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- [00:00]
Zoey
Guys, thanks for helping me carry my Christmas tree.
- [00:03]
Drew Ski
Zoey, this thing weighs a ton.
- [00:04]
Peter Felicia
Drew Ski, live with your legs, man. Santa.
- [00:06]
Santa
Santa, did you get my letter?
- [00:07]
Drew Ski
He's talking to you britches.
- [00:09]
Peter Felicia
I'm not.
- [00:10]
Zoey
Of course he did.
- [00:11]
Peter Felicia
Right, Santa, you know my elf Drew Ski here. He handles the nice list.
- [00:15]
Drew Ski
And elf, I'm six' three. What everyone wants is iPhone 17 and at T Mobile you can get it on them. That center stage front camera is amazing for group selfies. Right, Mrs. Claus?
- [00:25]
Zoey
I'm Mrs. Claus much younger sister. And AT T Mobile, there's no trade in needed when you switch. So you can keep your old phone.
- [00:32]
Peter Felicia
Or give it as a gift.
- [00:33]
Zoey
And the best part, you can make the switch to T mobile from your phone in just 15 minutes.
- [00:37]
Peter Felicia
Nice.
- [00:37]
Drew Ski
My side of the tree is slipping.
- [00:38]
Michael Portantier
Kimber, the holidays are better.
- [00:41]
Peter Felicia
AT T Mobile, switch in just 15.
- [00:43]
Michael Portantier
Minutes and get iPhone 17 on us with no trade in needed. And now T mobile is available in.
- [00:48]
Peter Felicia
US cellular stores with 24 month legal.
- [00:50]
T-Mobile Announcer
Credits for well qualified customers plus tax and $35 device connection charge credits and imbalance due if you pay off earlier. Cancel financing agreement. 256 gauge $830 eligible for in a new line, $100 plus a month plan with auto payments, taxes and fees required. Check out 15 minutes or less per line. Visit t mobile.com.
- [01:06]
Santa
Out the holly Put up the tree before my spirit falls again Fill up the stocking I may be rushing things but deck the halls again now.
- [01:23]
Peter Felicia
For.
- [01:23]
Santa
We need a little Christmas right this very minute Candles in the window Carols at the spinner yes, we need a little Christmas Christmas right this very minute it hasn't snowed a single flurry But Santa dear, we're in a hurry so climb down the chimney Put up the brightest string of lights I've ever seen Slice up the fruitcake it's time we hung some tinsel on that evergreen bowl.
- [01:57]
James Marino
Hello and welcome to Broadway Radio's this week on Broadway for Sunday, December 14, 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 is available at finer retailers. Peter also has columns at Masterworks Broadway, Broadway select and many of the places. Hello, Peter.
- [02:26]
Peter Felicia
Hi, Peter.
- [02:27]
James Marino
When you got up this morning, did you put on your Sunday clothes?
- [02:33]
Peter Felicia
Nah, I put on my clothes from last night, so that'll have to do. The Reason. James mentioning that because that's the show tune for today. I have it from the hello Dolly soundtrack. And the reason I do that is because. No, no, there's a reason for that. There's a reason. There's a reason. I really was intent on having a different album for each day. There are 366 different albums that are cited here. No album is repeated. Shows are repeated, but not albums. But anyway, why put on your Sunday clothes for today? Well, I mean, after all, this was the day that. That a certain film was landmarked by the National Film Registry. You may know that some movies do get that honor that you can't fool around with them at all. They have to be shown as is. We've had four Tony winning best musicals in that category. My Fair Lady, Music Band, Sound of music and cabaret. 4 Tony nominated best musicals, Flower Drum Song, Funny Girl, west side Story in Grease and six musicals that predated the Tonys. The Band Wagon, Cabin in the Sky, Naughty Marietta, on the Town, Boggy and Besson, Oklahoma. But this was the day. This was the day that Wall E was made part of the National Film Registry. And Wally, the acronym for waste Allocation, Load lifter, Earth class was. The title character was a robot. The last functioning one on earth was still collecting garbage. And he gets a VCR and a tape inside the solo dolly. And there's put on your Sunday clothes. It actually starts the movie. So because it was chosen on this day, that's why that was chosen. And by the way, I would say that of all the songs I've heard from Broadway musicals, which may be maybe five figures, I don't know, but it's very high. 4 Put on your Sunday Close is one of my top 10 favorite songs. So I'm very glad to have it here, even if indeed people have issues with Michael Crawford singing it.
- [04:42]
Michael Portantier
I'm happy that I got to tell Jerry Herman to his face that I thought that was one of the greatest show tunes ever written.
- [04:50]
Peter Felicia
Thoroughly agree.
- [04:53]
Michael Portantier
No, it just made him very, very happy.
- [04:55]
Peter Felicia
Yeah, when I talked to him, I told him the two his songs are on my top 10. The other one is look what happened to Mabel. But it's funny, just last night I was watching Mrs. Santa Claus, which I had never watched. And so I was watching it and he shows up in the film for a couple of seconds playing the piano. So that's kind of nice to.
- [05:19]
James Marino
Of course, that other voice that you heard is Michael Portentier. Michael's a theater reviewer and interviewer. He's the founder and editor of castalbumreviews.com he is also a theatrical photographer whose photos have appeared in the New York Times and other publications and he writes reviews of cabaret shows for NightLifeExchange.com Additionally, Michael is known as a producer and director of shows at 54 below the Laurie Beechman Theater and other venues. Hello Michael.
- [05:46]
Peter Felicia
Hi.
- [05:48]
James Marino
Hello. And we are just two days away from An Evening with Len Cariou.
- [05:53]
Michael Portantier
Yes, an Evening with len Cariou at Lalauri Beachman Theatre in the West Bank Cafe Tuesday the 16th at 7pm I'm going to interview Len live on stage. There are going to be some clips from some of his best performances. At least I think two live performances by Len. I won't spill what he's going to sing, but I think everyone will be very pleased. Also, we're planning to have Leroy Reams and Penny Fuller, two of Len's co stars in the musical Applause on hand in the audience for the event. And I have just found that I do have access to a limited number of COVID comps for the evening. You would still have to pay the $25 food and drink minimum, which is I think very reasonable. But if you email me@michael broadwayradio.com I, you know, and if you do that soon, I, I'm not sure exactly how many I have but I can get probably several people in as comps and it would be one or two per person. So again Michael broadwayradio.com.
- [07:15]
James Marino
I, I, you know, I, I, I don't want to spill the beans but I, I did hear Len's going to be singing the music in the mirror with full choreography.
- [07:24]
Michael Portantier
And if that's not worth the admission price, I don't know what it is.
