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This Week on Broadway for March 22, 2026: The Wild Party (Michael John LaChiusa) @ New York City Center
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- [00:01]
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- [00:34]
Cabaret Performer (Sally Bowes)
Meiner dammen herr and mes damesieurs, ladies and gentlemen. And now once again, Fraulein Sally Bo. What good is sitting alone in your room? Come hear the music play Life is a cabaret Jump, come to the cabaret Put down the knitting, the book and the broom Time for a holiday Life is the cabare Jump, come to the cabaret Come chase the.
- [01:38]
James Marino
Hello and welcome to Broadway Radios this week on Broadway for Sunday, March 22, 2026. My name is James Marino, and in the broadcast today we have Peter, Felicia and Michael Portantier. Peter is a playwright, journalist and historian with a number of books. Peter's new day by day desk calendar. A show tune for today, 366 songs to write in a is available at finer retailers. Peter, I have, I don't know if you know this, but I've been writing a musical about Broadway radio.
- [02:11]
Peter Felicia
Oh, how nice.
- [02:12]
James Marino
Yeah. And, and you two, Michael and Peter are, are of course main characters in it. But Peter, I, I, I, I'm having a big problem. I don't know if you've ever come up with this before.
- [02:24]
Peter Felicia
Did you sign? You can't sign Hugh Jackman to play my role, Is that what you mean?
- [02:28]
James Marino
No, no, he's agreed, he's agreed to do that. And, but the biggest problem that we have is I can't find a rhyme for Felicia.
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Peter Felicia
Militia.
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James Marino
Militia. Felicia.
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Peter Felicia
See how easy that was thinking about
- [02:45]
James Marino
it your whole, your whole life though, you know? But for you to come up with it so quickly is like kismet.
- [02:52]
Peter Felicia
Indeed. Kismet is today's show in a show tune for today because of the song rhymes have I. Now, why is that today? Because it's Stephen Sondheim's birthday and he was a big, big proponent of perfect rhymes. As he used to say, you can build a table with three legs and it will stand, but it won't stand as well as a table with four legs. And the imagery was meant to say that m rhymes don't rhyme with ends and plurals don't rhyme with singulars. And I truly believe that it does make a difference in Broadway shows. And the one I always point to is Spring Awakening, which I counted had 59 imperfect rhymes. And I really believe that, indeed, if the rhymes were perfect, the Spring Awakening would have run longer. It was never a hot ticket. Played 111 weeks on Broadway, sold out three. Three. That's it. So the 2015 revival didn't even go clean one week, mostly played to Half Empty House. And I really do believe the rhymes have something to do with it, because when you don't get perfect rhymes, you don't really hear what the words are. It's jarring in that sense. And I believe that that's a big problem. And if you think I'm exaggerating here, isn't it interesting that there is a website totally devoted to misheard Broadway lyrics? You can find it where you can find things like I've thrown a custard in her face, so Long Farewell, Our Feet, all say goodbye. 101 towns of fun. So indeed, if people are listening to these things at home, are in their car, and they still mishear them after hearing them so many times, what happens when you're in the theater and you hear it once? You don't get it. So as a result, I think it really chips away at the enjoyment factor little by little by little. When you would have come out of a show saying, boy, that was terrific, you might come on saying, I was all right because you didn't get all the words. So that's my theory. And that's why rhymes have I In honor of Stephen Sondheim, who had nothing to do with Kismet, is chosen for today.
- [05:08]
James Marino
Also with us is Michael Portentier. Michael's a theater journalist for more than 50 years. He's the founder and editor of Cast Album Reviews.com and is a theatrical photographer whose photos have appeared in the New York Times and other publications. He writes reviews of cabaret shows for NightLifeExchange.com Additionally, Michael is known as a producer and director at shows at 54 below, the Lori Beachman Theater and other venues. Hello, Michael.
- [05:36]
Michael Portentier
Hello.
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James Marino
And Michael, you're going to take a quick sabbatical this week to prepare for an evening with Charles Bush. One must carbo load and rest well and drink a lot of liquids to spend an evening with Charles Bush.
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Michael Portentier
Yes, I'm really looking forward to it. I think it's going to be very fun and it looks like it's going to be packed. So the energy in that room I think is going to be really special. One little disappointment. Julie Halson said she can't make it. Yeah, she said she has to go to an opening and she had the wrong date. But you know, she sends her love because she and Charles are just, you know, two peas in a pod. So.
- [06:25]
Peter Felicia
Indeed.
- [06:26]
Michael Portentier
Yeah.
- [06:26]
James Marino
Thick as thieves. So.
- [06:29]
Michael Portentier
Oh, and we, and it's, I forget if we had mentioned that if you can't make it in person, the event will be live streamed and it's only $15 a ticket to the live stream. So go to the the website and there's one link for both. You can choose whether to buy tickets to the live event or the live stream.
- [06:54]
James Marino
Okay. We have a link to that in the show notes. Some quick notes here. Patreon still hasn't responded to the technology problems that some of the folks are having. I please do email me if you are having a problem and I will try to do what I can to, you know, put a band aid on and work around the problem. But please do let me know if you have any Patreon problems or questions and I will try to do what I can to make that work for you. And also thank you so much for all the, you know, suggestions and words of support and everything that we've gotten over the last week or so. A couple of weeks since we've had these Patreon problems. So first up, Peter, I heard you were seen at a wild party.
