This Week on Broadway for March 16, 2025: Ghosts

Summary

BroadwayRadio Podcast Summary: "This Week on Broadway for March 16, 2025: Ghosts"

Release Date: March 16, 2025

Welcome to this week's episode of BroadwayRadio, Broadway's premier podcast dedicated to all things theater. Hosted by James Marino, Peter Felicia, and Michael Portentier, this episode delves deep into the latest Broadway productions, insightful discussions on orchestrators, and exciting new projects in the world of musical theater.

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1. Show Tune of the Day: "I Cannot Hear the City" from Sweet Smell of Success

Timestamp: 02:13

Peter Felicia kickstarts the episode by highlighting the show tune for the day, "I Cannot Hear the City" from the musical Sweet Smell of Success. He shares his admiration for the captivating lyrics by Craig Cardinalia and the moody compositions of Marvin Hamlisch. Reflecting on personal experiences, Peter recounts, “Frank had given me a demo... it ruled my CD player for months” (02:46), emphasizing his deep connection to the score despite his reservations about the production itself.

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2. Book Announcement: "Every Day A Little Death"

Timestamp: 05:50

Michael Portentier introduces his upcoming book, "Every Day A Little Death: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Stephen Sondheim". This eighth volume in the "Inspired By" anthology series, edited by Josh Pachter, features 20 short crime stories, each inspired by a song from Sondheim's 20 musicals. Michael explains, “The resulting stories seamlessly blend crime fiction with Sondheimian themes” (08:57), highlighting contributions from theater and crime fiction writers alike.

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3. Celebrating Broadway Orchestrators: Doug Besterman and Jonathan Tunick

Timestamp: 10:46

The hosts delve into the often-overlooked art of orchestration in theater. Discussing the exceptional talents of Doug Besterman, Michael notes his remarkable achievement of orchestrating three Broadway shows in a single season: Death Becomes Her, Boop, and Smash. Peter reminisces about Besterman's brilliant work in Big (1996), specifically praising his Dixieland orchestration in the song "Fun": “I thought that was really quite brilliant” (13:15).

Jonathan Tunick's legacy is also celebrated, with Peter lamenting the absence of a Tony category for orchestrators in the past and praising Tunick's contributions to Broadway. Michael adds, “Jonathan Tunick really made everybody feel welcome, knew everybody's name immediately” (10:31), underscoring his impact on the theater community.

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4. Review of Ghosts at Lincoln Center Theater's Newhouse Theater

Timestamp: 14:43

The conversation turns to the production of Henrik Ibsen's Ghosts at Lincoln Center Theater's Newhouse Theater. Directed by Marco Rowe, the play stars Billy Crudup, Lily Rabe, Victoria Clark, Levin Hawk, Hamish Linklater, and Ella Beatty. Peter shares his admiration for Crudup's authentic portrayal: “Billy Crudup indeed had the skill... he wasn't sanctimonious at all” (15:15).

Michael discusses the dynamics of the cast, highlighting the presence of "nepo babies" (actors with notable family connections) such as Hamish Linklater and Levin Hawke. Despite the star-studded cast, Michael critiques aspects of the production, saying, “I do not think it added anything to what happens” regarding certain plot developments (21:59).

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5. Review of A Streetcar Named Desire at Brooklyn Academy of Music

Timestamp: 25:21

Next, the hosts review A Streetcar Named Desire production at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Directed by Rebecca Frecknell and starring Paul Mescal as Stanley Kowalski and Anjana Vasi as Stella, the production received mixed feedback. Peter praises Vasi's vibrant performance: “Stella had far more backbone than Stella's I've seen in the past” (25:21).

Michael critiques the director's unconventional choices, such as incorporating a drummer and minimal set design: “I thought it was a detriment rather than enhancing the... production” (29:03). Despite these critiques, both hosts acknowledge the strong performances, particularly Mescal's nuanced portrayal of Stanley.

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6. Review of Triumph of Love at Huntington Theater, Boston

Timestamp: 40:42

Peter Felicia shares his experience viewing Stephen Wadsworth's production of Triumph of Love at Boston's Huntington Theater. Contrary to initial skepticism, Peter commends the production's brilliance: “She barely, if ever, leaves the stage... it's really amazing” (45:38). The cast, led by Alison Altman and Rob Kellogg, delivers compelling performances that honor Marivaux's original 1732 play while infusing it with contemporary relevance.

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7. The Jonathan Larson Project at Orpheum Theater

Timestamp: 46:47

Brad enthusiastically discusses the Jonathan Larson Project at the Orpheum Theater, a comprehensive revue of Larson's songs. Michael praises the show's depth and the enduring legacy of Larson's work, highlighting songs like "Green Street" and "One of These Days." Peter emphasizes the show's seamless integration of Larson's pop hooks and lyrical prowess: “It's really absolutely amazing how much he did” (53:14). The production, directed by John Simpkins and featuring actors Adam Chandler, Barat Taylor, and others, offers a heartfelt tribute to Larson's artistic contributions.

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8. Rob Capo's Song Analysis Shows

Timestamp: 60:35

Michael Portentier introduces Rob Capo, a pianist and commentator known for his insightful breakdowns of classic Broadway songs. Brad recounts attending a Lerner and Lowrey evening where Capo meticulously deconstructed songs like "Something's Coming" from West Side Story. Peter highlights the educational value of these shows, stating, “They show you exactly how and why they are so great” (73:47). These performances are celebrated for their ability to deepen audiences' appreciation of musical theater compositions.

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9. New Cast Album: I Can Get A Feel by Harold Rome

Timestamp: 65:43

Peter reviews the latest cast album of Harold Rome's I Can Get A Feel, highlighting its status as a masterpiece despite the age of its score. While praising Santino Fontana’s standout performance as Harry Bogart, Peter critiques the inclusion of synthesizers: “If that Harry album had just piano instead of synthesizers, I would play it every day of my life” (68:58). However, he lauds the character development and the authentic representation of Jewish culture, noting, “It's a cut above that... higher than that” (68:07).

Brad adds, “Concord released this recording in streaming format only, but included a full and well-designed booklet as a free download” (70:15), encouraging listeners to explore the album through streaming platforms.

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10. Conclusion and Upcoming Content

Timestamp: 70:33

As the episode wraps up, the hosts encourage listeners to subscribe to BroadwayRadio via broadwayradio.com and support them through patreon.com/broadwayradio. They tease future segments, including brain teasers and more musical moments. The episode concludes with a nostalgic nod to timeless Broadway classics, leaving listeners eagerly anticipating the next broadcast.

Notable Quotes:

• “Billy Crudup indeed had the skill... he wasn't sanctimonious at all.” — Peter Felicia (15:15)
• “I thought that was a detriment rather than enhancing the... production.” — Michael Portentier (29:03)
• “It's really absolutely amazing how much he did.” — Peter Felicia (53:14)

Key Takeaways:

• Orchestrators like Doug Besterman and Jonathan Tunick play a pivotal role in shaping Broadway's soundscape.
• Billy Crudup's performance in Ghosts stands out for its authenticity and depth.
• Anjana Vasi's Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire brings new strength to the character, though the production's unconventional elements received mixed reviews.
• The Jonathan Larson Project serves as a heartfelt homage to Larson's enduring legacy in musical theater.
• Rob Capo's analytical shows offer listeners a deeper understanding of Broadway's musical intricacies.
• New cast albums, while sometimes controversial in their production choices, continue to celebrate Broadway's rich history.