- [07:28]
James Marino
It's all I ever needed. That's all I ever needed. So some a few things to mention here. Jan Simpson's all the drama on Hamilton, the 2016 winner for the Pulitzer PR. Have you guys ever heard of that? This little skit called Hamilton. I don't know if you have but boy a lot of people have seen it including in the last couple of weeks. So that is available to the public now. It was out on Patreon a few weeks ago and also Matt Tamini announced on Broadway radio the other day some changes for today on Broadway. We are going to end Today on Broadway. In fact, today on Broadway has ended already. Friday was the last episode but Matt and Grace are thinking up other things to do for Broadway radio and we are going to be doing some other stuff that is in the work that is in the works. Matt's going to be doing a weekly show called Last Week on Broadway. He's going to be doing the news for Last Week on Broadway, and that'll be in the new year. And also Matt's going to be focused on this Week in theater, which is going to be a focus of theaters in and around the US that we don't get very often a chance to cover, Although Michael and Peter do travel up and down the East Coast a lot and occasionally to the Midwest. But mat going to focus on all the great theater that's happening on outside of New York City. So stay tuned for those type of.
- [09:21]
Peter Felicia
Things.
- [09:24]
James Marino
In our review section. Michael and Peter got to see the new production is. I'm sorry, is it a new production or is it a direct transfer of Marjorie Prime? What say you guys? Is it a. Is it a direct transfer or is it a new production? Peter, tell us what you think.
- [09:46]
Peter Felicia
I believe it's a new production, isn't it?
- [09:48]
Michael Portantier
Yeah, it is.
- [09:49]
Peter Felicia
Yeah.
- [09:50]
Michael Portantier
The Other one was 2015, 10 years.
- [09:52]
James Marino
Ago, but we did have, a couple of seasons ago, we had something that was considered a transfer, and it happened like 18 years later.
- [10:06]
Michael Portantier
What was that?
- [10:08]
James Marino
What was that?
- [10:08]
Peter Felicia
That rings a bell. Yes, I agree with that.
- [10:10]
James Marino
But Rob Johnson will come up with it in a minute. Peter, tell us.
- [10:15]
Peter Felicia
What I thought of Marjorie Pryor.
- [10:16]
James Marino
Yes, please.
- [10:18]
Peter Felicia
Thought it was terrific. Quite, quite impressive. And of course, what Everybody talks about. One anything else was June Squibb, who's 96 years old suddenly and doesn't miss a beat. I'm telling you, there wasn't a moment at the performance I attended where she was hesitating, even for a split second. So it's really quite amazing. This is a play that has a funky idea behind it, and that is the fact that in the future, if indeed somebody dies and you miss that person terribly, would you indeed go to and have a computer program that actually replicates that person the way that person looked? You'll have to program it. You'll have to tell it all the facts that you wanted to remember. But indeed, you can have a conversation with this person and so to speak, quotation marks around the word person. And maybe it'll help you, maybe it won't, but that's something to look at the future. I have to say that Linda and I talked about it afterwards. We both decided that if obviously one of us is going to. Well, who knows? But odds are one of us is going to go first and would we do this? And we decided no, no, we would not. However, what we did decide is that somebody who is in his or her 90s and is trouble remembering things and all that goes with that, it's a nice thing. It would be a nice thing for somebody to have this illusion, so to speak, occur. Well, anyway, we are dealing with the. The people who are entrusted to take care of June Squibb's character. Who is Marjorie? She's Marjorie when we begin. Marjorie. Okay, so why is it called Marjorie Prime? Well, I don't want to quite give that away, but nevertheless, certainly Cynthia Nixon and Danny Burstein play the people who are taking care of her. It's her mother. And I have to say, as much as I admire Danny Burstein in the past, even more so now because this is such a natural performance. Longtime listeners know that I often say the best acting is when you feel like you're not seeing acting at all. That's exactly what's going on here. So I, as a Tony winner, Tony nominee, many, many, many, many times. But this may very well be his finest performance ever. So if you like Danny, I think you're really going to be pleased by what he's doing here. Cynthia Nixon's wonderful, too, but really it's June Squibb who, of course, steals the show, basically because she. You wouldn't expect anybody of this age to be able to do what she's doing. So that's quite good. It's. It's a tremendously interesting play. And I have to say that when I say interesting, I don't mean interesting in the way that most people mean when they say interesting, which is a euphemism for okay. No, it does interest me because it goes into directions you don't expect it to go into because other people in the play have their problems too well. But there's a fourth character too, and that's Marjorie's would be husband, very nicely played by Christopher Lowell. So it's, it's, it's quite a fascinating thing. Now, what I did before seeing it was watch the movie which has Lois Smith in it. And it's, it's a very effective movie as well. But what's fun is hearing the lines that were dropped from the movie drop from the play that are in the movie and vice versa. So it's really good to always do that if you have the opportunity to do that. And I was very glad I did that. But I have to say that it's quite a thing when you say that Lois Smith delivers a performance that might be a tiny step behind June Squibs, and I really believe that. And boy, if you know Lois Smith's work, and I bet you do, then indeed, you know what a compliment that is for June Squibs. So a funky play, but, boy, it packed a wallop for me.
- [14:36]
James Marino
Okay, Michael, what did you think?
- [14:39]
Michael Portantier
Well, I loved the play when I first saw it in 10 years ago, and I loved the movie when I saw it again with Lois Smith, and I love this production. I think Jordan Harrison is a really wonderful playwright, and interesting that his most recent play that we saw here in New York was the Antiquities, which also has a sort of, well, I guess not a science fiction plot, but that one was about, you know, the people living in the far future and, and, and looking back at our present day and, and looking at us as antiquities. So there's a, you know, you know, I think he's, he's very much into those kinds of themes, metaphysical stuff and existential stuff. And I, I, I, I don't know. His other plays he, Maple and Vine and the Amateurs, which was at the Vineyard. But these two, I really, really love them. I love Marjorie prime, despite the fact that there were some plot elements that I don't quite understand and unfortunately can't discuss them any further. I wish I could. One thing that's interesting to me is that I don't think it's made completely clear in the play that the PR that we see are supposed to be holograms generated by a computer. In the movie, there is one moment.
- [16:17]
Peter Felicia
Yeah.
- [16:18]
Michael Portantier
Where Jon Hamm, who plays Walter prime, we do see. I forget exactly what happens, but we see something like fall and go through his, like his leg suddenly becomes transparent, and it's clear that he's a hologram. But that doesn't happen, not on stage. You know, I think most people might think that they're supposed to be androids anyway, but, but it doesn't really matter. The point is, because the, the technology is not the main point. It's the fact that having these things created in order to, to give older people someone to talk to that, you know, to recreate the Persona of someone that they really loved and minds, you know, accurate, accurate and, and, and, and alert people who might be succumbing to Alzheimer's or whatever, and I think it's really, really great in that way. June Squib, as I'm sure some of our listeners know, her, her credits, her Broadway credits date back to the original production of Gypsy, in which she was a replacement in the role of Elektra. How incredible is that, and she was also in the Happy Time. And she was also, far more recently, several other credits in straight plays. But then she was also much more recently in Waitress. Did either of you know that?
