us. John is a writer and producer for television and film residing in the left coast and joining us very early on a Sunday morning. But we have him with us talking because John was David Merrick's assistant on the original production of 42nd street and.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

We thought very young age.

[James Marino]

You were three or so.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

I just turned, I just performance but.

[James Marino]

You know, okay, it's John's bar Mitzvah.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

The opening night party was my reception.

[Maeve]

That's right.

[James Marino]

Oh, well, that worked out really well. So, John, thank you for getting up early on a Sunday morning.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Yeah, thank you.

[Maeve]

Hi. Which brings up a good point. And that is, was there an opening night party? Considering what happened on opening night?

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Oh, legendary. I actually like about three, four weeks before the opening, Merrick basically said to me, it's gonna be at the Starlight Roof at the Waldorf. Woody Herman is gonna be the band. I want everybody in black tie. I don't care what you spend, make it lavish. Go. And I literally, this 22 year old kid planned the opening night party. I was also doing the seats in the theater. And indeed, the party did go on. And Woody Herman had 14 pieces and everybody danced and it was packed. Carol Cook and Leroy Reams had asked me to sit with them. And the way that one of Carol's guests was Ethel Merman. And one of the ways it just happened to work out, she was actually seated next to me on my right at the dinner and could not have been nicer. And I ended up doing the Fox shot with her. The most interesting thing for, I guess, your listeners. Around three in the morning, I looked around just for America, and he was seated at a table with two other people, Neil Simon and Bob Fosse. And I thought, well, this is where membership has its privileges. How many times am I going to have this opportunity again? So I went and sat down with them and just listened. And of course, like everything, everyone, they're talking about Gower Champion's death earlier that year.

[Maeve]

Sure. Yeah.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

And you know, Bob and Gower have been rivals since MGM days, since Give a Girl A Break. And directors, of course, are always competitive with each other to begin with. And Bob Fosse is literally saying, God damn, Matt Gower. Now I want to go remake all that Jazz and have Joe Gideon die. Opening night.

[Maeve]

All right. But I'm a little surprised that the opening night party wasn't canceled, considering the fact that at the curtain call, David Merrick announced that Gawa Champion had just died that day. It surprises me.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

It happened. What can I tell you? Very few people did not show up.

[Maeve]

But was the mood somber?

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

No, it was just a little odd at the beginning. Not somber. It was sort of vaguely Twilight Zone ish. But then people got into it and I guess maybe they wanted some kind of relief from what they had just experienced. Because literally. Were any of you guys there?

[Maeve]

No.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

It had been as if Merrick literally kicked the stuffing out of 1500 people at once. And you heard this giant exhale of shock. And of course nobody quite believed it. And then everybody went on to the party, literally and. And a good time was had by mostly all. A strange thing happened. Wanda arrived and announced she would lead a tribute to Gower and then sang one from A Chorus Line, which of course was a Michael Bennet show. But. Yeah.

[Peter Felicia]

Well, the lyrics are appropriate, but the choice of show is maybe not.

[James Marino]

Yeah, so I'm looking at IBDDB here. The first preview was August 18th and opening night was August 25th. One week of previews.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

It's not exactly correct.

[Peter Felicia]

No.

[James Marino]

Okay.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

The first preview was actually, I believe, on August 10, which was a preview for the Democratic Convention.

[Maeve]

Yeah, I was there that night.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

And then I think there was like one or two nights where we didn't have an audience. And then of course, the legendary performance. I think it was August 12th. I don't have the exact date. Which leads us to the Cliff Jar of it all.

[James Marino]

So tell us.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Okay. Cliff Jar. When we were in Washington, we were told that Cliff Jar was writing the official article for the New York Sunday Times. It's a lesion section about the making of the show and which set off a warning signal because Cliff Jar was known as a hatchet journalist. He had previously most famously written the New York magazine cover story about the Alex Cohn Jerry Lewis ill fated revival. And it's a great article if you're not involved.

[Maeve]

It is, it is.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

It's like the James Kirkwood novel book about the making of Diary, if you're seated at the next table. And so that set off alarms as well as the fact that Al Hirschfeld was not doing an illustration for the show, which if there's ever been a musical that cried out For Hirschfeld, it's 42nd street and he was not on vacation. So Merrick, who was paranoid to begin with, decreed that no one could talk to the press, especially Cliff Jar. And I had to create all these backstage passes with IDs and photos and stuff like that. We had a guard backstage and. And he wouldn't talk to him. And I happened to be standing in the back of the Winter Garden and I saw Cliff Jar walk in. And I turned to my friend and I said, well, it's up to you if you want to stay, but there's not going to be a performance. And she said, what do you mean? I said, well, there's going to be a show tonight. It's just not going to be 42nd Street. And I went backstage and I Found Marek. And I told him. And a minute or two later, a bouncer appeared in front of cliffjar. And he said, will you please leave? And Cliff Jar said, no, I paid for my ticket. I'm not leaving. And suddenly, the house. Within a minute, the house lights blinked on and off, and they made an announcement. Ladies and gentlemen, unfortunately, this performance is going to be canceled. Your tickets will be refunded. The next day, Merrick released a statement to the press saying the reason was a snake had been found in the theater.

[Peter Felicia]

A rat.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

No, no, no, no, no, no. The rat was in the generator.

[Maeve]

That was the Philadelphia, Here I Come. Right.

[Peter Felicia]

Oh, that was a separate incident.

