This Week on Broadway for January 19, 2025: Vinny DePonto’s Mindplay

Summary

BroadwayRadio Podcast Summary: "This Week on Broadway for January 19, 2025: Vinny DePonto’s Mindplay"

Release Date: January 19, 2025

Welcome to this week's episode of BroadwayRadio, hosted by James Marino, featuring insightful discussions with guests Peter Felicia and Michael Portantier. The episode delves into recent Broadway performances, theater news, and broader industry trends, providing listeners with a comprehensive overview of the current Broadway landscape.

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Guest Introductions and Personal Anecdotes

The episode begins with James Marino welcoming Peter Felicia, a playwright, journalist, and historian, and Michael Portantier, a theater reviewer, essayist, and photographer. The trio shares brief personal updates, including Michael's recent celebration of the 56th anniversary of his "marriage" to a song, a humorous nod to their theatrical focus.

Notable Quote:

• Michael Portantier [01:25]: “Yesterday was the 56th anniversary of my getting married. Except there was no celebration, believe me, because that marriage was the song.”

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Show Reviews

The Giggling Granny

Peter reviews "The Giggling Granny", a play based on the true story of Nanny Ross Doss, who was convicted of killing multiple husbands between 1927 and 1954 across various states. The portrayal by Marilyn Chris is lauded for its depth and complexity, accurately reflecting Nanny's amoral perspective.

Notable Quote:

• Peter Felicia [07:05]: “Marilyn Chris... has a winning smile as she's telling you of what she's done. She's totally amoral.”

Miss Julie

The discussion shifts to "Miss Julie 1925 New Year's", an adaptation by Robert Greer that reimagines August Strindberg's classic with a new ending. Peter praises the production's ability to diverge from the original while maintaining its essence, highlighting performances by Mike Roche and Holly O'Brien.

Notable Quote:

• Michael Portantier [07:05]: “Gene the servant, thinking that maybe she is interested in him and maybe he should be involved with her and should they run away. And so it keeps you guessing.”

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Theater News and Updates

Seaview Studio Rebranding

A significant update involves the rebranding of the Tony Kaiser Theater to Seaview Studio located at 43rd and 8th Street. Peter expresses optimism about preserving the theater space amidst Midtown Manhattan's real estate pressures.

Notable Quote:

• Peter Felicia [29:03]: “Seaview has announced that they are, much to the surprise of me and apparently James and Peter... reconfiguring it greatly.”

West Bank Cafe Reopening

The team celebrates the reopening of West Bank Cafe, including the Laurie Beechman Theater, on January 23. Owned by Tom and Michael Dangora, the venue's reopening coincides with Chita Rivera’s birthday, honoring its legacy in Broadway's community.

Notable Quote:

• Peter Felicia [31:22]: “The date of the reopening just happens to be Chita Rivera's birthday and Cheetah was very much a regular there.”

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Stage Door Etiquette and Theater Restoration

James introduces a segment on stage door etiquette, referencing a video by Mickey Jo that emphasizes respectful behavior towards performers post-show. The conversation underscores the importance of maintaining professionalism and courtesy within the theater environment.

Peter and Michael then discuss the restoration of landmark theaters. While they commend the restoration of the Majestic Theater, Peter voices strong disappointment with the changes made to the Palace Theater, criticizing the reduction of its grand public spaces in favor of lucrative retail space.

Notable Quote:

• Peter Felicia [38:21]: “I have to say, tremendously disappointed... to have more retail space directly on Broadway rather than the entrance to the theater.”

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Industry Trends: Congestion Pricing and Broadway Revenues

The trio examines New York City's congestion pricing initiative, debating its potential impact on Broadway revenues. While some argue that external factors like weather may influence theater attendance, others, like Michael, suggest that added driving costs could deter audiences, especially amidst rising ticket prices.

Notable Quote:

• Michael Portantier [43:36]: “This may seem like a strange analogy, but... sometimes people just need one reason to stop doing what they've been doing.”

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Times Square Casino Speculations

A contentious topic arises around the potential establishment of a casino in Times Square. Discussions highlight the preferences for alternative locations like Hudson Yards, emphasizing concerns over overcrowding and maintaining Broadway's cultural integrity.

Notable Quote:

• Peter Felicia [48:04]: “Have you ever tried to walk through Times Square?... How could anyone be stupid enough to think that that's a good idea when you do have other options, such as Hudson Yards.”

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Upcoming Events and Announcements

• Broadway Week: James announces Broadway Week, a three-week event offering discounted tickets to various shows. Listeners are encouraged to participate and explore diverse Broadway productions.

• Once Upon a Mattress Cast Album: The team mentions the upcoming cast album for "Once Upon a Mattress", promising bonus tracks and exclusive content for subscribers.

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Musical Moments: Cut Songs from Gypsy

In the Musical Moments segment, Peter shares two previously cut songs from "Gypsy":

1. "Mama's Talking Soft" performed by Petula Clark, recorded in May 1959.
2. "Nice She Ain't" performed by Boyd Gaines for the 2008 Patti LuPone version.

These songs offer fans a glimpse into the developmental stages of the iconic musical, showcasing the creative decisions behind the final production.

Notable Quote:

• Peter Felicia [69:06]: “Enjoy these two cut songs from Gypsy and... how incredible it is that these two songs were actually cut from a show that could be so great.”

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Brain Teaser

James presents a brain teaser related to theater history, challenging listeners to identify a 20th-century novelist whose work inspired a short-lived 21st-century musical. Solutions and discussions invite audience engagement, reflecting the show's interactive nature.

Brain Teaser Question:

• He wrote a 20th-century novel that became a 21st-century musical. It officially opened and closed in the same month. Among his other novels, he gave one a title that was identical to the title of a very famous musical hit that was produced more than 50 years earlier in the 20th century and was revived in the 21st century. Who is he? What's the name of the 21st-century flop musical? What was the name of his novel that had the same name as the 20th-century hit musical?

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Closing Remarks

James wraps up the episode by reminding listeners to subscribe to BroadwayRadio via their website or platforms like Apple Podcasts and Patreon for exclusive content. The hosts express gratitude for the audience's support and sign off until the next episode.

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Final Thoughts:

This episode of BroadwayRadio offers a rich tapestry of Broadway insights, blending show reviews, industry news, and engaging discussions. Whether you're a seasoned theatergoer or new to the Broadway scene, the episode provides valuable perspectives and updates essential for staying connected to the vibrant world of theater.

Transcript

[Peter Felicia]

Mama's talking soft Mama's got a plan.

[Michael Portantier]

Mama's eyes are wide Mama's seen a man Mama's blushing pink Fluffing up her.

[Peter Felicia]

Hair Mama has a smile and she has a smile no one else has.

[Michael Portantier]

A breath Mama's talking low hello and.

[James Marino]

Welcome to Broadway Radios, this week on Broadway for Sunday, January 19, 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, Walt 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.

[Michael Portantier]

Hi.

[James Marino]

Hello, Peter, not to dwell on this, but off the top of your head, what is January 19th in the song Show Tune for Today?

