This Week on Broadway for July 19, 2026: The Whoopi Monologues @ LCT

Summary

BroadwayRadio — This Week on Broadway (July 19, 2026): The Whoopi Monologues @ LCT

Overview

In this episode, host James Marino is joined by theater journalist/photographer Michael Portantier and writer/editor Carrie Purcell for their weekly round-up of New York theater. This week covers key reviews and impressions of major recent theater productions—particularly The Whoopi Monologues at Lincoln Center Theater—as well as rich discussions about current Broadway and off-Broadway fare, and some behind-the-scenes fun and insight into the world of theater journalism.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Tracee Ellis Ross’s Broadway Debut (“Every Brilliant Thing”)

[04:52—07:38]

• Carrie Purcell shares her interview with Tracee Ellis Ross, who recently took over lead in Every Brilliant Thing:
  • Tracee was euphoric about her Broadway debut:

    “She described her opening night as … she said she felt like she was flying with her feet on the ground.” [05:10, Carrie Purcell]

  • Unique resonance as a woman of color in a show dealing with mental health, “communities of color often receive less mental health attention and help… but they also report higher percentages of mental health struggles, including suicidal ideation.” [05:44, Carrie Purcell]
  • On audience interaction: Tracee tells nervous participant:

    “‘I’m nervous too. Let’s be nervous together.’ I can’t think of a better way to invite someone to participate in a show.” [07:07, Carrie Purcell]

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Review: Girl, Interrupted at The Public Theater

[08:30—13:46]

• Carrie Purcell offers a first-time perspective having not read the book or seen the film:
  • Excitement for a show focusing on women’s mental health in the pre-1970s era.
  • Amy Mann’s introspective score praised for emotional texture, but criticized because:

    “The songs were so introspective that they didn’t really move the show forward… they often stopped the show in the way that a show shouldn’t be stopped.” [09:41, Carrie Purcell]

  • Standout moments:
    • “15 Minutes” – chilling choreographed number featuring Manuel Feliciano arranging women “like they were rag dolls,” vividly capturing patriarchal power dynamics. [11:18, Carrie Purcell]
  • Emily Skinner commended for nuanced portrayal of conflicted psychiatry.
  • The show overall needs more workshopping, but strong hope for further development.

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The Whoopi Monologues at Lincoln Center’s Mitzi Newhouse Theater

[15:14—19:22]

• Michael Portantier reviews this contemporary reimagining of Whoopi Goldberg’s 1984 one-woman show:
  • Now a five-woman show, with each monologue/character delivered by a different actor:
    • Kerry Washington (Surfer Girl), Keisha Lewis (Lurleen), Danielle Pinnock (Jamaican Lady), and Kara Young (Fontaine); Kai Heath as Blonde Girl (understudy for Dominique Fishback at reviewed performance).

  • “All wonderful characters as written and very, very interesting, colorful, dynamic, and played to the hilt by all these women.” [16:43, Michael Portantier]

  • Production blends “comedy and drama and pathos” with high production values in an intimate space.
  • One critique: some characters perhaps overloaded with traits (“trying to cover too many bases”), especially Fontaine, whose complexity (junkie/PhD) felt overstated for a single monologue.
  • Overall: Highly recommended as “extremely entertaining” [18:28, Michael Portantier], and a powerful showcase of Whoopi Goldberg’s writing and contemporary ensemble performance.

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Romeo and Juliet at the Revitalized Delacorte Theater

[20:00—28:58]

• Carrie Purcell reviews this politically charged, bilingual adaptation:
  • Remembrance of past favorite (Oscar Isaac & Lauren Ambrose) embeds her love for the role of Juliet as “smart… so much smarter than the character is given credit for often.” [20:33, Carrie Purcell]
  • Negative: Romeo “felt almost like a caricature rather than a character,” reminiscent of “Tom Cruise jumping on the couch.” [21:15, Carrie Purcell]
  • Innovative elements:
    • Frequent Spanish dialogue; setting evokes U.S.-Mexico desert border wall, “Mercutio spray paints ‘abolish ICE’ on the wall”—political undertones foregrounded.
    • Ending altered: Juliet dies via poisoned kiss, not dagger, prompting confusion—“I could not see why that choice was made, and it really confused me…” [25:42, Carrie Purcell]
  • Extensive cuts to Shakespeare’s text and reliance on visual concept can make it hard for newcomers; still, appreciated the experiment.
  • Rave for Juliet actor Ra’Mia Latia Aikens: “Really just superb as Juliet.” [28:41, Michael Portantier]
  • Unique feature: post-show live wedding or commitment ceremonies performed by Francis Jue as Friar Lawrence. [27:34, Carrie Purcell]

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As You Like It – Shakespeare in the Parking Lot (Drilling Company)

[31:39—38:54]

• Michael Portantier describes the Lower East Side’s “Shakespeare in the Parking Lot” as essential NYC theater:
  • Praises Leah Bonfiglio (Rosalind) and Andy Rowell (Touchstone) for comic immediacy and skillful clowning—

    “He reminded me of Josh Grisetti… that kind of really in-the-moment comic acting…” [34:25, Michael Portantier]

  • Minimalist, acoustic, outdoor staging brings “added charm” and hilarious real-world interruptions (“one of the actors started shouting his lines as if he was screaming at [loud passersby]”).
  • Production is completely free and “a lot easier to get tickets for this than for the Delacorte... you kind of just show up.” [38:32, Michael Portantier]

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Henry VI (Trilogy in Two Parts) at The Public’s Newman Theater

[39:36—46:03]

• Carrie Purcell (with National Asian American Theatre Company, NAATCO):
  • Honest about Shakespeare’s earlier history plays:

    “It’s not a very good play by Shakespeare... He was perhaps a bit too focused on an accurate historical representation and lost some of the characters in the process because this felt more like a lecture than a play, at least the first one did.” [40:23, Carrie Purcell]

  • Costume and fight choreography applauded for impact despite minimal staging.
  • Standout actors: Teresa Avielim as Queen Margaret (“absolutely remarkable, ferocious performer”), John Norman Schneider (King Henry), Rajesh Bose (Richard III).
  • Caution: Best for hardcore Shakespeare completists, as it can be an endurance feat for more casual fans.