[Maeve]

Hostel witness. Yeah.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Was the New York Times critic and reviewed a preview of Philadelphia, Here I Come. Merrick canceled performance and said a rat had been found in the generator.

[Maeve]

That's right.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

This was. No, a snake had been found in the theater. And then. So there wasn't. Then there were just a couple of nights of just dress rehearsals and that the cast performed to an audience of stuffed animals.

[Peter Felicia]

Yes.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

You know.

[Maeve]

Yeah, right.

[Peter Felicia]

As, of course, you know, Leroy Reams has told the story many times that the cast took to bringing in, like, teddy bears and things and putting them in the seats just so they'd have some kind of an audience.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Absolutely true.

[Peter Felicia]

You know, this is. I am so glad you're here today because it's something I'd love to ask you, although I don't imagine you could answer it. Do you think it's possible that Merrick delayed the official opening for one of two reasons. Either because he hoped that Champion would get out of the hospital and be able to attend, or that he thought he would die.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

No, not to both. Wasn't ready.

[Peter Felicia]

Oh, it wasn't because.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Oh, no, it really wasn't. First of all, some of the scenery had been damaged on. On the way back from Washington.

[Peter Felicia]

Oh.

[Maeve]

Oh.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

And Merrick was not just the. Oddly enough for somebody so cheap, he wanted it to look like a gazillion dollars. And so a lot of it had to be rebuilt.

[Peter Felicia]

Oh, okay. I guess maybe the cast weren't necessarily aware of that because they were completely unaware.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Nobody really knew what was happening. Everybody was in the dark, mainly because of gat work. Nobody really knew. They knew he. They thought he was having blood transfusions. They didn't quite know what. But he had really beginning in Washington, he really started missing rehearsals and performances, and nobody knew why. And it wasn't until the last night of Washington, where Gower told Merrick that he had this disease. But he said, but I'll beat it. And so it wasn't until. And I don't know the exact date, but. And Peter, you might have it, but it was before the Democratic Convention. I'm pretty sure that Gower went into the hospital for the last time and never got out.

[Maeve]

I don't know about that. I don't know the date, but yeah, isn't that something? So where are you in all this? How much did you have interaction with Gower Champion?

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Very little Gower. He was always very polite, very elegant man. Always said hello to me. But, you know, he and Merrick had famously had a rocky relationship going back to, well, Carnival, actually. And so he would always acknowledge me. But, you know, also he was a little busy. You know, it wasn't like he had time. John, let's go for some coffee and babka. You know, it wasn't, you know, it wasn't that. And you know, so he looked at me as, you know, Merrick's boy.

[Maeve]

All right. How much did Randy Skinner have to do with the.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

A lot.

[Maeve]

Uh huh.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

He and famously Gary Champion did not tap dance.

[Maeve]

Uh huh.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Which sounds odd when you consider how much tap dancing is in the history of garage Champion musicals.

[Peter Felicia]

And in 42nd street and Sugar, for example.

[Maeve]

Right, right, right.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

And so Randy and Karen Baker really did all the tap.

[Peter Felicia]

Right.

[Maeve]

Mm. Well, that's. That's good to know because I have heard stories that Randy was very much involved with choreography.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Oh, he was. I mean, Gower had like the patterns and all that kind of thing, and he would edit. But the actual steps were Randy and Karen. Now, I know, I think Leroy contributed some of his own.

[Maeve]

Now to my. If I'm correct, this was the first show to raise prices twice during when it became a sensation. The top ticket price at that point had been the act with $25. Merrick raised 42nd street to 30, but soon after raised it to 35. Do you recall?

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

I don't remember 30. I remember 35.

[Maeve]

I believe that there was a 30 and then 35. And that was the first time that I recall in the time that I've been following Broadway that a show upped it its price twice up until then. I mean, it's really amazing to me when you think of it, that when fiddler opened in 1964, the top price was 990. And when it closed eight years later, the top price was 990 dot but.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

They also probably had some orchestra seats in the back for $2 because was it how princes can do that?

[Maeve]

Yeah, you're Right.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

David Merrick never did that.

[Maeve]

No, no, no. But my point is that it was a case that I think Bubbly Brown Sugar was the first one to raise prices during the run, so. But I never saw a show raise prices twice, so. And of course, looking back at it today, how many people were in 42nd Street? How many. What was the cast number, do you recall? 54.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Some younger, as we used to say.

[Maeve]

Wow. You know, that's a lot of beef. And I mean, so. I mean, the idea, Chance. Yeah, I'll bet. You know, I mean, considering the fact that there were so many people on the payroll, 35 almost sounds like they were giving it away by today's standards. I don't think you get into the second balcony for that today, so. So that's pretty impressive. So who was the nicest to you on the show in terms of the cast?

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Oh, in terms of the cat. Well, Leroy.

[Maeve]

Yeah, I'm not surprised to hear that.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Yeah, Carol Cook was great. Absolutely fantastic. I thought you were gonna say who was the nicest. I mean, I would say Theron Musser, but.

[Maeve]

Oh, that's good to hear. Tell me why.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Wonderful. Actually, the designers were all great, all three of them. They're fantastic.

[Maeve]

And their names were.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Oh, Robin Wagner scenery, Theoni Aldridge costumes, and Theron Musseller lighting. The orchestrator was also delightful.