[Michael Portantier]

Oh, that's cruel, James. No, it's been a long time. I'll tell you this. I know what yesterday was, okay? Yesterday was the 56th anniversary of my getting married. Except there was no celebration, believe me, because that marriage was the song.

[James Marino]

Not getting married today.

[Michael Portantier]

That's right. That'd be great. Yeah. But it wasn't. Anyway, here we are.

[James Marino]

Oh, those little Easter eggs. We love Easter eggs. Also with us is Michael Bourton. Here, Michael's a theater reviewer and essayist. 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 major publications. You could see his photography [e-mail] hello, Michael.

[Peter Felicia]

Hello. And I have never been married, so I don't have one of those red letter days in my count.

[James Marino]

But, Michael, how is Tulsa?

[Peter Felicia]

Oh, she is adorable.

[James Marino]

Yeah, she is. I saw a picture on Facebook.

[Peter Felicia]

Yeah, she really is. She's just.

[James Marino]

Michael's fostering a dog named Tulsa. If you weren't with us last week, and we have an adorable photo from Facebook that Michael posted, I guess yesterday, a day before. So maybe. Yes.

[Peter Felicia]

And as I mentioned, and thank you, Peter, for correcting me to actually what my neighbor actually said, I. I introduced Tulsa to him and, well, to her. Excuse me, but he thought. But at the time, he thought Tulsa was male. So he turned to her and said, are you going to run? Are you going to run off with June? And I said, well, this Tulsa is a girl, but it could still happen, you know.

[Michael Portantier]

That's right. Right.

[James Marino]

Yeah.

[Michael Portantier]

January 19th, by the way, was for now from Avenue Q. The reason being that that would be the last day of George W. Bush presidency. And of course, they do have that lyric. It's only for now at the end of the show where they say George Bush. And in case you caught Avenue Q early in the run before George Bush left office, that was later changed to Fox News. I did see the show later in the run of them. Fox News, you know, so that's what it became. I imagine that's what they're doing now, too, in productions around the country.

[Peter Felicia]

I was thinking of Avenue Q just the other day. Do I recall correctly that Gary Coleman died during the run?

[Michael Portantier]

He sure did.

[Peter Felicia]

And if I remember, they. They didn't change anything.

[Michael Portantier]

That's right. That's exactly right. Yeah.

[Peter Felicia]

They just like, you know, I'm. Because it's not really. I wouldn't say it's disrespectful to him.

[Michael Portantier]

No, no.

[Peter Felicia]

You know, it just gets humor out of his character. So, yeah, I guess it suddenly became more of an homage than a. Yeah, yeah.

[Michael Portantier]

I, I, again, we may be wrong about this, but certainly when I went much later in the run, as I say, it was still Gary Coleman, so. And he had long passed on. So, yeah, we lost.

[James Marino]

Not lost in the same respect, but Broadway. Jeff Marx moved on to Hollywood and he was a longtime friend. I have to catch up with him, see if we have him on. But again, he is on the west coast and it's really hard to record on Sunday mornings. And Jeff doesn't like mornings. Does not like mornings.

[Peter Felicia]

You know, I mentioned, I'm involved in. I'm one of the contributors to that book titled Every Day A Little Death, which is a compilation of crime fiction stories inspired by the songs of Stephen Sondheim. And some of the other contributors are Jeffrey Sweet and David Spencer, whom we all know. But then one of them's named Jeff Marx or Jeffrey Marx, but I'm not sure if it's the same one. So I have to find that out. Wouldn't that be cool if it was him?

[James Marino]

He doesn't ever really go by Jeffrey. So if they do say Jeffrey, then it's probably not him.

[Peter Felicia]

I think it was Jeff.

[James Marino]

Yeah. Yeah. All right. And. And can you imagine on this Sunday, January 19, 2025, when we can reflect back on the George W. Bushes as being the good old days?

[Michael Portantier]

Exactly.

[Peter Felicia]

I was gonna say.

[James Marino]

Oh.

[Peter Felicia]

I remember a. One of the Broadway Cares events. It was either the Easter Bonnet or the, the. What's the other one? The Gypsy of the year. Someone. One of the shows did a skit skits sketch and it ended up with somebody holding up a banner that said, george Bush, worst president in history. So I guess that would have to be revised.

[James Marino]

Yeah. All right, so let's get on to our review section. Peter, you got down to First Avenue and theater for the New City to see two shows. Not one, but two shows. The Giggling Granny and Miss Julie. So tell us about both of these.

[Michael Portantier]

Well, the Giggling Granny is based on a real life story of a woman named Nanny Ross Doss. Sorry, Nanny Doss. Dio SS and Nanny was married a number of times and certainly enjoyed being married for a little while, but not all that long. Between 1927 and 1954, she killed her husband when they were living in Alabama. She got married again and killed her husband when they were living in North Carolina. She got married again and killed her husband when they were living in Kansas and got married again and killed her husband in Oklahoma. So only 46 states to go. But anyway, she was certainly caught and she was sentenced to death. But the judge didn't really want to put a woman to death. He or she, I don't know. Probably a he at that point in time. Didn't really want to do that. So. So she spent a lot of time in prison. So. She is portrayed by Marilyn Chris. Now, here's the thing about Marilyn Chris. I ran into her name recently when I was doing my annotated version of the season because she was in the Birthday Party by harold Pinter in 1967. Suddenly, that's a long time ago. But I don't know if she'll be offended that I'm going to really refer to her age. But when she was born, the longest running musical in Broadway history was Irene at 691 performances. It was during the second FDR administration. So Marilyn's no kid. And the fact that she memorized without missing a beat of this 75, 80 minute play was just astonishing to me. Now, fine. There's a big difference between being letter perfect and being good. She's good. She's really good in portraying this granny, though I don't think she ever giggles. What she does seem to do is have this winning smile as she's telling you of what she's done. She's totally amoral. Not immoral, amoral. She certainly sees no problem in what she's done. She really believes that considering the circumstances of what her husbands were like and what they did to her, that she was perfectly valid in doing what she did. There's no feeling of two wrongs don't make a right here at all. And she gives us her recipe on how to do it. You know, she. This is a how to story too, as well. So if any of you are disappointed with the people you are living with or married to or going with, Marilyn has the answers here as. As nanny doss. So, um, another little bonus, if you will, when you leave the theater, they give you one of her concoctions. They leave out the arsenic, but the prunes are there. So. And that's what it was. She concocted prunes. It, I guess is. She continued on, you know, there was more need for her husbands to have prunes. But anyway. But really to think, you know, that for 27 years she was doing this. I mean, four times, granted. But I mean, you know, that's a long stretch of time to be doing this and getting away with it. But it's just fascinating to see this woman do this play. In fact, she even outlived the person who wrote the play. So. So it's quite an event. And I really do believe that attention must be paid to Marilyn Chris, whom a lot of people know as Rwanda on the TV soap opera One Life to Live, which she did for a long, long time. So if any of you used to watch that, had relatives who watched that show and you happen to tune in every now and then, just walk into the room and, you know, sit down for a few minutes and watch, you might have seen Marilyn Chris, because she was quite an important component of that soap opera. So. But this is no soap opera, hardly. It's. It's really quite an event. So that was what I. How I spent my Thursday night. On Saturday night, I returned to theater from the New City. Now, by the way, it should be mentioned that theater for the New City will never be considered one of the prime spots in the city for architectural beauty. It is really off off Broadway and what a lot of people think of as off off Broadway. So keep that in mind. This is not something you would take a person to on a first date. But aside from that, you know that this is not a show place. Certainly it's been around now and forever and it certainly does get bookings. And one of them was Miss Julie. But it's not quite Miss Julie. It's Miss Julie. 1925 New Year's. So it's a new year. And Robert Greer has taken the original, original play by August Strindberg and has played around with it. So the ending is quite different. And during the play you'll find many different. If you know Ms. Julie, you're going to find some Differences, especially at the ending. A few weeks ago I was talking about the fact that if you come to town, yes, of course you're going to go to Broadway shows, but you know, you really should venture off off Broadway every now and then. And this is one of those times because it is very well done. Mike Roche plays Jean, who's a servant to Miss Julie. And Holly O'Brien plays Christine, who's chief cook and bottle washer and. And they're romantically involved, but Ms. Julie decides to slum a bit and she comes downstairs and she starts coming on to Jean. And not unlike the situation in A Little Night Music where Anne, the mistress of the house, even though she's like 18 years old, and Petra, who's the servant and about 18 years old at one point they, they wrestle. They have a lot of fun wrestling. You may recall this scene. And eventually Anne pulls herself up and suddenly realizes and remember she's the mistress and, and makes petra feel like 2 cents. And petra immediately snaps back into the role of a servant. That that's what goes on. Ms. Julie here, you know, there's a lot of pull and pull about this. Gene the servant, thinking that maybe she is interested in him and maybe he should be involved with her and should they run away. And so it keeps you guessing. So this is a good adaptation and I don't understand particularly why 1925 and New Year's was. Was part of it, but it's not a problem. There's some decorations on the wall that indicate Merry Christmas and happy, but. But that's about it. And religion comes into play every now and then too. So that's, that's not irrelevant. And it's not eliminated from the original play. So two very worthwhile evenings here at Theater for the New City.

