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Carrie Purcell (1:36)

It's May, the lusty month of May, that lovely month when everyone goes blissfully astray. Trala it's here, that shocking time of year when tons of wicked little thoughts merrily appear. It's May, It's May, that gorgeous holiday when every maiden prays that her lad will be a cat mad. It's gay, A libelous display those dreary vows that everyone takes Everyone breaks. Everyone makes divine mistakes.

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The Nasty mom

James Marino (2:16)

hello and welcome to Broadway Radios. This week on Broadway for Sunday, May 10, 2026. Happy Mother's Day for all those who celebrate. My name is James Marino, and in the broadcast today we have Peter, Felicia, Michael Portantier and Carrie Purcel. Peter is a playwright, journalist and historian with a number of Books Peter's new Day by day desk calendar, a show tune for today, 366 songs to brighten your year is available at finder retailers. Peter is actually in London today, but we have pre recorded the brain teaser for the end of the episode, so stay tuned. Also with us is Michael Portantier. Michael has been a theater journalist for more than 50 years. He's the founder and editor of CastAlbumReviews.com he is also a theatrical photographer whose photos have appeared in the New York Times and other publications. And he writes reviews of cabaret shows for NightLifeExchange.com Additionally, Michael is known as a producer and director of shows at 54 below the Laurie Beachman Theater and other venues. Hello, Michael.

Michael Portantier (3:24)

Hello.

James Marino (3:26)

Hello. And also with us is Carrie Purcell. Carrie is the writer and editor whose nonfiction writing on theater, film, feminism, and healthcare has been featured in the New York Times, Vogue, Vanity Fair, the Nation, TDF Stages, Theater Mania, and the Village Voice, among others. She has also served on the editorial staffs of Playbill and People. Her nonfiction book, From Afra Ben to Fun Home, A Cultural History of Feminist Theater, which was published in 2019, is by Bloomsbury. Hello, Carrie.

Carrie Purcell (4:04)

Hello.

James Marino (4:05)

And you had yet another article in Vogue.

Carrie Purcell (4:08)

I did.

James Marino (4:09)

What was it? Tell us about it.

Carrie Purcell (4:11)

I interviewed Kelli o' Hara and Rose Byrne about starring in Fallen Angels. It was a really interesting conversation about the show almost being banned when it was first written and what led to it being allowed to be produced 100 years ago. We also talked about monogamy, relationships, fulfillment, how relationships are defined now compared to 100 years ago, and just how incredibly forward thinking the playwright was given, given that he grew up around women backstage and obviously was listening very, very closely to the women in his life.

James Marino (4:53)

All right, so we will have a link to that in the show notes if you want to go over to Vogue and read all about it, which you should.

Michael Portantier (5:01)

You know, I'm not sure if this was covered in any of the press materials or the reviews, but someone who knows the play told me that they cut a tremendous amount of it for this version, which is not really a surprise to me because as brilliant as Coward is, he does tend to go on sometimes, whereas this one seems so focused and so quick and, and fleet and, you know, so I think. I think, you know, I mean, I'm sure some purists might object to that, but I think that was the right decision because I thought it was utterly delightful.

James Marino (5:40)

Well, we are going to talk about Fallen Angels in just a few minutes, so stay Tuned for that for A handful of people have reached out to me about the Broadway Radio app testing. I am just waiting on Apple to release the app. Should be any day now. They said 48 hours and it's been more than that so hopefully soon. But if you want to be a Broadway radio app tester on iOS for your iPhone or your iPad, just email me and we will add you to the list. First up, Carrie and Michael saw the balusters. So Carrie, why don't you get us started on the balusters.

Carrie Purcell (6:23)

I thought it was delightful. I live in a condo and have sat through many HOA meetings that have gone on much, much longer than they needed to be. So I really related to a lot of the characters on stage in one way or another. When I heard about the show, I did wonder if it would be maybe a little too similar to some other shows we've seen about a group of well meaning people putting their feet, putting their respective feet in their mouths. A lot like Eureka Day or Sorry, I'm drawing a blank on the other one. I was thinking of

Michael Portantier (7:04)

the minutes, but then yes. Yeah.

Carrie Purcell (7:08)

And this one did not have the the online chat with the person liking every comment that absolutely stole the show during Eureka Day. But happily, I thought the bolsters stood on its own. I thought a lot of its success came from just what a fan. Fantastic ensemble cast, a lot of really, really strong actors, strong personalities, but they all made room for each other. It seemed like they were all on the same page about what play they were in and what kind of comedy they were trying to achieve. I always am happy to see Margaret Collin on stage and oh, she was delicious in this show. And Mary Louise Burke again, just what a privilege to get to see her live again and again in these hilariously intelligent performances. I mean, I could go on and on about everyone in the cast, but I just thought it was a really successful production of a play that knew exactly what it was trying to be and what it was trying to do, which was inspire. Very humorous, but also at times uncomfortably familiar. Laughter. I think we've all said things that we wished we could rephrase differently in certain meetings and could sympathize with and also not necessarily support everyone on stage.