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The Wedding Singer at John W. Engeman Theater (Northport, LI)

[50:41—57:51]

• Michael Portantier:
  • Calls it “utterly delightful and funny and sweet and charming and it has an excellent score…”
  • Production benefits from show's original “rock band” orchestration—“it will sound to you almost exactly like the… original Broadway cast album.”
  • Highlights cast: Zach Kaussman as Robbie Hart (“looked like somebody from the 80s…”), Emily Grace Tucker as Julia, plus a marvelous turn from Gail Shaffer as grandma Rosie (“a really plum role…”).
  • Engeman called a welcoming venue; recommends making a day trip—“all the usual ice cream places that James would like… There’s a wonderful restaurant on the water called Skippers.” [57:20, Michael Portantier]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Tracee Ellis Ross:

• “She described her opening night as… she said she felt like she was flying with her feet on the ground.” [05:10, Carrie Purcell]

On Girl, Interrupted:

• “He was arranging them all like they were rag dolls. And it was absolutely eerie… these patients just being played with like they weren’t real people.” [11:24, Carrie Purcell]
• “I do think it needs a bit more work… But I am really happy that this work was adapted and I hope it has a life beyond this.” [13:36, Carrie Purcell]

On The Whoopi Monologues:

• “Whoopi Goldberg is so talented as a writer, not only as an actress and a TV host. It’s really good to be reminded of that.” [17:47, Michael Portantier]
• “As entertaining as it was, I thought… Whoopi was trying to maybe put too much into each of the characters…” [17:55, Michael Portantier]

On Romeo and Juliet:

• “He reminded me of Tom Cruise jumping on the couch when he was talking about Katie Holmes… I hate to associate him with Shakespeare, but that was the feeling I was getting from the actor playing Romeo.” [21:15, Carrie Purcell]
• “I always appreciate when any kind of political undertones are really explored and maybe an unlikely setting.” [24:50, Carrie Purcell]
• “But in this production… they had her die by kissing him and getting enough poison from his lips… I could not see why that choice was made, and it really confused me and… distracted me from the end of the play.” [25:42, Carrie Purcell]

On The Wedding Singer:

• “I still don’t understand why this show wasn’t a huge success on Broadway. I think it’s utterly delightful and funny and sweet and charming and it has an excellent score.” [50:48, Michael Portantier]
• “If you go to see The Wedding Singer at the Engeman, I think it will sound to you almost exactly like the original Broadway cast album.” [53:54, Michael Portantier]

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• Tracee Ellis Ross’s Broadway Debut Discussion: 04:52 — 07:38
• Girl, Interrupted Review: 08:30 — 13:46
• The Whoopi Monologues @ LCT: 15:14 — 19:22
• Romeo & Juliet (Delacorte): 20:00 — 28:58
• Shakespeare in the Parking Lot – As You Like It: 31:39 — 38:54
• Henry VI (Public Theater, NAATCO): 39:36 — 46:03
• The Wedding Singer (Engeman Theatre): 50:41 — 57:51

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Extras & Fun Moments

• BroadwayRadio app updates: iOS available, Android pending resubmission due to icon issue. [07:50, James Marino]
• Banter over Shakespeare’s confusing character names and family trees:

  “Why are there so many of this name and that name? … Why isn’t someone just named Bob?” [40:11, Carrie Purcell]

• Carrie’s side career: “I do write about spirits as well as theater. I think they’re an inevitable intertwining.” [48:21, Carrie Purcell]
• Recommendations for pre- and post-theater haunts and themed cocktails:

  “I had some themed cocktails for my Tony like a… thyme cocktail called the Thyme Warp… and a scotch cocktail called Ragtime.” [49:58, Carrie Purcell]

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Conclusion

This packed episode provides a cross-section of current NYC theater, from new spins on classic monologues and Shakespeare in the least-expected venues, to the joys and challenges of fresh adaptations (Girl, Interrupted) and underappreciated musicals (The Wedding Singer). Dialogue flows with warmth, sharp observation, and humor, especially around the evolving art—and logistics—of reviewing the New York stage.

Highly recommended for listeners tracking both buzzy new works and the enduring craft of live performance.

Transcript

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[Carrie Purcell]

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[Musical Performer]

in my dream such beautiful lovers have found me Storybook lovers surround me Nothing is real but I'm flying, sighing well, well, where is my storybook ending? Why does my coin in pretending leave me with nothing to h. Why is it only in dreams that we find our love with real love? If you know how to feel love, show me now all that's my br.

[James Marino]

Hello and welcome. Welcome to Broadway Radio's this Week on Broadway for Sunday, July 19, 2026. My name is James Marino and in the broadcast today we have Michael Portantier and Carrie Purcell. Michael has been a theater journalist for more than 50 years. 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 Nightlife Exc. Additionally, Michael is known as a producer and Director of Shows at 54 below the Laurie Beechman Theater and other venues. Hello Michael. Hello Michael, I've been meaning to ask you. You haven't mentioned recently so I. I don't know if this is has been occurring, but have you fostered any puppies recently?

[Michael Portantier]

No, I. I. You know I took a break because I was doing 1776 oh, that's right. Knew I was going to be on Staten island and you know, I didn't want to leave a dog alone for like eight hours at a time. So. But actually I just recently got back in touch with the fostering service that I've been working with. And they, they're located in Soho normally, but for some reason they had to temporarily move to Brooklyn. So I called them and I and they told me that and they said, well, we'll, we'll probably be back in SoHo in August, so give us a call then. And you know, so that's what I plan to do and start up again.

[James Marino]

Oh, that's awesome. That's great. Also with this is Carrie Purcell Carries, a writer and editor whose non fiction writing on theater, film, feminism and health care has been featured in the New York Times, Vogue, Vanity Fair, the Nation, TDF Stages, Theater Mania, and the Village Voice, among others. She has also served on the editorial staffs of Playbill and People. Her nonfiction book, From Afrobend to Fun Home, A Cultural History of Feminist Theater, was published in 2019 by Bloomsbury. Hello, Carrie. Hello. Oh, and Carrie, you and I back in 2019 did a whole Broadway radio special on your book. And so some listeners have emailed me and mentioned that I should re mention that. So here it is. And I'll put a link to in the show notes. But more recently, you just published an article for Vogue. Tracy Ellis Ross was born to do every brilliant thing. So Carrie, tell us about the article.

[Carrie Purcell]

Thanks for mentioning it. Tracy has stepped into the show replacing Marisa Haggerty, who replaced Daniel Radcliffe, who opened it. And she was telling me about the process of making her Broadway debut, how it came about. She has always wanted to do theater and do Broadway, but she's most known for many different TV shows that she's been, you know, critically acclaimed for winning awards, spending, I think eight years on Girlfriends and then another eight years on another show. So she was telling me about just how she described her opening night as. It sounded like it was just euphoric. She said she felt like she was flying with her feet on the ground. And that was all really, really lovely to hear. And she's such an energetic, joyful person. I was just grinning the entire time we were talking. But one thing that we talked about that is unique to her taking on the role is that she's a woman of color doing a show about mental health. And it's been reported year after year that communities of color often receive less mental health attention and help. But they also report Higher percentages of mental health struggles, including suicidal ideation. So she spoke very movingly about that and I was really grateful to her for opening up about that for the article.

[James Marino]

That's great. I don't know if I'm just an oblivious neophyte. I saw Tracee Ellis Ross in. In Blackish on television and. And I did not realize who her mother was. I never connected it. Did you really? A little bit about her mother.