[Peter Felicia]

Peter, question, I assume because of the way you said it, do they pronounce his name? Gene?

[Michael Portantier]

Yes, they do. In fact, it seemed to me, if I'm remembering correctly, and I should be because it was only fewer than 24 hours ago. As opposed to Jean. Is that what you mean?

[Peter Felicia]

Yeah, because. Yeah, I mean, I. I guess there's debate on that, but it's really. Most people would say it's supposed to be Jean because.

[Michael Portantier]

Oh, yeah, I'll tell you. I'll tell you why. You know why? Because I didn't mention this, but it's set on Long Island.

[Peter Felicia]

Oh, yeah.

[James Marino]

Okay.

[Michael Portantier]

Yeah, I buried the lead.

[Peter Felicia]

Yeah.

[James Marino]

All right. So speaking of how high art how to pronounce things. Oh, Michael, your alma mater in Staten island is called Wagner College, right? Yes, but what if they had Wagner at Wagner? Have they done anything like that? Wagner, Wagner, Wagner, Wagner, Wagner, Wagner.

[Michael Portantier]

That would be great. What a good idea.

[James Marino]

I don't think they're at Wagner or Wagner at Wagner.

[Peter Felicia]

I don't think so, but I'm sure I've actually mentioned this. There's a driveway. One of the driveway entrances to the campus has a statue of somebody who sure the hell looks like Richard Wagner to me.

[Michael Portantier]

No kidding.

[Peter Felicia]

Yeah, I was never able to. I mean there's no name on it and I don't think I was ever able to determine if it was him. But if it's not him, I don't know who it was. So maybe that was a little joke on somebody's part because it's not named after him.

[James Marino]

Maybe some secret society at Wagner College, the Wagner Etc.

[Peter Felicia]

Wagner and Wagner society.

[Michael Portantier]

May I. May I tell my experience with that college? I wrote a one act play many years ago for students when I was teaching high school in which Shakespeare went to the starkeeper of carousel fame and said if you let Bittley Bigelow go back, can I go back? Because I want to turn Hamlet into a soap opera because that way it'll run forever. So anyway, the play was called Danish Modern and somebody at Wagner wanted to do it and I had never been to the school. So my buddy Dan Richards. You know Dan, don't you Mike? Yes. Yeah, okay, so Dan Richards, a big Staten island fan and resident. I don't think he's ever lived anywhere else to this day. Anyway, I said listen, I want to go see my place, so you know, can you help me? So he said yeah, sure, sure. So we came to the campus and we're at a on the road and we're about to get to the Falk in the Road and there's a lot of people crowding around. I mean there's a million people. And you know, and Dan said, calm down, there must be a basketball game here tonight. Nobody's going to see your play, you know, so. So anyway, but then there's the in the road and he turns around, I'll never forget the look on his face. He said no, everybody's going to the theater. And they were, all these people were filing in. And so as I get there, the director comes over and says, oh, I'm so glad you came. I said, Joe, this is amazing. How did you get all these people here? He said, oh, they're here for Jesus Christ Superstar. We're downstairs. And so with the other 11 people I enjoyed seeing my play.

[Peter Felicia]

Perfect, perfect.

[James Marino]

I was over in Staten island last week. My daughter had a track meet at Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex. Ah, yes, it's beautiful. That little beach there and everything. It's, you know, Manhattan. And I take a lot of digs at Staten island, but there's some really beautiful places over there.

[Michael Portantier]

That was restaurants too.

[James Marino]

Yeah.

[Peter Felicia]

That was all underwater during the hurricane.

[Michael Portantier]

Was it?

[James Marino]

Oh, yeah.

[Michael Portantier]

Wow.

[James Marino]

I can imagine. Wow, it's really.

[Michael Portantier]

Yeah. And that beautiful theater where Michael did Guys and Dolls, what's it called again?

[Peter Felicia]

The St. George. Well, that was spared because that's on a high hill.

[Michael Portantier]

No, I'm just talking about another splendor of Staten Island.

[Peter Felicia]

Oh, yeah, that's my point. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Michael Portantier]

So.

[James Marino]

So we've gotten off on a tangent here with Wagner and Wagner and Wagner and Wagner. Michael to David Geffen hall to see the New York Philharmonic where they did a Wagner's Ring without words. Tell us about this, because it wasn't just your normal Philharmonic experience.