- [07:50]
Peter Felicia
I was. Yes, indeed. At City Center Encores has done the Wild Party, the one that Michael John Lachiusa wrote more than 25 years ago. It's hard to believe that, but it's really true that that's when he set pen to paper and took Joseph Moncure March's epic poem and set it to music. It was not a success the first time around and it certainly is successful this time around. There is no question that this is a tremendous production. Lillian Brown certainly deserves so much credit for doing this very difficult show and doing it pro about. It's very, very special because when you think of it, the last show they did High Spirits, a lot of people were on book. They relied on the book. There is not a book to be seen here at all. And indeed we're talking about a very, very healthily sized cast because indeed, if you're going to have a wild party, you have to have a lot of people. So under those circumstances, we really have to take our hats off to Jasmine Amy Rogers playing Queenie who dec going to have this party. And Burrs, her partner in vaudeville crime so to speak. Jordan Donica. We are talking about a time long, long ago. 100 years ago, really, when you come right down to it. So. So they invite all their friends and frenemies and enemies even show up. So as a result, a tremendous cast. I mean, it's so great to see Leslie Margarita playing May by. She's. She's really showing up a lot lately, and I'm delighted to see it. Tanya Pinkins playing Dolores, who certainly has something to say as time goes on. She. She is certainly very frank about her sexuality and. But Clayborne Elder is on the scene as well. And Andrew Cover. These are people we've all seen, we've all enjoyed. And Adrian Warren, the original Tina. All of these people are doing great work about it. Okay, what's my reservation? It's a big one. But it's very interesting to me that Michael John Lachiusa knows where to put the songs. He knows what song he needs. He knows what lyrics to write for these songs. The lyrics are very, very good. Very, very good. He knows what these songs should be in pastiche. Yes, indeed. He knows the models for the songs that he is certainly representing. That said, I wish he had a greater gift for melody. I don't think the songs are nearly as melodic as they could be. Now, believe me, they tore down the house many, many times, these songs. But I think it had more to do with the fact that the songs were right for the moment, the lyrics were right for the moment, and the performers were spectacular in delivering them. But, boy, yeah, there's just not enough of a melody for each of these. Virtually every one of these songs I do like very much and always have liked a song that has a provocatively interesting title, which is a little. That is sung by two gentlemen who ostensibly are twins. They don't seem to be twins in this production, but I think originally they seem to be twins in the original production, and they're the ones who play the piano during the evening. And. And that one, I think, is really quite good. That doesn't mean, indeed, that some of the songs don't work on their own. Such as what I Need is a really quite beautiful song. But. And. But, you know, I always felt when Eartha Kidd did the show originally, that if. If Michael could have written a dynamite number for her in the middle of the show when she first sings and a dynamite one at the end, she would have won a Tony. But I do believe that her material just wasn't good enough melodically, and I'll stand by that statement. Now, hearing it again. On the other hand, I was very surprised that given the fact that I haven't played this album in such a long time, that I remembered so much of the music. Again, it doesn't really quite please me, but nevertheless I remembered it. So there's something to be said about that as well. So. But wow, what a production. God love them all for showing up and doing excellent work beyond belief. And I think that's what's really making this one have a renaissance. I don't know if indeed we'll see this beyond this production. I mean, Lord knows some encores have gone on. I don't know about that. In a way it deserves to since it's so wonderfully performed. But there's another thing that's kind of interesting here and I'll end with this. One of the problems when it was at. I think it was. Might have been the Virginia Theater, then it might have been the August Wilson, but that place on 52nd street is what we're talking about, is that it was so airy that the stage is so tall that it. It didn't seem like that wild a party because it wasn't contained. When Lippa's version was done at Manhattan Theatre Club. It's a smaller stage and the party really seemed to far more contained and people were like spilling over onto each other. Well, in a strange way, the fact that the orchestra is above the action sort of suggests that there is a low ceiling. I mean, it's not there, but it suggests it and it really makes the party far more contained and people are like bumping into each other in a way that it didn't seem that way when it was originally done. So in a strange way, Wild Party is a small show with a big cast, but it really does need that boy, get out of my way type of staging. So anyway. But I dare say that people who didn't much like it way back when might like it more with the Second Chance because it's so wonderfully done. And they may not have the same objections that I do about the music. They may find it's. It's just fine. But I could use more melody.
- [14:31]
James Marino
Okay. The Wild Party, the Michael John lachiusa version at New York City center has another week through March 29th. We'll have a link to that in the show notes.
- [14:43]
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- [15:36]
James Marino
Theodore Row to see Spare Parts. Peter talked about it last week. What's your thoughts about this?
- [15:42]
Michael Portentier
Well, this is one of the more interesting items I've seen recently and as we said, Peter did speak about it. It's written by. I mean, this is the most fascinating thing about it as far as I'm concerned. Just listen to this bio of the playwright. David J. Glass, born 1961, is an American biomedical scientist known for elucidating the mechanisms by which skeletal muscle undergoes hypertrophy and atrophy. How do you like that? He played a role in discovering the Musk protein receptor, muscle specific kinase that is responsible for formation of the neuromuscular junction, and discovered the mechanism by which Musk is activated, blah blah blah. He also wrote an influential book aimed at teaching biology graduate students how to design their experiments. He's an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American association for the Advancement of Science, et cetera, et cetera. It goes on and on and gives all these incredible credits in that field, including currently he's vice president of research at a biotech company, senior lecturer at Harvard Medical School, and an adjunct professor at Columbia University. And then it says Glass is also a playwright. His play Love and Science was produced off Broadway in New York City in 2023. His most recent play, Spare Parts, which is Car, being presented at Theater Row. And so that is his background. And if that wasn't enough for authenticity, given the plot of this play, one of the actors is named Matt Walker. And Matt Walker is a Canadian American actor. He trained at Juilliard before enrolling at Harvard for Neurobiology. Matt made his NYC debut in the play that Goes Wrong and then it gives his mostly his theater credits and he, let's see, he, he earned his PhD in genetics at Columbia as a National Science foundation fellow where he focused on natural systems of genome editing. Okay, well, all of that will make more sense if you see the play, which is about. Which is about a billionaire who finds these researchers, biotech researchers, who are performing experiments that seem that they might be able to actually extend people's lives. And of course, if there's one thing a billionaire loves, it's the idea that he could live forever. So he enlists these people to try to do what they can to make him live forever. And it ultimately does not go well, let's put it that way. There were so many interesting things that happened in the play that I could talk about, but I. But might be spoilers, so I. I would want to skip it all. But let me give you. The cast is Michael Genae is Zach Smith, Johnny James Kajoba, really wonderful performance as ivan Shelley, Rob McClure, our friend Rob McClure as Professor Coffee, and Matt Walker as Jeffrey Jordan. They, without giving away too much, a peanut allergy enters into the plot. And. And I got a chance to talk to Rob McClure right after the show. And I said, you know, everything really rang true to me except that one thing I said, because if you,
- [19:41]
James Marino
if
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Michael Portentier
you eat peanuts, they don't go into your bloodstream immediately in order to have an effect, do they? And he said, absolutely they do. He said, not the peanut protein, but the thing that triggers the antibodies. So apparently everything in this play is researched down to the nth degree by these, you know, by this playwright who is quite a genius in that area. And the ethical, you know, the science is interesting, but the ethical questions, of course, are far more exciting and dramatic. And that's what you'll be really focusing on here. In addition to, you know, the thing about living forever and whether that's a good idea, there's also a whole bunch about cloning, which I won't get into, but really, really provocative and very, very interesting play. I'm so glad that it came to Off Broadway and that I got to see it.