Whether you're a seasoned theater enthusiast or new to the world of Broadway, this episode of BroadwayRadio offers a comprehensive and engaging look into the current and upcoming productions shaping the stage.

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Subscribe to BroadwayRadio for more in-depth discussions, reviews, and exclusive insights into the vibrant world of Broadway. Visit broadwayradio.com and follow us on Patreon to stay updated and support our show.

Transcript

[Narrator]

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[Brad]

Let's go.

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[Peter]

The numbers look good, Brad. You're on mute.

[Narrator]

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[James Marino]

Maybe the sun gave me the power For I could swim like Lomen and be home in half an hour maybe the air gave me the drive For I'm all aglow and alive what a day this has been what a rare mood I'm in White almost like being in love There's a smile on my face for the whole human race White almost like being in love hello and.

[Michael Portentier]

Welcome to Broadway Radios. This week on Broadway force Sunday, March 16, 2025. My name is James Marino, and in the broadcast today we have Peter, Felicia and Michael Portentier. Peter is a playwright, journalist and historian with a number of books. Peter's new Day by day desk calendar. A Show tuned for today. 366 songs to brighten your year is out. Peter also has columns at Masterworks, Broadway, Broadway select, and many other places. Hello, Peter.

[Peter]

Hi, Peter.

[Michael Portentier]

Don't you think that anybody who has purchased this should send us a photograph of where they place the desk calendar? We'll feature it every week on this Week on Broadway, where your calendar is on your desk. So what is today's show tune for today?

[Peter]

Well, let me say that so many people have said to me that they never thought about listening to a married man from Baker street until they saw this calendar. So I thought that was kind of interesting. I got seven emails about a married man, which is a song that Watson sings in Baker Street. But actually for today, March 12th. Is that what. No, that's today's not much. 12th. Sorry, today's the 16th, right?

[Michael Portentier]

16Th, yes, 16th.

[Peter]

Good. Okay. Today the 16th. What we have is I cannot hear the city from Sweet Smell of Success because I definitely remember hearing from Frank Vlasnik, who was in the show, that on March 16, way back in 2002, saying, well, we were warned to beware the ides of March. And the majority of notices for this musical were certainly not good. But this is another one of those Cast albums that'll make you wonder what could have gone wrong. So especially if you listen to Craig Cardinalia's evocative lyrics and Marvin Hamlisch's moody music, you might actually see in your mind's eye the rain covered night soaked streets of New York. So I cannot hear the City is the song for today and it's only one of the most beautiful ones. And a terrific, terrific score. Frank had given me a demo, a two disc demo a year before the show was produced and I'm telling you, it ruled my CD player for months. It took me a long time to get through it because it was so good. So while I did not like the production of Sweet Smell of Success, I certainly certainly love the score and it was so sad. I'll never forget this at in the Tony press room when indeed John Lithgow won the best actor in a musical Tony. He came up there and we talked to him for a while and then he says, well, let me go downstairs and see if we can win best musical. There was such a silence in the room because we all knew that that wasn't going to happen. He knew it too. But anyway. And by the way, Frank says he was a terrific, just a wonderful, wonderful head of the show who really made everybody feel welcome, knew everybody's name immediately and all that kind of stuff. So kudos to John Lithgow.

[Brad]

Absolutely.

[Michael Portentier]

All right, Also with us is Michael Portentier. Michael is 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.

[Brad]

Hello.

[Michael Portentier]

Michael, I owe you a huge apology. Why? Because I led you astray?

[Brad]

In what way?

[Michael Portentier]

In what way? Because last week I suggested that we use Nathan Lane in the musical moments because it was his birthday, Right? Nathan wrote me.

[Peter]

Oh, did he really?

[Michael Portentier]

Nathan wrote me and he said, it's not my birthday, idiot. As only Nathan can do.

[Brad]

So did someone just get it wrong on Facebook?

[Michael Portentier]

I'm shocked. I'm shocked somebody on Facebook was incorrect. I'm shocked.

[Brad]

Yes.

[Michael Portentier]

Nathan lane's birthday is February 3rd, not March 3rd.

[Brad]

Okay.

[Michael Portentier]

And so, Nathan, happy belated birthday from all of us.

[Peter]

From the.

[Brad]

Well, we could. That's all right. We can still celebrate him. But yes, thank you for setting the record straight.

[Michael Portentier]

Setting the record. It wasn't Michael's fault. It was totally my fault. I read it on Facebook and I Got the attention span of a squirrel in fall. And I was like, I just assumed that it was correct. So.

[Brad]

Well, one date that is is correct. Coming up on March 22nd, which I'm sure many of our listeners will recogn.

[Peter]

I know we are going as the.

[Michael Portentier]

Birthday Lloyd Weber, you really can talk about.

[Peter]

That's right.

[Brad]

Well, no, there was some other guy who was born on that day.

[Michael Portentier]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Brad]

Stephen Sondheim. That is his birthday. That is their birthday. But I'm involved in this really. I think it's a really cool project called. It's a book titled Every Day A Little Death Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Stephen Sondheim. And that is the publication date. And I'm told that includes the, you know, the hard copy books as well as the Kindle edition. So you, as of that day, you will hopefully be able to get it. And then we are planning to do a book release event, but that's going to be delayed because the editor of the volume, Josh Pachter, is away at the moment. So the drama Bookshop event will be on Thursday, May 8, and we're going to have several of the writers there and they're going to read excerpts from it. And the writers, by the way, are from the worlds of both theater and crime fiction. So the other theater writers, aside from me, who you might be familiar with, are David Spencer and Jeffrey Sweet. So. And if I could just read the little blurb from the press release releasing on the 95th anniversary of Stephen Sondheim's birth. Every Day A Little Death will be the eighth volume in editor Josh Pachter's award winning inspired by anthology series, et cetera. The book will feature 20 short crime stories, each inspired by a song from one of Sondheim's 20 musicals, including the Made for TV evening Primrose and the final show. Here we are. The contributors are a mix of established crime writers and members of the theater community who are tackling crime fiction for the first time. That includes me and the resulting stories. The resulting stories seamlessly blend crime fiction with Sondheimian themes and include a wealth of Easter eggs for those intimately familiar with Sondheim's work to discover. As I may have mentioned, the songs have been going to be in chronological order. The stories are going to be in chronological order from when the shows premiered, but I guess they sort of fudged it with mine because my story is called Class and it's based on a song from Saturday Night, which was to have been produced in 1955, but then wound up not being produced till the 90s, right. Off Broadway. But it was written way back then, so that's why they decided to put it first. So mine is the first story.

[Peter]

Hey.

[Brad]

Yep. And I honestly have not had a chance to read any of the others yet, but somebody named John Kopenhauer wrote a song called a story called Tonight from West side Story. There's one story based on forum called Everybody Ought to have a Maid and Being Alive is the title from Company that was chosen for that person's story. So I'm really looking forward to reading them.

[Peter]

Sure.

[Michael Portentier]

Wow, that sounds like excellent project. I found it on the Evil Empire Amazon's website. Almost as bad as purchasing from Amazon is almost as bad as owning a Tesla. So, so here we are. I will have a link to that in the show notes. Peter. I, I neglected to mention I wrote a note to myself and then I blew right through it that next year if you know, your next project in should be a calendar of Broadway orchestrators.