[Peter Felicia]

No, no. This was a wonderful synthesis condensation of the. Of music from all four of the epic operas of Wagner's Ring cycle. And this was written by the great conductor Loren Mazel in 1987. But I had actually never heard this, this work, this condensation. So I thought, well, I really would like to hear this because I do love the music in the operas, but like so many people, I just cannot deal with the length of them. The four operas of Dering des Nibelungen total, without, including intermission, total 15 hours of music. And so that's obviously a big commitment. And the other point I wanted to make is, I mean, they are. Well, there's a quote here that begins an essay in the program which I think is very, very apt. It says, the gigantic operatic tetralogy known as Dering des Nimbelungen stands at the center of Richard Wagner's output. Which is another way of saying that this unique achievement marks one of the most inescapably critical junctures in the history of opera, or indeed of any kind of music, or even any aesthetic aspiration of any sort. And that's quite a statement, but I think it's true. It's just a monumental, monumental work. But in my opinion, while Wagner was a musical genius, he just did not have the theatrical sense that some of the other great operatic composers had. For example, Verdi, Puccini and others. It wasn't just an Italian thing. Z had it, Strauss had it, Wagner takes forever for anything to happen plot wise in the operas. And a lot of People just cannot deal with them in total for that reason. But the music is unbelievably beautiful and that includes the orchestrations, which Wagner did himself. So this was amazing because it supposedly started at 7:30, but because there was going to be no intermission and no break, I guess for that reason they actually started at 7:45. And then at the end of it, I, I really was trying to get a sense of how long it was because I, I had lost myself in the music and I. And I wasn't sure. And then after the last note, the guy in back of me, who was a musician with his girlfriend, turned to her and said, that's it. Wagner's entire Ring cycle in an hour and a half. And I turned to him and I said, actually it was less than that because they didn't start till 7:45. And also it was over at 8:54 or something like that. So it was actually an hour and 10 minutes. And it was incredible. Just the job that Lauren Mazel did in, in excerpting the most gorgeous, mostly orchestral sections of the four operas into this beautiful, beautiful piece. And of course, it was incredibly well played by the amazing New York Philharmonic with a woman conducting phenomenally, someone I've never heard of before, Natalie Stutzman. So it was a great, great, great evening. And then to top it all off, I got on the subway of the downtown number one train at the end, and I got on the train. It wasn't too crowded, but there were other people on it. And you hear the conductor say, next stop, 59th Street. Stand clear of the closing doors. And then there was a pause and then you hear, I hope you all had a wonderful night at Lincoln Center. I used to work at Lincoln center in the David Geffen Hall. I loved working there and I think they would take me back because they loved me. This is 59th Street. Next stop, 50th Street. Watch the closing doors. And I thought, only in New York.

[Michael Portantier]

That's right, that's right.

[James Marino]

All right, so that was the. The Wagner's Ring Without Words was just a few nights only, January 16th through the 19th. So it plays today at 2pm for the last performance. So if you, I guess listening live, you could probably get over there in time. But I don't think if you download this, you're going to be able to get over there in time. But we'll have a link to everything in the show. Not. And you can check it out there. Peter, you got over to Greenwich House where you saw Mind Play by World Class Mentalist. And storyteller Vinnie dipanto. So tell us about this.

[Michael Portantier]

He's charming. That's what's so nice. Yes, he's amazing. So I don't know how the hell he does what he does. I mean, people in the audience arbitrarily mention things and he sends out balloons out into the audience and somebody catches them and they break the balloon. And exactly what had been said before is in the balloon. I mean, it's really quite amazing. I don't know how people do things like this. Of course, nobody does except the people who do them. But the important thing is this guy has a winning smile and a winning personality. I'm not going to mention somebody who did card tricks a few years ago by name. But the point is he was smug. And every time he did something extraordinary, he banged on the table as if to say, look how incredible I am. Who would have. You can't do this. I can't. You know, there's none of that with. With Vinnie. He really, really is audience friendly and that's what makes it such a good time. So as astonishing as it is, it's a good time. Aside from the astonishment, if you want, you can certainly be part of the show. He does ask for volunteers quite often and a lot of people were thrilled to get, of course, looking at the expression on their faces when the things they mentioned turn out to be things that he will show you he knew in advance. Well, it is a mind play, no question about it. So if you like this type of thing, this is one of the best ones you'll see. And my hat is off to Vinnie for doing such a good job in being so welcoming and so nice to his audience. He's appreciative and I appreciate that.

[James Marino]

Okay, so mind play is playing at the Duke Greenwich House through April 20th. We'll have a link to that in the show notes as well. So we had some big news. Was it this week or just a little bit more than this week that that Sea View Theater is going to take over the space on. Is it 43rd? I think it's 43rd Street. 43rd and 8th. That second stage had so quite a shock. Michael, why don't you catch us all up on what you know so far?

[Peter Felicia]

Well, that that space has been known as the Tony Kaiser Theater will now be rebranded, I think they said the Seaview Studio. Is that what they said?

[Michael Portantier]

Yeah, that sounds right to me.

[Peter Felicia]

And then of course, this. This brings up up one of several interesting questions. What? Where does that leave Tony Kaiser? I mean, similar to. We Were just talking about David Geffen hall, which for years and years and years was Avery Fisher hall because he and his family gave millions and millions of dollars. You know, but then somebody comes along with more millions, and then it's like, can we, you know, make a change?

[Michael Portantier]

Yeah.

[Peter Felicia]

So I wonder, you know, American Airlines.

[James Marino]

Is out in the cold.

[Peter Felicia]

Yeah.

[Michael Portantier]

Does anybody know what happened there? That's a tangent. I'm sorry, go ahead.

[Peter Felicia]

No, no, that's another one that. That I don't think we've ever discussed because, of course, now that's the Todd.

[Michael Portantier]

Haynes Theater and all.

[James Marino]

That's the Ford center for the Performing Arts. So I think that American Airlines and Ford were more sponsorship things than Temporary.

[Michael Portantier]

Sure, temporary. But we never heard anything about American Airlines bailing.

[Peter Felicia]

Right.

[Michael Portantier]

That's true. At least I didn't. I mean.

[James Marino]

No, I didn't either. Yeah. Yeah.

[Michael Portantier]

Okay. Go on, Michael. I apologize.

[Peter Felicia]

Yeah. So Seaview has announced that they are, much to the surprise of me and apparently James and Peter, because we were all convinced, sadly, that that whole building would probably be torn down, as it's only, what, two or three stories high.

[Michael Portantier]

True.

[Peter Felicia]

And you know how premium real estate in midtown Manhattan, despite the fact that so many things lay empty. But we won't get into that. Yeah. Yeah. But as I speculated to James and Peter before we started recording, I mean, we have no idea, maybe that. Maybe that area is not zoned for a taller building. Maybe they don't have the air rights in that particular place, but. Well, whatever. And I suppose maybe we can find this out. They are keeping it. It as a. They are keeping the building and they will keep it functioning as a theater. They said they're going to reconfigure it greatly, which they didn't give details on that. You know, I suspect they might make it into a configuration that's something other than a proscenium, traditional proscenium theater. But who knows? It certainly sounds like good news overall.

[Michael Portantier]

Yes.

[Peter Felicia]

And we're not going to lose another theater. That. And. And also we're not going to. To lose a very handsome building. I. It wasn't. It's not landmarked, is it?

[Michael Portantier]

I don't think so. But the thing is, what's also nice about that theater is it's stadium seating.

[Peter Felicia]

Absolutely.

[Michael Portantier]

You know, and it's really great that you don't have to worry about a tall person being in front of you, blocking your view. So I hope that that isn't lost, whatever they're going to do with it.

