This Week on Broadway for May 17, 2026: Meg Bussert

Summary

BroadwayRadio - "This Week on Broadway" - May 17, 2026

Episode Theme: Celebrating Meg Bussert, Lerner & Loewe, and Recent Theater News

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Episode Overview

This episode of "This Week on Broadway" focuses on an interview with Broadway veteran Meg Bussert, centering on her experiences with Lerner & Loewe musicals—especially ahead of her appearance in "54 Sings Lerner and Loewe" at 54 Below. The panel—James Marino (host), Peter Filichia, and Michael Portantier—also discuss theater news, review recent productions in New York and London, and share personal reflections. The episode is rich in showbiz anecdotes, insights into revivals, a behind-the-scenes look at iconic musicals, and lively discussion about Broadway happenings.

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Main Segments & Timestamps

• [12:46–38:03] Feature Interview: Meg Bussert & Lerner & Loewe Memories
• [38:43–58:26] London & NY Theater Reviews (Peter & Michael’s Trips)
• [65:00–69:39] "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" Review
• [70:17–74:45] Broadway News Roundup
• [75:14–78:18] Times Square & The Palace Theatre
• [80:47–81:59] Musical Moment (Brigadoon)

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In-Depth Summary

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A Conversation with Meg Bussert: Broadway, Lerner & Loewe, & Life in the Theater

[12:46–38:03]

Highlights

• Meg’s Broadway journey: From Illinois in the early 1970s with the dream of being "Julie Andrews" on Broadway, Meg recounts her early NYC days and her stage debut.
• "Lolita, My Love" Anecdotes:
  • Bussert was part of this infamous Alan Jay Lerner flop ("It was a remarkable, eye-opening experience to do certainly a show about Lolita, putting it into a musical.” - Meg, [13:29])
  • She changed her professional name from Peggy to Meg after getting her Equity card.
• Lerner & Loewe Connections:
  • Cast in "Brigadoon" and "Camelot" revivals; toured with Richard Harris.
  • Memorable friendship and collaborations with Marnie Nixon and Alan Jay Lerner.
  • Multiple backers’ auditions for a Lerner-penned Teddy Roosevelt musical: “When I finally got the money, I was told I was too old to play the... what Lerner came to—literally three years of backers auditions.” ([15:49])
• On Lerner's Women Characters:
  “He gave his women characters amazing words...in incredibly difficult circumstances not of their own making. And Mr. Loewe gave us amazing music to sing these incredible words.” (Meg, [16:33])
• Brigadoon on Broadway and Summer Stock Years:
  • Early exposure to "Brigadoon" in summer stock before her Broadway run.
  • Reflections on growing up in a musical family, listening to cast albums, and her father’s post-war big band.
  • Experience in John Kenley's summer stock circuit, notably "Kiss Me Kate."
• Teaching & Mentorship:
  • Taught at NYU’s Steinhardt School for 19 years; specializes in acting/storytelling, not voice technique.
  • Now coaches and teaches "Pulitzer Prize Winning Musicals" courses for elder programs: “Most of the people I teach are over 65 and they love it because they've seen half the shows.” ([21:57])
• Brigadoon Revival Stories:
  • Behind the scenes with Agnes de Mille’s choreography and Vivian Matalon’s direction:
    “Sometimes there are things that are just not going to change. (DeMille) said, ‘Maggie starts dancing here,’ and that was that.” (Meg, [24:47])
  • Jemsy Di Leppe's role in preserving original choreography and deeply explaining the intentions/motivation for movement to cast members, especially women.

Memorable Moments

• On connecting with Marty Vidnovic (her original Brigadoon co-star) after 45 years for the upcoming 54 Below concert:
  “We're touching on a little bit of the staging. ... You want to capture what you did when you were young, but you know a whole lot more about life.” ([32:08])
• On lessons from Meredith Willson ("The Music Man"):
  “Sometimes you just really have to look at the notation, because sometimes we do know what we're doing.” ([37:04])

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Reviews: London & NY Theater

[38:43–58:26]