[Maeve]

So when you were working with Merrick during the show, what was the high point in terms of the fact that he gave you great praise or you could tell that he really liked what you were doing? And what was the low point?

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Okay, the lope. Well, I'll start with the high point. Well, there were seven.

[Maeve]

Why not good.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

There were several. You know, I barely knew him when I started. And there was one night we did about. We did three backers auditions and one before we went into rehearsal. And the last one, I was told to check out this hotel room, a ballroom, where we're going to do it an hour later. And it was fine. It wasn't gorgeous, but it was fine. And Michael Stewart walked in with Mark Bramble and the three singers, one of which was Laurie Beachman, and threw a shit fit and said, david is not going to stand for this. I'm going to have you fired. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I mean, I don't know if you knew anything about Michael, but Michael used to jump up and down like Rumpelstiltskin and beaming at me. And so I waited in the lobby for Merrick when Michael and the singers were rehearsing. And Merrick walked in and he said, everything okay? I said, well, not exactly. And he said, I filled him in as we were walking in. And we go in the room and Michael races over and says, david, this room is. And Merrick cuts him off and he says, fine.

[Maeve]

Ah.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

And, and then, and Michael, I've seen. You've seen the dog in the Chuck Jones cartoons get jerked back and they do the audition and it's fine. And then afterwards, Michael and Mark Bramble are hanging around and Merrick turns to me and he says, are you hungry? And he takes me out to dinner.

[Maeve]

Wow.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

And Mark and Michael invited themselves along. And as we're in the taxi going down to the restaurant, Micah leans across, Merrick pats my thigh and says about before, you know, how we show people are. And so that was like at the very beginning. And that was like, you know, the morning after 42nd street opened Washington, he announced he was keeping me down there and sending Helen Nickerson, the general manager, back to New York. And then he put me in charge of the opening night, whether the seats and the party and blah, blah, blah, and, and the souvenir book and all that stuff. And the house seats. I did all the house seats. So that was pretty amazing to give to a 22 year old.

[Maeve]

Well also, obviously when the show opened and was such a sensation, you must have talked to a lot of illustrious people who wanted house seats.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Yeah, 17,000 times a day. Yes, because we had a lot of seats.

[Peter Felicia]

Uh huh, yes.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

And we had 50 pairs for performance that I was handling. And then I was doing Phil Lang's and Bradford Ropes estate. Bradford Ropes wrote the novel that's based on. And a couple of other people. So literally I had not a lot of time to do my other work. And so I limited the amount of time I would do house seats. But yeah, yeah, absolutely. They would call themselves absolutely.

[Peter Felicia]

You, you certainly don't have to answer this, but some people over the years have spoken negatively about Mark Bramble in terms of his involvement at the time and then later, I guess his stewardship of the show. Any comments on that?

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

You know, this is really funny. I never heard Mark talk and really. And I was in his presence and someone who shall be nameless. But you all know, said to me a few years ago, did Mark ever write anything because, you know, you don't know what goes on in a writing room between two people. And I said, I don't know, to be perfectly honest, but he always held a clipboard. And that's all I can say about Mark. Bramble.

[Maeve]

Thank you.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

You know, and I never saw the revival he directed. I've seen little bits on YouTube, and it's very different than what Gower did. And so, you know, I'll just leave it at that.

[Maeve]

So you purposely avoided the revival. You didn't.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

I was in la, you know, so.

[Maeve]

That's a good excuse. Yeah.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

And I. The clips I've seen seem a little strange, and I know it wasn't entirely, like, Randy Skinner's fault, but, like, they changed the title number where the sailor doesn't get killed at the end, which is only the point of the entire number. And so I'm glad I didn't see it.

[James Marino]

John, give us a bookend of when you first started working on 42nd street out of town and when you finally left the. The world of 42nd Street.

[Peter Felicia]

Well, when did you.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

I started actually way before 42nd Street. Well, not way back. Six months. Merrick was producing a movie called Rough Cut with Burt Reynolds. And I think they were in. They were either in Europe or the Caribbean because they were. They were reshooting the ending. And Helen Nickerson, his general manager, who had been his secretary for, like, 1112 years, her father died, and so she went home to San Francisco. And I'm literally the only one in the office for months. The only time the phone rang were my friends who would come into the office and play with the Tony warts. He was supposed to produce a play called Plymouth Rock that Gene Sachs was directing. And it was cast, it was designed, and then suddenly it was canceled. So that's when I started. And then 42nd street really didn't get going. Had been, you know, in discussion, whatever, until about January when Gower actually pulled out. And then, obviously, he came back. And I stayed until after the Tony Awards because Merrick wanted me to do all the tickets for the Tony voters.

[Maeve]

So therefore, the following June.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

August. It was August. August, yeah.

[Maeve]

August. It was when it opened. When you say that.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

No, no, no. The following August.

[Maeve]

I see. All right.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Okay.

[Maeve]

Okay. Got it. So that was one year of your life.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

You were. It was a year and a half.

[Maeve]

Yeah, yeah. But I mean, in terms of the show running. Yeah. Wow. Did you go to see it a lot? A little. Ever. Every night. What?

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Oh, during. When I was there a lot. Several times a week, or I'd drop in for a few minutes. America. And I would go to the Wienerwald.

[Maeve]

Right, right, right.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

And we'd be sitting there during a performance. Anybody would wander in, they'd be very surprised to see David Merrick Drinking white wine in the Wienerwald. So, yeah, I mean, it was pretty much a 247 job.