[Peter Felicia]

So really very good news. I Think we all would agree. And another bit of good news, which we had heard this before, but now we have more definite information. The West Bank Cafe, which includes the Laurie Beechman Theater, is going to reopen on the 23rd of this month. And that's really, really wonderful news. Tom Dangora and Michael Dangora, his husband, are behind it all and now own it. And I think they're going to make a really great go of it. They're very ambitious and very smart and very talented. I agree entirely and know everyone.

[Michael Portantier]

That's right. Yeah.

[Peter Felicia]

Oh, and how lovely is this? I'm not sure if this is why they picked it, but the date of the reopening just happens to be Chita Rivera's birthday and Cheetah was very much a regular there.

[James Marino]

So the Seaview thing came into. Into view through Broadway Journal, and Filip Baroff was I, I think for me, that's the first place that I saw it. It seemed like that was Philip Boroff's scoop that happened there. Right. But Filip Baroff also talked about a Signature, just also on 42nd street having issues. And then that Signature has got a new major tenant come in. And who was that? The new tenant, Second Stage. Was it Second Stage? So it all seems to be shaking out here.

[Peter Felicia]

Yes. And it's all connected. I remember a while ago I had expressed concern about Signature, and then somebody told me who obviously knew what they were talking about. Now the one I'd be concerned about is Second Stage. So. So that has been ameliorated by. Well, well, now suddenly there are this. This is all comes with a report of. Of Signature being in very bad financial situation. And one of the things they're going to do to address that is to give a residence, I guess you could call it Second Stage, will now be in residence at one of the theaters at this Pershing. What was it? The Pershing Square Signature theater space. Yeah.

[Michael Portantier]

Soho Rep, which had been at 46 Walker street for 34 years, is also moving uptown. They're going to Playwrights Horizons. So I'm. It's really n. That that's happening. After all, this is a company that has really made a go of it down there. It's always hard for. For tourists and frankly, New Yorkers, too, to. To get to these places that don't have numbers on them. I don't mean 46. I mean Walker Street. Where is it? How could I get there? My God. You know, so. But it's going to be much easier now for people who want to go to Soho Rep to find out that it's right there on 42nd street between 9th and 10th. So that's nice.

[James Marino]

Yeah. Also in the Off Broadway space, the Atlantic Theater Company workers went on strike and to productions grief camp and I'm assuming you know, Diebidge Greenspan were postponed. So a lot of, a lot of action in a usually quiet January, a lot of action Off Broadway with the, with the non profit theater companies that will affect what, what happens in the, in the foreseeable future through the spring and maybe into the summer, seeing how you know what's going to happen with Atlantic Theater Company. So Michael, you brought to my attention this, this video from Mickey Jo about stage door etiquette on YouTube and I think this should be required viewing for probably not our listeners because not only do we have our the smartest and best looking listeners, but they're well behaved at the theater.

[Michael Portantier]

Yes.

[James Marino]

So tell us about this video for Mickey Jo.

[Peter Felicia]

Yeah, for our listeners. I think it would be preaching to the choir, but it's a really wonderful video for people who are not regular theater goers and maybe, maybe just starting to go. Mickey Jo is a British theater critic, very young and very, I would say very charming and funny and delightful. He speaks very fast, but his articulation is perfect. So I don't think you'll have trouble following his videos. And in this case he, his subject was stage door etiquette. And just reviewing the basics. Many things that you would think would not have to be said, like please don't chase people down the street. Don't chase performers down the street after they have left the stage door, you know, after they have done their signings or said their hellos or whatever. And they're now obviously on their way home. Whether they are walking to 8th Avenue or whether they hop in a cab, please don't chase them. That's really just not cool. And other things like what's appropriate and what isn't. But always a reminder that the performers do not owe the people at the stage door any, any more of their time. I mean, we all have things going on in our lives. We never know if the performer might, might be feeling a little under the weather or might have to get home for an emergency. It might be a very cold night. There could be many reasons why they don't want to hang around and sign programs and say hi to people. And it's really not. While it's lovely when they do all of that, it is not required and you don't deserve it. It quote unquote as part of your ticket price. So I think it's, it really is a very valuable video that everyone should watch and maybe includes a few anecdotes of people behaving wildly inappropriately. That just kind of bring home the point.

[James Marino]

So also, we all three of us have been inside the palace since the restoration and reopening has taken place. And Michael, you had some thoughts about it?

[Peter Felicia]

Oh, yeah. I mean, I guess recently we've discussed, I think Peter, and also maybe Ron Fassler mentioned the wonderful restoration of the Majestic theater, and I certainly agree with that. But when it comes to the Palace, I have to say, I mean, tremendously disappointed, even angry at how they have completely reconfigured the, the public spaces of the theater. I mean, you know, everything other than the auditorium itself. There used to be a very long, high ceilinged, very grand entrance lobby to the theater, which is now completely gone. And all of this was done, as I'm sure most of our listeners know, for the simple reason, the simple, greedy reason, to have more retail space directly on Broadway rather than the entrance to the theater, which is now located around the block on 47th street in a kind of nondescript entrance that you almost might miss if you didn't have workers there pointing you towards it. And then when you walk in, I immediately feel claustrophobic. There's low ceilings, there's walls all around you. There's corners, there's nooks and crannies. And then suddenly you're pointed towards a very narrow escalator that goes up. Very cramped, very small, relatively small space. There's no point before you get into the auditorium itself where you get any feeling of majesty or grandness as what you had in the old one. And in my view, just absolutely unjustified that they literally raised the theater two or three. Two or three stories. Yes. Ra, I sed.

[Michael Portantier]

Yeah.

[Peter Felicia]

Raised the theater three or four stories just to have more retail space on Broadway. I mean, if that's not a fable for our age, what is? You know, I'm absolutely furious about it. And I, I think they, I, I really, I have to say, I think they should be ashamed of themselves.

[James Marino]

Yeah, I, I, I saw, I, I can't even remember the name of the show. The Tammy Faye.

[Michael Portantier]

That's right.

[James Marino]

What was, what was it called?

[Michael Portantier]

Tammy Faye. Timmy Faye.

[James Marino]

That was, it was just Tammy Fang. Yeah, that was the first time I was back in, in the Palace. And certainly the construction values seem to be, they, they, they certainly spent a lot of money on it. But I, I felt like it wasn't thought out with being theater centric in mind.

[Peter Felicia]

Right. And again, not talk. I'm not talking about the auditorium. The auditorium looks fine and to me looks basically the same. They didn't change. I thought they might change. The palace has that somewhat odd configuration where the seats on the sides at the front of the orchestra are angled in and raised a little bit. And I always liked that. And they kept it. So I was happy about that. But no, it's really just everything you're going to see before you get in to me is just ugly and uninviting and a damn shame.

[James Marino]

Yeah. All right, so the other things that I'd like to call this section, correlation is not Causation, because we had something new start here in New York with, called congestion pricing, where they are charging people who are driving cars a fee to drive in the central part of Manhattan called Midtown and downtown, which is where the theater district is. And everybody is hysterical saying that, you know, that it's going to kill Broadway revenues. And unfortunately, I don't think that that's what's killing Broadway revenues. And I don't even think that Broadway revenues really took a hit. I mean, have you guys anecdotally noticed anything? I mean, it's been very quiet, but it's January and the weather sucks, so.