James Marino (8:28)

Okay, Michael, what did you think of the Ballisters?

Michael Portantier (8:31)

Well, I completely agree about the cast, but as a very smart person once said, the play's the thing. It does start with the play. And in this case they were lucky to have David. Lindsay Aber, who is really one of my favorites, wrote one of My two all time favorite plays of the last several decades, Kimberly Akimbo and Rabbit Hole. So I, I really think he's great and this is quite different from both of those plays, but it's wonderful to have him back in, in a more, I guess, overall a more comic mode. This play is quite comical until the end, I would say. And that provides a real powerful moment for Richard, who, you know, we have acknowledged several actors who keep coming back to the theater, even though they don't necessarily quote, unquote, have to. I mean, they have had great success in other media. But he is another one that I really want to acknowledge that he always keeps turning up and giving wonderful, wonderful performances. And it's been so great to watch him, you know, mature from a, from a very young actor on the Waltons to all of his stage work that he's done. But he's just one of so many fabulous people in the show. Mary Louise Burke got entrance applause. I'm happy to say at my, at the performance that I saw, she is at a treasure. Kaylee Carter, Ricardo Chavira, Carl Clements Hopkins. The amazing Margaret Colin. Thank you for praising her. Carrie. She's just always a joy to see on stage. Michael Esper, Maria Christina Oliveras, Anika Nani Rose, who every time I see her, I think, is she one of the prettiest women who ever lived? She's so beautiful. Richard Thomas, Gina Yee, Melody Boutiu, Tony Carlin, Kyling Chung. Oh, and I'm into the, I'm into the understudies now. Sophie Hayden is an understudy in this show. That's how deep the, the talent pool is. And you know, I've always been back and forth on Kenny Leon. I think he's kind of only as good as the people he works with. And sometimes he really seems to have a handle on things that others not. But this is an example of the former. I think if I, if I were only going to judge his direction only from this play, I would say he is a really, really good director. Everything moves perfectly and just so fun to watch the little microaggressions and the little personality conflicts among these people come to the fore. And you know what I think is one of the most interesting things about it, which I've mentioned about some other plays recently, but it's still kind of a new phenomenon. I think this is a, a post racial play in a way, in the sense that there are several people of color in it. But unless I missed something, it seemed to me that there was really a non Issue, whatever differences in personality conflicts they have did not really seem to me to be about that, maybe a subtext in perhaps in some cases, like the Richard Thomas character, but really not obvious. And so I think that's great because it doesn't, you know, always have to be about that.

Carrie Purcell (12:23)

And Michael, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cut you off.

Michael Portantier (12:25)

No, no, please go on. Would you agree?

Carrie Purcell (12:28)

No, I wouldn't. Oh, the scene where Richard Thomas is showing Anika Noni Rose's character all the idyllic in his eyes, idyllic photos of the past. I thought it was very clear that there were no people of color in any of those photos.

Michael Portantier (12:46)

That's true. She did bring that up, you're right. But I guess. Yeah, go on.

Carrie Purcell (12:50)

I felt like it was pretty clear that the way that he viewed as a threat any changes to the neighborhood and that it wasn't articulated openly, but that one of those changes that he viewed as a threat was a more diverse community. That, that stood out to me. That's really interesting that you saw it so differently. It's.

Michael Portantier (13:16)

Well, I'll accept, I guess, I guess the time they spent on it was, was not, was not a lot. But yes, I guess that was there as to plant that in our heads and to maybe be seen as some motivation for his final rant at the end.

Carrie Purcell (13:36)

Yeah. And he was, he was very, his character was very skillful at quickly mentioning something, kind of insidiously poisoning the air with it and then moving on so no one could actually accuse him of meaning what I think he was meaning. I, I found myself shuddering in my seat, like, physically. I've sat through so many meetings with that man in my life and on hoas and in offices. I thought Richard Thomas was brilliant in his performance.

James Marino (14:05)

Michael, any other thoughts? I, I don't know if we, if we cut you off about your last thoughts about the ballot.

Michael Portantier (14:11)

Oh, no, no, that's really it. I loved it. And yeah, thanks for saying that, Carrie. I guess I'm going to have to rethink it a little. I, I, it's not that I missed that exchange. I did get it, but seemed to me that I guess maybe with the, among the other characters, it didn't seem to be an issue. I guess it was just with maybe with Richard Thomas.

Carrie Purcell (14:39)

Well, that's why we love talking about theater, hearing each other's points of view.

Michael Portantier (14:43)

Yes.