- [20:52]
James Marino
All right, so Spare Parts Theater Row is running through April 16th. We'll have a link to that in the show Notes. Peter, you got over to the House of the Redeemer to see Jesse Tyler Ferguson in. True. So tell us about this.
- [21:14]
Peter Felicia
Well, one thing that surprised me was the fact that ostensibly I thought that Jesse Tyler Ferguson wouldn't look anything like Truman Capote, who is the true of the title. Truman Capote, of course, was an acclaimed novelist starting in the late 40s. Early 50s, somewhere around there. Two of his works were adapted into musicals. The Grasshopper, which ran a week, which was far more successful than Breakfast at Tiffany's, which couldn't make it even to opening night. Both of those have scores that are worth hearing, though. But that's another story. Anyway, Jesse Tyler Ferguson really surprised me because I think he was able to resemble Dream Capote much more than I thought he would. Not as successfully outgrant you as Robert Morse did back way back when, in 1990, I think, was when he did it on Broadway. And to the point of which I really did believe that Truman Capote hadn't died. So, anyway, what's. What's the story? Truman Capote has written something that has pissed off a lot of his friends, and it may be that he's going to be friendless from now on. And it's Christmas time, which, of course, is the time where we all get sentimental about our friendships. And he's very, very concerned now that he's done this. He tries to defend himself at times, and at times he realizes he's done the wrong thing, that he's betrayed people. So it really is a story about whether or not you should really come clean about your feelings about people or should you keep them to yourself? And he really expected to be understood. He expected to be forgiven. And now he finds out he's not. That phone calls aren't being returned and President Sanchez forthcoming, as they used to be, et cetera, et cetera, at Christmas time. So. So now, the thing is, this is done in a very small space. If you saw Tartuffe with Andre de Shields earlier in the season, you know the space, the House of the Redeemer. That's what it is. It's a church. It's on the second floor. You all sit around in an oval while he's in the middle. There are times when he's actually talking directly to us. He actually centers on a person, looks directly into that person's eyes and talks. And we rarely get the impress that what he's doing is preparing himself for when he is going to meet these people, that this is sort of a strange type of dress rehearsal when he does run into these people the next time. So it's a very, very successful performance. And the fact that he has a certain type of charm, even though he has, Mark Crowley might say, counter charm, where it came to his friends. Still, this is a potent performance. And the fact that you are virtually on top of this actor, whom we've admired many, many times, really is very, very Powerful. So as a result, if you can get a ticket, and I doubt there are 50 seats at every performance. I mean, it may be 60, but I don't think it's even 50. You will indeed have a quite, quite impressive experience in seeing somebody who you might not think could do Truman Capote. Capote proud. But indeed he does.
- [24:34]
James Marino
Any comparison against the Broadway production of True, that was many years back.
- [24:40]
Peter Felicia
I do believe that Robert Morse had a build that was closer to Truman Capote's. Now, again, you know, I don't even know if anybody even knows who this guy is anymore. You know, I mean, I used to see him on talk shows. I still remember when Valley of the Dolls came out, Jacqueline Suzanne's novel, the big bestseller, when he was on the Tonight show and he Johnny to Johnny Carson. Johnny. That's not writing, that's typing. So. So, you know, he was, he was very much in the public eye back in those days. But I don't know if anybody remembers what he looks like. And so therefore, with something that's slightly Jesse for Tyler Ferguson, slightly behind Robert Morrison that way, I don't know if that matters anymore, but, but it really is a yeoman type of thing. And the idea of doing this one person show for all this for 90 minutes or so, maybe even longer, you know, is always quite a thing when you see somebody able to do this. But the fact that we're all on top of him I would think would make it even harder. So, so it's, it's very, very impressive.
- [25:55]
Michael Portentier
I have not seen the show yet. I can't go till next week. But I did an interview with Jesse for Talking Broadway and we talked about a lot of this stuff. And I said, what about your physical embodiment of Capote on stage at the time of his life when the action of the play occurs? I believe he was quite pudgy and he said. We talked about whether I should use some padding. I know Robert Morse used some kind of prosthetics on his face, but none of those theatrical tricks felt necessary in this version. It's such intimate venue. There's no distance between me and the audience. I'll be just inches away from people. I also think there's something wonderful about embracing the fact that I'm channeling this person through who I am. I don't want people to come in and think we're trying to fool them, that they're seeing Truman Capote. I want them to know that it's an actor portraying someone else. It's like when Jonathan Groff is doing so brilliantly as Bobby Darin in Just in Time. I think that's what's so exciting about theater, that suspension of disbelief. So there you go.
- [27:03]
Peter Felicia
Duly noted.
- [27:07]
James Marino
All right, and that is running through May 3rd. We'll have a link to that in the show notes. Michael, you were over at Lincoln Center Theater to see Nightside Songs. So tell us about this.
- [27:21]
Michael Portentier
Yeah, I had a very good week. I saw nothing but good shows.
- [27:25]
James Marino
Oh, good.
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Michael Portentier
And we can't always say that, so I just want to say I'm very grateful for that. That, and I think. I'm sure we've had other of our colleagues report on this already. Have you spoken about it, Peter?
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Peter Felicia
No, I haven't seen it.
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Michael Portentier
Oh, okay.