[Carrie Purcell]

We didn't talk about her mother. It was. It was mostly about the show. She was gracious enough to speak with me in between two show day.

[James Marino]

Oh, boy.

[Carrie Purcell]

The day after she opened. So I didn't want to take up too much of her time. Focused mostly on the show itself and especially about her moving through the audience at the beginning of the. Before the performance begins, actually selecting people to participate with her in the various interactions and how she. She doesn't really view it as theater. She views it as just inviting people to come play with her. And how like one person said to her, I'm really nervous. And her response was, I'm nervous too. Let's be nervous together. I can't think of a better way to. To invite someone to participate in a show.

[James Marino]

Wow, that. In between a two show day. Wow, that. That is. That's.

[Michael Portantier]

Especially that show. Yeah, especially that show.

[James Marino]

All right, so some Broadway radio stuff. Of course, our Broadway radio app is available on the Apple App Store. We got rejected from the Google Play store. So it seems as though I attached the wrong icon to the application. So the right icon has been attached to the application and it has been resubmitted. And as soon as it gets out, I'll let everybody know that it'll be available on Android very soon. So, Carrie, you got to seek girl Interrupted. So why don't you tell us about this?

[Carrie Purcell]

Sure. I actually had the unique experience of going in completely blind. I have not read the book or seen the movie. The movie came out when I was, I think, a preteen or a teenager, and I never saw it. So it was. I was really excited to go in with no real expectations. I know that the show has been in the works for a long time pre pandemic and then during the pandemic, I believe Amy Mann released Queens of the Summer Hotel, which was an album of songs inspired by Susanna Cason's writing, who wrote the memoir about being committed for 18 months at the McLean Hospital. And I was. I just was very, very excited to see a show about. Also about mental health and focusing on mental health of women in A time women were often checked into facilities for a quote, nice little rest by men who weren't exactly skilled in making the decision of whether their mental health was whether they were healthy or not. So Amy Mann seemed to me like the perfect person to write introspective, introspective songs about women in different points in their life, which is true, and that's a good and bad thing for this show because in my opinion, the songs were so introspective that they didn't really move the show forward. At times. They were really intriguing, haunting glimpses into these women's personal experiences. But they often stopped the show in the way that a show shouldn't be stopped. It felt like a lot of. Of, like first. First drafts of portraits of these characters. And I wanted to know more about each of them individually, but I didn't really see clearly how they were moving the story of Susanna forward. She was played by Juliana Canfield, who was in Stereophonic. And Juliana was fantastic. I. Her voice. Her voice is haunting. It stayed with me for a long time after the show. Emily Skinner played her doctor. And Emily Skinner, I keep seeing her in these smaller supporting roles and shows where sometimes I don't realize it's her until I looked at the playbill.

[James Marino]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Carrie Purcell]

After the show, she just inhabits these characters so fully. And her. Her role didn't have a lot of lines or to speak or sing, but she still managed to communicate so clearly that she didn't necessarily believe in all of the practices she was prescribing to her patients, but she didn't have any other option. This is what the higher ups say to do. I was so glad that was included in the story, regardless of how briefly. And Manuel Feliciano played several male presences, including her. The Juliana Canfield's father, the teacher who groomed her and engaged in an. In an unethical sexual relationship with her. He had a song called 15 Minutes in which he was dancing around the stage singing about the brief period of time he spent with her before he put her in a cab and sent her to the hospital. He decided within 15 minutes that a woman who attempted death by suicide should be sent away. And he. I loved the choreography and the staging of that song because all the other female patients were on stage. They. Everyone remains on stage the entire show. If they're not participating in a scene, they sit towards the back of the stage. And he was arranging them all like they were rag dolls. And it was absolutely eerie. And he was excellent in all of his various roles, but that one was especially dark and really, really chilling. And again, without saying it communicated a lot without having to spell it out about the patriarchy and mental health, about the lack of any real ability to decide what would happen to them. These patients just being played with like they weren't real people, like they were dolls there for the doctor to stage the way he wanted to. I, I really enjoyed the show. I do think it needs a bit more work at times. I think that there are some moments in the book by Martina Mazak that probably need to be to be re workshopped to be performed in front of audiences again to see how they how they sound when spoken rather than written. But I really am happy that this work was adapted and I hope that it has a life beyond this front of the public.

[James Marino]

All right, so Girl Interrupted at the Public. It has closed this week, but we'll have a link to that in the show notes so you can check it out. I think Carrie, you you are probably in in agreement with a lot of the others that have have seen this, that have said that they hope somebody keeps working on this because it has

[Unknown Hiker 1]

a lot of potential awkward time to ask this, but. Hey, did you download the trail map?

[Unknown Hiker 2]

Yeah, no, I don't need to.

[Unknown Hiker 1]

I, I don't understand. You're trusting your signal out here.

[Unknown Hiker 2]

I'm trusting T Mobile. They have the best network and if we end up in bumtots nowhere, well, we've got T Satellite for backup.

[Unknown Hiker 1]

Whoa, I don't trust my carrier that much.

[Unknown Hiker 2]

We'll just use your phone as a flashlight.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

With America's best network and T Satellite, we're keeping you connected in places you never thought possible. And if you switch today, you get free phones for zero down and only 25 bucks a month per line for four lines. Find out more@t mobile.com or visit your local store.

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[James Marino]

mobile.com so Michael, you were over at Lincoln Center Theater's Mitzi Newhouse to see the whoopi Monologues. So tell us about this.

[Michael Portantier]

Well, this is, I guess you would call a. A new take or a revision of the show that really brought Whoopi Goldberg to prominence in 1984 when she did it on Broadway at the Lyceum Theater. And at the time, it was a, you know, a quote unquote, one woman show. But now it's not. Now it's a five woman show called the Whoopi Monologues. And all of the five different characters are played by five different women. Five different incredibly talented women. We have Kerry Washington as the surfer girl. We have Keisha Lewis as Lurleen. At the performance I attended, we had Kai Heath, K A I Heath H E A T H as the blonde girl normally played by Dominique Fishback. We have Danielle Pinnock as the Jamaican lady. And finally, the incredible Kara Young as Fontaine. And they're all wonderful characters as written and. And very, very interesting and colorful and dynamic and played to the hilt by all these women. Extremely entertaining show in terms of both comedy and drama and pathos. I would say that really, that Whoopi Goldberg, it was, is so talented as a writer, not only as an actress and a TV host. It's really good to be reminded of that. I did not see the show originally. I know it was televised. I think it maybe was hbo. Not sure if how easily findable it is now, but I think you can probably find it if you would like to see her do it. But in the meantime, you have these five incredible women and their understudies. One of whom I saw my One Negative Thing is Slightly Negative is as entertaining as it was, I thought. I felt like Whoopi was trying to maybe put too much into each of the characters. And they aren't. I mean, I suppose they're not. I suppose they're not supposed to be especially believable in a realistic sense, but I did think that maybe she was trying to cover too many bases. For example, the first person who speaks, the first character who speaks, Fontaine, as played by Carrit Young. And Fontaine is supposedly male. And your first impression is that maybe he's a street person or a drug addict. And in fact, he then identifies himself as a junkie. So you're like, okay, he's a junkie, but he's hyper, articulate. And then you find out that he has. I believe he said that he has a doctorate from Columbia or a PhD from Columbia University. So I thought, well, all right, I guess, you know, maybe for a sketch, this is. This is okay. But I didn't feel like we needed to have all those different aspects in one particular character. But all that said, again, very, very, very entertaining. I'm glad that Lincoln center did this. It's a perfect show for the Mitzi Newhouse. Very intimate. The production effects, production values are really quite impressive. You know, for that small space and especially in terms of the video, really some really nice video work. And all in all, excellently done. Directed by Whitney White. I highly recommend it.