- [17:57]
Peter Felicia
No. Well, yes, I knew it, but I didn't see her. That's right. Yeah.
- [18:00]
Michael Portantier
Yeah. She was a replacement in Waitress. So my point is, she has a background in musicals, and so I thought it was lovely that she does get to sing a little bit in Marjorie prime, but that's not the main focus of the performance, of course. She's just beautiful throughout in this really wonderfully written role. And everyone else, as Peter mentioned, Danny Burstein, absolutely at his absolute best. Christopher Lowell, I thought, did a perfect job in just giving tiny little indications that this thing we're seeing is a hologram and not a real person. And Cynthia Nixon, you know who. I have always, always, always loved her on stage. And I think this is a great role for her. Not maybe the most sympathetic role, but a very complex role. And she does a beautiful job with it, brilliantly directed by Ann Kaufman, who directed it. It 10 years ago. And I have nothing negative to say, despite my. My tiny little questions about the. The logistics of the plot and the technical aspects of it, which, again, I wish we could talk about more, but we can't. So I. I would say without hesitation, please go see it. I think you'll absolutely love it.
- [19:34]
Peter Felicia
I hated the wallpaper, though.
- [19:37]
James Marino
Yeah.
- [19:37]
Michael Portantier
Green, greenish.
- [19:39]
James Marino
Right.
- [19:40]
Peter Felicia
Yeah.
- [19:41]
Michael Portantier
So you would quote, supposedly. Who was it? Oscar Wilde's final, final words.
- [19:48]
Peter Felicia
I don't know what the.
- [19:50]
Michael Portantier
Either that wallpaper goes or I do.
- [19:52]
Peter Felicia
Is that right? I never knew that.
- [19:54]
Michael Portantier
Well, who knows if it's true?
- [19:56]
Peter Felicia
Right?
- [20:00]
James Marino
All right. Mo Prime. Michael, are you sitting down? Yeah. Okay, good. Marjorie prime is playing at either the Helen Hayes Theater or the Hayes Theater. I'm not sure.
- [20:17]
Michael Portantier
They.
- [20:17]
James Marino
They say two different things in their stuff. Yeah. So through February 15th, we'll have a link to that in the show notes. Michael, you made it down to Washington D.C. shakespeare Theatre Company to see Guys and Dolls. So tell us about this.
- [20:37]
Michael Portantier
Well, I have always thought, and I'm sure many, many people agree with me, that Guys and Dolls is an absolute masterpiece of musical theater and musical comedy and really among the top shows that are beloved by both the general public and critics. And in fact, I've often heard Guys and Dolls cited along with west side Story, which is another musical I'll be reporting about in a moment as musicals that are loved even by people who don't like musicals. In the case of Guys and Dolls, I think it's because it's so funny. With a brilliant, brilliant script by Abe Burroughs and. And of course, the score by Frank Lesser music and lyrics is beyond criticism. It's just one hit after another, an absolute classic. And then now, I would say, Let me phrase this properly, Guys and Dolls is so good that even Francesca Zambello can't ruin it. She directed this production. Francesca Zambelo is a highly respected director by many people, not necessarily by me for her work in opera, but I personally do not care for her work in musicals that I have seen. I really just don't like what she does. She always seems to do things to try to make a show her own. And I think they're usually not successful, in my opinion. And in fact, I hate to point it out, but she was the director of the Little Mermaid on Broadway. That was her major Broadway musical credit. And I don't have to point out that that show was a very rare example of a Disney show that did not have a long run on Broadway, but has been very successful elsewhere. So I would think that that would indicate to me that her direction was a huge part of the problem here. We have a very interesting case. I would say the bulk of the show is very well directed and performed, but it's severely hampered by this. What I have to say to me is quite an idiotic framing device. And let me quote from the program. The director's note in the program. Guys and Dolls was inspired by a couple of short stories by Damon Runyon, whose writing captured the spirit of New York in the 1930s, a century after the Great Depression. The idea of haves and have nots remains resonant. Runyon's world is filled with fast talkers and fast thinkers, all of them living by their wits and an occasional stroke of luck. By opening in a present day nonprofit thrift store. I wanted to acknowledge not only the reality of the wealth gap, but also the many people who are rolling up their sleeves and doing what they can to close that gap. Now, first of all, I don't think Guys and Dolls is primarily about the wealth gap. That never ever occurred to me. And I think it's, you know, putting that weight on it is more weight than it deserves for this really delightful musical comedy. So I would say that to begin with. And then also it's, you know, it's this idea to me. Do directors really think people are so stupid that they have to see something that indicates the present day in order to bring them into a story? Do they really think that if this opened in, as it's supposed to, in Times Square, in. Well, you know, sometimes, I mean, I think Guys and Dolls is supposed to take place. I think it's supposed to take place about the time that the musical was written, which is 1950. You know, that's. That's usually the way we see it. So if, you know, can. Are people really that. That limited. Are their brains that small, that they. If they see that and they go, oh, my God, it's. Oh, it looks like 1950. I can't relate to this. So do we really have to open it in what would be the modern equivalent of a Salvation army thrift store? This set for. For this show, which is basically a unit set, you know, that has some other elements come in and out, looks to me exactly like the thrift store of the Salvation army that currently exists. You can go to it today if you want. On far. I always forget. I think it's 46th or 47th. I'm pretty sure it's 46. Far West 46th Street. Yeah, far. Very far. Yeah. Between 10th and 11th, I believe.
- [25:55]
James Marino
Yeah.
- [25:57]
Michael Portantier
So I, you know, I mean, I just. I. I just think that is so ridiculous. And then one other thing I noticed in terms of the direction that really harmed it is that it seemed to me that Francesca Zambelo directed the. The performance of the fellow who played. Who played Nathan Detroit, Rob Coletti, in such a way that she made him kind of subdued. For example, there's a line in the. In the gambling scene, in the sewer scene, where Sky Masterson is betting everyone a thousand dollars, you know, that if he wins, they will show up for a meeting at the Save the Soul Mission. And if he loses, he will give each. Each of them a thousand dollars. So he's rolling them for their souls, as he puts it. And he says, you, too, Nathan. And Nathan is supposed to say. And the way he's supposed to say, it is my soul. I don't even know if I've got one. And it gets a laugh. Here he goes, I don't even know if I've gotten one. I mean, come on. I just don't think that's right. So I don't think she was the right director for this show, but I'm glad it turned out so well, regardless. And if you can just sort of forget that you're looking at this silly unit set framing device. There is a wind. There are large windows at the back, and you can't see the band through it. A very, very excellent band or orchestra, I would say. It's quite. Quite a large orchestra. And really great performances from the aforementioned. Well, not from Rob Coletti, who I think was. Just because he was hampered by the direction. He still had a lot of good moments, though, and he landed a lot of the laughs, despite what I believe he was told to do by Francesca Zambelo. But we have Jacob Dicke as Sky Masterson. He was recently in Old Friends on Broadway and he had been. He has played Aladdin on Broadway as a replacement. He was, I thought, really great as Sky Masterson. He was very slick in the beginning, but you could tell from the beginning that he had maybe, you know, that there was a heart underneath. And he has a beautiful voice, so I thought he was just about perfect. Haley Podchin, fabulous performance. Fabulous performance as Miss Adelaide. You know, some nods to the stereotypical dumb blonde with the squeaky voice, but she moderated that and I thought made Adelaide more of a real person without, you know, without destroying the comedy by any means. She got all the laughs also. And maybe best of all, Julie Benko as Sarah Brown. Very difficult role, I've always thought, because she's so rigid in the beginning of the show. But then, you know, she does have a major transformation. And I thought Julie did a fabulous job with it and sang it beautifully. And her transformation, I thought, was one of the most believable that I've ever seen. So all in all, I would say worth the trip to see Guys and Dolls at the Shakespeare Theatre Company down in Washington, D.C. despite my reservations about the direction.