Peter Filichia’s London Theater Trip

• Karate Kid: The Musical (New Wimbledon Theatre)
  • Major highlight: “Just as teenage girls responded to Wicked, teenage and tween boys will respond to the Karate Kid with its issues of bullying.” ([39:00])
• An Ideal Husband (Lyric Hammersmith):
  • All-Black cast, high praise for the fresh take on Wilde.
• The Producers (Garrick Theatre):
  • Noted the minimal set and differences between Broadway/London tastes, especially regarding World War II humor.
• The Play That Goes Wrong (Duchess Theatre):
  • “I think it’s a masterpiece. ... Just when you think they can’t think of anything else, they think of something else.” ([41:33])
• Grace Pervades (play on Henry Irving & Ellen Terry):
  • Strongly acted but doubts about NYC transfer due to Shakespearean content and audience familiarity.
• Mother Courage and Her Children (Shakespeare’s Globe):
  • “Love vs. career, but for Mother and children... made it quite a thrilling experience.” ([54:10])
• Hercules (London):
  • Lavish, but hero's naivete limits the impact; set impressive but wonders about its Broadway prospects.
  • “The stage was pretty full... just when you think you’ve seen every piece of scenery, there’s more.” ([58:07])

Michael Portantier on La Traviata (NYU Italian Festival)

• Modern “spoken prose opera” version with arias; creative but undercut by vocal limitations of cast.
• “I would like to see this done maybe with some other operas...or cut out the vocal singing entirely and use it as background.” ([65:00])

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Review: "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" at Studio 17

[65:00–69:39]

• Barefoot Theater Company production with gender-twist casting (female McMurphy):
  “To watch a woman go up against Nurse Ratched...was really something to watch these two go against each other.” (Peter, [65:24])
• Praises the play’s strength and Dale Wasserman's writing for layering both sides.
• Calls for a larger venue and more attention for this company.

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Broadway News Roundup

[70:17–74:45]

• Book of Mormon: Reopening after resolving fire damage; performances resume May 21 ([70:17]).
• Fallen Angels (Roundabout) to be livestreamed; John Lithgow's "Giant" coming to cinemas in November.
• Imitation of Life at the Shed:
  • Unusually opaque press handling:
    "A change in production staff" press release lists a new director (Whitney White) without mentioning the prior director (Liesl Tommy) or reasons for the change. ([72:18])
  • Panel discusses how such communication leads to more speculation than clarity.

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Times Square’s Empty Spaces & The Palace Theatre

[75:14–78:18]

• The panel laments the vacant retail under the lifted Palace Theatre post-McDonald's closure; wonders about casino rumors; critiques greed and poor preservation of architectural and theatrical history.
• Notable anecdote: The spot outside the Palace was once called 'the beach' by vaudevillians.

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Musical Moment & Brain Teasers

[80:47–81:59]

• Feature: Two tracks from Brigadoon
  • Orchestral prologue (2017 Encores Cast), choral finale (1947 Original Cast).
• Brain Teaser:
  • Last week’s answer: Lyrics anagram in "Bloomer Girl"; this week’s puzzle relates to Tony-winning songwriters and a tricky spelling in a song title.

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Notable Quotes (with Timestamps & Attribution)

• "He gave his women characters amazing words...all of them were in some sort of trap, some incredibly difficult circumstance not of their own making."
  – Meg Bussert ([16:33])

• "We are our two personalities. Marty and I fit into Fiona and Tommy very well...I'm the oldest of seven. I had the same."
  – Meg Bussert ([32:04])

• "Sometimes you just really have to look at the notation because sometimes we do know what we're doing."
  – Meg Bussert, remembering Meredith Willson ([37:04])

• "Just as teenage and tween girls responded to Wicked, teenage and tween boys will respond to Karate Kid with its issues of bullying."
  – Peter Filichia ([39:00])

• "I think it’s a masterpiece. Because just when you think they can’t think of anything else, they think of something else."
  – Peter Filichia on "The Play That Goes Wrong" ([41:33])

• "It’s all, are there no limits to greed, you know, to raise a theater just to get more retail space that then remains empty for a year?"
  – Michael Portantier ([77:54])

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Tone

The hosts maintain an enthusiastic, witty, and sometimes nostalgic tone throughout, blending humor with deep respect for theater history and craftsmanship. Meg Bussert’s segment is particularly heartfelt and reflective, with candid memories and affectionate tributes to colleagues past and present.

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Recap

This episode is a must-listen for theater lovers—especially fans of Meg Bussert, Lerner & Loewe, and backstage lore. From Broadway’s intimate history to contemporary issues (from PR challenges to architectural changes), the episode captures the spirit of Broadway as both an evolving industry and a close-knit community.