[Peter Felicia]

It'S hard to tell.

[Michael Portantier]

Well, my theory, which is worth nothing, is that this may very well be the last straw for some people who come to the city. This may seem like a very strange analogy, but a dear friend of mine is married to a woman who is very religious. And so he was. He was dragged to church many times when he didn't want to go and all that. And with from Boston, by the way, which is where the Spotlight scandal was. And that was his way of saying, I'm not going anymore. This may seem like a strange analogy, but my point is sometimes people just need one reason to stop doing what they've been doing. And. And I do believe that this could be the strawberry, because that's it. I'm not coming into the city anymore. It's just crazy, you know, so on and so forth. One could effectively argue that so many people could get to the city. I'm talking about Jersey more than any place else, through New Jersey transit, which is pretty reliable. But I do know that a lot of people want to take their cars and feel better about driving in alone. So I. I do think this could very well make a difference in the worst sense of the word.

[James Marino]

You know, right before the New Year, wicked had a $5 million week, which brings ticket prices 3, $400 a seat. I don't think that the $9 charge for driving into Manhattan is going to deter people who are spending three $400 a seat, plus parking, plus dinner, plus.

[Peter Felicia]

I don't, I don't think people, some people are going to look at it that way.

[Michael Portantier]

Yes, sure, of course. But I do believe that people who have really been put to the breaking point where prices have been. Yeah.

[James Marino]

Oh, absolutely.

[Michael Portantier]

Yeah. Really. You know, it's funny I mentioned. I'm. I'm doing an annotated version of the season, the Goldman book. And, and, and he was talking about the fact that David Merrick, this is 1968 now. Isn't what he used that he had a tough time in the late 60s and I wrote in the margin, but little did he know that his biggest hit was coming that would even eclipse a low dolly. And that was 42nd street, which was the first show to raise its prices twice. So, I mean, it went from 25 to 30 and then 30 to 35, which of course seems like now they were giving it away considering how much, how many people were on stage and all that. But, but nevertheless, you know, the fact is that some people do have a breaking point. They just do. I mean. Oh, sure, James, didn't your wife stop going to Disney World because the price. Yeah, you know, I mean, so that's.

[James Marino]

It went from 95 to 103. And Hunt 100 was just a mental break.

[Michael Portantier]

But this is my point. Yeah, yeah. You know, this is my point, you know, so I do believe this is going to affect some people. I'm not saying what percentage. I'm not doom and gloom per se, but I guarantee you that some people are going to say enough is enough and that's going to be it.

[James Marino]

So to add insult to injury, we haven't talked about this in a while, but in the news, I don't know if it's multiple years ago, two or three years ago that there was talk about bringing a casino to Times Square. And one of the big builders of in New York City at landlords is SL Green. And SL Green has put it in their CEO's contract that he'll get a $10 million bonus if he can land the Times Square casino. So I expect that that's going to heat up again this year here.

[Michael Portantier]

What I've heard is they're now looking at Hudson Yards. Yeah, that doesn't mean it's true, but I'm just.

[Peter Felicia]

No. That they're Definitely looking at it as an option. I'm very fairly knowledgeable about all this because they're making a big push at the residence in Manhattan Plaza. So we always have meetings about it, like, once a month at least.

[Michael Portantier]

Really?

[Peter Felicia]

Yeah. So Hudson Yards is a. Is a possibility. In my view, a much better decision. You know, I mean, my, my view in a nutshell is as it is now. Have you ever tried to walk through Times Square? You know, anytime around showtime and even not around showtime, there are times when you have to line up to get across the street. And it takes. It might take you 10 minutes to literally cross the street. It's just too many people in too small and too congested a space. And the idea of adding hundreds of thousands of people at once in that exact area. I mean, how could anyone be stupid enough to think that that's a good idea when you do have other options, such as Hudson Yards, which has far more open space and far less foot traffic?

[Michael Portantier]

I guess one of the arguments against that would be that it's hard to get to by subways. It. It.

[Peter Felicia]

Sure. But, you know, but, but, but I'm.

[Michael Portantier]

Not in favor of it. I'm not saying that. I'm only.

[Peter Felicia]

But there is, there is that extension now, that existing extension of this. The seven. It's the seven.

[Michael Portantier]

Absolutely. Yeah.

[Peter Felicia]

Train right there. And then also they could revive. Apparently the tracks are there, and they. There was supposed to have been a. A stop at 42nd and 9th or 10th.

[Michael Portantier]

Yeah, I know, but I do believe that there are 10 subways that would stop close to Times Square where a casino would be. I am not arguing for it. I don't know, but that's my point.

[Peter Felicia]

You are absolutely right. That is part of it.

[Michael Portantier]

Yeah.

[Peter Felicia]

But to me, in the balance, it's still an absolute no and no brainer.

[Michael Portantier]

Yeah. Yeah. Well, Michael, since. Since you go to these meetings, is. Is there any closer movement to this happening in Times Square?

[Peter Felicia]

Well, it's. It's really hard to answer that. I mean, it's still. It's still in the.

[Michael Portantier]

Okay.

[Peter Felicia]

I mean, it's still in the talking stages. No contract has been signed.

[Michael Portantier]

No, but I mean, it seems to me. And again, you're much. You have the finger on the pulse going to these meetings, but it seems to me that it's really died down considerably the talk about putting it in Times Square.

[Peter Felicia]

I would not. I wish that were true. I can't. I can't agree with that.

[Michael Portantier]

Good. You're the expert, believe me. You know, so I understand. Enough said.

[James Marino]

Josh Gad is out on a book tour. He's got. He's got in Gad. We trust a tell some. So not to tell all, but a tell some. And last week, Josh was on NPR's Wait, Wait, don't tell me. Very, very funny. So if you're a fan of Josh Gad, go check out the Wait, Wait, don't tell me. With him last week. It's very funny.

[Peter Felicia]

Not to get into it, but I read an excerpt where he speaks, writes very negatively about of. Of all people, Casey Nicolo.

[Michael Portantier]

Yeah, yeah, so I heard that too.

[Peter Felicia]

I don't know how much of the book is in the Patti LuPone vein of, you know, gonna trash everyone I've ever worked with.

[James Marino]

Wow.

[Peter Felicia]

And. And how much of it is positive. We'll. We'll have to see.

[James Marino]

And for listeners out there, Broadway Week is coming up. Broadway Week is three weeks this year, so you can get tickets to lots of different things on Broadway Week. We'll have a link to that in the show notes. And I think that's it. Oh, and we didn't talk about it last week, but. Oh, maybe we did talk about it. Once Upon a Mattress gonna have a cast album. Did we mention that last week?

[Michael Portantier]

I don't think so. Yeah. So that's nice.

[James Marino]

Yeah.