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Peter Felicia
It's the day of the snowstorm, so I wasn't able to go, oh, I
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Michael Portentier
think maybe it was Jenna. But it's a wonderful show. Words and music by the Lazores, if you're familiar with them. And it's playing at the Claire Tao. I was reminded that that is the correct pronunciation. Rhymes with cow. And now, which I have not been too often. And, and let me say, before I say anything else, I had completely forgotten this, but was reminded that the ticket prices at the Claire Tow are extremely reasonable. All tickets for this show are $35. And apparently for the next one coming up. Also my memory is that when the theater opened several years ago, that all tickets were $25. Does that ring a bell to anyone?
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Peter Felicia
Yes, yes. That's what I remember as well.
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Michael Portentier
Right. So, you know, I mean, you know, reality intrudes and they had. I guess they had to. But, you know, when you. When you look at $35 and compare to it, it to what you will pay for other things, it's. You might as well. It's like they're paying you.
- [28:56]
National Debt Relief Announcer
Right?
- [28:58]
Michael Portentier
So it. This is a beautiful play that you have to. You should know what you're getting into before you see it, depending on your own circumstances, because it's about sickness and death. And obviously there are going to be very, very challenging moments for some people depending on their own situation. And even if. Even not depending on, you know, even if everyone is healthy and everyone they know is healthy, it's still. To see the journey of this central character from sickness to hell, from health to sickness to death is quite, quite moving. Wonderful cast. Chris St. Louis, Robin de Jesus, who. Who was out of the show for a while because his mother just died. Can you imagine having to do a play like a musical like this in a case like that? This is another one of those very loosely informal setup shows where beforehand the performers are walking around to you and they hand out songbooks with lyrics. If you'd like to sing along, you're not forced to, but if you like, if you'd like to. And the songs are extremely simple, so you're not going to have to struggle with those if you choose to sing along. And there's interaction with the audience before the play, before the show. And so I, I. Robin caught my eye and he. He actually said hi to me first. And he said, oh, hi. It's been a minute. How are you? And I said, I'm. I'm fine. I said, I'm so sorry about. About the death of your mother. And he said, oh, thank you very much. And, you know, he was, of course, completely professional throughout the show. Others in the cast, Jonathan Raviv, Brooke Ishii. Excuse me, Ishibashi. Yeah, Brooke Ishibashi and Mary Testa. Very. It's very much about how when we're in a situation like that where someone is very ill and perhaps dying, you know, that takes up so much, so much of your time and energy, and yet, like, the mundane things in life still have to go on. I thought it did a good job of portraying that. I think that the writers are really very talented. The Lazores. And let's see, it says, developed and directed by Terry. But we've got these. This typeface is so small. I'm gonna have to speak to them about that. I mean, I have my glasses on. Tabby Magar. I guess that's what it says. Yeah. Really, really small. Very well put together and, you know, an antidote to. To overblown productions, which are really more about spectacle than about emotion. This one is the opposite, and I really, really loved it.
- [32:19]
James Marino
All right, so Nightside Songs at LCT3 Claire Tao Theater is running through March 29th. We'll have a link to that in the show. Notes.
- [32:35]
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- [33:05]
James Marino
Peter, you were over at the Theater Center Right in the heart of Times Square to see a show called Pierre Terre. So tell us about this.
- [33:19]
Peter Felicia
Well, this is, this is really amazing because so many times you see a, A, a playwright write a character, and the performer does the character justice. Yes, fine. But it is so rare to find a playwright, write a character so successfully and have it so successfully realized on stage because there is a newcomer named Macy McGrail who is astonishing at delivering playwright Jonas Anastasi's dialogue, characterization, etcetera, to the nth degree. It's an amazing thing to see. Okay, what's the story? So she plays a young woman who indeed, let's face it, is a prostitute. And a guy picks her up and do they fall in love? It sounds like a very trite story, but the thing is that in situations like this, we really usually think that the girl is going to use the guy to his to get everything she can out of him. Here you really do believe that she comes to love him. You really do. And that is so successfully written and so successfully played by this young actress that it is something to really see. I am so impressed by it. Okay, what's the problem? Well, this gentleman has a sister who indeed has a lot of opinions about the fact that her brother is substantially older and substantially richer than this woman. Okay, that sounds like a familiar situation, I'll grant you. But there are many surprises that will go on in Pieter as the play continues. Many surprises. Some of them may strike you as melodrama. And, you know, it's funny, we're talking about Sondheim's birthday. Sondheim once said to me, vulgarity is something that people really do shy away from, but it's not a bad thing in certain situations. And I do believe that melodrama, which can strike people as a dirty word or a lesser type of theater. No, not always. And I think Johnstasi really maneuvers it very, very well here. Okay. Josephine Phoenix is the sister. Jordan Allen Bell as the gentleman who has a very interesting motivation for why he takes this woman in and keeps her there. So a lot of surprises here, a lot of fine writing, but, whoa. I am looking forward to seeing Ms. Macy McGrail time and time and time and time and time again because, whoa, does she understand who this woman is every step of the way?
- [36:17]
James Marino
Okay, so Pied a Tea is at the Theater Center. It is. Looks like it is running through the end of April. April 29th. It looks like it's the last performance. We'll have a link to that in the show. Notes. Michael, you were out on Long island at the Gateway Playhouse to see the Full Monty. So tell us about the.
- [36:42]
Peter Felicia
This.
- [36:43]
Michael Portentier
Yeah, it was really worth the trip last night, actually. Stephen Brinberg and I went out for the matinee. But, you know, it's a kind of a long. It's a full day trip when you, when you go out there, it's pretty far out. And so I had not been to the Gateway in years and I think. I think I only saw one previous production there. Mimi Hines in Funny Girl. Not Funny Girl. Wow. That would have been some Mimi Hines in hello Dolly. Yeah, but. And I think they have two spaces or three spaces, so I'm a little confused about that. But this is in Bellport, Long island. And Full Monty, as we've discussed probably many times on the podcast, although not lately, I think is one of the unluckiest musicals ever because. Yeah, because it's so well written by David Yazbeck and Terence McNally and it had the Great Misfortune open in the same season as the Producers. So it was completely overshadowed in ways that it would absolutely not have been in any other year. I'm sure about that. Glad it has had a life anyway. Although not. Not well. Yeah, no. Well, would it be fair to say. Would it be fair to say that maybe like now know that they're maybe elite, maybe more equal in terms of productions?