- [29:41]
James Marino
All right, so Michael just gave you all the information. It is at Shakespeare Theater company in Washington, DC. It is running through January 8th. They have great videos which have been thrown into the show.
- [29:58]
Michael Portantier
Notes just announced, by the way, that Julie Benko will be leaving.
- [30:03]
James Marino
Yeah, I was just going to say that.
- [30:06]
Michael Portantier
Yeah, Guys and Dolls has been extended, but Julie Benko will be leaving to play Emma Goldman in Ragtime on Broadway.
- [30:15]
James Marino
Yeah, temporarily. She's got a Temporarily Ragtime Emma Goldman right now, so.
- [30:27]
Michael Portantier
Oh, was it. Was it listed that she would be a temporary replacement for Shayna Taub?
- [30:31]
James Marino
Yeah, Shayna is stepping out to do something and coming back. Shayna wants to get that Tony. She wants. You know, everybody's staying in Ragtime to get their Tony. Tony, Tony, Tony, Tony. Yeah. So. All right, next up, Peter got in the Felicia Mobile to head up to the Good Speed. Do they have T shirts now that say the Good Speed?
- [31:08]
Peter Felicia
I didn't notice.
- [31:10]
James Marino
So to see Irving Berlin's White Christmas, which we woke up to A winter Wonderland in The Northeast this morning. So, Peter, tell us about White Christmas.
- [31:22]
Peter Felicia
Well, I think that the most applause that I have heard for any moment this year happened at the Goodspeed Opera House this Wednesday for the second act opener of I Love a Piano. Now, the Goodspeed Opera House isn't nearly as large as a Broadway theater, but if you were just hearing the applause that was given to Kelly Barclay's choreography, and, of course, the people who enacted it, I think you would be astonished that you weren't in a. Maybe even a Radio City Music Hall. Because the people just had such respect for what was going on there. Because every time you thought that they couldn't do anything else in choreography, they went ahead and did it. So that is really quite something. Now, Mrs. Santa Claus was supposed to be done at good speed. And I don't quite know what happened. I'm not sure if there was a situation with rights with the script. There weren't enough songs. Who knows? Because the movie, the TV movie, is an hour and a half, literally an hour and a half long. So maybe that's a problem. I don't know. But I'll tell you, I don't think anybody who went to Goodspeed to. To see White Christmas was the least bit disappointed that they weren't seeing Mrs. Santa Claus, even though we'd like to see it. Because here we were with a show with all these Irving Berliner songs. Now, the book done by David Ives, certainly one of our most respected temporary playwrights, and Paul Blake, who has a big history with the muni in St. Louis, really, I think, improves the film. I watched the film before I went. And the film begins with the fact that these guys were in the army. Two guys, Phil and Phil Davis and Bob Wallace. Bob Wallace in the film is a star already and played by Bing Crosby. And Phil played by Danny Kay, though he was hardly the first choice. Indeed, we're in the army together. And it seemed that Phil saved his life, Bob's life. And he. He says, yeah, I'm a songwriter. And eventually they become a team. Well, all that's cut. You don't need that. You really don't. And it was. When you see the show, it starts off with Bob. And Phil stars already on stage, happily doing a song, Let Yourself Go, which I think is a very smart thing to eliminate all that stuff. You don't need it. So I think it's a very smart adaptation. Now, in the movie, the they. They happen to be doing a favor for. For an old army buddy who they really felt was unattractive. But he had two sisters and they're in show business. And so, all right, as an obligation they go. What's interesting here is that these guys are looking for a sister act. Sister acts were a big thing back then. And we are talking about way back when in that post war era. So as a result, they want to go there. And among hardest things I thought was the fact that in the movie, both of them sitting at the table and they're looking at the. The sisters on stage and one of them says, oh, the one with the blue eyes. No, the one with the brown eyes. That's the one I like. Well, you know, really, if you're sitting in a nightclub, you know, and you're not that close, can you really notice eyes? I mean, perhaps you can, but I thought it was really smart to make one look at that blonde. Oh, no, the brunette. You know, that makes more sense, you know, that they would notice hair rather than eyes. So I thought that was really a good thing too. I like that quite a bit. It's funny that Michael mentioned the silly chorus girls, because that comes into play here as well. And I do think that's something that people seem to still enjoy. So. So you do have that there. You know, the term slick is often used in musicals for a production that works very well. It seems to be a word that would be pejorative in many situations. You know, like a traveling salesman or. But slick in the musical theater has always been a compliment. And Hunter Foster, sorry, certainly make sure that everything is slick. So there's Lennon Bolton. If you look at Lennon Walton's book, when he reviews. I don't know if he did it, but White Christmas, he talks about the fact that what can you do with the general is the worst song that Irving Berlin ever wrote. You'd never know it here because it's done in a sprightly fashion. The orchestration with. And all that is. Is really very charming. So I. I have a feeling that Lennon Moulton or his associate who wrote the review would feel substantially different. Also, there's a granddaughter in. In the show for the General and who's running this inn that's not doing well at all and needs any help it can get. And these two soldiers are very loyal to him. So as a result, the. They want to help him out. But the granddaughter in the movie is an older granddaughter. She's probably in her 20s. But here's the kid, you know, and I think that's a very good idea too. And the kid did very, very well. And the audience loved Her. She. She has a moment where she gets to sing and dance. And the audience went crazy for her, too. So there's a misunderstanding in the movie that causes a problem in which one of the sisters, Betty, thinks that Bob is doing something for his own benefit and not for the good of the general. Here, it's better. It's still one of those situations where don't tell me, don't talk to me. No, no, no, no. We have nothing to say. It's still one of the things that if indeed the person had a chance to explain, there wouldn't be any complication. The show would end a half hour earlier. But you do need that. So there's that. That. I found it very interesting that the term Sheldrake was used for one of the characters. That's the thing that Billy Wild used time and time and time and time again. And here they used it