[James Marino]

All right, so the Whoopi Monologues at Lincoln Center Theatre's Mitzi Newhouse Theater is running through August 3rd 30th, and we'll have a link to that in the show notes. Carrie, you were over at the revitalized Delacorte Theater to see Romeo and Juliet. So tell us about this. And also tell us, is this the first time you've been back to this to the telecord, or did you go to that press avail for the. For the walkthrough?

[Carrie Purcell]

I did not go to the walkthrough.

[James Marino]

Okay, so what did you think?

[Michael Portantier]

But there was the. There was the last year was the show. Last year was done after the renovation.

[James Marino]

Oh, was it?

[Michael Portantier]

Yeah.

[James Marino]

Oh, I thought it was.

[Michael Portantier]

Which I didn't get to see.

[James Marino]

Okay, so, Carrie, what'd you think?

[Carrie Purcell]

Of the theater or of the show?

[James Marino]

Both. Both. I mean, if you have anything to say about the theater, add that in. But the show,

[Carrie Purcell]

it wasn't my favorite Romeo and Juliet. I remember years and years ago seeing that done at the Delacorte with Oscar Isaac and Lauren Ambrose. And I remember, I mean, that was a long time and many shows ago, but I still remember how much I loved Lauren Ambrose as Juliet. I'm always intrigued by how she's played because I think she's so smart, so much smarter than the character is given credit for often. I mean, she's a teenager, if that. But she's the one who's saying to Romeo, hey, are you gonna. Are you gonna marry me? Are you being honorable here? And arranging for her nurse to go meet him. And even when the first thing she says, when her mother asks her to think about marrying Paris, and she says, I look to like if looking, liking move. And Romeo, I've always thought was a. A little bit of a. Well, a dab. He seems to love the idea of being in love rather than actually loving this remarkable woman he's met. And this Romeo took that to the nth degree. I never thought I would associate Tom Cruise with Shakespeare. But leaving the park, my friend and I were talking about the show and she said he reminded me of Tom Cruise jumping on the couch when he was talking about Katie Holmes. Yeah, I really don't like Tom Cruise. That's. I could take up a whole other podcast episode talking about that. So I hate to associate him with Shakespeare, but that was the feeling I was getting from the actor playing Romeo. He was rolling around on the ground. He was extremely physical to a point where it almost felt like a caricature rather than a character. Whereas Juliet really impressed me. I thought that that actress was very grounded, was very comfortable in the role, and I thought she did a really great job of communicating that, yes, this is a very wise, very young woman, but she's also in love and she's happy and she's giddy and. And I just really enjoyed her. Deidre o' Connell played her nurse who I thought her talents were underutilized. It seemed like she was directed to be drunk and that was it. There are scenes where the nurse drinking is funny and can contribute to her humor, but I felt like there was a lot more that Deidre o' Connell could have done with the part that she wasn't permitted to. Lachance played Lady Capulet, and I'm always happy to see her on stage, always. But her Juliet's father, played by Glenn Glenn Fleschler, kind of confused me because the scene when he, when. When Juliet says, I I don't want to marry Mary Paris and her father basically disowns her, it felt like it came out of nowhere. I didn't see anything in his performance that led up to this explosion of cruelty for his daughter. And because the actress playing Juliet was so impressive, it was even more heartbreaking to watch. I really enjoyed Mercutio. Paris wasn't really given anything to do and it's it. It was also. It was a unique performance in that a good part of the play was spoken in Spanish to add to the context of it being staged on a backdrop of a desert border wall. And Mercutio spray paints abolish ice on the wall. And the. These political undertones are very clearly depicted for the audience. And I really appreciated seeing it in that way, having had the privilege of having seen this play many times. And also I was in seventh grade when the Baz Luhrmann movie with Leonardo DiCaprio as Romeo came out. So 12 year old me saw that movie many times, but I felt a little bad for anyone who had never seen the play before just because it is so beautifully written and they weren't hearing that language. But there's never a shortage of Romeo and Juliet, so they'll have another chance. And I always appreciate when any kind of political undertones are really explored and maybe an unlikely setting. You think of Romeo and Juliet and you think of young love and tragedy and family, you know, family feuds. And I really liked seeing this. This more modern political context added to it. But one thing that never made sense to me was the ending, because they changed the ending. In the originally written script, Romeo takes poison because he thinks Juliet is dead. Juliet wakes up a moment too late and says, oh, happy dagger, and dies by stabbing herself. But in this production, for some reason, they had her die by kissing him and getting enough poison from his lips. In the original script, she does say, you know, drunk, all left, no hap. No friendly drop for me. And kisses him trying to get poison, but doesn't. And I. I just. I. I thought about this for a while, but I could not see why that choice was made. And it really confused me and honestly distracted me from the end of the play because I was thinking, wait a minute, wait a minute. What happened there? So if anyone has any insight into that, I would. I would really love to know. I was just so curious why that choice was made.

[James Marino]

Spoiler.

[Michael Portantier]

Yeah.

[Carrie Purcell]

Between.

[Michael Portantier]

Between the fact that so much of the text in this production is in Spanish, plus the fact that I think maybe you alluded to it, they cut a tremendous amount of the text. So this is probably the least of Romeo and Juliet as written by Shakespeare that you'll ever hear in any production.

[Carrie Purcell]

Yeah. In the scene when Romeo ends up killing Tybalt, there's a long speech he makes about he's just married Juliet and Tybalt's her cousin, and he makes a speech to him about loving him as a family, you know, as a family member. And they. Before the fight ensues and they cut all of that out. And I thought that was such a detriment because that's one of the few times I'm impressed by Romeo.

[Michael Portantier]

Right. And Mercutio, as I mentioned when I reviewed the show a few weeks ago, he has literally one line after he's injured, stabbed. I forget. They. I guess they stabbed him. I don't remember how they. How he. You know, normally he goes on for a while, but here he only said, a plague on both your houses. And then it was like he dropped dead. So it was amazing how much they cut. Carrie, I have a question. Was there a live wedding or commitment ceremony during your performance?