[Maeve]

I'll bet.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

You know, stuff that had non 42nd. There was a lot of non 42nd street stuff involved too.

[Maeve]

Okay, but how did you get this job? Was there a dad in the paper? No.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

No. What happened? I literally walked in and said to Helen Nickerson, can I talk to somebody? And she said, we don't have any openings. And I said, you know, the normal, it's so hard to get your foot in the door, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And she said, fine, I'll talk to you. And she liked me.

[Maeve]

Ah, so she actually did the hiring.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Absolutely. I did not meet Merrick for.

[Maeve]

A.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Couple of months later, but that was really before I even officially started because it took a while for her to get permission to hire me.

[Maeve]

All right, at this point in time, what does David Merrick mean to you?

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

I grew up idolizing him. It was like who I wanted to be. Because David Merrick represented the ultimate in what a Broadway producer was, you know?

[Maeve]

Yeah.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

I mean, we'd all do. We've all read the books the same, you know, and read the articles and heard the legendary stories, and there's never been anybody like him.

[Maeve]

In fact, since we're talking about legendary stories, did you find out if some were true, exaggerated, etc. Etc.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Not really. I mean, if you were to say to me, what's the most surprising fact you learned about David Merrick? I would say that he never talked about the past.

[Maeve]

Wow. I know Josh Ellis, who's a press agent and eventually took over on 42nd Street a month in, said that you couldn't talk about the past with him. He just wasn't interested. He was just looking forward.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Only talked about the present and the future. He was very much in that. There was nothing about, oh, the days I produced Dolly kind of thing. Nothing, Nothing. The only time, sitting in the Winter Garden one day, waiting for an audition and he looked around and suddenly brought up Funny Girl.

[Maeve]

Oh yeah.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

And he said, he said, I put the whole thing together. I knew it was going to be a smash and I pulled out because life was too short for Ray Stark, Period. That's it. Nostalgia over.

[Maeve]

Uh huh.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

And that I think, the most surprising thing about him.

[Maeve]

Okay, now bringing up Josh Ellison a month in. Fred Nathan was the original press agent. Yes, he was. And what happened? Why did Merrick fire him and replace him?

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

This is the most ridiculous, most ridiculous story ever. Okay.

[Maeve]

Okay, good. We'll take it.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Fred worked his ass off he did a great job. Okay. I can't criticize anything about Fred there. A month in, Merv Griffin came to New York and did a week of shows and Merrick was booked. And Fred said to me, look, I've got to go to Washington. Brigadoon has opened. I haven't even. I didn't even go down for the opening. I've got to see the show. Can you cover for me and go with him? I said, sure, of course. So we go there and it's Jim dale, Sammy Davis Jr. Nell Carter, Patti LuPone, and Merrick and everybody else had their press agent with them. And that is why Fred got fired. I see no other reason. I begged him not to do it. We literally went to dinner after and he was just steaming. Nothing, by the way. There was nothing wrong. He went five out of the segment, went fine. And I begged, I said, you know how hard he's worked. You got to give him another chance. No, you have to fire him tonight.

[Maeve]

You had to do it.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Oh, absolutely. Yep.

[Maeve]

Go on.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

And I called Fred and he took it very well, actually. I think he made shock. Yeah. He wasn't like, no, no, you know, wow. And Merrick called Josh the next morning at 7:30 and offered him the show. And no, by the way, Josh had turned it down originally.

[Maeve]

I know that. Yeah.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Because Josh was unavailable and Josh recommended Fred. But that is why Fred got fired. Simple. That's it.

[Maeve]

Wow. That's. You know, I mean, I've always inferred during these years that because Fred was inexperienced and Josh was experienced, that Merrick thought he needed somebody more experienced. So this is really very interesting to hear this.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

That's exactly the whole. That's the entire story.

[Maeve]

Did you.

[Peter Felicia]

I'm wondering, did you ever encounter Mr. Merrick after his strokes?

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

No, no. The last time I was at NBC, the last time I spoke to Merrick on the phone.

[Peter Felicia]

Ah, Okay.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

I would. I obviously was following the story that was on the front page of the New York Post every day. But no, no.

[Peter Felicia]

With his wife, et cetera.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Well, he had a stroke. David Merrick was addicted to cocaine, which I did not know at the time, which explains. He was also on lithium but not taking it, which explains a lot of his behavior that of course, I did not know at the time. And of course it became, obviously, when I. When I found that out, I went, okay, well, then this makes sense. He apparently was in his apartment in the Galleria, which was a mess to begin with, and was found in a pile of cocaine when he had the stroke. And that's when he was taken to Rusk. Wow.

[Maeve]

When did you first find out that he was addicted?

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

It was after I left.

[Maeve]

Oh, I see. Did you have any suspicion given his cocaine?

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Because I hadn't been really around it. I mean, I wasn't aware of it. I just knew he was not on his lithium and he. His temper has been written about. I mean, it was kind of legendary because you didn't see it coming. It would just be like this sudden thunderstorm.

[Peter Felicia]

Right. So I wonder if. Do you know if the lithium. If he had been on it for.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Years, Certainly a while. I don't know how many years, but I certainly know that it was a while. Michael.

[Peter Felicia]

Yeah.

[Maeve]

All right. Now, he eventually married Karen Pruncik, who was Appalani Anytime Annie, anytime any in the show, Right?

[Peter Felicia]

Indeed.