[Peter]

Oh, oh, we're going to talk about Doug Bestman. One of the best.

[Michael Portentier]

Yeah, later, you know, later on. But you know, maybe 12 months of Broadway orchestrators on a calendar could be the next project. You know, those orchestrators do not get their due, you know.

[Peter]

Yeah. Really? That is so true. Yeah. And boy, I still remember seeing the grasshopper in Providence, Rhode island in 1967. And as soon as the overture began, I said, who wrote these orchestrations? And I opened up and for the first time in my life saw the words Jonathan Tunick.

[Brad]

Well, I was just going to say he's the one, I think, who has transcended what, what James just said. He, you know, his stuff is so exceptional that he really has gotten his due. He's one of the few, I guess Robert Russell Bennett used to be sure. You know, revered above, above all, I think, and then many, many others.

[Peter]

I, I remember being at a party. Hillary Knight, the Logo Drew artist for no no Net and plenty of other shows, had a party and it was for the Oscars. And Jonathan Tunick won an Oscar for his work on a little night music movie. And I remember saying, isn't this something that he has an Oscar and he doesn't have a Tony? And I remember Harry Rigby, the producer of I Love My Wife and originally no, no Nanette. You know, boy, that is exactly right. And it really is. And thank God they started an orchestrated category. What I would love to have heard, not that this has ever been suggested, but I would love to hear what Jonathan Tunick would have done with Anyone can whistle. I mean, I think Dawn Walker's orchestrations are terrific for anyone could whistle. But I would love to hear what Jonathan Tunick would have done with that show. Given that it's so wild and carefree and what have you. I think he would have been phenomenal for. So I'm sorry that he was just. It was just a little ahead of his Broadway time.

[Michael Portentier]

Yeah. Michael.

[Brad]

No. So maybe we can slip it in now. Doug Besterman, it has been noted, orchestrated three Broadway shows this season. Death Becomes her boop and Smash. And I think that seems to maybe be a record.

[Peter]

Wow.

[Brad]

You know, it's hard to be sure about those, but yeah. So that. That's definitely an achievement there.

[Peter]

I'll tell you this. I remember in 1996, when Big happened, Big had a big song called Fun. And for those of you who know the movie A Big More Than the Musical, this is the scene in FAO Schwartz when indeed Josh Baskin meets Mac, who will soon become his boss and mentor. And the song's all fun. And Doug Besselman gave it a Dixieland orchestration. I thought that is perfect because Dixieland is the music. I think that suggests the most fun. So I thought that was really quite brilliant. And that's just one example of many of how terrific Doug Besterman is.

[Michael Portentier]

You know, actresses, you know, when they land that plum role on Broadway and leading Lady Rule, and then they see that Audrey's also got a show coming to Broadway, they all go, oh, Audrey's gotta come. This must be the same thing for orchestrators. They're like, besterman's doing something or Tunics doing something. You know, it's. It's like, oh, I don't want to go up against Besterman and Tunic.

[Peter]

You know, it's like, I see a point.

[Michael Portentier]

So, yeah, I mean, so, yeah, I'm looking forward to the calendar, Peter.

[Peter]

We'll see what happens.

[Michael Portentier]

Meanwhile, Peter and Michael headed over to Lincoln Center Theater to Downstairs. Downstairs. Downstairs. Right. Downstairs.

[Brad]

Correct.

[Michael Portentier]

Correct. Yes.

[Brad]

Not the Viv.

[Michael Portentier]

Not the Viv.

[Brad]

No, not the Viv.

[Michael Portentier]

Not the Viv, but the. I can't remember the name of it.

[Brad]

New House.

[Michael Portentier]

Newhouse. I knew that. Not the Cy Newhouse sign. New House is nyu. So to Lincoln Center Theater's Newhouse Theater to see production of the star studded production of Ghosts. So, Peter, why don't you get us started off on this?

[Peter]

I'll tell you what really affected me with this production. After having watched a video of Judi Dench and Michael Gambon doing this play, I was really, really impressed with Billy. Is it pronounced crud up? Crud up. I don't know. Yeah, crud up long. You okay? I was really impressed with him. Now, for those who don't know the story of ghosts, this is the story of Mrs. Alving, who has a son, Oswald. And she had a husband who turned out to be not such a good guy after all. Certainly sowed his wild oats. And indeed this as the actual line in this play is, the sins of the father will be passed on to the son. And that's what's going to happen here. But the woman lives in a time when, after all, you have to pretend that your marriage is terrific. Way back a century, more than a century ago, when your husband was a great guy. And so as a result, now that he's dead, she has an orphanage that she's naming for him. And it's just about to open. Now. Her pastor, and that's where Billy comes in, has a number of opinions, needless to say, as many pastors do. And one of the suggestions he makes is you don't need insurance on this building. This is a, this is a testament to, to, to goodness. And so as a result, God is going to protect you. So you don't have to worry about it. As it turns out, you do have to worry about it. But that's way down the line. What I love Billy's performance, as opposed to Michael Gambon's, was that he wasn't sanctimonious at all. And I've seen this play before, two more, two previous times. And I have to say that it's always played with the pastor with such wisdom and this. He was much more human. So I thought that was really the standout performance in this production. Although I thought Lily Rabe was terrific, it occurred to me somebody should do a gender bending Boys from Syracuse. And Lily Rabe and Victoria Clark could play the antipholi because they, they look a lot to Mike, to me, to me. Now it's very possible that so many times when you say to somebody, you know, who looks like him, blah, blah, blah, and they say, no, what are you, what are you talking about? But to me, to my eyes, what can I say? Lily Rabe and Victoria Clark look alike, almost interchangeable. So I thought she was quite fine. And Levin Hawk is wonderful as Oswald as well. So I thought this was a, A, A sure footed production. And I really, really was surprised that I was going to like it as much as I did after seeing the video. Because the Video was quite impressive. But I. As I say, what really impressed me so, so much was the fact that Billy Crudup indeed had the skill. And. Well, I, of course, obviously, our director had something to do with this as well, needless to say. But. But all things considered, Marco Rowe's new version is one that I thought was quite effective.

[Michael Portentier]

Okay, Michael, what did you think?

[Brad]

Well, some people have pointed out, the way they phrase it is that Billy Crudup is the only person in this cast who is not a Nepo baby.

[Michael Portentier]

I was going to bring up the Nepo baby. Okay.

[Brad]

Because Hamish Linklater is the son of Kristen Linklater, who was a great acting coach and director. And Ella Beatty is the daughter of Warren Beatty and.

[Peter]

Annette Benning.

[Brad]

Thank you.

[Peter]

Is it really already? Well, she's that old already. Wow.

[Brad]

Well, they, you know, they've been together.

[Peter]

Quite a while, I guess, so. Figures don't lie.