[Carrie Purcell]

Yes, there was at the end. Was that the same couple every Night? Or did they find that many people who.

[James Marino]

No, they scheduled different couples at every performance.

[Carrie Purcell]

Right.

[James Marino]

So. Yeah.

[Michael Portantier]

And Francis Jew who's in this show as far. Lawrence apparently has some kind of a. Some kind of authorization to marry people. And he marries them or. Or in some cases, it's just a commitment ceremony. I guess.

[Carrie Purcell]

I thought he was wonderful as fire.

[Michael Portantier]

Yes.

[James Marino]

Yes.

[Carrie Purcell]

I love the speech. When Romeo's of course, in the throes of tragedy after he's been banished. And Friar Lawrence says to him, you know, many different things, ending each item with their art, though happy saying, you've gotten what you want. It doesn't look like you thought you wanted it, but it's here, so grow up.

[Michael Portantier]

Yeah. And you know, I completely agree with you about the Juliet. I'm going to try to mention her name. It's a little difficult to pronounce.

[Carrie Purcell]

That's why I didn't say it.

[Michael Portantier]

Yeah, Yeah, I figured that out. Carrie.

[Musical Performer]

It's.

[Michael Portantier]

It's okay. Let me spell it first. It's R. A apostrophe. My A. Then the middle name is Latia Aikens. So. Ramia Latia Aikens. Really just superb as Juliet.

[James Marino]

All right, so the Romeo and Juliet at the Delacorte has closed June 8th. June 28th. I have a link to that in the show notes if you want to check it out. They've got all sorts of supporting media on the public's website.

[Unknown Hiker 1]

Awkward time to ask this, but. Hey, did you download the trail map?

[Unknown Hiker 2]

Yeah. No, I don't need to.

[Unknown Hiker 1]

I. I don't understand. You're trusting your signal out here?

[Unknown Hiker 2]

I'm trusting T Mobile. They have the best network. And if we end up in bumtots nowhere, well, we've got T Satellite for backup.

[Carrie Purcell]

Whoa.

[Unknown Hiker 1]

I don't trust my carrier that much.

[Unknown Hiker 2]

We'll just use your phone as a flash.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

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[James Marino]

Visit t mobile.com so, Michael and Carrie, did either of you happen to brave the storm yesterday?

[Carrie Purcell]

No.

[James Marino]

No. You stayed in in shelter and didn't need a boat?

[Carrie Purcell]

I'm. I'm extremely asthmatic with reverse smoke. Sets off my asthma smoke or fake smoke during plays. Those are the two things that set off my asthma. And I needed my inhaler about four times on Thursday night. So. Oh, gosh, I. I did shelter in place. I did see a lot of videos of the subway stations though. And I. My goodness.

[James Marino]

For those who are who don't know, New York had some torrential downpours yesterday. And at Michael's next show, Michael didn't see Shakespeare in the Park. He saw Shakespeare in the parking lot and Shakespeare in the parking Lot. I can imagine they must have canceled yesterday's show. They must have because it was such just tremendous downpours. But the drilling company is doing Shakespeare in the Parking Lot and the production this summer is as you like it. Michael saw it hopefully not yesterday, right, Michael? Not yesterday, no.

[Michael Portantier]

But no, I was lucky enough to see it on Friday and I was considering not going because, you know, we, before all the rain, we had the horrible problems with the acrid smoke in the air from the wildfires and some days were really bad. And actually yesterday was predicted to be not great either, but the wind shifted, I guess, and as we were getting towards the evening, I thought, well, it looks okay, it smells okay. So I went on Friday night and I'm so glad I did. It was a really wonderful production of the drilling company, Shakespeare in the Parking Lot down on the Lower east side. They've been doing this for years and I only saw them for the first time last year, I'm ashamed to admit, but I think I'm going to be a convert from now on and I'm going to try to go every year. It's just really well done. They literally in a parking lot. In order to. To make things more in control, they really limit the show to just one relatively small corner of the parking lot. And they bring in some lighting, but not much. Most of the show is done before the sun goes down. And then there are some lights for the final scenes, minimal props and costumes because the. The playing area is. Is so small they were able to do it without amplification. So you're hearing real human voices on amplified, which is always great and not that easy to find nowadays. And I don't know if they. Again, I'm not that familiar with their past work. I don't know if they tend to focus on comedies more because comedies certainly seemed to work great in this context. Last year they did Much Ado About Nothing, and this year it's as yous like it, two of my favorites. One of the primary reasons I went is that I'm friends with one of the actresses who was in both productions, Leah Bonfiglio. In this show, she played Rosalind, and I wanted to see her again. Also back was this fellow who last year was Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream. And now he is Touchstone in As yous Like It. And his name is Andy Rowell. R O W E L L. And he is just fantastic. I'm going to pay him a tremendous compliment and say while I was watching the show, he reminded me of Josh Grisetti. That that kind of really in the moment, comic acting or makes you feel like everything is just happening for the first time. And he's reacting just as somebody would in real life. All these tiny, tiny little facial expressions and emotional transitions. Really, really wonderful. And you know, those roles, those Shakespeare clown roles, generally speaking, I think are very difficult to pull off nowadays because so many of the references are so completely outdated. And sometimes the. The clowns go on for a little bit longer than they need to, but he. He just really nailed it. And then also fine work from Elizabeth Allen as Phoebe, Robert Arcaro as Adam, Tammy Lane Crotch as Celia, Dan Teachout as Sylvius, Chris Martel as Duke Frederick and Duke Senior. He played both, both of the brothers. Patrick Hart is Orlando and several other people. Really very, very well done. Directed by Hamilton Clancy, who. Who runs the company. And it was a delightful evening. I was glad that the weather cooperated. It's always fun to see how outside distractions enter into the show. And in this case, at one point, a group of people came by and they were talking rather loudly. And they continued to talk rather loudly even when they saw that a show was going on, which I thought was really not necessary. So one of the actors started, like, shouting his lines as if he was screaming at them. And then they finally shut up. And, you know, that's live theater, especially when you're in a parking lot. I highly recommend as you like it by the Drilling Company, Shakespeare in the Parking Lot.

[James Marino]

All right, so this production of as yous like it by the Drilling Company is running through August 1st, and we'll have A link to it in the show notes. I don't know if. Michael, you mentioned. I did. You mentioned it was on Stanton Street, 145 Stanton.

[Michael Portantier]

I do, Yeah. I didn't give the.

[James Marino]

Yeah, but we have that in the show notes. It's a little bit hard to find on the drilling company's website, so I found the exact address on timeout. New York. Our friend Adam Tillman. Yeah.