- [38:17]
Peter Felicia
Well, Producers is now in London. I don't think Full Monty is. But anyway, it. I don't know. Yeah, I hope you're right.
- [38:27]
Michael Portentier
I'm thinking more in terms of, you know, not first class productions, but community theater in college and, you know, because I think some people do shy away from the Producers because they feel. Some people feel that if we don't. If you don't have Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, you know, don't do it. So. Whereas the Full Monty is more of an ensemble cast show. I think we would all agree with that. So I think that time has been kind to it in that sense. I was also reminded that the tour, the original tour of the Full Monte was abbreviated due to 9 11. That was another really unfortunate bit of luck that they had to endure. But all of that said, it's a wonderful, wonderful show with David Diazbec writing spectacularly well in the vernacular. Can't have been easy to musicalize a show that's about a bunch of steel workers. And in Pittsburgh, isn't that where they are?
- [39:34]
Peter Felicia
Buffalo.
- [39:34]
Michael Portentier
Buffalo. I'm sorry. Buffalo. Yeah. And. But he did it and he also managed to write lots of songs for them, their characters and how, you know, frustrated they are and etc. But he didn't neglect the women. He both, both McNally and David Yazbeck gave the women, the wives and the girlfriends opportunity to shine as well. So it's really a really fun and ultimately kind of moving show about how these guys are so down and out and so bitter because they've lost their jobs and they feel useless and they feel like less than men and I don't know. So their decision, their brilliant decision, one of them decides. After they see that this strip show has come to town and the women have gone crazy over it, the guys decide, well, why not? Why don't we do it? You know, they probably pay to see us, if only out of curiosity, take our clothes off. And so that's what happens. And it's so much fun watching them, you know, try to cast the show and then rehearse it. And there's lots of reversals. You know, one or another person is. Looks like they're going to back out at one point or another. And will they all eventually end up on stage together? And will they all eventually strip and do the Full Monty? Which means take everything off. So that's what this show is about. Really, really, really great cast here in at the Gateway. Although probably only maybe. Well, two or three names you would know. You would certainly named Sally Struthers. Yeah. Who's perfect for the role of Jeanette Burmeister, the. Their. The pianist and all around cheerleader for the. For the group. But the main character, Jerry, is played by Rory Max Kaplan, who we certainly know very well and has been a guest on our podcast also. Uh, let me just quickly. Uh, Mia Gentili is Georgie Butkinski. Franco Bianchi is the Buddy Kane Waltz. She's the stripper at the beginning. Timothy Hurl, Clayton Rowe, Alex Fullerton, Justin Wolf Smith, Gavin Groenendahl, Dio Crossley, Crystal Renee Wright, Kelly McMillan, Katie Luke Dakota McKay, McGee, Lance Stewart, Ian Nauer I've seen in many shows and he has merged, has morphed into a different type and age group and now he's playing Harold Nichols and his wife is played by Emily Brockway. Plus and then rounding up the cast, E. Manny Cadet, Miles Ohana and Franco Tomaino. Very, very well directed by Keith Andrews with musical director, a friend of mine, Michael mcassy, who I've known since Don't Tell Mama days. So it was really fun to go out and see them. And I highly recommend the Full Monty if you haven't seen it. Or if you have seen it, really flying production to catch up with it in. So that's my wrap. All right.
- [43:18]
James Marino
The Full Monty at the Gateway Playhouse is running through April 12, and we'll have a link to that in the show notes.
- [43:24]
Peter Felicia
Let me add something here, and that is the fact that, yeah, I've worked the Tony press room a lot of times, and of course, here we are where we've seen it all, we've done it all. All of us who write about theater, and we don't have much emotion when winners are announced or not announced. Announced. But I'm telling you, when they said the best score went to Mel Brooks and the Producers, there was a moan from so many of us because we really thought that was going to go to David Yazbeck. So. And that's the only time I've heard journalists react in that way in the many, many times that I've been in that room.
- [44:03]
James Marino
Yeah, I remember that in the press room at the Tony Awards when, boy, the Producers was just a freight train. They were just. They were just winning everything. It was just strictly momentum at that point. Sure, it was.
- [44:18]
Michael Portentier
Absolutely.
- [44:19]
Peter Felicia
And it had opened sooner.
- [44:21]
James Marino
Yeah.
- [44:21]
Peter Felicia
Closer to the Tonys, too.
- [44:23]
Michael Portentier
But David Yasmin did a fabulous, fabulous job. The opening number is called Scrap, and it's, you know, the double meaning of scrap metal. And just these guys feel like they're scraping crap because they're out of jobs, and they feel so useless. It's. It's really just so well done.
- [44:44]
Peter Felicia
I wonder, by the way, that Jeanette is not in the movie. The movie. That.
- [44:50]
Michael Portentier
Oh, musical.
- [44:51]
Peter Felicia
That's a character that was invented for the show, and it's certainly a wonderful character.
- [44:56]
Michael Portentier
I. You know, I saw that movie, but not since it came out. And I was just thinking I should see it again because I really have very little memory of it. It's set in England, right?
- [45:05]
Peter Felicia
Yeah, indeed. Yeah.
- [45:08]
James Marino
It's so funny.
- [45:08]
Michael Portentier
We.
- [45:11]
James Marino
It seems as though every season or so that there is some very good musical or play that gets overshadowed by some big, huge super hype. And I feel like that happened to the Mon. The Full Monty. Oh, yeah. And I wonder, if it had opened in a different season, what would have happened with that cast? Would Patrick Wilson's career have been different? Would he be more in the Broadway sphere than he is these days?
- [45:50]
Michael Portentier
Oh, interesting question. Yeah.
- [45:52]
James Marino
Or not. Because it was such a great, great show. All right, next up, Peter, you were at the York Theater, which is now performing at the theater at St. Jean's to see Monte Cristo. So tell us about this.