Upcoming Highlight:

• "54 Sings Lerner and Loewe" at 54 Below, May 19, featuring Meg Bussert and Marty Vidnovic reuniting after 45 years.

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For more theatrical news, reviews, and all previous episodes, visit BroadwayRadio.com.

Transcript

[Lost Concert Goer]

We're lost and the concert starts soon. I wanted to get there early. I'm gonna ask that man for directions. Hi there. We're trying to get to the amphitheater.

[T-Mobile Salesperson]

Well, you're gonna take a left at the old oak tree at this here road.

[Michael Portentier]

Nah, I'm just kidding.

[T-Mobile Salesperson]

Let me get my phone out.

[Lost Concert Goer]

How is there signal out here?

[T-Mobile Salesperson]

T Mobile and US Cellular are coming together so the network out here is huge. We get the same great signal as the city, saving a boatload with benefits. And there's a five year price guarantee too. Okay, here's the turn.

[Lost Concert Goer]

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[Meg Bussert]

Sam. Foreign.

[James Marino]

Hello and welcome to Broadway Radios this week on Broadway for Sunday, May 17, 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 bright New Year is available at finer retailers. Peter, welcome back from your trip.

[Peter Felicia]

Oh, God love you.

[James Marino]

Yeah, we missed you last week. Last week we skipped the show tune for today, but today we can't skip it because it's Mother Darling from Gay Gardens.

[Peter Felicia]

Well, yeah, because in 1977, Joan Crawford's will was read on this date and her adopted daughter Christina found that she was disinherited. So as a result, she decided to make some money by writing Mummy Dearest Wire Coat Hangers, which had previously not been given much thought by the populace, suddenly became much discussed. Though one must wonder why, if Joan Crawford hated wire hangers so much, why would she even have them in her home? So anyway, that's one reason why many have called the book quite a work of fiction. But musical theater fans have better feelings for Joan Crawford because her career inspired Sondheim to write I'm Still Here, so. So there's that as well. But Mother Darling is one of the great songs from Grey Gardens and ironically enough, I just recently watched the original documentary and then followed it with the TV movie that won an Oscar for Jessica Lange. I'm sorry, an Emmy for Jessica Lange and. But frankly, I think it should have gone to Drew Barrymore who was also character who played little Evie, who I thought was really sensational. Especially if you watch the original documentary, you realize how she really nailed that character tremendously. But anyway, any excuse to listen to Gray Gardens with the fabulous Christine Eversole is a good idea and a good way to spend your time.

[James Marino]

And you're. You've been very busy since getting back from London. You have an event coming up at the AMT Theater this Thursday.

[Peter Felicia]

Yeah, at 3:00' clock on Thursday. I'm doing a show that was inspired by Spalding Gray. He did a show called the Personal History of the American Theater. We where he'd simply sit at a desk and draw cards from a pile of not playing cards, but big cards, maybe 8 by 10 inch cards on which there was a name of a show on each card, one that he may have written, directed, appeared in, Saw, anything like that. And he would simply, at random, pull these cars and tell stories for an hour and a half or so. And I thought it was terrific. When I got to know him, I said, gee, I remember that show in the 80s, that we should do it again. Yeah, yeah, I'm going to do it. But then he died, so I do it now and I tell stories about my experiences, my 13,000 plus trips to the theater. So we're doing it at the AMT Theater at 3 o' clock and then later at night, ironically enough, after the performance of the Mystery of Edwin Drood, I'm going to be doing what I've been doing the last few weeks with Milk and Honey and Carnival, talking about what other shows about other musicals played that season. So we'll be talking about Singing in the Rain. That'll start us off and keep going through the season with the Good, the Bad and the Ugly, which there were plenty of. So that's what's going to happen after the Mystery of Edwin Drood where I do about 20 minutes talking about that. So yeah, it'll be a busy Thursday for me. By the way, the event on Thursday afternoon at 3 o' clock is absolutely free of charge. So as much as we complain about theater prices, you can't beat this price. But I hope you won't go out saying, well, you get what you pay for.

[James Marino]

All right? And you are getting your monologue together for the 80th annual Theatre World Awards happening June 2 at the Longacre Theater.