[Michael Portantier]

Very easy to get to. Very close to the Delancey street stop on the F and the M. It's only about a block and a half. So that's your. That's your best route, if you can. If you can make it there.

[James Marino]

Michael, you know what's very important about that?

[Michael Portantier]

What?

[James Marino]

There's good pizza and ice cream right around.

[Michael Portantier]

There is a famous pizza place that I ate at, and I can't remember

[James Marino]

the name of it, but apparently it's John's.

[Michael Portantier]

No, no, no, no, no. More of an indie. More of an indie.

[James Marino]

Okay.

[Musical Performer]

Yeah.

[James Marino]

All right. So we'll have a link to that in the show notes. The drilling company, Shakespeare in the Parking Lot, as you like it. They are quite, quite experienced and doing this for 25, 30 years. Something like that. They've moved around a few times.

[Peter]

Yeah.

[James Marino]

I mean. I mean, boy, two. Two very, very, very difficult things to do in Manhattan is theater and parking. Why would you choose both of them?

[Michael Portantier]

I. I failed to mention. Just to make it 100 clear. It is completely free.

[James Marino]

Yeah, yeah. And.

[Michael Portantier]

And it's a lot easier to get tickets for this than for the Delacorte. In fact, they don't have actual tickets. You kind of just show up, as far as I know. And they have, you know, comfortable little plastic lawn chairs. And. And it's a really nice setup.

[James Marino]

All right, so do I have this wrong? Please help me with my Roman numerals. This is Henry IV or Henry vi. Hello, Carrie. Did you see the. Because the. It says Henry vi. Rob Johnston, you can tell me. VI is six. Yeah, that's what I thought, but I was thinking it was the fourth. And. Okay, so, Carrie. Yes, Rob Johnson confirms. He's our official referee.

[Carrie Purcell]

Thank you, Rob.

[Unknown Hiker 2]

Yeah.

[James Marino]

IV is four. VI is six. Yeah. So Carrie saw Henry vi, a trilogy in two parts. Now, thanks the Public for confusing a trilogy in two parts at the Public Theaters. Newman Theater. So, Carrie, tell us about Henry vi.

[Carrie Purcell]

I'm talking about Shakespeare so much, I feel like I should have a review written in iambic pentameter or something. It was really. It was a really interesting experience. I had never read or seen it before, I took a friend of mine who, you know, you've got like that friend who loves Shakespeare and you always invite them when you get invitations to Shakespeare, because, yes, I took a dear friend of mine whose goal is actually to see every single Shakespeare play live. And this, Henry, is not these three plays. Well, two here, but they're. It's originally three adapted into two. They're not done very often, and I can see why. I. And that's. I thought the cast was wonderful. I thought the costumes were fantastic, the fight choreography. Choreography was fantastic. But it's just not a very good play by Shakespeare. It's very early in his career, and I think that he was perhaps a bit too focused on. On an accurate historical representation and lost some of the characters in the process because this felt more like a lecture than a play. At least in the first one did. The second. The second performance, I did not see them back to back. I had about a week or two in between them. The second production was much easier to understand and I felt more invested in the people. But the first one, I was struggling a bit, especially at the beginning. So it's being done by the. By Natco National Asian American Theater Company. And it's a really remarkable ensemble. They did this show a couple of years ago, and you can see their comfort with the roles, with the language, and they definitely did as much. These actors did as much as they could with these characters. But a lot of the characters are just thinly written. It chronicles the War of the Roses. I. It's a very complicated story with a lot of people who have a lot of the same names. At intermission, my friend said, you know, why are there so many, you know, of this name and that name? And I was, no, I know. Why isn't someone. One just named Bob? Can't we have Bob in the show? But it's. It fall. It's. What really stuck with me was the character of Richard iii, who we sort of see his. His origin story over the two plays. And the second play culminates with him murdering Henry in the Tower of London and, excuse me, giving a final speech about his own goals for power and his plans for his family members, which, spoiler alert. In case you don't know or not exactly noble. And it was a very minimalist staging. There were two staircases on wheels. And that was about it for props. Much of the. The battles and the various court scenes were left to. Were left to our imagination. The fight choreography was very effective. It's. It's done using Bo Staffs and short, curved daggers. And even though there was no blood shed on stage, I still found myself wincing and gasping at certain moments. And after a character died, they would then sit up, stand up, and very slowly and stiffly walk off stage. Stage with some more somber lighting on their character. So that really speaks to the power of the performances that I was. I famously don't like violence. I don't like seeing violence. And even though I wasn't actually seeing any bloodshed, I was deeply affected by these charact. By the way the characters were killed. Excuse me. I think that if you're a Shakespeare, true Shakespeare lover, or like my friend, you have the gold. See, every. Every show that he's written, this would be a great experience. But if you're more of a casual Shakespeare fan, I think that the show will not. Not be very entertaining. It might be very informative, but it's not. It's not exactly a lively evening at the theater because you're trying to keep track of who belongs to what family, who's mad at who, who's trying to murder who, who's trying to marry who, etc. Who. I do want to mention that the actress playing Queen Margaret, Teresa Avielim, is absolutely remarkable. She is a ferocious performer. And she's physically quite small, which makes her performance even more powerful because she is. She is much more ambitious, much more determined, much more ruthless. And you see a lot of men who are physically bigger than her, let alone the power that they possess as men at that time, kind of dismissing her and her defying their expectations in every way possible. She was the character I was thinking about the most after seeing it. John Norman Schneider played King Henry, and he's more of a quiet character. He's quite introspective. His character was made king at nine months old. And you can see that he's shouldered this burden literally almost his entire life, and he's very worn down by it. And I might pronounce this wrong, but Rajesh Bose plays Richard iii, and those three actors really stood out. Everyone was excellent, but those three really, really stood out to me. I'm really glad I got to see it, but I don't think I would ever jump at the chance to see these plays again.

[James Marino]

All right, so that is Henry vi, the trilogy in two parts at the Publix Newman Theater. It runs through this afternoon, so we'll have a link to that in the show notes.

[Unknown Hiker 1]

Awkward time to ask this, but. Hey, did you download the trail map?

[Unknown Hiker 2]

Yeah. No, I don't need to.

[Unknown Hiker 1]

I Don't understand. You're trusting your signal out here.

[Unknown Hiker 2]

I'm trusting T Mobile. They have the best network. And if we end up in bumtots nowhere, well, we've got T Satellite for backup.

[Carrie Purcell]

Whoa.

[Unknown Hiker 1]

I don't trust my carrier that much.

[Unknown Hiker 2]

We'll just use your phone as a flashlight.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

With America's best network and T Satellite, we're keeping you connected in place you never thought possible. And if you switch today, you get free phones for zero down and only 25 bucks a month per line for four lines. Find out more@t mobile.com or visit your local store.