[Maeve]

Yeah, indeed. Right. Though there was a musical version of that that never got on, but that's another story. So did you see any evidence during the period of this time that they were going to wind up together?

[Peter Felicia]

Not.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Well, not I. So ridiculous. We were sick. Do you remember the restaurant, Cafe Ziegfeld on 45th street, next to Moscow? He and I are sitting in there one night at the bar. He did not come into the office at that point, so I had to go out where he could sign checks and letters and things like that. And we're sitting at the bar and Karen and her parents walk in and we said, hello. Okay. Couple weeks later, it's Thanksgiving. I'm opening the mail, and there's a Thanksgiving card from Walter Prunsnick. Not his wife, not Karen, just Walter Prunsnick. Which I thought, how many straight men who are married send other men Thanksgiving cards?

[Maeve]

I didn't even know there's such a thing as a Thanksgiving.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

I learned a bit. And I walked. I happened.

[Maeve]

I never got one.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

I went to the Winter Garden because I had to meet him. And I literally entered, waving it in front of me.

[Maeve]

And.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

He said, oh, they're just being nice. And I'm like, watch out. And that's when I began to suspect.

[Maeve]

Uh, huh huh. And did they get married during a period of time when you were there?

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

No, I was gone. I was at NBC.

[Maeve]

Had you been there, do you think you would have gotten an invitation to the wedding, or was there a big splash?

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

No, no, I think the wedding was very. He then went around and introduced everybody as Karen, as his wife. But I think it was like just a couple of people and a judge. I mean, I might have been invited because he invited me on things like that, like, when he had to take his daughter for the day and stuff like that, he would always take me. But who knows?

[Maeve]

Helen Nickerson, she was with him a long time. But he eventually fired her, right?

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Yes, she did.

[Maeve]

He did. Okay. Did you ever have any interaction with her after she was fired? Did she call you and say, that bastard fired me or anything?

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Believe me, I was in. I was there when it happened.

[Maeve]

You were there when it happened?

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Maeve]

Keep talking.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Okay, let me. There were a lot of good things about Helen. She trained me well. She is also the person Gower Champion, nicknamed the witch of 44th Street. She was tough. She also would go behind Merrick's back and tell Bernie Jacobs, this is what's going on. She was one of Cliff Jar's sources. Even though some of the things I discovered recently when I got his notes, when everybody was told not to talk to Cliff Jar, Helen spoke to Cliff Jar. Helen was her own worst enemy.

[Maeve]

Me. Ah.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

And so she and she and Merrick really kind of were in this hate, mutual hate relationship. And after we opened, Helen decided she wanted to do the house seats, and she just took the house seat book over. And then, like, a couple of nights after. A couple of weeks after we opened, because it's about three weeks. I was out with Merrick one night, and he said, I want you back doing the house seats. Tell Helen.

[Maeve]

Oh, okay.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

The next morning, she wanders in, and I said, Helen, Mr. Merrick wants me to get the house seats. And she said, I'll talk to Mr. Merrick. I'm the general manager. And went into her office and slammed the door.

[Maeve]

She actually said, Mr. Merrick, as opposed to.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

No, she actually would say, I'm the general manager. Which is one of her, like, most quotable quotes, because she had been his secretary for so long, and suddenly he promoted her as general manager, as opposed to just the elevator guy. And so. But it meant a lot. So about an hour later, Merrick calls and he's going over a couple of things. He said, everything okay with the house seats? I said, well, not exactly. He said, and his voice, like, darkened. What do you mean? And I said, well, she's kind of holding the house hostage.

[Maeve]

Put her on.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

And.

[Peter Felicia]

Oh, my God.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

And Helen, Mr. Merrick would like to talk to you. And so there's, you know, her door is closed, so I can only, you know, hear through the wall kind of thing, her side. David, David, David, David. After 18 years. David. Click, slam, beep. The door opens. She comes into my area, and she sits down and she says, well, see if I've just been fired. And that's why it happened? No, I think that was just the reason. Yeah, he wanted. He had told me he wanted to fire her, but I did not think it was actually going to happen. I think he was just blowing. I thought at the time he was just blowing off steam.

[James Marino]

Let me ask you about Howard Kissel's book. Did you read it?

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Oh God, yes. It's fiction, Complete fiction. Basically everything that I was present for is bullshit.

[Maeve]

Wow.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

I have to assume that if it's that way, for the stuff that I know about firsthand.

[James Marino]

Sure.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Or the stuff that I know about. Because for whatever reason I know about the history of that office, if it that much is false, I have to believe the rest of it is false too.

[Maeve]

Sure. This brings up a good point. Do you feel that he knew the truth but didn't want to reveal it? Sugarcoat it?

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

I have no idea because I didn't know Howard. I'd never. He never asked me. But what's interesting is that the book is dedicated to Helen Nickerson.

[Maeve]

Aha.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

And so everything, the facts that Helen shaped the way she wanted to shape. He never contacted me, never asked me questions. None of Merrick's family would speak to him or friends. So I can't say if maybe this was Howard's way of getting a book out of it, getting Helen to cooperate. So I don't know. I don't know. But I do know that the whole thing is bullshit.

[Maeve]

Wow. Can you recall any detail from 42nd street that he.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Well, he literally. Helen's firing. I mean literally, he talks about it, that it has something to do with his daughter Cecilia Ann. And Helen ever had anything to do with Cecilia Ann?