James Marino (14:44)

All right, so that wraps it up for the Ballisters. Next up. Carrie, you made it over to Schmigadoon. Tell us what your experience was like,

Carrie Purcell (14:55)

I think I would have liked to stay there. Yeah, I'll, I'll admit I was kind of cynical about it being adapted for the Sage. I thought it seemed like a kind of cash grab of, you know, another pre existing, pre existing content being adapted for Broadway. But I was absolutely enchanted by it. Seeing, seeing everything live was exactly why we love musical theater. The escape, the, you know, the awe of people dancing like that and singing like that, it was really joyful. I thought that it. I didn't really get anything new, like message wise, story wise out of it, but I just had a blast watching it. Thought the cast was fantastic. I'm absolutely shocked that Max Clayton did not get a Tony nomination for his performance that dancing. I was talking about his dancing for a week after the show. And his character was one of the few that I thought was truly different from the character on the TV show because on the TV show that character was a little more bad boy, a little more kind of seductive Billy Bigelow type, whereas Max was just radiating joy the entire time he was dancing. Like, if I could bottle that feeling, I wouldn't be worried about RFK taking away antidepressants from the country. Choreography was fantastic. Everyone sounded amazing. Anna Gastire's performance of her second act solo, no notes at all. I just had a blast. If I had friends that like friends from high school in South Carolina and I didn't know what, what show to recommend to them necessarily, like, if I didn't know, oh, they would love this, Schmigadoon would be the one I'd recommend because I know everyone could have an absolutely wonderful time there and get the Broadway musical experience. Yeah, I'm really happy that it came to Broadway and I'll admit I was wrong. It wasn't just a cash grab.

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James Marino (17:28)

All right, so we'll have a link to Schmigadoon in the show notes. And it was well recognized in the nominations, which we won't talk about really this week, but of course we'll do it in future shows. Michael and Carrie both got over to see Ken Rex. Peter talked about it last week. So Michael, why don't you get us started on Ken Rex?

Michael Portantier (17:57)

Yeah, I got to it a little late because I had to reschedule when I was supposed to attend, but I'm so glad I did. It's a, for all intents and purposes, I think it's fair to call it a one person show and it has indeed been nominated in that category by the Drama Desk.

James Marino (18:19)

About.

Michael Portantier (18:22)

Well, it is was written by Jack Holden and Ed Stamboulian, based on the real life story of this really violent bully named Ken Rex McElroy who actually, actually lived and terrorized the town of Skidmore, Missouri and then was murdered in 1981. He terrorized the town for years and for one technicality or another or, or one reason or another, he never was convicted. And so he just kept doing it. And then eventually the people in the town had enough. And what happened was one night, I think they said it was about 60 people who sort of gathered to confront him. And somehow during, during that he was shot to death. He was shot dead by one or more of those people. But during the investigation afterwards, no one said that they saw who did it. Everyone claimed that they saw nothing. So no one was ever charged and, and they were finally rid of this bully. So there's a lot of discussion, a lot of bringing up of the subject of is vigilantism ever, ever justified? And if it's not, then what are you supposed to do in a situation like that where the legal system is just not working and somebody is continuing to spread their villainy and harm people and terrorize people. So I, you know, I think it's very interesting to begin with and as I say, written by Jack Holden and Ed Stamboulian, but performed almost completely by Jack Holden in multiple roles, including the title role. But many, many, he plays many other people in the town. He plays the prosecuting attorney. He plays countless roles going back and forth, but by changing the pitch of his voice and the cadence of his speech and his posture, etcetera, Similar in a way to a recent occupant of the Lucille Lortel Theater, the Vanya with Andrew Scott. So I don't know if the Lortel is becoming a home for fantastic one person shows, but if they're going to be this good. I have no problem with that. And as I said, there is also a musician on stage to back up Jack Holden. And the musicians plays and sings sometimes throughout the show. And it does add to the show, I would say. But it's not like it lightens Jack Holden's load because he still has all of the lines by every character. The sound design is great. The sound design helps him. Sometimes the sound is made to sound like he's having a phone conversation with someone and then, you know, other times he's in different venues, he's live or he, you know, he's in the courtroom or he's elsewhere. So all of that is really great. I did think that, like a couple of other plays I've seen recently, I really thought this one would have benefited from being shortened considerably. The other two, for the record, are the fear of 13 and giant. I thought that all of those had really good things in them, really good elements. But a blue pencil would have been very welcome in all those cases. I think that in this case, it would have just ramped up the tension rather than kind of dis make allowing it to dissipate a little bit. So it's too late now. But for, you know, my two cents is that perhaps, maybe for the future they might consider cutting it down a little bit. But this, aside from being, well, very well received here, this production with Jack Holden won an Olivier Award in London. So it's certainly many, many people consider it very, very successful exactly as it is.