- [46:14]
Peter Felicia
Well, I had gone to a reading of this and I was very impressed then, and I was very glad to see a full production. And I mean a full production. This may very well be the most lavish production that the York Theatre has ever, ever, ever done. Done. Lots of people in the cast, a lot of people we know in the cast. I will say that if indeed you are a Karen Ziemba fan or a Norm Lewis fan and already Norm Lewis fan, you're not going to see them on stage all that much. Norm is. Well, I don't want to give too much away, so I'll just say that he. He appears mostly in the first act, Karen's Yamba. It's very interesting. On Tuesday, I will be at the Dutch Treat club interviewing Donna McKechney. And of course, one of the things that's going to come up is when she was in Chorus Line. I swear I'm going to get back to Monte Cristo. I swear I will. But anyway, Donna McKechney, one of the things that's going to come up, of course, is her stint as Cassie in A Chorus Line, where indeed, originally Cassie did not get the job. And then indeed, Marsha Mason, Neil Simon's wife at the time, called Michael Ben and said, no, no, she has to get the job because you have to give people hope that they can always start over again. Well, you know, the thing is that this occurred to me while I was watching Monte Cristo because in the opening scene, Karen Ziemba is part of an ensemble. And the thing is that you do watch if you know who Karen Ziemba is, and I imagine most of the audience does, you, you, you are looking at her. And I did start thinking that if in Zach's musical, I guess the people who come to that theater, knowing that Cassie had stopped two shows previously, would be drawn to her as opposed to watching the ensemble. So believe me, Karen Ziemba does have a terrific number. And speaking of terrific number, there are plenty of them. Steven Weiner, who usually writes musical comedies, has really extended himself and stretched himself and has really written a very dynamic, dynamic score that sounds right for the period. More Terrier to be talking about a long time ago, centuries ago, when indeed the Count of Monte Cristo was written. And I will admit that indeed, you're going to be thinking of Les Mis when you see this show. There are certain reasons that you will. In fact, even at the beginning, there are projections telling us where we are, what time we're in the Lettering is perilously like Les Mises lettering, so. But nevertheless, on its own terms it is extraordinarily successful. Peter Kellogg has done an astonishing job of condensing a novel that is just preposterously long and complicated. I dare say go to Wikipedia and look at this description of this plot and see if you could make heads of tails of it. Now you might say, well, Wikipedia, you know, I mean, the guy didn't do a good or the woman didn't do a good job in describing it. Yeah, but it's such a convoluted thing and he has described distilled it brilliantly. Okay, so who else is in the cast? Adam Jacobs. Wow, what a performance. I am telling you. So what's the story? He plays a guy who is victimized. He's in love with Sierra Bodges, who does have a big part, believe me, playing Mercedes. And they're desperately in love. But indeed there's somebody else who loves her and he's going to make sure he's going to get her. So on a trumped up charge, he makes sure Adam Jacobs character named Edmund is going to go to prison. And he does go to prison. And he goes to prison for a long, long time. And Sarah Bodges told that he is dead indeed does marry this other guy which she never comes to love. But hey, you know what, what difference? It's sort of like in Shakespeare in Love when Gwyneth Palcrow character says to Shakespeare, Shakespeare, you know, well listen, I might as well marry Wessex because if it's not you, it doesn't matter who it is. So it's the same type of feeling here. So. Well, Edmund does get out of prison through a very, very interesting way. That's where Danny Reticlion I know comes in. I don't know if anybody remembers him from playing Fiorello at Encores, but that's that guy. And indeed there's more to it even than that. And who becomes the Count of Monte Cristo? Who is the Count of Monte Cristo? Well, that' part of the story, needless to say, because at the beginning for the first act you'll say what? What does all this talk about account? I mean, who's the count? What's going on? You will find out. So a very very, very, very, very, very fine production, tremendously done. Peter Flynn, excellent direction, choreography by Macro Santana. Fine. Not a lot of it, but what's there is choice. And really a very very impressive mounting for the. Delighted to say that it held my interest to the nth degree as I was watching it. And even though I had seen the reading, it was so great to see it really spring to life in a completely different way and quite, quite impressive. So that's Monte Cristo, all right. With good rhymes. With good rhymes.
- [51:57]
James Marino
All right. So the York Theater's production of Monte Cristo is a world premiere musical. It is running through April 5, 2026. We'll have a link in the show notes. Peter, you also got over to the ATA to see a production of Macbeth. ATA's American Theater of Actors to see a production of Macbeth. Tell us about this.
- [52:25]
Peter Felicia
What I'm going to tell you more than anything else is that I have never, never seen a scene that is so sexually hot with people who still have their clothes on. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth supposedly have this really tight relationship. But I'm telling you, the way that Linnea Benson has directed them, it's astonishing, just astonishing to see these two, whoa. What he is doing to her and she's having him do is just really something. So what the one thing I want to say about this more than anything else, though? Well, I guess I want to say that more than anything else. But what I will say is that this is an excellent starter kit for those people who have a fear of Shakespeare because there's a lot of speaking to the audience. And what's really wonderful is when Shakespeare's language is said as if it's contemporary language, that it's just matter of factly delivered. And that is what this cast does to perfection. It really does make us seem as if they're speaking in their own contemporary language. They're not the least bit flummoxed by the fact that it's Shakespearean language, that they make it sound so natural. It makes the story so much easier to follow. So really, if you've ever wanted to start with Shakespeare or you have a kid that you want to introduce to Shakespeare, this is a very good time to do it. Though I will say you may have to explain a little bit of why these two people are so hot for each other. So you do run that risk. But whoa, the fireworks between Daz man still playing Macbeth and Amy Francis Quint as Lady Macbeth. Well, she ain't no lady, but that's another story.
- [54:21]
James Marino
All right. The Frog and the Peach Theater Company's production of Macbeth at the American Theater of Actors is running through March 29th. So you have about one week left to go check. Check it out and we'll have a link to that in the show. Notes.
- [54:34]
Howie Mandel
The Global Gaming League is Presented by Atlas Earth, the fun cashback app. Hey, it's Howie Mandel and I am inviting you to witness history as me and my how we do it gaming team take on Gilly the King and Wallow267's million dollars gaming in an epic global gaming league video game showdown. Plus a halftime performance by multi platinum artist Travy McCoy. Watch all the action and see who wins and advances to the championship match right now@globalgamingleague.com that's globalgamingleague.com in partnership with Level Up Expo.