[Maeve]

Uh huh. Tell us who Cecilia Ann is.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Merrick has two daughters. One, his younger daughter Margarita, who if you've got seen the album, you see the album is actually dedicated to Margarita and Cecilia Ann, who is older, who is the daughter of his second wife Jeannie, who was born with some kind of brain damage.

[Maeve]

I see.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

And she has been basically in a special facility home her entire life. She's still alive. And Cecilia. And so every so often Merrick would have to see her or rain, whatever. Helen never had anything to do with that.

[Maeve]

Wow.

[James Marino]

Well, John, I want to thank you so much for joining us on Broadway Radio. We're coming up on the 45th anniversary of 42nd Street. The official opening night was August 25th. So we have 15 days away to plan our big celebrations.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Has anybody talked to Tom Shepard about the Recording session.

[Maeve]

Oh, it's very interesting. I was thinking about that because I remember Josh Ellis telling me it was hell on earth.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

That would be a nice way of putting it.

[Peter Felicia]

Well, he himself has gone into great detail about the huge argument over about how loud the taps should be in the opening number.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

That started the fight.

[Maeve]

Right.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Ok, that's another session if you guys ever want. Because Merrick didn't want to record the album to begin with stuff. And that's a whole.

[Maeve]

Wow. Well, that's a nice teaser for our next discussion.

[James Marino]

Okay, so John Moss, writer, producer for television and film, will have links to John's Facebook and Blue sky accounts here. Also, we didn't touch upon it, but your tagline on social media is you graduated summa cum laude from the office boy and coffee shop of the School of the Dramatic Arts, which is, you know, you know, better than a Harvard education back in the day.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

I'm actually a Pratt graduate, but I started working as a gopher when I was 17 at the theater Guild. So that's what it's.

[James Marino]

Okay. Peter, you just returned from Baltimore where one of the things you did, aside from, you know, lunch with Jill Eikenberry, is you saw Floating down to Camelot at the Spotlighters Theater in Baltimore. So tell us about it.

[Maeve]

Well, you know, this is pretty remarkable that the Spotlighters Theater has been around since 1962. Yes. It's a community theater, and community theaters tend to last longer than regional theaters, I'm sorry to say, for regional theater's sake. I'm not sorry for community theater's sake, but for regional theater's sake. So it's really quite wonderful this organization has been able to be around since the Kennedy administration. That's pretty impressive. So. But the thing about community theater is rarely do they ever do a new play. I was amazed two and a half years ago when indeed a community theater in Virginia, Matt Moore did my play, Larry, the big time Broadway producer. And, you know, so it's very rare. And here we have a new play called Floating down to Camelot. Now, if you're really smart about poetry, you know that that line comes from Tennyson. I am not really smart about poetry, so I had to learn it from play by Stephen J. SATA. And he makes a wonderful point in saying that there have been so many gay plays before Stonewall, set before Stonewall, around the time of Stonewall. There have been plenty of plays about AIDS, which started in the 80s. But what happened in between? And that's what he's concentrated on. He goes to 1977, when there are still people who are afraid to come out of the plaza it and some people who are daring to. So who are we talking about? We're talking about Julian Chapel. Julian Chapel is a professor at a university. He teaches painting. And indeed, he's quite accomplished. He has now done a painting of, rather provocative one of a young man who greatly resembles a student of his, Roberto Montalvo. And a lot of people are saying, whoa, if he is doing him in the nude, what have these two been doing together? So he is very, very much suspect. Now saying, you better watch out, is David Pearson. And David is wanting him. He's the teacher at the school, too. Please don't do this. You've got to cover yourself. You've got to make sure that this is not going to make you in real job trouble. And indeed, Nora Walsh, who runs the department, is certainly very worried about this because she knows that Julian is a good teacher. And indeed, this is the most circumstantial of evidence you can possibly get. I mean, you know, it doesn't mean that these two have been cavorting, and yet maybe they have. And what would that mean? And all that in the meantime, we have to admit that we. There might have been something between them because indeed, what happens with Julian, he does pick up with a young man, not amazingly younger, not probably as young as the student, but nevertheless a younger man. And they seem to have a very good relationship. But the thing is, this young man is very, very devoted to his mother, and she's not well. And he and his father really have made it almost their occupation to be her caretaker. Well, what's going to happen when Julian decides maybe he should leave the university and go be a painter in New York? What's going to happen to this relationship? So there are a lot of interesting complications here. So I thought it was really quite good. Now, the wonderful thing is, you know, you always hear me say that in community theater you can find wonderful, wonderful performances. And I will admit that Bill Kamberger is a buddy of mine, and that's the reason I went down to see it, because while he directs in Baltimore, more often than not, he hasn't done a play on stage in a major role for almost a quarter century. So he was coming back to it, and he was terrific as David Pearson, a real tight ass, you know, who knows that Julian is right when he says, you should be courageous. We must do something. We must together do something and make it happen. We have to come out. We must come out and show people who we really are and get them used to seeing who we really are. And it's very, very hard for this guy to do it, who really believes that the rest of the world thinks he's a confirmed old bachelor and likely to remain so that indeed he's living with a. A man. But they're roommates. As Michael says in the Boy in the Band, nobody has the roommate when he's over 35. So. So that's what's going on here. And the frustration that Bill Kamber shows is really quite wonderful because he knows deep in his heart that Julian is right. Julian, terrifically played by an actor named Chad Tyler, really wonderful, has the charisma that is needed for this part, because, after all, he is really supposed to be a sexual magnet. In fact, there's even a term used that's quite funny to describe what type of sexual magnet he is. I won't give that away because I want people to go see the play next week. So it is worth a trip down to Baltimore. Really very tender, too, when Leo, the new boyfriend, has to deal with his father. Because this is still a time when people had not come out to their parents. And it was very, very difficult, even in the 70s, after Stonewall, for people to come out to their parents. And Jim Hart was wonderful as the father who doesn't understand this at all, who is furious with his son, who says, you're never to see your mother again. What's going to happen at that. That's a very good complication. So there are plenty of complications. And it reminds us of where gays were in the seventies. Progress, yes. Some. No. Progress, yes. Plenty. But the look to the future is very hopeful. And it was so wonderful, so wonderful to see the capacity audience there after the scene where the father and the son really come to terms with what's going on, that they instinctively applauded that scene. Quite, quite wonderful. So I really do believe that Kat Bustos did a very nice job of directing, and I do believe that Floating down to Camelot has a future. I hope it's as long as Tennyson's future was when he was writing.