James Marino (23:13)

Okay, Carrie, what did you think

Carrie Purcell (23:17)

going into it? I also was surprised to see there was an intermission. But by the time intermission was taking place, I was thinking, thank God for that actor. There is an intermission because someone needs to go hydrate him and probably change his shirt. This was another show where I thought, why bring it to the stage? We've got true crime podcasts, we've got documentaries. There's an excellent documentary about this exact incident. But it was really thrilling to watch. This actor, I agree with everything you said about his performance. And two of the characters that really stood out to me were playing that slippery, odious defense lawyer of Ken Rex. The way that he embodied him, like he practically liquefied on stage in front of us, just this, like, oily presence. And the way that he played the. The teenager. Because Ken Rex raped a 14 year old and she, I hate the phrase. He got her pregnant, but she became pregnant as a result of the rape. And rather than he married her to avoid being taken to court for the Rape and the way that this 36 year old man embodied this teenager. I was really watching that thinking, like, is he gonna make her, you know, is he gonna make her seem like really physically sexually aggressive or. He played her like a petulant teenager, which I thought was perfect because that's what she was. She was a child who he raped. And I thought that his performance honored that crime as well as the character that she evolved into by the end of the show. Because it's her character that we end the show with. I don't wanna spoil what happens, but I thought that was probably a very tricky thing to develop and that he. I thought he did a commendable job with it. The play also, I thought, depicted just how tedious the legal system can be in the way that the fear of 13 did as well. Without being preachy though, it just, it showed us what happened and all of these loopholes and how sadly the criminal justice system is often lacking injustice as a result of lack of resources, lack of access to skilled lawyers, corruption within the system. But it communicated all of that in a really well entertaining us. So it didn't feel like a preachy message or a classroom field trip or something. It was thrilling to watch, but also incredibly informative. I'm recommending it to everyone I know who listens to a lot of true crime, which is pretty much everyone I know.

James Marino (26:07)

All right, so Kenricks at the Lucy Lortel is scheduled through June 27th. We'll have a link to that in the show notes. Carrie, you were over at Studio 54 to see the revival of the Rocky Horror show. So tell us what you think of Rocky.

Carrie Purcell (26:24)

Oh, I had a blast. I've never seen it live, nor have I ever been to a midnight screening where, oh, really? There's participation. I'd seen the movie once or twice, but didn't revisit it before going in because I wanted to go in with as much of a clean slate as one could given Rocky Horror's ubiquitousness. I thought it was wonderful. I was really impressed that Luke Evans wasn't. Wasn't doing an impression of Tim Curry. I feel like that's almost inevitable for anyone who's playing Frank N. Furter. But I really thought that he made it his own character. I loved that Janet was an alto. I absolutely loved hearing Stephanie Shoes sing those songs. I don't know if y' all have heard the song, the alto's lament. Yes, yes, I was thinking of that after the show. Andrew Durand was hilarious as Brad. I, of course, you want to watch the ensemble dancing the time warp. But I kept my eye. Kept going over to him and on the side of the stage, just standing there, like, very politely watching them or looking around, like, just. You could tell that he's thinking all of these very wholesome, polite thoughts, like, oh, look at the architecture. Because he just. He's Brad. He's. He's a square. Everyone in the cast just seemed to be fully committed to. To this ensemble, to everyone working together. Amber Gray. I barely recognized her as Riff Raffle. Oh, gosh. Who. Who played Magenta? Juliet Lewis. I didn't even know she could sing, but she sounded fantastic. And her. Her theater usher costume at the very beginning was. Was perfection. It. I think that seeing Rocky Horror alive was an. A perfect example of why we go to the theater, being in that community, being with other people who are also excited to be there, who are. You know, the one time I won't get mad about people calling and responding or commenting on the show as it's happening, just the being in that sense of joyful community was a really, really wonderful experience. I'm thrilled with the recognition that it got. I just. Again, I would recommend that to anyone who I know enjoys Rocky Horror and would be comfortable watching it. Amazing, amazing production.

James Marino (28:52)

Isa Brionis doesn't share your affinity for audiences cheering out.

Carrie Purcell (28:57)

I said, only in Rocky Horror.

James Marino (29:00)

Yes.

Michael Portantier (29:02)

Not the same.

Carrie Purcell (29:03)

I had someone thrown out of the show once for talking, for talking back to the stage.

Michael Portantier (29:09)

Really?

Carrie Purcell (29:09)

Yeah. It was the 2014 raisin in the Sun. Oh, I don't know what was going on with that person. Maybe she had Tourette's. But at intermission, I was on the aisle. So I'd gotten up twice during the first act to get someone to try to talk to her, and then at intermission, they threw her out of the theater, and she stomped on my foot as she walked past me. Oh, I didn't need her to tell me Denzel was shirtless on stage. I could see that just fine.

James Marino (29:35)

Don't speak. Don't speak. Don't speak.

Carrie Purcell (29:38)

Not during Raven in the Sun.

James Marino (29:45)

There was, like, a new musical based upon Cyrano, like, 20 years ago or something like that. And I was at it. And this very, very drunk man tried to sing along with a new musical that had new music and new lyrics.

Carrie Purcell (30:02)

Did he know?

James Marino (30:04)

No.

Carrie Purcell (30:05)

Okay.

James Marino (30:06)

No. He was. He was moved. He was totally moved.

Carrie Purcell (30:11)

When Porky Ann Bess was on Broadway in 2012, someone sitting behind me sang along. When Audra sang the reprise of Summertime and then turned to the person next to him and said, she has a really nice voice. The friend I was with at the show told me later that she wanted to turn around and say, you is an asshole.