as well. Also here it's actually the Ed Sullivan Show. It's not the Ed Sullivan show in the movie. It's another Ed. But here they. They used the Ed Sullivan Show. And if there's any reference to an Ed Sullivan show, it seems like you have to have a mention of Topo Ggo. I mean, it's just amazing how that happens. But. But that. But that does happen. So also, what's really ironic is there's a mention of Lucky Strike and how doctors recommend Lucky Strike for smoking, but that comes up in the It's a Wonderful Life at Irish Rep, too. I don't know who got there first, but. But the same line almost word for word. So that was interesting. Now. Now, certainly we have to applaud Clyde Albaz as Phil. We have to certainly applaud Omar Lopez Sapero as Bob Wallace. Yes, indeed. Betty Haynes. Wonderful by Laura Nicole Chapman. Judy Haynes. The other sister, Jonalyn Saxer. Terrific. However, I also want to point out our friend J. Aubrey Jones, who has two small parts, except they're not so small when he does them. Now, what I really want to point out about J. Aubrey Jones, okay, this is such a big hit at good speed that the press agent said to me, listen, I feel terrible, but I'm gonna have to put you in the balcony. I said, that's fine. And I can only give you one ticket. That's fine. No, I understand. You know, you're a big kid. Thank you for accommodating me. So as a result, in this horseshoe situation, I was on House right in the belt and funny. So there's one scene where we're going to have Betty and Bob meet late at night. And so here's J. Aubrey Jones coming on and putting the bench on which they will sit. Now. It's in darkness, understand? But what was so wonderful is that after he put the bench down, I watched him walk off. And the thing is, he walked off in character. The character he's playing is Ezekiel Jones. And it's one of those characters that's one of these Yankees that says, oh, yeah, and right out of the Farmer's Almanac. And the thing is, he has come on before. Now, this is a very dangerous thing that could have happened here. Because indeed, J. Aubrey Jones is a black man. And the way he comes on very, very slowly playing one of these laconic New Englanders. You could really say, o, oh, is this going to be step and fetch it. This is a very dangerous thing that Hunter Foster did. And yet Gerald Aubrey Jones pulled it off in the first time that he said, yeah, the audience got exactly who he was. They knew what was going on. And that was very, very effective. But again, slow loping on, you know, one of these seen it all guys who doesn't get ruffled by what's going on because it'll all work out. But it was so great to see him when the audience could not see him walking off it to the wings in character. That's amazing to me. I love when that happens. And indeed, I really have to take my hat off to J. Aubrey Jones. Although he didn't get the brain teaser this week, but indeed he was busy, you know. So I certainly forgive his non participation this week because he's often right there with the answer. But, boy, does he come up with a terrific, terrific, terrific performance in a very small part. But he does get a moment to shine in the second act. And the audience adored when he did it again. Big, big hit. And I don't think anybody who is connected with Goodspeed while this production is sorry that Mrs. Santa Claus didn't happen.
- [41:48]
James Marino
All right. Irving Berlin's White Christmas has been extended by popular demand to Dec. 31 at the Good speed.
- [41:57]
Peter Felicia
By the way, speaking of Irving Berlin, speaking of Guys and Dolls, the year that Guys and Dolls was produced, so was Call Me Madam. And when the Tonys came around to giving best score, they gave it to Irving Berlin for Call Me Madam. And I like Call Me Madam, but I have a feeling because the Tonys had just started, this was more of a lifetime achievement award. I don't think there's anybody who feels that Call Me Madam score is better than guys in Doll Score.
- [42:26]
James Marino
Handily directed by Hunter Foster who has been directing a lot.
- [42:33]
Peter Felicia
Yes, he has. Yes, and very well too.
- [42:35]
James Marino
Hoping that he his IBDB is full of acting credits but hopefully his IBDB will start to be sprinkled full of directing credits. Although he certainly earned it. Yeah, he's a great actor as well as being a great director so.
- [42:57]
Michael Portantier
Well, I reported on how wonderfully he directed South Pacific at the engement that I saw and yeah, one slight disappointment is for whatever reason, Hunter is not going to be in the cast of the Bridges of Madison county in concert on Monday night at Carnegie Hall. All he's not recreating his his original role of the husband. And I'm not sure, you know, I don't imagine it's because of White Christmas because that's already up and running.
- [43:25]
Peter Felicia
Yeah, yeah, sure, yeah.
- [43:26]
Michael Portantier
But anyway, you know, I'm sure he's doing something else fabulous.
- [43:33]
Peter Felicia
Did a terrific a little night music staging it at the American Theater Group in Railway, New Jersey as well. So. Yeah, yeah, so I, I, I agree with you, James. There will be a time when the website will indeed include Directed by Hunter Foster.
- [43:51]
Michael Portantier
Yes.
- [43:52]
Zoey
Guys, thanks for helping me carry my Christmas tree.
- [43:54]
Drew Ski
Zoe. This thing weighs a ton.
- [43:56]
Peter Felicia
Drewski, live with your legs, man. Santa.
- [43:58]
Santa
Santa, did you get my letter?
- [43:59]
Drew Ski
He's talking to you, Bridges.
- [44:01]
Peter Felicia
I'm not.
- [44:02]
Zoey
Of course he did. Right, Santa?
- [44:04]
Peter Felicia
You know my elf Drew Ski here, He handles the nice list and elf.
- [44:08]
Drew Ski
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- [44:17]
Zoey
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- [44:24]
Peter Felicia
Or give it as a gift.
- [44:25]
Zoey
And the best part, you can make the switch to T Mobile from your phone in just 15 minutes.
- [44:29]
Peter Felicia
Nice.
- [44:29]
Drew Ski
My side of the tree is slipping.
- [44:30]
Peter Felicia
Timber.
- [44:31]
Michael Portantier
The HO holidays are better.
- [44:33]
Peter Felicia
AT T mobile switch in just 15.
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Michael Portantier
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Peter Felicia
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- [44:51]
James Marino
Visit t mobile.com all right, Michael, you trudged just north of Hell's Kitchen. Is that Is that actually true, is it is Fiorello LaGuardia High School, just outside of the realm of Hell's kitchen.
- [45:12]
Michael Portantier
I believe 59th street is. Is technically considered the border. So. Yeah. So just passed it.
- [45:19]
James Marino
Yes, just passed it to the FO LaGuardia High School, otherwise known as the Fame High School, to see a production of west side Story. So tell us about this.