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[James Marino]

mobile.com Carrie, you were saying that, you know, sometimes it's hard to keep track of who's mad at who and who hates who and who wants to kill who and things like that.

[Carrie Purcell]

And I was like, who and who wants a son?

[James Marino]

And yeah, I was like, Thanksgiving at the Marinos. So we have cards, you know, when you come in on, you know, and then racist uncles. So we'll take racist uncles for a hundred, please. Alex,

[Carrie Purcell]

everyone makes jokes about uncles at the holidays. The drunk uncle, the racist uncle. But as a, as an aunt, I have yet to see my demographic of intoxicated auntie represented.

[James Marino]

Oh, and I have to say that, you know, sleuthing you on social media, Carrie, you have visited some of the finest distilleries around the world.

[Carrie Purcell]

Yes, I do write about spirits as well as theater. I think they're an inevitable intertwining. So I've been invited on some press trips to different distilleries and gotten to taste some pretty remarkable scotch and whiskey.

[James Marino]

Yeah, I'm pretty jealous of some of those trips that you've been able to. You've been able to go on as, quote unquote, work. This is work. And, and also, is your. Is your Instagram public? I don't know if it is or not or if it's just friends.

[Carrie Purcell]

My writer Instagram. The handle is Carrie Purcell writer is public I also have a personal private Instagram for just friends.

[James Marino]

So I, I don't know if the writer Instagram has all those wonderful single shots of, of various, various concoctions in and around the New York area before you visit theaters. So do you know if those are stuff you post publicly?

[Carrie Purcell]

You mean beverages and such?

[James Marino]

Yeah, I seem to remember nice, nice beverages that are posted.

[Carrie Purcell]

They're on there because that's, you know, part of my, my work as a writer. I know it work. But yeah, they're on there.

[James Marino]

I seem like we should almost have a whole Broadway radio show on. Various great places to haunt before and after the theater or themed cocktails.

[Carrie Purcell]

I had some themed cocktails for my Tony like a. And fresh thyme cocktail called the Thyme Warp. There is a scotch cocktail called ragtime, etc. Etc. Yeah, those are on there. Yeah. Playbills and. Playbills and booze and cartoons about being about writing. Usually from the New Yorker.

[James Marino]

Usually. All right, so speaking of cocktails, booze and fun stuff, Michael, you got out to the John Engman Theater in Northport, New York on Long island to see the Wedding Singer. Did they have cocktails and booze available for you there, Michael?

[Michael Portantier]

There's a very nice lobby with a very nice bar.

[James Marino]

Yeah. So. Yeah. So tell us about the show.

[Michael Portantier]

Well, I loved it. As I said repeatedly, I still don't understand why this show wasn't a huge success on Broadway. I think it's utterly delightful and funny and sweet and charming and it has an excellent score. Music by Matthew Sklar, lyrics by Chad Beguilin. I remember when that CD came out, it was one of the most played CDs, Broadway CDs in my collection. And I still drag it out every now and then. If you're not familiar with it, I think you can get understand a lot of what was so wonderful about it from the cast album. So you might want to pick that up. Book by Chad Bigglen and Tim. Tim Hurley. He based on the movie which I only saw after seeing the musical. And I would say it, the musical is quite faithful to the movie until the last act, the very climax. In which case, how's this for something unexpected? The musical ending is far superior to the movie. When I finally saw the movie, I thought, oh gosh, this is ending kind of abruptly and sort of with a letdown. But the last section of the musical is. Is just great. This is a fabulous production. They do really great shows at the Engemann. My one caveat is usually that they, they just don't have the space and, or the budget for large orchestras. And for some shows that makes a big difference. For example, their last show, Camelot, even though it was wonderful overall, I did miss, you know, having a regular standard size Broadway orchestra, which, I mean, well, nowadays, what would you even call a standard size? You know, it should be like 25, 26 or something like that, as it was in the old days and as it still is. If you see, if you're lucky enough to see a show like that at Lincoln Center Theater but probably nowhere else, well, you know, encores, City center encores and concert versions at Carnegie Hall. But in this case even that was not an issue because the Wedding Singer is written a different style of music, a more modern style of music. It's set in the 80s and it's written for a very small orchestra. In fact, you even call it an orchestra is a little misleading. It's just a band, basically a rock band style band. And so I think they had exactly the same number of musicians that they had on Broadway. And therein lies a little bit of a tale I've mentioned before. My, the, the one and only time I ever got to sit in a Broadway orchestra pit was for the Wedding Stinger because I knew at the time, I knew James Sampliner who was the, the conductor and he got me to sit in there and it wasn't, you know, it wasn't exactly how I dreamed. Wasn't like sitting in the orchestra for Carousel in 1945 because the orchestra pit was completely covered, first of all, so he couldn't see any of the action on stage. And, and then as I said, the, the number of musicians was so small that it wasn't the same as having two dozen people playing there. But I'm, you know, I'm still glad I did it. It was really interesting for me to sit in an orchestra pit for once in my life like that. And so there again, if, if you go to see the Wedding Singer at the Engement, I, I think it, it will sound to you almost exactly like the, like the original Broadway cast album. Really fabulous cast. Zach Kaussman in the role of Robbie Hart, the central role, very, very different from Stephen lynch in terms of looks, general on stage personality, et cetera, et cetera, but equally valid interpretation. And he certainly, I mean, I think he was wearing a wig, but he certainly looked like somebody from the 80s, so that helped. Sammy and George, his, his bandmates, wonderfully played by Mike Ferlita and Shawn Widener. Julia, Julia Sullivan, the main female role, the Laura Benanti role on Broadway. Emily Grace Tucker, absolutely perfect. Kaylee Albritton as Holly Drake Leach as sort of the villain of the piece. The Glenn Gulya who's planning to marry Julia, but it seems like he's not really all that into her Kendall. Paige Parrott as Linda. Lauren Gobs as Sanji. And a really wonderful performance by Gail Shaffer as Rosie, who's Robbie's grandmother, that really plum role that was played by Rita Gardner on Broadway as a sort of her final triumph in the theater. I just love this show. I love the script. I love the way the story turns out. I love the way the two characters who seem destined to be together from the beginning finally do get together after all of these complications. And that score. The title song, I've heard it described as insanely catchy, and I think that's true. But it's not the only good song in the show. There's a wonderful song called Someday that Julia sings at the beginning and lots, lots of other really great moments. I urge you to get to the Angaman. As I've said in the past, it's, it's, it's pretty easy to get to. You just take the train to Northport. Then you do need to either Uber or Lyft or take a private cab to the theater because it's a little too far to walk. But once you get there, it's a very nice downtown section. I think it's called Main Street. And you know, all the usual ice cream places that you. That James would like and Peter would like. And there's a wonderful restaurant on the water just a brief few blocks away called Skippers. So, yeah, go and make a day of it and you won't be sorry. They, they really do terrific shows. And the Wedding Singer is no exception.