Michael Portantier (30:31)

Now my favorite story along those lines, if I can jump in, is when it was the all black revival of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof which opened with Terrence Howard naked on stage, you know, facing upstage and with the lower part of his body obscured. But he was naked and he was in phenomenal shape at the time. And a woman in back of me said, this is what I paid my money for.

James Marino (31:01)

Terrence Howard as a brick house or just brick. So, all right, so Rocky Horror Studio 54 extended through November 29th. We'll have a link to that in the show notes.

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James Marino (31:46)

Michael, you got back to Lincoln center theaters Vivian Beaumont to see the revival of Ragtime. So tell us.

Michael Portantier (31:55)

Well, I, you know, I don't have much to add except what a production and what a show and also,

James Marino (32:03)

I

Michael Portantier (32:04)

mean it would have been great to see it again under any circumstances. But I had, I think the best seat I've ever had in my life for any show anywhere. It was rog smack dab in the center. I felt like I could step a few, take a few steps down and start conducting the orchestra which was right in front of me. And it was just thrilling. Again, everyone in it was firing on all cylinders. Joshua Henry, who I think, I think he's a lock for the Tony Award. Casey Levy or Levy, I'm not 100% sure how she says it really just wonderful, wonderful as a mother. Everyone. Brandon Uranowitz, I think although he did sound a little off pitch at moments at the performance I attended. Maybe he was a little tired but as far as acting, you know, he was 105% committed. Colin Donnell, really who I was not a big fan of when I first started seeing him in shows, but I think he's really matured and grown very nicely and does a really terrific job of playing the role of father, which is so thankless in many ways and also very tricky. For that reason. Michelle Lewis, who, as Sarah, she has not been universally praised in this role, but I thought she was absolutely wonderful and I could go on and on. But let me end with Ben Levi Ross, who is. I can't imagine anyone could ever be better in the role of mother's younger brother. And the direction by Lyric Debessinet and the choreography by Eleanor Scott and the music direction by James Moore. Everything is fabulous. There might be a few moments when you were. When you might want to have wanted a little bit more in terms of production values, actual sets, but to compensate for that, the lighting is absolutely beautiful and phenomenal and the aforementioned orchestra, you know, thank God Lincoln center is still a place that can afford to have full orchestras, which they always do when necessary. So if you have not seen this, I. I would highly, highly, highly recommend it. It has been extended. I think it's been extended twice since the first announcement.

James Marino (34:48)

Yeah. Yeah.

Michael Portantier (34:50)

So you. You do have. You still have a lot of opportunity. I, you know, it'll be interesting to see if it runs long enough to have replacements in. In any of the roles. But. But even if that does happen, you know, I. I urge you to get to see the original cast because they're all just amazing.

Carrie Purcell (35:11)

When I saw it back in the fall with my press invite, since it's Mother's Day at intermission, I had texted my mother with, get your ass up here by January 4th. I knew that she would love it, and it hadn't extended at that point in time,

Michael Portantier (35:27)

and she did.

Carrie Purcell (35:28)

And actually after the show, I said, what did you think? And she said, that was life changing.

James Marino (35:34)

I think that we'll see lots of replacements the second, you know, announcements, second week of June or so. I think they're all holding on just to make it through the awards season, but a lot of the cast members are exhausted.

Michael Portantier (35:54)

It's a.

James Marino (35:54)

It's a long show. It's a very big show to do, and it's a. It's a marathon, so they're holding out until after the Tony warts.

Michael Portantier (36:09)

So

James Marino (36:11)

next up, Carrie was over at the Tottenhams to see Fallen Angels. We talked about it briefly in the opening. So tell us, what was it like?

Carrie Purcell (36:22)

Oh, it was. It was a delightful, gorgeous romp. It's. Everyone compares Noel Coward's work to champagne. And that production is the embodiment of it. It's fizzy. It's a sugar high. It's festive, celebratory. I think that Kelly and Rose are perfectly paired on stage. I think their chemistry is fantastic. I have to give a shout out to the costumes because, my goodness, they are beautiful. Really. I just wish I could have had more of the husbands. And I know, like, the play is the story of the two women, but Asif Monvi and Chris Fitzgerald are such skilled comedians that I would have loved to see a little bit more of them. Good for Mark Consuelos for making his Broadway debut. Walking on stage in a blue velvet smoking jacket, being so handsome. Slide to the floor that moment alone. Those women's reactions, so funny. I love seeing a play about women's sexuality that wasn't judging or shaming. That was acknowledging, hey, women can be sexual beings. Even. Even back then, I thought that they did a great job with the drunken comedy without taking it to the point where it became. They became caricatures. I thought they were silly and sloppy and absolutely physically committed to those. To that scene, but they took it to just the right level, to use the champagne metaphor. You know, you didn't get a hangover from them being so silly. Yeah. I love that the play was being. That it's being done. I hope that this will inspire a lot more regional productions of it, local productions, because it's a story that, you know, without getting too political, women are sexual creatures, and we shouldn't ignore that. And this play makes them very, very funny, sexual creatures.