[Brad]

Right? Right. And Lily Rabe, of course, is the daughter of David Rabe and Jill Clayberg. And Levin Hawke is the son of Ethan Hawke and Uman Thurman. Now, let's say right away that all of these people are tremendously talented. So they may be Nepo baby, and there's no babies, but there's no implication that they would. That they are there only for that reason and that they would not have made it otherwise. But certainly it helps in terms of connections. But there's terrific talent in all of these actors. A special nod to Levin Hawke, because I think that role in particular in this play is very, very, very difficult to play without coming across as ridiculous. And on that note, I have to say maybe this is sacrilege. I do not think that the play has held up as well as some other Ibsen plays. Most A Dollhouse and an Enemy of the People, which we just saw. They all have their contrivances, but this one is one contrivance after another to the point where, you know, you can see the playwright sitting there and figuring out, you know, how the wheels are going to turn and all of this stuff. For example, there's so much already happening among these characters in terms of their pasts and what's going on and secrets that are being held and inter connections. Did we really need it also to come out that Mrs. Alving was at one time romantically involved with the pastor? I just personally don't think it added anything to what happens, because I just don't think it relates to really all of the other stuff, which is mostly about her husband and what a rake he was and how he. I mean, if we haven't made it clear that the issue becomes venereal disease that he winds up passing on to Oswald. So that really is my feeling about ghosts. That said, I think that all of these actors and the director did an excellent job. Just about as good as one could do in presenting the sh. The play to a modern audience. I did not like and did not see any point in the very brief prologue.

[Peter]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Brad]

They all. All of the actors come on stage. They have scripts right at the beginning, or at least two of them do. Ella Beatty and Hamish Linklater are sitting opposite each other at a table, which is the only major piece of furniture on the stage and stays there throughout. Table and chairs. And they start reading to each other from scripts as if they're rehearsing, except that they're speaking so softly that you can. You literally can barely hear them. And I don't think people speak like that when they're rehearsing. So it wasn't even.

[Michael Portentier]

It's funny when you say that because, you know, who rehearses like that? Television and film actors, that they.

[Brad]

That they speak so softly.

[Michael Portentier]

So softly.

[Brad]

Really?

[Michael Portentier]

Yeah. At rehearsals and read throughs.

[Brad]

Is there a. Is there a reason for that?

[Michael Portentier]

They're not taught to hit the back of the theater.

[Brad]

Well, yeah, well, well, no, of course. But I mean, I'm talking that they were murmuring to each other.

[Peter]

Really.

[Michael Portentier]

I totally understand what you're saying. And I'm saying I have seen this so many times with television and film actors.

[Peter]

Wow. I was petrified at that beginning because I really thought, oh, good, this is gonna be like another Sunset Boulevard type of thing where they're really playing around with it. And I was interested in seeing Val play, so I was very grateful when that whole ended and noticed that I actually repressed it and I forgot all about it.

[Brad]

And fortunately, it lasts only about 45 seconds.

[Peter]

Yeah, indeed. Yeah.

[Brad]

And then. And then, ironically. So Hamish Linklater went talking like this in a. To. To the opposite. It's a very, very, very animated performance of Angstrand. But I thought it worked. But. But it. But it was very, very, very, very, very broad. I wonder what his mother would have thought.

[Michael Portentier]

All right, so that is ghosts at Lincoln Center Theater in the new house downstairs. Considered an off Broadway. Yeah, it's considered off Broadway, right?

[Brad]

Yeah.

[Michael Portentier]

So, yeah, so we'll see how this. If this goes. So we'll have a link to that in the show notes directed by 2024 Special Tony Award for lifetime achievement in the theater Jack O'Brien, who had an incredible, incredible speech at the Tony Awards. So I included that in the show notes. I'm glad to see that he has continued to direct after he got a lifetime achievement award.

[Peter]

Yes.

[Michael Portentier]

All right, so to a different, very starry production in the hinterlands of Brooklyn at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Peter and Michael got to see a Streetcar Named Desire transfer from London's West End. So, Peter, why don't you get us started on this?

[Peter]

Well, just as I was crazy for Billy Crude up in Ghost, I have to say, the standout performance for me in Streetcar Named Desire, which, I mean, really, when you think of it, people are always talking about Stanley Kowalski. People are always talking about Blanche dubois. And while both of those performers were quite fine, Anjana Vasi's Stella was the one that was stand out for me. Why? Okay, so Blanche shows up in New Orleans having lost the family residence. She's in tough shape. She's had a very checkered sexual past rather recently as well. She's lost her job. She's down and out. She has to move in with her sister and her husband, the sister's husband, whom she doesn't know at all. And what really impressed me was the fact that this Stella had far more backbone than Stella's I've seen in the past. When Blanche is trying to say, you got to get away from this marriage. This is terrible. She really stood up to her in a way that was forceful, in a way I had never seen before. And why that is terrific to me is because I do believe when you move away from your family, that's when you become who you really want to be, who you really are. And you don't find out that until you really have time on your own. And that is why this made sense to me. That said, the performances that we usually talk about in a situation like this, Paul Mescal playing Stanley Kowalski, I thought was quite fine. And it was very good that he didn't at all try to pretend to be Marlon Brando, because so many people think that they should be. So, of course, we have to thank Rebecca Frecknell, who directed it, for making sure that was okay. Patsy Ferrin play, and I think very effectively, she really is hyper through much of the show, and I think that's a valid interpretation. More hyper than usual, but that's a valid interpretation. This lady is really losing her mind, and so it would seem that she would be hyper. However. However, the thing that drives you crazy in this production is that they added a drummer who beats the drums? Tennessee Williams doesn't need underlining with drums. His dialogue is fine. So, I mean, it's so obtrusive done on the bare stage. Don't look for the usual rundown apartment, bare stage. A rectangle square maybe, but an occasional prop shows up on it. But I, I really was nervous as could be. The same way that Michael mentioned that we were both nervous with the beginning of Ghost, the same type of thing. There was lots of pretentious stuff going on at the very beginning of the show dealing with, as it turns out, Blanche's husband, who certainly came to a tragic end. We see him represented. I don't think we need to, but we do. And that later we put two and two together. That's who that was when we're seeing this rather almost Martha Graham like dancing type stuff going on. So that was kind of weird. But it's never going to be my favorite production of A Streetcar Named Desire. But I was very grateful to see Estella, who really stood up for herself.

[Michael Portentier]

Okay, Michael, how about you let me.

[Brad]

Start by saying I completely agree about Anjana Vasan. Estelle.

[Peter]

Oh, good.