[Peter Felicia]

Yeah, isn't that something? I'm so glad we're at the Longacre and it happens to be the same theater where Sam Toddi has been doing such a sensational job in Two Strangers and we're giving him a Theater World Award. So we are. It's quite a span because we I think we're the only organization that recognized Adrien Brody, who certainly is an established actor, to say the least, all the way down to a little girl who appeared in an Off Broadway show called Caroline. And she was terrific. Well, she got plenty of votes from our eight nominators. So we really have a nice span there of our 12 winners. And then Lionel Larner, who represents the Dorothy Loudoun estate, gives out a Dorothy Loudon Award because she won a Theater World award back in 1963 after being in a show that lasted a week, Nowhere to Go But Up a musical. And so he's giving it to a performer in Giant. I won't say who because in case you haven't heard, leave some suspense there. And speaking of Giant, John Lithgow is going to get our lifetime achievement award. And I can't think of anybody better on Broadway right now who deserves it.

[James Marino]

All right. So you're keeping busy. Also with us is Michael Portent. Here. Michael has been a theater journalist for more than 50 years. He's the founder and editor of Cast Album Reviews.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.

[Peter Felicia]

Hi.

[Michael Portentier]

Hi.

[James Marino]

Hello. And coming up just in two days from now, May 19, 54 sings learn and low at 54 below. We're going to talk to Meg Bussert in just a few minutes. So are you carbo loading there, Michael, getting all set there?

[Michael Portentier]

Well, I do that even when I don't have a show coming up.

[James Marino]

Oh, that's advisable. Yeah, that's true.

[Michael Portentier]

But yes, I think we have a wonderful cast. Megan Marty and Bob Cuccioli and just Guzman and J. Aubrey Jones and Ben Jones and a lot of other wonderful people. So I think it's going to be good. And I'm happy to report we it's pretty full. I think there are some tickets left if you if you want to go to the website and see if maybe you can get in because I think It. It will be a really fun show.

[James Marino]

Great. And then after this is over, no rest for the weary. July 1st to the 3rd, you're going to be doing 1776 at Ghost Light Players on Staten Island.

[Michael Portentier]

Yeah. This past week, we rehearsed the. The, you know, the. Well, the big number. Sit Down, John. That's the only number that has the entire. Pretty much the entire male chorus in it. And that was kind of thrilling to have 30 guys singing that number.

[Peter Felicia]

That never occurred to me, but that's true. Yeah.

[Michael Portentier]

Yeah. Because even. Yeah, it's. It, you know, it only recently occurred to me because even cuckoo, considerate men. Yeah. About half of them leave.

[Peter Felicia]

Sure, sure.

[Michael Portentier]

You know, so. Yeah. So all the reason why that. That must have been. I. I did not regrettably see the original production. That must have been incredible when that. When the lights zoomed up in the beginning and those 30 guys started singing. Sit down, Sit down, John. Sit down, John. That must have been amazing.

[Peter Felicia]

You know what's amazing about that score? There is not one song that is aaba. Not one. Oh, and that's pretty rare in a musical, certainly at that time.

[Michael Portentier]

Well, and maybe because he wasn't. That fellow wasn't really a songwriter, Sherman Edwards. So he didn't feel. He didn't feel beholden. Too many.

[Peter Felicia]

Oh, I agree. However, I dare say that his pop songs were Aaba, certainly. Wonderful, Wonderful. Which is one of his songs. That Johnny Mathis song, I think, is Aaba.

[Michael Portentier]

Oh, I forgot he wrote that.

[Peter Felicia]

Yeah. He also wrote in September, which I used to. When I was a high school teacher, I used to sing to my students who weren't so good and were trying have a good time. But remember,

[James Marino]

Sit Down, John was the. Was the only opportunity that the British had to take everybody out in one fell swoop. Yeah, everybody was all there. So catch folks. Catch folks. Up on Broadway Radio News, the app is in testing. A number of you have. Are testing and giving us feedback. Thanks so much. We'll have a new version of the testing app coming out later this week. So we squashed all those bugs before we let it go out to the general public. And I really appreciate everybody's help in testing it. If you want to test it, you can email me and I will put you on the test list. You'll get an email directly from Apple to. On how to install it and test it and give feedback.

[Lost Concert Goer]

We're lost. It feels like we're going round in circles. I'm gonna ask that man for directions. Hi there. We're trying to get to the state fairgrounds.