Michael Portantier (38:20)

And so interesting to see to as. You know, as you. To see that in a play written so long ago. You know, somehow I think in our minds, I mean, it's ridiculous, but maybe in some of our minds, we think that, like, people like women like that, in that. In that class in England didn't have sex, you know. No, I think they did.

Carrie Purcell (38:42)

Yeah. They didn't talk about it.

James Marino (38:45)

Right.

Michael Portantier (38:45)

Exactly.

James Marino (38:46)

Yeah. Yeah. All right, well, Fallen Angels is over at the Todd Haymes through June 7th. We'll have a link to that in the show notes. Michael, you were over at 54 below to see a show called Broadway's Next Musical. So tell us, what is Broadway's next musical?

Michael Portantier (39:04)

Broadway's next hit musical. Ah, yes, yes. Perhaps I. I misquoted it to you.

James Marino (39:11)

Yeah.

Michael Portantier (39:11)

This is a series that they do. And this is another example of. I regularly mention, you know, there are so many talented people in the world, and often you. You will see someone who has a talent that is, you know, so far into what you yourself can do that, you know, you think if I, you know, if I started when I was 12 and practiced every day of my life for 10 hours, I. I still could never do this. And in this case, I guess. Well, in this case, I guess practice is not really even Germaine, because this is an improv show. What happens is they get suggestions of song titles and show titles from the audience and they put them in a little bowl and then the four per. There's a four person cast and, and an emcee. The performers are Heidi Gleicho, Deb Rabbi Stefan Schick and Rob Schiffman. And the MC is Greg Triggs. So they will pull out a song title or a show title, and it starts out with. In. In the first half of the first part of the show, they will create one song from the musical with that title that they, that they are given. And. But it's all completely improvised with Gary Adler brilliantly at the piano. And, you know, I mean, they must have some kind of basic patterns for the songs, maybe, and the scenes that they work out ahead of time, I'm thinking, because otherwise I just don't know how they do it. But I still don't know how they do it. Just making up lyrics at the moment and making up music that fits the title of the song that they were just given by someone in the audience. Absolutely hilarious. And so then they do three of those in the first part of the show for three. Three different songs from three different fictional musicals. And then they have by audience vote, they have the audience vote which. Which one they want to see expanded into a, you know, a full musical, which in this case is three numbers from, from the show with. With some dialogue. So the audience picks the one they want and then they. Yeah, and then they reprise the song that they did before and then they do two new ones and they make up dialogue. And it's just absolutely incredible how, how seamlessly it happens. You know, I mean, they might. There might be a couple of moments where they seem to get a little stuck, but they manage to get out of it because they're all so adept and so brilliant at it. And, and, you know, an interesting thing about it is that, as if that, you know, wasn't hard enough, they always have a guest star who is not part of the regular troupe and not necessarily, you know, so experienced and adept at this kind of improvisation. And their guest star on the evening that I went, which is basically why I went to this particular one, was Giuseppe Bauzilio. Who has been a guest on our podcast and is a veteran of 12 Broadway shows, including Newsies. Billy Elliott. He was in a Billy Elliott. He was in the title role in that at one point. Hair. Hello. I'm sorry, not Hair. Hamilton. Hello, Dolly, the last revival of Cats, et cetera, et cetera. So he. He really was very game and managed to. To fit right in with these other brilliant people. Oh, and he also did, I guess the guest gets to do a guest number from an actual musical. And in this case, Giuseppe decided to do the Adolfo song from the Drowsy Chaperone, which I've seen him do before, in which he does so hilariously. So it was a really great night. And as I said, it is a continuing series. Broadway's next hit musical at 54 below. I urge you to catch it. It's just. Have either of you guys ever seen anything like that where not just improv, but musical improvs?

James Marino (43:53)

Yeah, I have seen something like that. Yes. I. I sort of feel like it was like a Seth Rudetzky type of thing.

Michael Portantier (44:04)

Oh, okay.

James Marino (44:06)

But no, nothing recently, and that's great.

Michael Portantier (44:11)

Well, anyway, I just think it's. I'm. I'm amazed by it. And as I said, I couldn't, you know, I mean, people are talented in different ways, but I could never do this.

James Marino (44:23)

All right, so we'll have a link to Broadway's next hit musical at 54 below in the show notes, so you can see the Future. I guess June 13th is the next time they're doing this. K.J. shively.

Michael Portantier (44:39)

Yes. Yes.

James Marino (44:40)

Jay Shidely. All right, so, Carrie, we're gonna do a little lightning round here with you. Our lightning round is going to cover Proof, the Lost Boys and Beaches. So you saw all three of these things. So tell us, what did you think about Proof to start?