[James Marino]

It is totally beautiful there. My daughter Charlotte, who just graduated high school a couple of weeks ago, she and all of her friends actually went right there, right across the street from Skippers, to take their, their prom photos right there. Totally, totally awesome. And remind me after we get off, I have to tell you a quick story. So the Wedding Singer at the Engemen, running through August 23rd. We have a link to that in the show notes, so get out and check it out. And Northport's a beautiful town. So that wraps it up for today. Before we get on to our brain teasing 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 Podcasts for you. Of course you don't have to listen to us. An Apple podcast has many ways to get us. One way is the Broadway radio app on iOS and hopefully Android soon. Contact information for Carrie, for Michael, for Me, for Peter can be found in the [e-mail] as well as links to some of the things we've talked about today. All right, Peter, do we have an answer for last week's brain teaser?

[Peter]

We're looking for three consecutive words that appear in a song that you can currently hear on Broadway eight times a week. The name of the Broadway musical that won a Tony for its above the title star is one you'll connect to. The name of a black and white film version of a famous play to which Hollywood gave a different name. Well, I'm talking about Foxy, a 1964 musical that won a Tony for Bert Lahr. Roxie Hart was the Name of the 1942 film named from the play Chicago, which became the musical in which there's a song Roxy that gives you three consecutive words, Foxy Roxy Heart. Stephen Sokoloff was the first, followed by Sean Logan, Tony, Janicky Lee Korn, Brigad, and Ingrid Gammerman. This week's question she was a beloved Broadway star who appeared in an early 1950s comedy. It featured a lesser known but respected actress approximately two years after they did the play. Their next joint appearance was in what became a well known musical that has been much revived on Broadway. What they also have in common is that the first three letters of their first name are identical. The star's first name was a common one even before the first millennium began. But the lesser known actress's first name is one that no other Broadway performer has ever had. Who's the star? Who's the featured player? What's the play and what's the musical? Boy.

[James Marino]

All right, if you have an answer for this, email [e-mail] we'll let you know if you're on the right track. Peter, before you go.

[Peter]

Yep.

[James Marino]

Last week we talked about this Death of a Salesman that's going to be in Australia and some of our listeners in Australia emailed me and asked when's the last time Peter's been in Australia?

[Peter]

Only once and I think that was. I'll I can tell you in a second. I think it was 1991. Linda's brother got married There. So. So that was it. I was in Sydney and I saw chess, anything goes, 42nd street and the Secret Rapture, a play that didn't last long on Broadway at all. Just a few years before that. But, yeah, yeah, I'm looking now to check, and, yeah, I'm going to find that.

[James Marino]

It's

[Peter]

1990, in fact. Yeah. So it was from March 16th to March 20th. That's our four shows. So as soon as they got married, I was at the theater and. But my favorite.

[Unknown Hiker 1]

Go ahead.

[James Marino]

Do you see the famed Opera House?

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Oh, sure.

[Peter]

Secret Rapture was in the Opera House, but not in the actual opera. Yeah, Gallery, Auditorium. It was downstairs in a black box. But, yes, I was in that building. What was really something was going to 42nd street and going downstairs to the lobby and seeing the poster for the Dame Edna show, which was called Isn't It Pathetic At His Age. So I love that title. So, anyway, that's those Some of my fond memories of Australia.

[James Marino]

And we'll see you back next week. Right?

[Peter]

It's a deal.

[James Marino]

All right, thanks so much, Peter. We'll talk to you. Have a great trip.

[Peter]

Thanks.

[Musical Performer]

Bye.

[James Marino]

Bye.

[T-Mobile Legal Disclaimer]

Bye.

[James Marino]

Okay, Michael, so what do we have in this week's musical moments?

[Michael Portantier]

Well, I also got to see this week the Scarlet Pimpernel in concert. At 54 below, there were two performances. I went to the second one this week. Apparently Scott Siegel, who produced this one, had done one 10 years ago. And at 54 below, and I don't recall, I think I missed that, but this one was really fantastic. Pimpernel is always a show that I've had very mixed feelings about, mostly negative. I think I like the story. I think the score is all over the place. I think there are two or three absolutely fantastic, beautiful songs, one of which is called Storybook, another of which is called into the Fire, and then third one is called she Was There. But then there are also a lot of songs that are just fine taken out of context, but to me, they sound so aggressively modern that they bother me in being included in this story that's set at the time of the French Revolution. And I know some people are not bothered by that at all, but I am one of the people who is bothered by it. So. So that's my reason for not loving the Scarlet Pimp, and also not to get. Not to get into it and make this too long. But there are three versions of the show that played on Broadway, and the songs were shifted around in them, sometimes between characters. And to me, if you can take A song and shift it. For example, this song called you Are My Home. Is that the title?

[James Marino]

Yeah, yeah.

[Michael Portantier]

I believe in one person, it's sung by a brother and sister and another and another, it's sung by two lovers. And it's just like. Well, if a song is that generic that it can work in both of those ways, it's probably not that good, you know. So, anyway, I won't go on any further. I have, as I said, very mixed feelings about the score. But I wanted to go to this anyway because there are those songs that I do love. And also, I knew that the three leads of this presentation were absolutely phenomenal, and they are Ben Jones in the title role, Percy Blakeney and Jill Pace as Marguerite, and William Michaels as Chauvelin. I worked with all of those people except Jill Pace, and I hope to work with her at some point soon. Ben and William were absolutely perfect in those roles, those respective roles, singing like gods. The audience, what response was just ecstatic because I, you know, just amazing how great they sounded. And Jill Pace proved to be just wonderful as Margaret someone. Jill Pace, who maybe we don't see as often as we'd like. She really is wonderful singer, actress. And I have, fortunately, two little audio excerpts to prove to you, give you some indication of how fabulous this show was. So our opener for our musical moments today is Jill Pace singing Storybook from this presentation of the Scarlet Pimperlink concert. And the closer is Ben Jones in she Was There. I think you'll get an inkling of why the audience was going crazy at this performance. And I think everyone was thrilled to be there. It was. It was really packed. Apparently, the show has a tremendous amount of camp followers that showed up for one of one or both of the two performances. And so I guess it was a good choice for presentation in that case, but also for Scott to. To find these three people for the lead. So it was just a real. A real coup on his part, and he's to be congratulated.

[James Marino]

All right, so on behalf of Michael Poitontier and Carrie Purcell, this is James Marino saying thanks so much for listening to Broadway radios this week on Broadway.

[Michael Portantier]

Bye.

[James Marino]

Bye.

[Musical Performer]

Bye. She was there no, I never took her. Still her tenderness was everywhere how she slipped beneath my skin Just as if she'd always been right there has she been there there all along

[Peter]

or was

[Musical Performer]

I too far gone to know? Oh, what a fool I must have been oh, how could I pull her in When I never let her

[Peter]

go?

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