- [45:32]
Michael Portantier
Well, I had seen a production of west side Story at that same high school some years ago. I know I couldn't find out. I can't remember exactly when. It was at least 10 years, maybe more like 15. And here's an interesting thing. The last time that I saw west side story at LaGuardia, I made a note of the fact that they had made the decision to integrate, if that's the right word, the gangs. Rather than have the jets look like white people and the Sharks as, like, Puerto Ricans, they really mixed them up. And I think there may have even have been a note in the program at the time that they wanted to make the point that it's really, you know, hatred is hatred, and it's not. And in a way, the different ethnicity is not the point of the show. But whether or not you agree with that, that's what they did back then, that's not what they're doing in this production. It seemed to me that there was an effort to make. Make the jets look like white Americans and the Puerto Ricans as the Sharks. So it's a more traditional production in that sense. One can imagine how wonderful it is to see west side Story played by actual teenagers, provided, of course, that they can handle the very difficult, difficult singing, acting and dancing elements of the show. But since this is a performing arts high school, they can. And in fact, I don't remember if this was true of the last production that I saw, but this one recreates the Jerome Robbins choreography down to a T as far as. And the reason I can say that pretty confidently is, is because, of course, the choreography is. Is so well preserved in the. In the first. The first. The first movie version of west side Story, as well as in several, many, many stage productions that I have seen. So, yes, these teenagers are so talented that they can handle that choreography. They can handle the singing, which sometimes becomes near operatic, and also the acting aspects of the show as well, which are really, I think those requirements are also really quite challenging. And the entire cast was phenomenal. And with a full orchestra of students playing the score, which is also, I mean, even just from that aspect, to play that score with those Original orchestrations and to play it well is just incredible for teenagers.
- [48:50]
Peter Felicia
So.
- [48:53]
Michael Portantier
You would want to go, if only for that reason. But also, the cast was uniformly excellent. If it's okay, I'd like to single out three people. Tal Kramer as Action Logan Kay as Tony. Absolutely gorgeous voice. And I am telling you, the young woman who played Maria, Gabriela, Roberto Nguyen, could absolutely step in and do it on Broadway right now if they were doing it on Broadway. And I mean perfect in every way. Looks, acting, singing personality. She just is the perfect Maria. I would have to say the best one I have ever seen.
- [49:46]
Peter Felicia
Wow.
- [49:47]
Michael Portantier
Yeah. Yeah. And that is quite a statement because I've seen some really excellent Marias. But, you know, partly because. Largely because it really does help if she looks like she's 16 or 17. And she does, because she is, oh, so absolutely stellar. I wish I had gone the first weekend to see the show so I could have reported on it in time to give you a chance to see it, because the, the final performance is today. By the way. They. I think they always do this. The show was entirely double cast. Well, not entirely, but, but a lot of the. The leads were double cast. And so I can only imagine that the other ca. Equally talented as this one. But I, I am so, so glad I went. I, I have, I myself don't usually try to. Don't keep tabs on what is being done at the high schools and the colleges, but I have, fortunately, I have friends who do and they told me about this. And so we got tickets for $20 and we wound up being in the second row at that theater at LaGuardia High School School to see just a near perfect production of west side Story. So I'm certainly never going to forget it.
- [51:14]
James Marino
All right. I'm flipping through their program here from their website. They seem to have a huge orchestra.
- [51:25]
Michael Portantier
Yeah, it was incredible.
- [51:27]
James Marino
So, wow. Just. They have seven violins, four cellos. I was like that. You just start with that.
- [51:37]
Michael Portantier
We were sitting near the, we were sitting near the percussion and the, you know, the percussion parts alone. The, the, the, you know, all the drums and the xylophones. You know, it's so difficult, but so, so fabulously orchestrated that it was almost a miracle that it sounded that good.
- [52:00]
James Marino
Great. All right. So unfortunately, the last performance is this afternoon at 2pm you probably, if you're listening to this, won't have time to get there, but just great things, great things happening there at LaGuardia High School.
- [52:19]
Peter Felicia
Cool. Yeah.
- [52:21]
James Marino
All right, Peter, you were over at Studio 54 to see Oedipus tell us about this.
- [52:29]
Peter Felicia
Well, this isn't quite what Sophocles wrote. Robert Icky. I imagine that's how it's pronounced.
- [52:36]
Michael Portantier
Apparently it's.
- [52:38]
Peter Felicia
Go ahead.
- [52:39]
Michael Portantier
I think it was a Jan Simpson who corrected us. It's Ike.
- [52:42]
Peter Felicia
Ike. Okay, fine. It's I, C, K, E. I can understand why he wouldn't be known as Icky. Yeah, whatever. So that's pretty clear. However, this is a real update, a genuine update. I mean, it. Once you see the curtain go up and you see the set, you know it's going to be an updating. So this is really a vehicle for Mark Strong and Leslie Manville playing Oedipus and Joe Castor. And that brings up the thing that flummoxes me more than anything else. If you're going to update a situation like this, why are you keeping the names? I mean, do you know any Oedipuses? Do you know any Jocastas? Do you know any Polyneses? I don't. And I don't think even in this name era, when people have funky names the parents are giving them. I don't think anybody has these names. Maybe an Antigone. I'll grant you that. But nevertheless, I don't understand why this has to be. Because everything else is updated to the empty degree. And I think it starts off astonishingly slow. And I have to say that I was very, very wary of where this was going and how it was going to be. But. But it does pick up tremendously. And by the time that we have the real explanations of what's going on here, year, certainly Leslie Manville has a marvelous, marvelous piece of material in which she tells her side of the story. So that's pretty impressive. But Ann Reed, who also, ostensibly. I hope I'm not giving anything away, playing the mother. Let's just leave it at that. Tremendously effective as well. So their monologues, which basically they are where they give explanations of what happened in their lives, really make this show catch fire. It takes a while to do so. There's also a very strange device of countdown clock that starts off at an hour and 37 and goes all the way down to zero. There's a reason for it. I'm not going to tell you what the reason is, but there is a reason for it that does make sense. However, the problem is that you assume when it gets to zero, the show will be over. No, no. So if you think you're going to be there for an hour 37, you're not. You're going to be there for 110 minutes. So I do want to make that clear because I really thought we would be grabbing our coats at 1:37, but that wasn't the case at all. So don't get flummoxed by that. If you go. I haven't mentioned Mark Strong, who's quite wonderful. He's quite strong. Yeah. This is not a case of what's in the. So he certainly has wonderful credits, Olivier and awards, Tony nominations, things like that. But he's really quite, quite strong in this. A marvelous, marvelous presence. So, so the cast is really, really impressive. One of my favorite actor, Teagles F. Bougier, who's so wonderful in the Tempest many moons ago, is, is really quite good as the character of Driver. We have that name. So, so don't get discouraged if you think it's a little off at the beginning. It really takes a while for this motor to start running at full speed ahead, but once it does, it's very, very effective. But still, come on, who's named Oedipus in 2025?
- [56:38]
Michael Portantier
Peter, you may not recall, but I, I really harped on that same thing, thing when I reviewed the show on November 23rd. I think it would have been far more effective if they had used updated names, if they had only made that one change. And I, I, I, you know, I don't know why they didn't.