[Brad]

Yeah. And I had a very similar reaction. It was almost as if I was hearing those lines for the first time in some cases. And I think I mentioned before I directed a production of this show many years ago, so I know the play and I know it really, really well. So that impressed me greatly. And what I would say about this production overall is that it was fascinating to me because I always think that when a director does things that are, that are very non traditional and somehow, you know, take you to a different place, staging things and concepts that you've never seen before, I think that those things should be judged solely on whether they add to or distract from the play at the text and the, well and the performances of the text. So I think, and I think this production by Rebecca Fecknall, who is famous or infamous for directing the current cabaret that is now on Broadway, I would say infamous. I think that what she did in this production of Streetcar, there are perfect examples of both extremes of that. I, I, I largely agree with Peter about the, the drums, the drummer. I don't think it certainly didn't need to be there. I thought maybe there was maybe one or two places where it sort of worked. For example, when he started playing wildly during the rape scene. But, but overall I, I just thought it, it was a detriment rather than enhancing the, the script. And, and since it is Tennessee Williams, I, I just, I just don't really think that Another example of detrimental directing. There is no set here, there, and hardly any, hardly any pieces of furniture. A few chairs here and there. There is no poker table. So, I mean, so if you have poker players having to sit on the floor to play poker, doesn't that take you out of the play a little bit? Because you're saying to yourself, well, why are they, you know, so would it have killed her to have a table there? You know, at one point in the first scene between Blanche and Stella, Blanche says, stella, sit down for a moment, I want to talk to you. And she can't sit because there's no chair. You know, I suppose you could have sat on the edge of the, on the lip of the raised stage, but she doesn't even do that. So lots of, lots of things like that. There's choreography in the, in the production. It opens with the fellow who doubles in the role of the young collector and I guess sort of the ghost of Blanche's young husband who killed himself. He does a dance at the very beginning, then the full company come on and they do a bit of choreography before the first scene starts. And Stan Lee did a little dance after he put on his silk pajamas before the rape scene. I thought all of that was intrusive rather than adding to the script and the play and the production in general. And I could go on, but we would be here for a really long time. But my point is, it was fascinating to me to see that some of Rebecca Frecknell's innovations really were positive, but many of them were negative and all in the same production. Whereas, as I recall, almost everything she did with Cabaret I thought was extremely negative and took me out of that production constantly. So if you can get a ticket, which is highly unlikely, I believe this production is completely sold out and I'm told that it can't move because aside from everything else, Paul Mescal is very, very, very much in demand as a movie star. And aside from the fact that one of the things he's doing is apparently supposedly filming Merrily we roll along in the role of Franklin Shepard and they're doing, you know, scenes, various scenes from that over the years, over a 20 year period. So I, I guess that's still continuing. I haven't heard otherwise. So if you do get a, a ticket to see this, I think, you know, I'd be interested to hear other people's reactions because I had such mixed reactions. But overall I thought that it just really worked. And I'm sure that all praise to Williams for that, Christopher Hanke, the actor, was in the audience. I ran into him at intermission, and he came to me, over to me, and he said, nobody writes like this anymore. And he was particularly taken, you know, again, I saw him, as I said, at intermission. He, of course, brought up the famous last line. This production, I should say, it combines Act 1 and Act 2, and those happen without a break. And the intermission comes after that. And then Act 3, as written by Williams, is the second act of this production. But anyway, Christopher Combat, of course, on the line. Sometimes there is God. So quickly, you know, just. Just beautiful poetry by Williams. I. I very much enjoyed Patsy Ferrin. Overall, I think she did a magnificent job. I personally think it was a mistake to stress only the manic aspect of Blanche's character. That first monologue she had, I would say, literally she delivered it about five times faster than any Blanche I have ever heard in my life. And maybe that's okay because that's the beginning, you know, where she's. But then her second monologue was very similar. I think we do have to see the depressed aspects of Blanche as well. Nowadays. She would probably be diagnosis bipolar. And I thought that not having that really was a loss. Some very weird thing. Williams was known for rewriting his plays, and there are different editions of his plays. And this one had several lines that were not in the script I directed. And most of them didn't really matter one way or the other. Except that this one did not have the last line. In Blanche's famous speech, when she's talking about how her young husband killed himself, she says, then I found out in the worst of all possible ways by coming suddenly into a room that I thought was empty, which was empty, but had two people in it. The boy I had married and an older man who had been his friend for years. Well, in this production, they don't have that last line. She stops with, I came into a room that I thought was empty, which wasn't empty, but had two people in it. And so I didn't. Why isn't that line in this version? You know, Williams never shied away from gay subject matter. I mean, he. Quite the opposite. So we had to wait until really, like a scene or two later when Stella refers to the young husband as a degenerate to get the idea that he was gay. I thought that was very weird. So that's mostly what I have to say. I can't end without saying that Paul Mescal, I thought, was absolutely fantastic. Not a hint of his Irish accent. And I thought he really was very skilled at showing both the menace and the danger and the violence in Stanley, but also his vulnerable side. That the fact that he is in some ways just like, maybe like a big kid. And oh gosh, just very quickly, the house did not open until 7:30 for a show that was supposed to start at 7:30. And the woman in the lobby, all she kept repeating was, the house is not open yet. Not a word of. About what had happened. And then I asked someone and they said they heard that a dancer had gotten injured and they were trying to figure out how to replace that person. And then when we got there, when we got finally got in and the shows finally started at 10 to 8, someone came out and said that. Well, they didn't actually say this, but they indicated that the person who was supposed to play Mitch, and his name was Dwayne Walcott, had been the one who was injured and would be replaced by his understudy, Edward Ackerman. So I. I have to tell you all that Edward Ackerman was maybe the best Mitch I've ever seen. And so everyone seemed very happy with his performance. The cast, they gave him a huge round of applause at the end. And as everyone the stage, Paul Mescal threw his arms around him as they were walking off the stage. So I think it was a triumph for him. And I think that's a name you're going to hear again in the future.

[Michael Portentier]

Okay, so A Streetcar Named Desire at Brooklyn Academy of Music. It's playing through April 6th. And as Michael said, it's a hard ticket to get. And we'll have a link to it in the show notes. Peter, you were up in Boston at the Huntington Theater to see the Triumph of Love. From the photos, it looks like a beautiful production. Tell us about it.

[Peter]

Well, ironically, this is a production by Stephen Wadsworth, who did it way back in 1992 at the McCarter Theatre in Princeton, where it was very, very well received and was very nice to revisit it again. I loved it then and I wanted to see it again. And a trip to Boston was in order just so I could see the Triumph of Love. By the way, you may say, oh, this is the musical that was done way back in 1997. No, it is not. Even though there was a musical version that lasted about a couple of months, maybe three. No, this is not that. This, of course, that musical was based on this play by marivo, written in 1732 and has that feel of a 1732 play. So what? It's kind of bizarre to think that a play by Maribo would remind me of a Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. But the reason it does is because Leonid, that's a woman, is suitless. She's. Well, of course, she's a free woman. But my point is, she is so adept at lying. And I will say there is a rather famous composer who worked with a man who said to me, that guy is so good at lying, I have seen him meet one person after another after another, and if he told lie number three, 17 and 44, he remembers that those are the lies he told the person. Well, I think Leonid fits in this category. Why? Well, she's come to this different part of the country where indeed she wants to restore Aegis A G I s the. He's the son of a deposed king of Sparta. Yes, that's what we're talking about, Sparta. And indeed she wants to have him go back on the throne. She feels it's only right and proper. But he's also worth more than just getting back on the throne. He is someone in whom she's interested. And I think we are going to hear from the actor who plays him as time goes on. So his name is Rob Kellogg, with two L's and two G's. And I'm telling you, just so appealing. I mean, you could really understand why Lee need would be interested in him. She barely, if ever, leaves the stage. And so we really have to give credit to Alison Altman for doing a tremendous job when she deals with, after all, the. The other people who are. She has to deal with. One is a woman and she pretends she's dressed as a man. She pretends that she's interested in this woman. Now, this woman, played by Betty Buckley in the musical, to give you some context, is somebody who's real haughty and doesn't take fools gladly. But one of the points of the play is that old people can really be seduced by young people. People who think that love is far behind them are still up for it if you give them an opportunity. So she romances this. This woman hesione and figuring that's what the way she's going to get into the. The castle. And that's what's going to happen. Well, but then she also meets hermocrites, who indeed is a man who sees through and says, you're not, you're not a man, you're a woman. So as a result, she's able to romance him. He's no kid. Either he was played by Beth Murray Abraham in the musical, to give you some context. So that's. So she has. She's juggling three. There are three people that she is saying, I love you. You are terrific. You're the only one for me. But the one she's sincere about, of course, is the young man who's the son of the proposed king. So it's kind of crazy. It's kind of fun keeping it all straight. And it's amazing that Maribo could keep it all straight. And it's amazing, too, that Alison Altman could keep it all straight. Great. So that's really quite wonderful. And we really have to give credit to. To Mariana Basham who plays that older woman. And to nail N A E L, I guess maybe it's Neil Nasir who certainly plays the man she's romancing in a beautiful, beautiful setting. As, as James pointed out, very, very nicely done. And it's just. Just, you know, sometimes you see something and then you go back to revisit it some years later and you say, well, you know, that wasn't so hot after all. I guess I overreacted. No, I didn't. With Triumph of Love. So it was a triumph, and I loved it.