[Peter Felicia]

And. And I jumped in and said that I thought I had also read somewhere an announcement of Gypsy with Audra cast album. Now that I double think about it, I'm not sure. Although I can't imagine there wouldn't be.

[James Marino]

Oh, no, I can't imagine there wouldn't be there. Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, no, absolutely. So we're going to get some bonus tracks with Hugh Jackson Packman in the Once Upon a Mattress catch recording. Yeah. Little Easter egg bonus. Bonus there. So we'll see what happens there. All right, so that wraps it up for this week. Before we get on to our brain teaser and our musical moments, 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 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 listen to us on Apple Podcasts. There's many ways to get us. One way is Patreon P-A-T-R-E-O-N.com BroadwayRadio, where you can support all of Broadway radio's shows and get us a little bit earlier than everybody else. And get some little extra bonus content. Contact information for Peter, for Michael and for me could be found in the show [e-mail] as well as links to some of the things we'll we've talked about today. So, Peter, do you have an answer to last week's Brain teaser?

[Michael Portantier]

He's a character who was first seen in a play on Broadway during the first decade of the 20th century, but was also in a musical revival in the last decade of the 20th century. Furthermore, he could be found on Broadway in the 20s, 50s, 70s and 80s as well. He lived in a European country, but let's pretend that he left his family, went to another European country where he learned a different language and fathered a daughter who took his last name name. His first and last name together would provide the full title of a Tony losing musical. So what I imagined is that Englishman Mr. Darling and Peter Pan went to Greece and fathered a daughter named Ilya who thus became ilya Darling, a 1967 musical that lost the Tony and presumably understandably so. If you have a listen to the cast album, which I do not recommend. All right. Steve Bell was the first to get it, seconds after I asked it, not long after I heard from Paul Whitty, Sean Logan, Tony Janicki, Josh Israel, Christine Chen, Jake Leonard, Brigad, Edric Henwood, Greer, John Conti, and oh yes, Arthur Robinson, who suggested that this whole scenario occurred because Mistress Darling said to her husband, divorce me Darling, those in the know can tell you that's the title of the sequel to the Boyfriend, which takes place 10 years later when each boyfriend and girlfriend have morphed into a husband and wife who are now tired of each other. Other. All right, this week's question. He wrote a 20th century novel that became a 21st century musical. It officially opened and closed in the same month. Among his other novels, he gave one a title that was identical to the title of a very famous musical hit that was produced more than 50 years earlier in the 20th century and was revived in the 21st century. Who is he? What's the name of the 21st century flop musical? What was the name of his novel that had the same name as the 20th century hit musical?

[James Marino]

Okay, if you have an answer for this, email [e-mail] we'll let you know if you're on the right track. So, Michael, what do we have in this week's musical moments?

[Peter Felicia]

Well, if y'all can stand it, we have some more music from Gypsy, although I guess the wrinkle here is actually, it's two songs that were cut from Gypsy. But first, parenthetically, before I start in line with what you just said, that funny story you just told Peter, I had said in my review of Gypsy that I wasn't thrilled with all of the new orchestrations and arrangements and I thought that some of them were, were very much inferior to the originals. And one of our readers wrote in and said, well, maybe George Wolf was just paying attention to, you know, maybe he had a dream and was. In which Mr. Orpheum said to him, get yourself some new orchestrations. That's great, but I love it when our listeners write in with stuff like that. Anyway, yeah, I've had, you know, Gypsy is such a rich show to begin with and this production is so newsworthy. I just had some follow up thoughts and I invite you both to jump in. One thing I did want to mention that I forgot is that at the performance I attended, there were what I thought were two flubs by Audra that were minor in a way, but not really minor. The first one is there's a line that's supposed to be. Herbie says to Rose at one point, Rose, what you expect? And she very quickly replies, I'll get. And after I get it, I promise I'll marry you. I even promise to keep my promise. But at the performance I saw, he said, what do you expect? And she said, I'll get and then I'll marry you. I even promised to keep my promise. And I thought, well, gosh, no, you kind of screwed that up a little bit. So I don't, I, I assume that was just a flub. But then the other one, I initially thought this was a flub, but I, I don't know, I think maybe it is a, a very ill advised change in Rose's turn right before Rose begins to babble and break down and start saying, mama, Mama. The last line she's supposed to say before that is Mama's letting go. And it's clear to me that the reason why that causes her mental break is because she cannot let go. And so that's why the specific line before that has to be Mama's letting go. But I. But at the performance I attended and on two bootleg recordings that people have posted online, that's not what she sings. She sings, she sings. I've got it written down. Let me make sure she sings. Mama's gotta move. Mama's gotta go. And that's when she starts breaking down. Now Mama's gotta go is not the Same as Mama's letting go go. And since she sings it the same way in both of those performances, plus the one that I attended, I have to think that maybe she or George Wolf decided that for some reason they wanted to change. Mom is letting go to mom has got to go. If that's so, I just think that's small in one way, but really, really unfortunate change. And so, I don't know, maybe I'll see if I find somebody in the cast who knows the answer to that question. But anyway, that's my last comment on this production itself. I just had some general thoughts about Gypsy that I wanted to share. One thing I find so interesting is that in the score, the very first song title is written as May We Entertain you. And then in this, I actually don't have a copy of the score, but I have the script, so I'm assuming it's the same. Then when, then when June and Louise perform the number as Baby June and her newsboys, it changes then to Let Me Entertain you. And then of course, at the very end when Gypsy is going to be about to become a star by stripping at the burlesque house, Rose says you can do June's Let Me Entertain you number. So I think Let Me Entertain you is the title that most people know it by. But it's interesting that it is technically supposed to be May We Entertain you when it's performed in the audition sequence at the very beginning and on the original cast album it's listed as May We Entertain youn, but sung as Let Me Entertain youn that first time. So there seems to be a lot of question about that. And it would be fascinating to imagine the conversations between Sondheim and Robbins and I suppose Arthur Lawrence and Julie Stein around that. So there's that the vaudeville numbers in Gypsy is a question of how bad they're supposed to be, you know, and are the performers supposed to know that they're bad? Are they supposed to sort of telegraph that to the audience? It's interesting also that there is no mention in the script of Gypsy who supposedly wrote the material for the act. I mean, are we supposed to think it's Rose? Are we supposed to think she wrote the music and the lyrics and the arrangements and the orchestrations? Now, you know, I didn't expect them to get into a big discussion of who wrote the material, but it could have been, it might have been fun to have like a one line joke about the guy who writes their stuff and how maybe I should, you know, give him some money for that. Sometime. So that's, that's interesting to me. But also it's, you know, I guess those songs are supposed to be bad and corny, but ultimately they have music by Julie Stein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. So it's like, it's. It's like the best bad music and lyrics you could ever possibly imagine. What else? Try to be brief here. Oh, all I need is the girl. We've discussed that a bit, but there's a change in the movie where in the movie, June does not run off with Tulsa. She runs off with another boy in the act. And a lot of people hate that change because they think it's more heartbreaking if June runs off with a boy that Louise was in love with. But on the other hand, apparently this, the movie version is more accurate, first of all. And also because Tulsa does not run off with June, that gives him a really touching goodbye scene with Louise at the train station. So he's leaving anyway. So she's still heartbroken, broken, and. But plus she gets that goodbye scene and so does he. So I don't really mind that change, I have to say. And what else? Oh, one of our listeners wrote in to say, Michael, I just listened to your very intelligent review of Gypsy. I have always loved your insight. As far as Little Lamb goes, both June Havoc and Gypsy Rosalie stated many times throughout their lives that it wasn't until they were in their 20s that they actually found out when they were born their mother had destroyed their birth certificates and depending on what state they were performing in, forged their birth certificates. So I had expressed. Expressed doubt that, that when, when Louise sings I Wonder how old I am. I didn't think she meant that literally, but I think I might have been wrong about that. You know, according to Mark Milligan and, and, and I've read things now that bolster what he say. I mean, I, I would think that, you know, I would think Louise would have a rough idea of how old she was, but she might not have known exactly. Oh, and Here's a wonderful 2 2. Kerr, in reviewing the. The Angela Lansbury production, wrote this must have been one of his Sunday pieces. I would say, right. Probably not something that appeared right on opening night. He wrote the crucial sequence. The moment when we understand that Gypsy is capable of unexpected but apparently limitless dramatic expansion probably comes in an alleyway outside a stage door while Louise sits with desperate fixed on a male dancer. The dancer is in the process of building his own act. The girl who would like to be the girl is right there. But her taut tomboy's face is composed, her neglect entirely without self pity, as the quite remarkable Zan Charisse plays and refuses to primp her. She seems to have had the braces removed from her teeth just yesterday to be as sexless and as patiently pensive as a ruaut clown. I don't get that reference. But anyway, without the boys noticing that she is at last impulsively on her feet behind him and miming him exuberantly in a flash finish, but dancing perfectly, she doesn't look like his partner. For one thing, she's still wearing the brown felt trousers assigned to her. In baby June's act, she plays the hind legs of a cow. When we learn a scene later that the boy she has matched step for step has promptly run off with baby June, we realize through our quite genuine dismay how perfectly we've been set up for the fall. Playwright, composer and librettist have for us glued two people in the number, then ripped them apart. After that, we can expect almost any degree of substance that they care to give us in the second act. And then finally, in a truth is stranger than fiction moment. This is from Wikipedia. Are you ready?