- [57:03]
James Marino
Yeah, I think that they want to sell tickets based upon the, the lore of edification. I, I think that if you needed something else, it would be a new play and it wouldn't get produced on Broadway.
- [57:15]
Michael Portantier
But you know what? I think, I think they could have still called it Oedipus, but changed the names and, and, you know, and we would have, you know.
- [57:23]
Peter Felicia
Yeah, Oedipus 2025. That would have.
- [57:27]
Michael Portantier
Yeah, exactly.
- [57:28]
Peter Felicia
Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I, I'm sure I mentioned this, but nevertheless, for those of us who remember Studio 54 in the 70s, who would ever expect we would see Sophocles play that marquee? So a lot has changed in the 40, 50 years since Studio 54 was very different place.
- [57:52]
James Marino
All right, a little bit of a throwback from a few minutes ago. Hunter Foster is in Florida directing Million Dollar Quartet at the Jupiter Theater. That's why.
- [58:04]
Michael Portantier
Thank you.
- [58:05]
James Marino
He won't.
- [58:06]
Peter Felicia
That show gets done, I'll tell you. Tell you. Yeah. Million Dollar courses everywhere, and I'm not surprised. I mean, after all, the, the baby boomers go to the theater now and this is their music, so it makes perfect sense to me.
- [58:17]
James Marino
It's a million dollar show.
- [58:18]
Peter Felicia
It is to say the least.
- [58:21]
James Marino
So yeah, Michael, you made your way east from LaGuardia High School over to Carnegie hall where you saw Cheyenne Jackson Jackson in concert. So tell us about this.
- [58:38]
Michael Portantier
Yes, on Monday, December 8th, I was thrilled to be at, at the show. Cheyenne is someone who we have not seen that often lately on stage because he now makes his home in Los Angeles. But he has recently been in O Mary. He went into O Mary in the role of Mary's teacher as a replacement. I did not get to see him in it. So I was very happy to get tickets for this performance at Carnegie hall which is his billed as his solo Carnegie hall debut is what they call it. I mean he has appeared there before as a guest in other things, but this was his show and I really wanted to see it because I always remember that aside from his gorgeous voice and his very good looks, he really always came across as so funny and charming whenever you saw him in interviews. And in fact I myself had the opportunity to interview him in person for I don't remember which show it was. I have to go back and look that up again. But I interviewed him in person. I think it was that Angus McIndoe back when, when that restaurant still existed. And he was delightful then and he did not disappoint in this Carnegie hall show. The patter which I'm guessing he wrote himself was absolutely charming and funny and extremely entertaining. The singing was just as beautiful as I expected it to be. One of the highlights came early on on where he sang Something's Coming from West side Story. So I heard Something's Coming twice this past week on this occasion and then at LaGuardia High School. And I will repeat every time I hear it. I think it's one of the absolute greatest musical theater songs. And specifically I want songs in history. And people who know the history of west side Story know that it was a very, very, very late addition to the score by Bernstein and Sondheim. So I, you know, we came so close to not having that song and I, I, I just think it's, it's absolute perfection. And Cheyenne sang it beautifully as he did There is a recording of all of west side Story that was done in concert at the San Francisco Symphony some years ago. And he is Tony on that recording, so that's why he included it here. There was also there were a lot of non musical theater songs, but there was a sort of a mega medley of in which Cheyenne sang little bits of songs representing all of the musical that he has done on Broadway and elsewhere. So of course that was a big highlight. As if his performance wasn't enough, we also had his special guests, Jane Krakowski and Jessica Vosk, not to mention the Vi Higginson Sing Harlem Choir. Warren Carlisle was the director of the show. Cheyenne made a big point of crediting him. I think he made a great combination, a great contribution to the proceedings. And also Cheyenne managed to get his mother and sister on stage for the show. They started in the audience, but then they, they made an appearance in the second half. There was actually an intermission in, in the concert. So it was just a really great night. One night only. December 8, 2025. But you can't see that. But to mention again this coming Monday, the Bridges in Madison county in concert at Carnegie hall with most of the original cast including Kelly o' Hara and Stephen Pasqual in the, in the two leads. And then always wonderful, many wonderful things going on at Carnegie Hall. Many wonderful musical theater related things. Coming up on Monday, January, February 12, concert version of Oklahoma with a cast including our, our special guest from last week, Jasmine Amy Rogers in the role of Ado Annie. So yeah, mark those on your calendar. And I'm so glad I got to see Cheyenne. It was great to have him back and I hope we see him more often going forward in New York.
- [63:49]
James Marino
So on the Carnegie hall website it says this is part of a series. The next in this series is Heather Headley on May 7, 2026 and May 23, just two weeks later, Harry Connick Jr. So lots of great things coming up. Heather Headley, we have to get her back on Broadway.
- [64:14]
Michael Portantier
Yeah, that's another person we don't see often enough.
- [64:20]
James Marino
Finally this morning, Michael, you were back at the Met. So you did bing bong, bing bong back and forth from Lincoln center to Carnegie hall, back to Lincoln center. And you saw La Boheme, which is the ripoff of Rent. And so tell me what you thought about, about it.
- [64:42]
Michael Portantier
Well, it, you know, it's that wonderful Franco Zeirelli production that they're still doing and hopefully will never retire because the audience loves it so much and a very strong cast in this case. But, but here's something I have not seen in a while. There was a replacement during the show. Stephen Costello started out singing the role of Rodolfo and he didn't, I mean, he sounded pretty good but a little weak, I thought. And sure enough, at the Met currently they do Acts 1 and 2 of La Bohem without an intermission. And then there's a A very long intermission because they have to change the huge set from Act 2. But in this case, after that intermission was over, I guess a stage manager came out and announced that Mr. Costello would not be continuing because he was ill. And unfortunately, the diction of this person who announced this was so poor that I have no idea who replaced Stephen Costello. He did a great job, whoever he was. But I asked the people around me too if they understood the name, and they said no, absolutely, absolutely not. They said that woman might have been just as well have been saying, baba da ba ba ba. So I really think it's not very nice that they can't get someone who could really make a point of pronouncing the name of the replacement correctly, because that's. Don't you think that's quite an amazing feat to come in in the middle of a show? And I'm not sure exactly what the logistics are for that at the Met, because it has happened in the past. I suppose they have to have covers on hand at the house, maybe at least through the first intermission, you know, because. Go on.
- [66:48]
James Marino
I. I mean, the space is so enormous and the stakes are so high. I'd imagine they just require the understudies and covers to be there at all times.
- [67:01]
Michael Portantier
Yeah, I think I've heard that on Broadway, sometimes you don't necessarily have to be there. Like, you have to be within a certain radius of the.
- [67:10]
James Marino
Of the theater. Depends upon your contract. But producers like to have somebody in the theater until act two curtain goes up.