Carrie Purcell (45:06)

I was really moved by it. I really appreciated its portrayal of sisters, and sisters coping with some pretty challenging family aspects. I'm the daughter of a paralegal, so the idea of estate planning and having to deal with the loss of your parents and all the paperwork and complications that come with it are. Are nothing new to me. I've said many times that the show succession should have motivated everyone who watched it to get their end of life paperwork in order. I thought the performances were absolutely fantastic. Carrie Young is a goddess. No one will ever convince me otherwise, especially given that she stepped into that role pretty late into the process. And, yeah, I thought it was a great fusion of academic and personal, academic and emotional, and I was just Deeply, deeply moved by it. I'm really grateful I got to see it with that cast.

James Marino (46:08)

And how about the lost voice?

Carrie Purcell (46:12)

That was such an amazing production. Michael Arden's direction never ceases to amaze me. Technically, I'm blown away by it, especially with how they staged the. The bridge scene. I don't want to spoil what happens, but that was. That was really stunning. The. The songs didn't dazzle me as much as the production, the technical aspects did, but I thought the cast was great. I've been a fan of Ali for. Since. Since Tommy and all the concerts and stuff. I've seen him in Shoshana Bean. I'm never, never unhappy to see her on stage. I did think the younger brother was a little too over the top in the first act, but in the second act, I thought that he really. The actor's performance really solidified into what it was building towards. I'd never seen the movie, so I went in completely blank. But I really enjoyed it. And again, just. I was at intermission. I was thinking, how are they going to do this at the Tonys? What are they going to showcase in their performance at the Tonys? Because I'm really curious how they'll pull that off. Techn.

Michael Portantier (47:22)

Good point. Maybe they'll do film.

James Marino (47:28)

Well, you have to wonder how beach is going to do at the Tony Awards. Are they going to bring a whole beach to Radio City Music Hall?

Michael Portantier (47:35)

I don't think it's going to be an issue.

James Marino (47:38)

Okay, so Carrie, you also saw. You also saw Beaches at the Majestic Theater. So tell her.

Carrie Purcell (47:46)

Yeah, that's a. Another one I went into blank. I have been told that I'm not a woman because I'd never seen the movie. And I just went into it knowing of the song. I'm always happy to see a story of longtime female friendship being treated as like. As the love story. I'm blown away by Jessica Vosk. I'd never seen her on stage before, and my God, where has she been? And why isn't she a bigger star? And who's gonna write another musical for her? Because we need to keep. We need to keep her. Broadway needs to give her some more roles that can show off that amazing, amazing talent. I also think I was maybe the only one not crying at the end of the show. I did pack tissues because I heard I was gonna cry, but it didn't move me very deeply. But I really appreciated the talent on stage. I don't really. It wasn't clear to me why it had to be a musical, but I'm glad I got to see. Got to see that cast.

James Marino (48:58)

That's really interesting. I think you've hit on something very. It's the phrase that I've been looking forward to describe it since I saw it. Maybe it didn't need to be a musical. Maybe it just needs to be like a play with some music in it.

Michael Portantier (49:16)

Yeah. With songs, which is what the movie is.

James Marino (49:19)

Yeah, yeah. Carrie, I think you've solved it for me. You fixed Broadway in one phrase. There it is.

Carrie Purcell (49:28)

My work is done.

James Marino (49:31)

All right, so beach is the new musical at the Majestic Theater. We'll have a link to proof the Lost Boys and Beaches in the show notes.

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James Marino (50:12)

We had some crazy news this week. First there was the Tony nominations, but then there was a fire at the Eugene o' Neill theater. So Michael, tell us about this.

Michael Portantier (50:26)

Yeah, I mean, I think people were very, very concerned when it was first announced. And we saw photos of smoke pouring out of the Eugene o' Neill theater. And then we saw, we should say

James Marino (50:41)

while it was empty.

Michael Portantier (50:42)

Well, yeah. Yes.

James Marino (50:43)

Yeah. There's no performance going on. Yeah.

Michael Portantier (50:46)

Yes. It was on a Monday. Apparently a fire started in in the electrical system. And then we saw photos of what I that I originally think was labeled the lighting booth completely destroyed. And it looked. Oh my God. Like oh my God, when, when or if you know. Well, not if, I guess, but how long is it going to take to fix this? And when will Book of Mormon be able to begin performances again? But now it turns out that the fire damage was limited only to the follow spot booth and was very contained and only damaged. That booth and part of the roof did not damage any of the rest of the theater including the house or the stage area. And so I was delighted but quite surprised when it was announced that Book of Mormon plans to recommence performances on May 17, which is just seven days from now. So good news in the end. You know, thank heaven that the fire department got there right away because it could have been obviously, obviously much worse.

Carrie Purcell (52:08)

I think the Mormons would say, thank Heavenly Father.

Michael Portantier (52:12)

Exactly.

James Marino (52:12)

Yes, Good, Good point. Why would you start performances on a Sunday? It's a 17th a week from now. Just started on Tuesday. Anyway. What were you going to say, Michael?

Michael Portantier (52:26)

It'll be interesting to see if they work it into the show.