[Michael Portentier]

Okay, so that is the triumph of love. So the musical drops to the right.

[Peter]

Right, Exactly.

[Michael Portentier]

Playing. So this is the Triumph of Love, the play at the. At the Huntington Theater in Boston.

[Peter]

Newly renovated, too, by the way. The. The seats have been replaced by very, very comfortable ones. A little wider, the legroom is a little bigger, and it's. It's really quite nice to see a show there.

[Michael Portentier]

Yeah. Whenever theater replaces the seats and not with a wooden crate, you're appreciative of it. So through April 6, and we'll have a link to that in the show notes. Michael and Peter headed downtown to see the Jonathan Larson project. We spoke to Jennifer Ashley Tepper about it a few months ago or so.

[Brad]

Right.

[Michael Portentier]

Yeah. So, Michael, why don't you get us started on this?

[Brad]

Well, I loved it. I'm so happy that it is playing at the Orpheum Theater. And I'm guessing maybe. Well, certainly part of the reason for that is that the run of the big gay musical was so short. I think they expected more from that, but I guess the Orpheum was empty and I guess the stars aligned. I mean, I don't know the negotiations, but to bring this show to that theater in a really wonderful, wonderful production with a set and lots of very professional projections throughout and, you know, a great band and it It's. It's not. I wouldn't say it's minimalist. It's a really full production of this review of Jonathan Larson's songs that. From unfamiliar Jonathan Larson songs from either some, some of which have never been heard before, others have rarely been heard from various projects. He. He was involved in so much over the years in his short life. It's really absolutely amazing how much he did. And an earlier incarnation of this project was seen at 54 below. But as I say, now it's. Now it's a full Off Broadway review at a very historic theater, and I urge everyone to see it. The quality of the songs overall is astounding. Especially well, in every way. Larson had two tremendous things going for him. He really could write hooks, you know, melodic hooks for songs of the type that you, you know, often hear in pop songs, maybe even more so than Broadway songs. So all of his stuff can really stand alone musically on that level. But then he. There's, you know, I guess there are a lot of composers who have that going for them and a lot of pop songs that have that going for them. But the thing that Jonathan Larson has on top of all that is that he was such a great, great lyricist. I've often said that I know Peter is driven crazy by lyrics that don't rhyme, and so am I, except that I. I recognize that so much modern pop music does not. The lyrics do not rhyme. So, for example, I was able to justify that in things like Spring Awakening and other more recent rock pop musicals because I. I said that if those lyrics had rhymed and then they wouldn't have maybe sounded right because of. For the style of music. But everything I just said is given the lie by Jonathan Larson because he does write lyrics that rhyme perfectly and scan beautifully, but they also seem very natural and they seem to go beautifully with these pop hooks that he writes so absolutely brilliantly. So I guess he disproves that thought that I had and I thank him for that. Great, great cast here. Adam Chandler, Barat Taylor, Iman Jones, Lauren Marcus, Andy Mintus and Jason Tam under the direction of John Simpkins. As I said, the copious projections, including some actual film of Jonathan Larson back in the day when he was working at the diner, struggling to make it. And shots of, you know, New York and lots of other wonderful stuff choreographed by Byron Easley. So many standout songs, hard to name highlights. I would note Green Street, a song called Green street, another one called One of these Days, which was cut from Superbia, the musical that is Depicted the. The workshop of which is depicted in Tick Tick Boom is specifically, more specifically in the movie of Tick Tick Boom. And one song that's not included is that. That great, great, incredibly catchy pop song that is done as an ensemble number in the movie of Tick Tick Boom from Superb. I don't know why they didn't use that one here. Maybe they have other plans for it. Maybe we will see Superbia someday, I would say. There were two songs in this whole show that, that I did not think worked. One was called Hosing the Furniture and another one's called the Vision Thing, which is a political satire song and actually a sketch. It has quite a bit of dialogue in it too. And at first I thought to myself, well, maybe they didn't work because they're taken out of context. But then I read that they were both from written for reviews, so there wasn't really a context to begin with. So that's what I felt about those two. But. But so many. Most of the songs are just absolutely fantastic on both the musical and lyrical level, including one I know I heard before. It's a song called Iron Mike. And of all things, it's about the Exxon Valdez, or Valdez, wherever you pronounce that disaster, the oil spill. And I don't remember where I heard it. I think it. Maybe it must have been at 54 below in the. In the Jonathan. Previous incarnation of this Jonathan Larson project. But that is a terrific, terrific, really beautiful song. So many here. I hope. I hope that the overall response to this is really great and I hope it's. I'm not. I'm actually not sure if it's a scheduled as a limited run. I do research.

[Michael Portentier]

It is. It is through June 1st, 16 weeks.

[Brad]

Okay. Well, I hope and think that it will draw audiences, at least till then, because it's just fantastic.

[Michael Portentier]

All right, Peter, what did you think?

[Peter]

I agree, but what I really want to point out is two scenes where people are standing on stage and suddenly they. They disappear. I. I don't even. It's almost as good as Harry Potter, and it's one of the marvelous things that Sean Simpkins has done. I think he really is a terrific director and he really has a chance to prove it here. So I thought that was really magnificent in the imagination that went into the staging. So I. I thought that was wonderful. Yes, the projections are marvelous. So many of them. And a lot of live footage that really is very impressive as well. He couldn't have done better than Adam Chandler Barat, who vaguely more Than vaguely.

[Brad]

More than vaguely.