- [55:05]
James Marino
Michael, just to wrap up this morning, we have a bunch of topics to chat with you about. You saw a 50th anniversary screening of the film of the who's Tommy? So tell us about this.
- [55:20]
Michael Portentier
Yeah, well, I have a visited interest in the property because I directed it, a community theater production on Staten island long before the Broadway. And so I think, I mean, I'm not sure about this, but I think we were the first people to do it with an actual scenario. I mean, we didn't just perform the songs. We, we, you know, we did it as if it was a rock opera with scenes and characters and, and so. So it was based primarily on the original album by the. Maybe a couple of ideas borrowed from the movie, which is pretty gonzo overall because Ken Russell directed it. And I'm not, I have to say, I'm not a fan. But it did have some good ideas in it. One good idea it had in it was the original version, the album version in that version. Now, I always have to think twice to make sure I get this right. In that version version, Tommy's father goes off to war and they think he disappears. They think he's been killed. It turns out he's just been a prisoner of war. And he turns up a while later after the war is over. But since his wife and Tommy's mother didn't know that she has become involved with another man. And when the husband finds this out, he. He freaks out and there is a terrible fight between the two of them. And in the original version of the story, the father kills the lover. But in the movie they made a change, which I think really is for the better. Tommy's father is the one who gets killed by the lover. And that makes it all the more traumatic that he sees that young Tommy sees that happen. So traumatic that we, you know, we're led to believe it. It turns him deaf, dumb and blind. And he remains that way for many years. So I think that that was a good Thing that was added the. The movie as is way, way, way over the top in many, many scenes. But it's got fun people in it. It's got Ann Margaret giving it her all as Tommy's mother. Unfortunately, it also has Oliver Reed as the lover. And since he is now the one who stays alive live, he's got like eight songs to sing and he sings them unbelievably badly. I. I don't can imagine what was in Ken Russell's mind, except I guess he maybe thought that the. The drama was. Was okay to take precedence over the. The musical values. But whatever. That was a tremendous mistake. We also have some other. Well, we have at least one other non singer in the cast, Jack Nicholson playing the doctor. And I'm not sure how that casting came about, but also there's a funny story that Nicholson was worried about his singing because he's not known as a singer and he was really very nervous about it. But then he heard Oliver Reed's Pre records and he said, well, what have I got to worry about? Yeah, I love that. I love that. And also cameos in the movie from Eric Clapton, the great Tina Turner and Elton John who wound up having a. A huge hit with his recording of Pinball wizard on, you know, which because it was featured in this movie. So I. I saw it in imax. I don't expect to ever see it again in. In a better pres. Presentation in terms of the. The pict.
- [59:19]
Cabaret Performer (Sally Bowes)
The.
- [59:20]
Michael Portentier
And the video and the audio. And so I'm really glad I went. I wonder what. Wonder what kind of a future Tommy will have. The. You know, of course it was revived on Broadway in the Des Mac Enough version not too long ago and it did okay. It was not a big hit. I think to me it's like one of those shows like Chess, where it's better if you emphasize the music and don't necessarily feel you have to tell a coherent story.
- [60:00]
James Marino
All right. And you also were talking before we started about a. A screening of My Fair Lady. Was it a screening of My Fair lady lady or was it a discussion?
- [60:14]
Michael Portentier
No, no, no, no. Two things. Well, a screening of Porgy and Bess.
- [60:18]
James Marino
Yes.
- [60:20]
Michael Portentier
As our listeners know, I've been. I've been going on for some time and I think it was not long ago that I mentioned most recently that I just, you know, I just wish that I had the wherewithal. I wish I was a billionaire and I, you know, so that I could personally pay to restore the 1959 Samuel Gold film version of Porgy And Bess, which at this point is almost a lost film. The Gershwin estate hated it. There was, there were rumors that they actually actively tried to destroy prints of it because they hated it so much. It. No one knows what condition the original 70 millimeter elements are in or, you know, what it would take to restore them. It would certainly cost a lot of money. But guess what? Guess who loves Corgi and Bess the movie. Quentin Tarantino. Quentin Tarantino. This came out of the blue for me. I'm reading this and I was like, what? You know, it was as if it was meant for me personally. He sponsored three screenings of the, the, like, the one surviving 35 millimeter print that, that everyone knows about, that sometimes gets circulated in la. Unfortunately, I mean, unfortunately for me. And he, I don't know, I'm, but at least now I know who to write to. I'm planning, I have a vacation next week, but I'm planning when I get back to write to him and ask him if there's anything we can do to run a GoFundMe campaign to have people, you know, contribute to, to restore this movie. Because, because whatever its flaws, it's an absolute historical document, you know, with Sidney Poitier and Dorothy Dandridge and Sammy Davis Jr. And Pearl Bailey and Brock Peters, you know, So I, I, I'm very hopeful after reading that because the fact that he is so interested in it that he arranged three of it, I mean that I think that's absolutely fantastic. So we will see where, if any way where this goes. But I, I really, really am hopeful now.
- [62:49]
Peter Felicia
I'm mystified that there are so few close ups in that movie.
- [62:53]
Michael Portentier
Yes. And as I think we mentioned, especially because the director, Otto Preminger, five years before directed Carmen Jones, which is nothing like that. No, no, nothing like that.
- [63:06]
Peter Felicia
No. And ironically, the soundtrack album, the COVID was such a close up of both of them.
- [63:14]
Michael Portentier
Yes.
- [63:15]
Peter Felicia
So one would be led to believe that the movie was going to look something like that and it rarely does.
- [63:20]
Michael Portentier
Right.
- [63:23]
James Marino
And you also had a follow up about some lyrics in Just in Time.