[Michael Portantier]

I'm ready.

[Peter Felicia]

In December 1928, June Havoc, in an effort to escape her overbearing mother, eloped with Bobby Reed, a boy in the vaudeville act. Weeks later, after performing at the Jayhawk Theater in Topeka, Kansas, June's mother, Rose reported Reed to the Topeka police and he was arrested. Did Rose pulled out a concealed gun when she met Bobby at the police station, intending to shoot him, but the gun didn't go off because the safety was on. She then physically attacked her son in law and the police had to pry her off the hapless Reed. June subsequently left both her family and the act. Though the marriage didn't last long, the two remained friends.

[Michael Portantier]

But do you know that Rose Hovik appeared on I've Got a Secret? This. This came up recently. I think it's on YouTube.

[Peter Felicia]

It is on YouTube.

[Michael Portantier]

Oh, you know what I'm talking about. Yeah. Okay. So if you want to see what the real Rose looked like, at least late in life, there she is. And frankly, I think people knew that she was going to be on because they guessed awfully quickly and in a way that was not convincing to me. So. But anyway, if you want to see the real Rose. And by the way, that stuff of the birth certificate again, I must recommend Carolyn Quinn's magnificent Mama Rose's Turn, where she brings up the fact that the reason that, well, in the musical we hear that Rose wants to make girls always seem younger. No, in real life, she made them seem older than they were so that they could get work and there wouldn't be any problem with the authorities. So that's kind of interesting, too.

[Peter Felicia]

I think so. I think probably sometimes she. She wanted to make them seem younger, and sometimes she wanted to make them.

[Michael Portantier]

Older, depending on the circumstance. Sure, that makes sense. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, yeah. She would work both sides of the street, no question.

[Peter Felicia]

Anyway, after all that. Our musical moments for this week, as I said, are two songs cut from Gypsy. The opener is Mama's Talking Soft as sung by Petula Clark and recorded in May 1959 for an album titled this is Petula Clark, exclamation point. Now, gypsy opened on May 21st.

[Michael Portantier]

Yeah.

[Peter Felicia]

So Petula must have been. Oh, and I've read that Mama's Talking Soft was cut during rehearsals, so theoretically, it had already been cut when Petula recorded it. But maybe news hadn't gotten to her, or maybe she just liked the song anyway, she and her people and wanted to do it. It's a really terrific version, and I hope you'll enjoy it. And then, oh, by the way, other musical theater songs on this same album. Now, remember, 1959 musical theater songs were still part of pop music.

[James Marino]

Right.

[Peter Felicia]

There's a Small Hotel, Too, Darn Hot and Darn that Dream. Peter, did you know that Darn that Dream is a show, too?

[Michael Portantier]

Yeah, it's from Midsummer Night Stream adaptation Swinging the Dream, I think it's called.

[Peter Felicia]

Correct. Very good. Yeah, yeah, it's. It was. Oh, and the, uh. Excuse me here. I'm sorry. Darn that Dream is a popular song composed by Jimmy Van Usen with lyrics by Eddie Delang, published in 1939 and whenever. And in 1940, there was a recording released by Benny Goodman in an arrangement by Eddie Sauter. There's. Right.

[Michael Portantier]

Wow. He was working that early. I had no idea.

[Peter Felicia]

Yeah. Isn't that something?

[Michael Portantier]

Yeah.

[Peter Felicia]

That must have been a kid.

[Michael Portantier]

He must have been. Yeah.

[Peter Felicia]

The song was introduced in the Broadway musical Swing in the Dream, a variation on A Midsummer Night's Dream set in New Orleans in 1890. The musical opened at the Center Theater in November 1939 and closed after 13 performances. But that might be worth another look, Right? With those.

[Michael Portantier]

Sure.

[Peter Felicia]

Jimmy Van Heusen involved.

[Michael Portantier]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Peter Felicia]

Anyway, and our closer for this week's podcast is Nice She Ain't A song that was written for Herbie to sing and was cut during out of the out of Town tryout. I'm not sure at what point was to have been sung by Jack Klugman, but maybe was cut partly because he was not the greatest singer. But this is a recording that was done in conjunction with the original Broadway cast album for the Patti LuPone version in 2008 and orchestrated by Jonathan Taylor Tunic and performed by and sung by Boyd Gaines. So enjoy these two cut songs from Gypsy and. And just ponder for a moment how incredible it is that these two songs were actually cut from a show could be so great.

[James Marino]

Okay, 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. Broadway. Bye. Bye.

[Peter Felicia]

Bye. Her manners charming but nice she ain't her smile's disarming but nice she ain't? She's a dame with more love to give than she'd retell? And a heart that's too warm to be refused Every place that she goes she makes a million friends that lady has friends that she ain't even used well, I'm no bargain and she's no saint but oh, so nice she ain't but nice G ain't.