- [67:19]
Michael Portantier
Yeah. And that makes perfect sense. We heard that. We have heard that the lead in Hell's Kitchen, unfortunately, for whatever reasons, left during the show on many occasions. So in that case, I'm sure whoever, you know, the COVID was, was. Was ready to go. I. I heard that in some cases, you know, they didn't even stop. It didn't even happen during intermission. At Hell's Kitchen, there would be someone playing the lead in one number, and then the next number, someone else would suddenly be on stage. So that's not quite what happened here at the Met, but I guess the. Maybe the rules are different from. From one place to another. Anyway, it was a wonderful performance, aside from all that, with a really great Musetta, Manet Galoian, and a really wonderful Mimi, Susanna Phillips, and the rest of the cast as well. So I'm so glad they're still doing that production of La Boheme, and I highly recommend it. Also, I have mentioned recently that they are currently doing Porgy and Bess which is not always in the repertoire. So I hope you pounce while you have the chance. And I, for what it's worth, I am going to be going again because I love it so much and I buy all my, my Met tickets. I don't get press seats, so. But they are doing it again. Well, the several upcoming performances. I, I'm going again on Saturday the 20th at 7pm and as I mentioned when I reviewed it last week or the week before, the current cast is really excellent, so you won't be disappointed in that either.
- [69:13]
James Marino
All right. So, interestingly, the. The schedule for things at the Met is as complicated as Major League Baseball. Schedul. The next performance of La Boheme at the Met is in April, so you have plenty of time to schedule if you'd like to go see it. And we'll have a link to that in the show notes.
- [69:40]
Michael Portantier
By the way, in June, they are going to have the last ship with Sting. I don't think that.
- [69:50]
James Marino
I don't.
- [69:50]
Michael Portantier
I'm not sure. I don't think it's a Met production. I think it's a rental.
- [69:54]
Peter Felicia
Yeah, I believe that's true. Yeah.
- [69:56]
Michael Portantier
But it is at the Met, so that's. I'm gonna go to that. I'm not gonna miss that one. I really like that score.
- [70:05]
James Marino
All right, so we, we are more than an hour in already, so we were going to talk about some news things, but I'm going to skip it. Skip the news for right now. I do want to make one recommendation that our dear, dear friend, who I have known for, for, oh, gosh, oh, 40 years. Wow. About 40 years. Adam Feldman, who's the Timeout theater critic, just launched his own show on YouTube with Timeout New York. And his first episode, he interviewed two slouches named Stephen Schwartz and Gordon Greenberg about the Baker's Wife and Wicked and more. I'm going to keep a link to that in the show notes. It's like an hour of such a darling conversation. So get over to YouTube and see Adam's first foray into headlining his own YouTube show. All right, great. So before we get out to our brain teaser and a musical moment, I want to remind everybody that you can subscribe to these broadcasts by going to the front page of broadwayradio.com. there's a subscribe link. That way each and every time there's a new episode of this week on Broadway, it'll be automatically downloaded to Apple Podcast for you. Of course, you don't have to listen to us in Apple Podcasts. As many ways to get us. Patreon P-A-T-R-E-O-N.com BroadwayRadio is one way that you can support all of Broadway radio shows as well as as well as get us a little bit earlier than everybody else. Contact information for Peter from Michael and me could be found found in the show notes@broadwayradio.com as well as links to some of the things we've talked about today. So, Peter, do you have an answer to last week's brain teaser?
- [71:56]
Peter Felicia
Indeed I do. Cole porter in the 40s and Lee Adams in the 60s each mentioned this famous movie star in the last line of a lyric in one of their comedy songs. Who was the star? Lassie. I didn't say it was a person. I just said a movie star. Lassie was a movie star, made 11 movies. Not necessarily the same Lassie, but nevertheless, I was. Okay. Where does this fit in? I also asked who did the same thing in the 50s. All right, so Cole Porter did it in Kiss Me Kate, I Hate Men. He may have hair upon his chest, but sister, so has Lassie. Lee Adams did it in Golden Boy. And don't forget 127th Street. The neighborhood is classy. We got rats as big as Lassie and Comden and Green did it in the 50s and bells are ringing. And the song dropped that night name in which Ella responds to Raymond Massie by saying Lassie after doing variations on Rin Tin Tin. And the reason I didn't say Compton and Green did in the 50s, I thought it would be too easy because immediately people would go to drop that name and figure it out. Tony Janicki again was first. But this time he wasn't alone. Sean Logan, Steven Sokolov, Arthur Robinson and Brigadoon also got it. This week's brain teaser. Drop the first letter of this hit musical's title. You will then get the name of one of its songs. Someone who possesses five Tonies recorded it. That's it.
- [73:29]
James Marino
Okay, if you have an answer for that, email us at trivia@broadervideo.com we'll let you know if you're in the right direction. Trek. So, Michael, what do we have in this week's musical moments?
- [73:39]
Michael Portantier
Well, we're getting closer and closer to Christmas, so I thought we would feature some Christmas related songs. And of course there are some Christmas songs in shows. For example, 12 days to Christmas from she Loves Me Lovers on Christmas Eve from I Love My Wife. And It's a Stretch but Hard Candy Christmas from the Best Little House in Texas. But I wanted to feature two songs that I mentioned, mentioned a few weeks ago that I went to see the Radio City Music Hall Christmas show and there were two Broadway adjacent, well songs in this, in the show. One of them is We Need a Little Christmas, of course, from Mame, and the other one is the Christmas Waltz, which is not from a show but was written by Julie Stein, music by Julie Stein and lyrics by Sammy Khan. So I thought we would feature those two songs that are musical moments this week. The opener is We Need a Little Christmas from the original Broadway cast album of Mame as performed by Angela Lansbury, et al. And the Closer is the Christmas Waltz of many, many recordings of that lovely song. But I chose a recording by Frank Sinatra. I'm not sure where it originated, but I got it off of an album called Christmas with the Rat Pack.
- [75:08]
Peter Felicia
Wow. Coming down to brass T.
- [75:11]
Michael Portantier
Yeah. And it's a lovely song. Julie Stein also wrote the music for Let It Snow. Let It Snow, Let It Snow.
- [75:18]
Peter Felicia
Yeah.
- [75:19]
Michael Portantier
Yeah. So he arguably has two. I mean, that's not specifically a Christmas song, but we always hear it around this time of year. So please enjoy these two wonderful Broadway related Christmas songs and I think maybe we'll have some more for you next week.
- [75:36]
James Marino
Christmas with a Rat Pack can almost be thrown into Million Dollar Quartet. So on behalf of Michael Portantier and Peter Felicia, this is James Marino saying thanks so much for listening to Broadway radios this week on Broadway.
- [75:51]
Peter Felicia
Bye bye bye bye. The world falls in love Every song you hear sings to say Merry Christmas May your new year dreams come true Happy song of mine Every corner time wishes you and your the same thing too.