[Peter]

Yeah. Looks like Jonathan. The hair isn't quite as frenetic, but it really was. And by the. I mean, I knew Jonathan. I gotta tell you, the sweater that he is wearing in this show is exactly what Jonathan would have worn. So I thought that was quite great too. So, yes, it's so wonderful to hear the seeds of Rent throughout this. You know, every, every composer has a style. Every, every composer. You know, you can, you can tell a Richard Rogers song. You know, you can tell a Sondheim song. And you can tell Jonathan Larson song, too. Certain chord progressions, certain stresses here of wrong notes here, right notes there, all that kind of stuff. Wrong notes is not a criticism. In terms of criticism. Yes. The reason I stress so much about rhymes has to do with the fact that in the theater it's easier to understand lyrics if they're rhy. That's the reason. And frankly, if indeed Spring Awakening did not have 59 false rhymes, yes, I have counted. If indeed all of those were perfect, I don't think anybody would have complained and said it doesn't sound like pop music. Pop music doesn't rhyme. I think everybody would be very much at home with that. But anyway, yes, a terrific cast. Very. The set really does a good job of replicating the hard times that. That Jonathan had. And again, I always come back to that opening song of Tick, Tick Boom where he talks about turning 30. And of course, all of us, it's the first birthday I think you really don't look forward to in. In all our lives. And little did he know that 5, 6 of his life was over. So that's really very, very painful. And we, we have to wonder what would have happened. And we have been wondering since nineteen six, ninety six happened had he lived and what he would have done. But he, he certainly wrote phenomenal songs and it's so nice to hear them here. And yes, congratulations to Jennifer Ashley Tepper for indeed conceiving the show and making it happen. So, of course, producers had something to do with that too, but you know what I mean. And I think it's a very successful review.

[Michael Portentier]

Okay, so we'll have a link to the Jonathan Lawson project in our show notes. As I mentioned, June 1, 2025 seems to be when they're selling tickets until. And word of mouth is very good in this. So, Peter, I always wanted to ask you this question. Have you ever met Jane Goodall and her mother?

[Peter]

No, but there's still time to meet Jane Goodall, who's still with us in her 90s now, but yes, indeed, I, I, I hope she'd be pleased by this play that Michael Wallach wrote. It's, it's really pretty much of, I would say, even a tribute to this woman who certainly went to Tanya Nika to find, find out more about simians, chimpanzees, gorillas, et cetera, et cetera. But the government insisted that she bring someone with her because they felt, you know, it's a tough part of the world, you know, so bring someone with her. She chose her mother. And so both of them are going to have many adventures here. Okay. It's a very compelling play, no question about that. But what I really want to point out is the ensemble is magnificent in a way. It's sort of unfair to say that it's an ensemble show because certainly Brittany K. Allen is Jane and she has much more to do than anybody else, and she is wonderful beyond belief. But the other four people in the cast, Kristin Griffin, Ramy Magron, Tommy Helleringer and Jordan Donaldson, are so good as well. They work so well as a team, and that's what you really want for an ensemble. So I am hoping that indeed we do have a situation where these people get recognized as an ensemble. Again, if Brittany Allen were to get an award, that would be all right, too, needless to say. But I was tremendously taken with all that was going on in terms of the sexuality as well. There's a lot of talk about sexuality and in the primitive nature of sexuality. And Lord knows, many of us have learned from ourselves or our partners, sexually speaking. Many of us color outside the lines, so we get some of that in here, too. So really, to watch this machine, so to speak, at work, in the best sense of the word, you really have to be so impressed with these people. But how did this happen? Well, we have to give credit to Liz Lindsay, that's L I N S A Y Furman, who directed these things don't just happen arbitrarily or accidentally. So she knew who to pick and she knew what to do with them once she picked them. So this is at the Ensemble Studio Theater. This is not one of the city's luxurious theaters. You're going to have to. There may be an elevator, but you, you sometimes it doesn't work. So you'll have to climb up one flight of stairs, just one, to get there. And it's a small theater, maybe 150 seats, maybe. I wouldn't be surprised if it's fewer. So it's, it's, it's again, I've said this before about other places. It's not where you want to take a first date, but if you want to take yourself and somebody you've known for a long time, you're going to be rewarded by tremendous acting in a play that really passes Boaster.

[Michael Portentier]

Okay, so have you met Jane Goodall and her mother at Ensemble Studio Theater is playing through March 30th. We'll have a link to that in the show notes. Michael, I have a question for you. You. What makes it great?

[Brad]

Well, if you want to find out the answer to that question, go see one of Rob Capo's shows. He. I don't. Do either of you guys know him? No. He is this incredibly brilliant pianist and commentator. That's how he builds himself. And he does these shows where he sits at the piano and he has singers with him. And he. And he analyzes and breaks apart part and deconstructs songs that we all know and love. Not. Not only musical theater songs, but in this case, it was a Lerner and Low evening. So they were all Lerner and Low songs. And he shows. He examines them and shows you exactly how and why they are so great things that you probably would never have noticed unless you were, you know. Well, I mean, first of all, you have to be able to read music, like, really, really well, which is not the case with me. But also, you just have to pay attention and look and see what the composer and the lyricist have done. So, for example, the thing I'll never forget is years ago, he did a program where he analyzed the song Something's Coming from West side Story. And he had Brian D'Arcy James as the singer. And he would go through it, you know, the whole song from the beginning, analyzing the intervals and the rests and the chord progressions and whether or not there's a key change and all of that. And he breaks it down and maybe plays like two or three measures at a time. And then while the person is singing it, and then he explains what was done there. And then only at the end, he might spend 15 minutes or 20 minutes on one song. And only at the end does the same singer sing the whole song and show you, you know, what. What the result is. But. But the thing for Something's Coming. I will never forget this. I always assumed that that's the beginning of. It is a vamp. No, it is not. No. If you. If you know, as he will explain to you, there are subtle changes, like there might be a sharp or a flat in one measure that wasn't in the previous one. And changes are not at a pattern, they're at a progression. So that really blew my mind. And that's the kind of thing he does here. There were five songs that he examined, almost like Being in Love and Heather on the Hill from Brigadoon, I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face from My Fair lady, if ever I would leave you from Camelot, and I Could have Danced All Night from My Fair Lady. And the two singers were Emily Albrink, whom I had never heard of before, but just had an incredibly beautiful voice. And everything about her was phenomenal, including her British accent when she did I've Grown Accustomed To. I'm Sorry, when she did I Could have Danced All Night. And Ben Jones, who has been in several of my shows and lots of other shows by Scott Siegel and done his own solo shows at Birdland and 54 below, et cetera. And so those were the two who used for demonstration purposes. But then they got to sing all of those songs complete, you know, at some point during the program. So it was a really, really, really great night. I was. I was so thrilled to be there. And. And if you ever see him, Rob Capella, doing one of these, I think. I think you'll find it as fascinating as I do.

[Michael Portentier]

Okay, so that. Michael, is that an ongoing series or. Obviously they're not going to redo the one that you saw. But he.

[Brad]

Yeah, Rob Capolo does the. That west side Story thing that I mentioned that had been done years ago at the Rose hall at Lincoln Center. This was. I don't think I mentioned. This was at Merkin hall at Kaufman Music Center. And Rob Capolo does them as. I mean, he does them as a series. Yes, but again, not always musical theater songs. They have one coming up in which they're going to look at the music of Ella Fitzgerald and Oscar Peterson. So, yeah, he's just an encyclopedia of musical knowledge. And it's so entertaining the way in which he examines these songs and breaks them apart. Really, really phenomenal.

[Michael Portentier]

Okay, so we'll have a link to the American Concert hall website in the show notes, and it's got a linked section on the upcoming one that Michael just mentioned.

[Brad]

Yes.

[Michael Portentier]

So, Peter, you've been listening to a new cast album, haven't you?