James Marino (52:30)

Also this week we had Tony nominations. That was on the 5th, so I guess Tuesday morning, and we will talk about them in future shows. But this morning we hit upon the big ones. The, the Lost Boys got 12 nominations. Schmigadoon got 12 nominations. Ragtime got 11 nominations. Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman got nine nominations. So we've hit all the big ones here today.

Michael Portantier (53:03)

And. Yes, and yeah, so that, that and the drama desk. And given the time of year, I did want to throw in my annual thing for my annual pet peeve. There are two, I would say two major organizations, two major media outlets that do audience choice awards at this time of the year. And I just have to say I, you know, I, I personally, I really object to it because there's no oversight whatsoever. People can vote multiple times. You don't have to have seen the shows. So I, I've always thought they were meaningless. I, I always hesitated to say so because I thought, you know, it might look like sour grapes. But I was actually nominated for one of them last year. I, you know, I, I can now say that I, I, I just, I, I don't think they serve any purpose. And I think they actually are counterproductive. So I just wanted to throw that out there, stick with the, you know, with the real awards that, that have a real nominating committee and where there's oversight of the voters, like the Tonys and the drama Des and the Lortels and the drama Lee and all of those others.

James Marino (54:17)

All right, so that wraps it up for this week. Before we get on to our brain teaser and our musical moments, I want to remind everybody that you can subscribe to these broadcasts by going to the front page of broadwayradio.com there's a subscribe link that way each and every time there's a new episode of this Week on Broadway be automatically downloaded to Apple Podcasts for you. Of course, you don't have to listen to us on Apple Podcasts. There's many ways to get us. One way is Patreon P-A-T-R-E-O-N.com broadwayradio. You can support all of Broadway radio shows as well as get us a little bit earlier than everybody else. People have asked me about what's going to happen with Patreon when we launch Broadway Radio. Plus, we will leave Patreon running in parallel for about a year or so. So that way if you have a subscription to Patreon, you will still get everything. Contact information for Peter, for Michael, for Carrie and for me can be found in the show notes@broadwayradio.com as well as links to some of the things we've talked about today. So, Peter, you're over in London right now.

Peter Felicia (55:27)

That's the plan.

Carrie Purcell (55:28)

So.

Peter Felicia (55:29)

So yes, we have to do this a little earlier this week. So I apologize to anybody who might send in answers after Thursday at 3 o', clock, which is when we're doing this. But here's what we have why do certain leading performers of the musical Days of Wine and Roses, Christine and Promises Promises bring to mind Cheetah Rivera? Well, because Cheetah, early in her care, considered changing her surname to o', Hara, the last name of Kelly, Maureen and Jill Cheetah o'. Hara. Sean Logan vaulted into first place, followed by Paul Witty, Juliet Green, Seth Kristenfeld, Steven Sokoloff, Alex Lauer, Isaac Blevins, Ingrid Gammerman, Tony Janicki and Lee Korn. No Brigadoo, do you ask? No, he always emails me very late in the week.

Michael Portantier (56:18)

So

Peter Felicia (56:20)

this week's question, this co librettist of a 1940s hit has a last name that's an anagram for the first name of a character in that musical. The performer who played the character would later marry someone who'd become a legendary successful director choreographer. But that legendary success came sometimes after they had divorced. Who's the librettist? What's the name of the musical Eco wrote? What's the name of the character whose first name is an anagram of his surname? Who played the character and what director choreographer became a spouse?

James Marino (57:03)

Wow. It might take a full week before we can list all those things to get back to you.

Peter Felicia (57:10)

Well, I know what you're saying, so

James Marino (57:12)

if you have an answer for this, email us@trivia broadwayradio.com we'll let you know if you're right. Track Peter. Safe flight and we'll talk to you when you get back.

Peter Felicia (57:22)

We'll see what happens.

Michael Portantier (57:23)

Thanks.

Peter Felicia (57:24)

Bye.

James Marino (57:25)

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

Michael Portantier (57:30)

Well, I have my 54 sings Lerner and Low show coming up on Tuesday May 19th at 54 below at 7pm and as I mentioned before, we were originally going to do the show in March to coincide with the exact date of the 70th anniversary of my Fair Lady. But it didn't work out that way. And then it turned out the next free date available was in May. So I thought, well, you know, if we're going to do the show in May, why don't we start with the Lusty Month of May from Camelot? So that's going to be our first number led by Josie de Guzman. And I think it's a really delightful number from Camelot, and it's a highlight of the original cast album for the choral arrangement and the orchestrations, but most especially for the voice of Julie Andrews, which in 1960, when this was recorded, her voice was so pure and pristine and lovely and absolutely beautiful. So our musical moments, both our opener and our closer. Our opener is the beginning of Lusty Month of May from Camelot by Alan J. Lerner and Frederick Lowe. And the closer is the final part of this song.

James Marino (58:49)

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

Carrie Purcell (59:07)

When all the world is brimming with fun wholesome or unless MA display those 20 rules that everyone takes Everyone breaks

Michael Portantier (59:21)

Everyone breaks Divine mistake To.