[James Marino]

All right, so Floating down to Camelot at the Spotlighters theater in Baltimore, Maryland. It's running through next Sunday, August 17th. We'll have a link to that in the show notes. Plus they have a number of videos there if you want to check it out as well. Also, it just reminded me that next Sunday, August 17th, Gypsy is going to close as well.

[Peter Felicia]

Yes.

[James Marino]

So if you have been sitting on the fence and not, you know, fulfilled your required viewing of Audra and Gypsy. You only have a week left to do it. So get down to the Majestic. And I noticed off the top of my head, is anything scheduled to go to the Majestic?

[Maeve]

I was just gonna ask the same question.

[Peter Felicia]

I have no idea.

[Maeve]

Yeah.

[James Marino]

Yeah. I don't see anything.

[Peter Felicia]

Nobody thought this, this show was going to close this soon.

[James Marino]

Yeah.

[Peter Felicia]

Or at least the producers didn't.

[Maeve]

No, certainly not. Yeah.

[James Marino]

The producers of Floyd Collins over at Lincoln Center Theater didn't think that Floyd Collins was going to. Was going to wrap up so quickly either. But here we are with things that look on paper like they're going to be huge commercial hits, you know, seem not to catch lightning in the jar.

[Peter Felicia]

But actually, I forgot, did it run less than its originally scheduled limited run?

[James Marino]

I don't know exactly if it ran less, but I do feel as though that they didn't schedule anything behind it right away. Yeah, except for.

[Peter Felicia]

That's fair.

[James Marino]

Yeah, except for that. You know, the rag time happened very quickly after the new artist came in.

[Peter Felicia]

Yes, yes.

[James Marino]

So I think that they were like, well, I have a relationship with a production that was well received and we can put it up in LCT pretty quickly in the Viv, so we'll see. But in the Viv. So, Michael, over at castalbarviews.com, you have reviewed the cast recording of the new cast recording of Floyd Collins. So tell us about this new cast recording.

[Peter Felicia]

Yes, it was released on Friday and I got the review up that day because I had gotten an advanced copy. So I think that's a first for me. And I wrote this review myself, so I'll read it because it's not that long. Floyd Collins features one of the most well regarded musical theater scores of the late 20th century, so it certainly deserved at least one high profile revival and a second recording as a follow up to the 1996 Off Broadway originals. The show's belated Broadway debut came in 2025 when it was presented by Lincoln Center Theatre at the Vivian Beaum. As heard on the cast album of that production, Jeremy Jordan brings everything one could ask for to the role of Floyd in terms of vocal beauty, range and emotional expressiveness. The fact that the timbre of his voice is so different from that of Christopher Invar, as preserved on the first recording, helps Jordan make the part his own and provides a wonderful alternative listening experience. Though this remains Floyd's show in the sense that his music is the best in the score, it's impressive and satisfying that LCT assembled such a strong cast in support of Jordan, including Jason Gautheus Homer, Lizzie McAlpin and Mark Kudish as Nellie and Lee Collins, Jessica Malaski as Ms. Jane, Sean Allen Krill as H.T. carmichael, and Taylor Trench in the meaty role of Skeets Miller, a journalist who is on hand to cover Floyd's plight, but who eventually becomes a major part of the story himself. Both Jordan and Trensch received Tony Award nominations for their performances. The recording reflects some relatively minor changes that Adam Gettel and Tina Landau made for this production, including the addition of the sweetly heartbreaking and she'd have Blue Eyes for the trapped Floyd to sing, as he imagines the girlfriend he'll never have listening to the score again after some time away from it, this reviewer had the feeling that it does contain a certain amount of uninspired material, but also that its greatest moments seem as great as ever, most notably How Glory Goes, one of the most beautiful and profound contemplations of death and the afterlife that any human being has ever created. Did. So that's my review. I did double check, and I think there were notes to this in the, in the, in the notes to the recording to the effect that this little song and she'd have Blue Eyes is in addition to the score that was written for this production. And it's, it's really lovely. I, I think it, it's a wonderful addition. So if you're a fan of the score, I would say absolutely pick up this recording. I don't think the physical media version is out yet, but certainly you can download it and, you know, get it through the usual suspects ways. Really, really very well done.

[James Marino]

Michael, do you know if they used the same number of orchestra members in the recording that they did in the show, in the live show at Lincoln Center?