[T-Mobile Salesperson]

Well, you're gonna take a left at the old oak tree at this here road.

[Michael Portentier]

Nah, I'm just kidding.

[T-Mobile Salesperson]

Let me get my phone out.

[Lost Concert Goer]

How is their signal out there?

[T-Mobile Salesperson]

Here T Mobile and US Cellular are coming together. So the network out here is huge. We get the same great signal as the city, saving a boatload with benefits. And there's a five year price guarantee too. Okay, here's the turn.

[Lost Concert Goer]

Actually, can you pull up the way to a T Mobile store?

[T-Mobile Advertisement Voice]

America's best network just got bigger. Switch to T Mobile today and get built in benefits the other guys leave out plus our five year price guarantee. And now T Mobile is available at US Cellular cellular stores in Hermiston. Best mobile network Based on analysis by Ooklov speed test intelligence data. Second half of 2025 bigger network. The combination of T Mobile's and US Cellular's network footprints will enhance the T Mobile network's coverage price guarantee on talk text and data exclusions like taxes and fees apply. See t mobile.com for details.

[James Marino]

With us today, we have a very special guest. Meg Bussert is visiting with us. Broadway fans will know Meg from at least eight Broadway productions, if not all of the other wonderful things that performing around the world. So Meg, thank you for getting up on a Sunday morning and joining us.

[Meg Bussert]

Certainly thanks for the invites.

[James Marino]

Well, we're very much looking forward to seeing you. Coming up on May 19th at 54 Below where you are part of 54 Sings Learner and Low. So give us a background on your Lerner and Low experience.

[Meg Bussert]

Okay. Well, I came from the Midwest, from Illinois, outside Chicago in the early 70s. Like 70 to be, to be on Broadway, to be Julie Andrews basically. But it went a slightly different way. I mean I love, you know, grew up listening to all the vinyls and singing long. I, my first, I was there, I was in New York for several months and then got cast in the chorus of. Of Lolita My Love.

[Peter Felicia]

Wow.

[Meg Bussert]

Yeah, and I saw that, I saw that. I was, yeah, I was actually in that. I had another name at the time because someone said I. It was my equity card. So I had to choose my professional name. I was Peggy Bussert at the time and I refused to continue my life with Peggy and Margaret. So I decided Meg would be more appropriate. And I, I took another family name, Scanlon at the time because someone said Bussert wasn't going to work. I don't know. So I change after Lolita. I think I saw Rene A. Vergenois do a play and I said, if he's got that name, I can get bussert. So yeah, it was a remarkable eye opening experience to do certainly a show about Lolita, putting it into a musical. But it was one of the last musicals where it was an all singing chorus and an all dancing chorus. And I learned so much. And Mr. Lerner would all would meet us all in the Variety Club out of town, you know, and we all would sit and have a drink and chat. And he was very approachable and amenable. And it didn't run. It was a big huge flop. John Barry and Alan J. Lerner show. And then after that I did a bunch of other courses and started getting understudies. And eventually I guess the next learner in low was Brigadoon. And after that I replaced in the national tour of Camelot with Richard Harris, replaced for Richard Burton. And we toured with that and came back in. And then I did a. A Learner and Friends at. What's that called?

[Michael Portentier]

The St. Regis.

[Peter Felicia]

Yes, the King Cole Room.

[Michael Portentier]

Yes.

[Meg Bussert]

Right. And there were two women in it. There were four of us. Marty and I were doing it, but the other woman was Marnie Nixon. And so she and I became fast friends and boy, she. And I know I coached with her because she had such incredible ideas about how to handle high notes. It was a lot of fun. And then, you know, I think there was, there was something else. Oh yes, Mr. Lerner was producing a musical of. What's his name, the President? Teddy Roosevelt. Yes. And I did like three years of Backers auditions. And when I finally got the money, I was told I was too old to play the. But Lerner came to an literally three years at Backers auditions. We went all over the place and he came to many of them and we all would sit around and chat. So I always loved the way he handled the lyrics that he gave his women characters because all of them were in some sort of trap, some sort of incredibly difficult circumstance not of their own making. And he gave them amazing words and Mr. Lowe gave them amazing. Gave us amazing music to sing these incredible words and make statements that women in those times would not have made.