[Peter]

New cast album. A very old score, one that's more than 60 years old, but it really is Harold Rome's masterpiece. That was very clear to me from listening to the. I can get a few wholesale revival cast album. The show that was done a few years ago at Classic Stage company John Weidman, the son of Jerome Weidman, who wrote the original novel I Can Get A Feel so. And wrote the book to the 1962 musical, really improved what his daddy had done, because it starts off with having a young Jewish boy called the K word, if you know what I mean. And he also gets beaten up and he goes home and his mother tries to soothe him by singing Eat a little something. That song was originally the last song in the show. It still is, but it has a different meaning by the time the show ends. But that was a very, very, very clever setup. The album is very, very impressive. Santino Fontana certainly stands out as Harry Bogan, who will do anything to get ahead. And so it's a wonderful cast. But. But. But I hate when this happens. It does. Synthesizers. There's one. There's one song where there's just piano in accompaniment, and it really. It makes such a difference. And I think there should be a law, not just a rule, a law that any show that takes place in an era before there was such a thing as synthesizers should not use synthesizers. I'm telling you, if that Mata Harry album had just piano instead of synthesizers, I would play it every day of my life. So. But, boy, when you see how Harold Rome wrote for his characters, it's just amazing. It's wonderful that the mother wants her son to get married, and she loves the girl down the block, Ruthie Rifkin. And yet she sings to Ruthie, too soon, don't give your heart away. Even though it's her son and she wants them to get together, she knows that her son. Son doesn't love her, and she's really wanting the girl. That's just one example out of many of how terrific the character writing is for this show. Very Jewish in the best sense of what that means. You get all the endearing, wonderful things. It's not schlocky. It's.

[James Marino]

It's.

[Peter]

It's not stereotypical. No, it is not. It's a cut above that. So it's not borsch belt. It really is higher than that. And so, of course, it's impossible to mention wholesale without mentioning Ms. Marmelstein, who certainly put Barbra Streisand on the map. But it's. It's very well done here, too. So a nice. A nice job all around, for I can get a wholesale now. Why am I not mentioning people's names beyond Santiago Fontana, who I remember fondly. It has much more to do with the fact that this is not available on cd. It is only Done at this point by streaming or such things. And that's the way I heard it. So I. I have liner notes. My playbill is long gone, so this is the best I can do, which is not good at all. But I am telling you, the performances are quite, quite fine.

[Brad]

Including Adam Chandler Barrett.

[Peter]

Oh, that's right. Yes. Right, yes. He's everywhere.

[Michael Portentier]

Wait, you got rid of a playbill.

[Peter]

When I moved?

[Michael Portentier]

Oh, yeah.

[Peter]

117 boxes, James. 117 boxes.

[Brad]

One of these days. But also, is that not a company that does not have printed playbills? Csc.

[Peter]

Oh, I don't even remember that.

[Brad]

I seem to remember.

[Peter]

Yeah, you're right, they don't. I don't know if they. If they started that practice then, but. Yeah, good point. So I might have looked in vain.

[Michael Portentier]

Well, you know. You know, in. In the theme of John Doyle, you make your own playbill.

[Peter]

Yes, I suppose that's true. The other thing is, I'm telling you, when I was doing this calendar, I wanted to include a song from the Britney spe and I knew that I had seen her as an understudy and ruthless, but damn, if I could find the playbill with a slip in it saying, I did find it later, but too late for the calendar. So anyway.

[Brad]

Oh, Peter, before we. Before we leave this recording, Forrest Hutchinson reviewed it for our cast album reviews.com website and he noted at the end, Concord released this recording in streaming format only, but included a full and well designed booklet as a free download.

[Peter]

Ah, how nice.

[Brad]

So you can get that.

[Peter]

Okay. Yeah, that's my next project.

[Michael Portentier]

Okay, so I've reached the end of our list.

[Peter]

Yeah.

[Michael Portentier]

Okay, so let's wrap up for today. Oh, you know what?

[Peter]

What?

[Michael Portentier]

Michael, how's your. How's your calendar? Do you have any time? Because I know that you were under time constraint this morning because we didn't talk about Broadway in memoriam and the Broadway leading ladies.

[Peter]

He's got to go.

[Brad]

Yeah, I kind to do.

[Peter]

Okay.

[Michael Portentier]

All right, so we'll. We'll talk about it next week. All right, so that wraps it up for today. Before we get on to our musical moments and our brain teaser, I'd like to remind everybody that you can subscribe to these broadcasts by going to the front page of broadway radio.com There's a subscribe link. That way each and every time we have a new episode of this week on Broadway, you'll be automatically downloaded to Apple podcast view. Of course, you don't have to listen to us, and Apple podcast has many ways to get us patreon.com P-A-T-R-E-O-N.com broadwayradio is one way to get us. And if you do subscribe to patreon.com you can join us live on Sunday mornings and listen to us record and listen to us on the things that don't get recorded or don't end up in the final product. And some may say that it's the juicy atheist. So I don't want to be the besterman of it all, but yeah, anyway, so contact information for Peter, for Michael and me can be found in the show [e-mail] as well as links to some of the things we've talked about today. So Peter, do you have an answer to last week's brain teaser?

[Peter]

If you knew where to look, this was an easy question. He sang one number in a famous movie music musical. Consider the word number a clue too, in answering this question. That said the first of his three marriages gave him a father in law with the same name of the character that he played in the film. Not only that, his mother in law had the same first name as his girlfriend in the film. Well, I'm talking about Dan True Height who played Rolf in the Sound of Music film and sang 16 going on 17. The Eli's the number clue. He married a woman whose parents were named Ralph and Lisa. Now what had happened? I was watching the Sound of Music movie and I said, gee, I wonder what happened to these people. I went to I M DB and that's where I got this information. So if you went to IMDb after you said, well, it's probably the Sound of Music because this is the 60th anniversary, blah blah blah, you would have gotten it. However, only Nikki Juvan and Josh Israel were the ones to get it. And that, as they say, was that this week's question Question. This one's going to drive you crazy too. How many musicals that begin with the word the t h e have been nominated for the best musical Tony but lost it? No, that's not the question. No, I'll tell you two dozen have. However, if you drop the the from one of them, you'll have the name of a racehorse that won a Triple Crown. No, not the Triple Crown whose racetracks are mentioned and bells are ringing, but a Triple Crown for three entirely different types of races. What's the name of the musical and the horse that almost had the same name.

[Michael Portentier]

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?

[Brad]

Well, in honor of that Rob Capolo evening, what makes it great? The music of Lerner and Low. I chose recordings of two songs that were featured in that evening. And the first one is Almost Like Being in Love, not from the original Broadway cast album, but the 1957 studio cast recording where it was sung by Jack Cassidy. So our opener is the beginning of that, which has a great. A brief but really, really great verse which Rob Capolo examined and Ben Jones sang so beautifully in this evening. And the closer is Julie Andrews from the original, original Broadway cast recording of My Fair lady singing I Could have Danced All Night.

[Michael Portentier]

Okay, so on behalf of Michael Portentier and Peter Felicia, this is James Marino saying thanks so much for listening to Broadway radios this week on Broadway. Bye. Bye.

[Peter]

Bye. Bye.

[James Marino]

I could have danced all night I could have danced all night and still have make no more I could have spread my wings and done a thousand things I've never done before I'll never know what made it so exciting why all that one time My heart tonight I only know when he began to dance with me I could have Dance.

[Brad]

Dance.

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[Brad]

Let's go.

[Narrator]

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[Peter]

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