[Peter Felicia]

Oh, I don't know. I didn't count. I mean, as we, as we know, they often augment the number, but I think Floyd Collins thought as more of his chamber score, so I'm guessing maybe not. I'm really just speculating. I'm sorry, I didn't check that.

[James Marino]

And this was from Center Stage Records.

[Peter Felicia]

Center Stage Records, yes.

[James Marino]

All right, so we'll have a link back to cast album reviews, Floyd Collins review, if you want to take a look at that yourself or pick it up at Center Stage Records itself. All right, so that wraps it up for this week. Before we get on to our brain teaser, our musical moments, I want to remind everybody that you can subscribe to these broadcasts by going to the frontpageofbroadwayradio.com There's a subscribe link that way each and every time we have a new episode of this Week on Broadway, it'll be automatically downloaded to Apple Podcasts for you. Of course, you don't have to get us in Apple Podcasts. There's many ways to get us. Patreon is one way. P A T r e o n.com Broadwayradio is one way that you can support all of Broadway radio's offerings, plus get us a little bit early and get a few other benefits here and there. Contact information for Peter, for Michael and me can be found in the show [e-mail] as well as links to some of the things we've talked about today. So, Peter, do we have an answer to last week's brain teaser?

[Maeve]

Believe it or not, we do. The musical's title was all of one word. It referred to the first name of its main character, who had three names. The play on which it was based gave the first and middle names of that character, but not the third. I was talking about Pearly. Pearly was the musical. Curly Victorious was the play and Pearly Victorious. Judson was his name. Julia Green was first, followed by Tony Janicki, Isaac Blebbins, Sean Logan, Paul Whitty, Michael Wanna, Steve Bell, Deb Poppel, Ingrid Gammerman, and Brigadude. This week's question. An Oscar winning movie mentioned a Tony winning musical. But when that Oscar winning movie was made into a Tony losing musical, it dropped the reference to the Tony winning musical. Explain.

[James Marino]

If you have an explanation for that, email us@trivia broadwayradio.com we'll let you know if you're on the right track, Peter. So I just happened to notice that Juliet came in hundredths of a second in front of.

[Maeve]

That's right, Tony.

[James Marino]

Janicky.

[Maeve]

That's right.

[James Marino]

If not thousands of a second, you know, where it all matters. You know, answering these answering brain teasers at Broadway radio is like F1. You know, it's like Formula One driving final things. So Michael, what do we have in this week's musical moments?

[Peter Felicia]

Well, we have a little tribute to Jane Morgan who died this week. And, and most of our listeners will probably know her for having replaced in the role of Mame in the original Broadway production. But she just died at 101 on August 4th in Naples, Florida. And she was really a singer and a nightclub and concert artist, much more than an actress. But she did play Mame and, and happily, there are two extended clips of her in the show. Well, from the Ed Sullivan show with the main company, the company that she was performing with at the time in color. It's today and we need a little Christmas. And I think you may find that, that you will agree with me that, that she sings it very, very well. The acting is maybe not so great, very presentational, not, not sort of the same thing you get from an Angela Lansbury, but. But it seemed to be a very congenial role for her and, and I think she was well received in it. So the two clips we have are the opener, which is. It's today, and the closer, which is we need a little Christmas. And we need a little Christmas has an extra bit of interest to it because Gooch, the role of Gooch in this clip is played by Helen Gallagher, you know, a role that maybe was somewhat atypical for her. So it's nice to have these, these little video mementos. The, the Ed Sullivan stuff was very, very closely guarded for years and years and years. You, you couldn't see it like no matter what you, you did. But I guess that's loosened up a little bit, you know, with the passage of time. And it really is a treasure trove. If you read up on the man, he certainly had. He was very complicated and maybe not very admirable in some ways, but as far as, as far as promoting Broadway and preserving, preserving, you know, just really, really stupendous. So, yeah, so those are our, our opener and closing musical moments this week and I hope you enjoy. And by the way, if any, if any of you are free, on Tuesday at 3pm they are showing Auntie Mame the non musical movie with Rosalind Russell at the Paris Theater. And always fun to watch that and see, you know, where, where the songs were added and, and, and how well they were slotted into the story. And also something so fascinating to me is that of course when a play is made into a musical, it often has to be edited quite a bit because, you know, to make room for all of the songs. And I think that was done so very, very well for Auntie Mame, including the combination of two characters, Nora Muldoon and Agnes Gooch into one character, Agnes Gooch. And then the total elimination of a really kind of odd subplot involving this fellow named Brian o' Banion, who's a sort of a gigolo gold digger kind of a guy who take. Takes advantage advantage of Mame. All of that's in the movie, the non musical movie of Auntie Mame. But the changes were made for the musical by Lawrence and Lee, obviously in collaboration with Jerry Herman. But the interesting thing there is that Lawrence and Lee wrote both the play and the musical. So I think it must be very hard for writers to edit their own work, especially after it's been a great success. So they just, they did a really spectacular, wonderful job with it. And if you've never seen the movie of Auntie Mame, maybe you can catch it at Paris this weekend. If not, obviously, it's very, very easily accessible through many other sources.

[James Marino]

All right. So on behalf of Michael Portantier and Peter Felicia, this is James Marinos saying thanks so much for listening to your Broadway videos this week on Broadway.

[Peter Felicia]

Bye bye.

[Maeve]

Sam. My.