[Peter Felicia]

But how fascinating that you started it off with Ellen Jaylor, Nerd. And by the way, I saw Lolita My Love in Boston. And I will say that if you're going to write a musical of Lolita, not that you should, but if you are, they could. Nobody could have done better than those two guys did. I think it's a terrific success on that level. Whether or not Anybody wants to see a musical below the leader is another story. But that is pretty fascinating that that's where you started.

[Meg Bussert]

Oh, I tell you, Peter, it was such a lesson and to see all these folks in the show that had done so many and to watch how an out of town tryout works where you're doing a show at night and they're staying up all night rewriting it, and the next day you come in for five hours and rework. You know, the out of town situation was amazing. And we were out. We were out and did not do well with the critics. And so we came back to New York and rehearsed and went out again and came back to New York and we were going to go into the Hellinger and then we just stopped. You didn't get an email in those days. You got a phone call and I'm sorry, we're done. And.

[Peter Felicia]

But ironically, the same theater with My Fair lady was such a success. The Hollinger. So now, as a kid growing up, did Lerner and Low mean something to you? Did you know My Fair Lady? Oh, my gosh, yeah.

[Meg Bussert]

I sang all of Julie Andrews things and, and Barbara Cook those. And I, I got to know Barbara. She and I kind of befriended over the years. I was very fortunate, you know, to. To really know these ladies and to see how they worked. And I always had been in love with words. I was a Shakespeare freak in high school and college and how words come together and how you sing them. I took a lot of voice lessons, found a wonderful voice teacher, Marge Rivingston, who's taught a lot of folks. One of the things that I learned was I had to argue with many of my voice teachers because they wanted the long line, you know, the long lyric line. And I kept saying, but that's not what the words are doing. And so I would sing one way in my voice lesson, in my auditions, I would sing a slightly different way. And it was always the slightly different way that got the attention. And doing high school musicals. Oh, gosh, yes. I went to college at the University of Illinois and all I did was musicals. I mean, that's the reason I was in school. Musicals and plays and. Yeah.

[Peter Felicia]

So in fact, had you played in Brigadoon before you got to Brigadoon on Broadway?

[Meg Bussert]

Yes, in a very horrible summer shock production. And, oh, this non equity in the middle of Illinois. I mean, but wonderful. I mean, we didn't think it was horrible. We thought we were terrific.

[Peter Felicia]

Sure. Everybody has to go through stages like that. Yeah, yeah.

[Meg Bussert]

But you know, you know Growing up away from New York, you know, you. I listened as a child. I listened to all the Disney vinyls, I mean, and learned the lyrics of everything. And the third hearing and my. My dad who. Who was a. He actually was. Did all sorts of bizarre things in World War II. And one of his fun things was he was a. He was a conductor, you know, a band leader is what he was. That was his fun thing. And after the war, in the late 40s and early 50s, they actually had a band of veterans that would play all the church dances in Chicago. I mean, it was like that, that musical, the band, I mean, that was my father. That's what he did. He did computers during the day and on the weekends he had this band of eight gu. And they travel all over the churches and play. Anyway, so music was huge. And I listened to the big bands and everything. I just couldn't help myself.

[Michael Portentier]

Meg now teaches at nyu, so she's passing on her knowledge to.

[Meg Bussert]

Yeah, that's part of the thing that needs updating. I'm retired right now. I taught for 19 years. I taught acting and did some directing at the Steinhardt School in vocal performance. Graduates, graduate students as well as undergrads. And I didn't ever wanted to teach voice because it. Today it is so scientific as it should be and quite. It's not where my heart is and my heart is more in the words and in the storytelling. And so I coach as opposed to being a voice teacher. I can tell you if something's a little off and help you with some exercises, but I don't want to be a technical voice teacher. Never have.

[Michael Portentier]

Right.

[Meg Bussert]

So I give. Right now I teach a course to a lot of elder programs in Westchester. The musical, Pulitzer prize winning musicals, 10 of them. And so it's a nice big course and I'm. It's a hot item right now because most of the people I teach are 65 and over and they love it because they've seen half the shows.

[Peter Felicia]

Sure, sure. The question become. Given that you're talking about the Midwest and since you're talking about Equity, non. Equity, all that stuff. Did you ever do a John Kenley show?

[Meg Bussert]

I'm not sure. Give me some titles. I don't think so.