- [63:30]
Michael Portentier
Yes, I, I made a point, I think it was last week about how I, I was surprised notice belatedly that on the cast album of Just in Time, there is an incorrect lyric in that song. It's supposed to be Love came just in time. You found me just in time and changed my lonely life that lovely day, which is so elegant the way it's not only alliteration in that the three words start with the L sound lonely life and lovely. But Then, of course, there are two more Ls in. You know, there's one more in. In Lovely and one more in Lonely. So you get five L's together. And it really. It's, you know, God is in the details, right? It just, you know, they could have easily written. And in fact, I used to think the lyric was you. You changed my lonely life that lucky day. And that's fine, but that would have been a little less elegant, you know. Anyway, I'm sure a lot of thought went into it from Compton and Green. And so I was really very sorry to hear that. Jonathan Groff sings and changed. You changed my lonely life. No, you changed my lonely heart that lovely day. And so I wrote to Ted Chapin because that's the person, the only I know who's in power on that. On that show. And I said, I said to him how disappointing this is, and I wish I had noticed it earlier so that I could have pointed it out before they recorded the cast album. But it's interesting. What he wrote back was that they got that version and that word from a TV broadcast. Yeah, a TV appearance that Bobby Darin did. And they said they felt that they. They wanted to keep it that way to show his freewheeling style with lyrics and, you know, and music. And it is true that he, like Frank Sinatra and. And other people. Tony Bennett didn't. Didn't do that. He sang the lyrics. But Sinatra and Darren and I guess Ella Fitzgerald, you know, they, they, they would play with lyrics and, and sort of, you know, insert their own. So that. That is true. But. But I did counter Ted and I said, well, I wish I hadn't made a note to you. Though I did check the commercial recording of Just In Time that Bobby Darren made. And on that recording, he does sing it correctly, although he does make us minor M mess up in. In another lyric in another section. But, you know, I feel like he made the point to try to get it right for the commercial recording. And, And I don't personally think that they should have used the. The incorrect version just because he sang it on a TV show once. But, you know, I mean, we'll have to agree to disagree. I do just want to point out that. That what the correct lyrics are and how, you know, just a beautiful. A little moment of, you know, brilliance from Compton and Green. Writing. Writing to the music of Julie Stein.
- [67:07]
James Marino
All right, so that wraps it up for this week. Before we get on to our brain tease and our musical moments, I would remind everybody that you can subscribe to these broadcasts by going to the front page of broadwayradio.com there's a subscribe link. That way each and every time we have a new episode of this Week on on Broadway, it'd be automatically downloaded to Apple Podcasts for you. Of course, you don't have to listen to us in Apple Podcasts. There's many ways to get us. Patreon.com P-A-T-R-E-O-N.com BroadwayRadio is one way you can currently get us and support all of the Broadway radio shows. Contact information for Peter for Michael and Me can be found in the show notes@broadwayradio.com as well as links to some of the things we've talked about about today. So Peter, do we have an answer to last week's brain teaser?
- [67:52]
Peter Felicia
He produced 16 shows on Broadway. Seven had titles with many words in common. He also produced a revival of a Pulitzer Prize winning play that became a musical in the same year that he produced one of those seven similarly named shows. I'm talking about Leonard Silman who produced new faces of 1934, 36, 43, 52, 56, 62, 60, 68. But in 1939 he produced a revival of they Knew what they wanted, which in 1956 became the most Happy Fellow. Okay, Tony Janicky remained in first place, followed by Sean Logan, Paul Witty, Stephen Sokolov, Ray Yustra, Lee Korn, Mike Meaney. Welcome back Mike and Brigad. This week's question Chicago, the Color Purple Hair, into the Woods, Once on this Island Parade and Pippin were all Tony nominated best musical Losers. But what else do they have in common?
- [68:54]
James Marino
If you have an answer for that, email us@triviaroadwayradio.com we'll let you know if you're on the right track. So Michael, what do we have in this week's musical moments?
- [69:04]
Michael Portentier
Well, on March 18th we celebrate celebrated John Candor's 99th birthday. How fabulous is that? And so there was no other choice as to who he would tribute this week. Needless to say, there are hundreds of thousands of options we could have chosen for our musical moments. So, you know, forgive me if I was maybe a little safe. The opener is Cabaret, the title song from Cabaret as sung by Jill Hook Haworth as Sally Bowes on the original Broadway cast album. And you'll also hear a little bit of Joel gray as the MC introducing her. We have discussed before, Ms. Haworth did not receive a good review from the New York Times and I'm one of the many People who think that that will was really a disservice. She and, and Hal Prince, you know, who should know because he directed the thing, said she gave exactly the performance that I wanted. You know, there's all kinds of different theories about Sally Bow, about, you know, is, does she need to be British? Yeah, yeah. Does she need to be British? Is it okay if she's American? Does, does, does she need to have. What level of talent, if any, does she need to have? You know, and I think there's so many, so many different possible interpretations, but Jill hor is absolutely 100% valid. So that's our opener, and our closer is my own best friend from Chicago. But I, I. But I picked, you know, I obviously could have picked the original cast recording or the Broadway revival cast recording. I couldn't have picked the film soundtrack because that song's not in it. But I, I went with the London revival cast recording because I think it may be the best overall recording of that song in terms of the performance, the vocal performances, and just the. There's an excitement to the. The conducting and the orchestrations that's really quite thrilling. So. So that's our closer, Ruthie Henschel and UTA Lemper singing My own best friend from Chicago in London. Please enjoy both of these marvelous musical moments from the amazing John Kander and Fred Epp.
- [71:54]
James Marino
All right, so on behalf of Michael Portentier and Peter Felician, this is James Marino saying thanks so much for listening to Broadway videos this week on Broadway. Bye.
- [72:04]
Michael Portentier
Bye.
- [72:05]
James Marino
Bye.
- [72:09]
Cabaret Performer (Sally Bowes)
Three musketeers who never say die Are standing here this minute? Me, me, myself, myself and I? Life is a school? I'll pass every test? If life is a game I play at the best? Cause I won't give in and I'll ever bend? And I am I a best friend?
- [73:02]
Howie Mandel
The Global gaming league is presented by Atlas Earth, the fun cashback app. Hey, it's Howie Mandel, and I am inviting you to witness history as me and my how we do it gaming team take on Gilly the King and Wallow267's million dollars as gaming in an epic Global Gaming league video game showdown. Plus a halftime performance by multiplatinum artist Travis McCoy. Watch all the action and see who wins and advances to the championship match right now@globalgamingleague.com that's globalgamingleague.com in partnership with Level Up Expo.