[Peter Felicia]

John Kenley had three theaters.

[Meg Bussert]

Oh, yes, the producer. Yes.

[Peter Felicia]

Yeah.

[Meg Bussert]

Yes, I think I did. I certainly knew his name, but I don't. Did he do a lot of summer stock?

[Peter Felicia]

Yeah, indeed, that's exactly what he did.

[Meg Bussert]

Yeah. Because I did. With John Rate, Kiss Me Kate. I played Lily. Not in. In one of them. And then I played Los Bianca in another.

[Michael Portentier]

Wow.

[Meg Bussert]

Yeah, it was. It was. He would. He would do the show, and then at the very end, when he took his bow, he'd sing, hey there, you.

[Peter Felicia]

Right, yes. He was famous for that, right?

[Meg Bussert]

Yeah. You know, it doesn't matter what he sang in the show. He would always stay there.

[Peter Felicia]

He did what? He did Shenandoah.

[Michael Portentier]

Yeah.

[Peter Felicia]

Yeah. Is there any classic musical John Rake didn't do at that point in time? So I'm not surprised to hear that he was doing Kiss Me Kate. I never heard that before, but I'm not surprised to hear.

[Meg Bussert]

Oh, yeah. And we would roll our eyes quietly, and the whole audience would cheer.

[Peter Felicia]

Indeed they would. Indeed they would. So by any chance, did Ellen J. Lerner remember you when you were auditioning for Brigadoon?

[Meg Bussert]

Yes, but we had many. Not many. We had conversations. Yes. He came. He came back, chatted with me during that and also during Camelot. He. He never actually came back and chatted with us during Camelot, but he did send me messages when he was in watching the show. And one of my favorite comments from a writer is, you know, he. He loved certain aspects of that production and didn't like certain aspects of that production. But he would always say, meg, I understood every word. And I was like, yay.

[Michael Portentier]

The 1980 Brigadoon did not run long. There was some, I think, some offstage drama, which Maya might not want to talk about. But the two stars, Meg and Marty Vidnovic, just were brilliantly received and both got Tony nominations. And so we're so thrilled to have them both in our Lerner and Low show this coming Tuesday at 54 below.

[Meg Bussert]

Yeah, it's Brigadoon. One of the. Can I tell a story about what happened?

[Peter Felicia]

Of course.

[James Marino]

Yeah.

[Meg Bussert]

Yeah. So Agnes. It was Agnes DeMille choreography, and she was recreating pretty much what she had done, which is brilliant. And Vivian Madelon had permission from Lerner to make a few changes. He changed the act break, and he changed some of the focus. He cut a couple numbers. He threw more focus on Tommy and Fiona Love more than some of the others. And they were staging I'll Go Home to Bonnie Jean. And in the original staging, the men and women were on stage. And this is really. He's talking about all of his. Charlie Dalrymple is talking about his past relationships, how he's been a young man running around with a lot of young women. But now he's never going to run because he's going home with Bonnie Jean and the whole Thing is, really, Vivian said, you know, this is. This is a bachelor party song. This is not something you would share with the women. And that was, you know, pretty correct. So he took all the women off the stage and he just made it the guys, which they could get a whole lot more what reality with some of the words, you know, if they could insinuate as males would do with too much wine, you know, or beer, it was a lot of fun. And when they presented this new take to Ms. DeMille and Aggie, we used to call her, she came in and she looked at it, you know, and we were all going, yeah, you know, we all watched it because the dancers would rehearse, of course, in another room, and the singers and the actors would be in another room. Then they would get together every day or so every other day and present what they've got and then try to blend it in. So that was an amazing thing to witness. Well, we all, you know, big smiles on our. The girls. We just sat there and we watched the whole thing, loving every minute of it. And she just said, you know, Maggie starts dancing here. And she pointed to a bar. And Vivian said, well, I realized that, but, you know, the women aren't on stage at this point. She goes, I can see that. But Maggie starts dancing here. And, you know, so then all of a sudden we were all excused for a 10 minute break and we had to clear the room. And then 10 minutes later, we came in and they redid the end of the. The end of the song so that the women wandered in and so the men had to, you know, straighten up and be a little less guy. Like, I don't know, it was. It was kind of interesting. So Maggie did start on that dancing on that particular bar. So we all thought that was kind of brilliantly wonderful. Certain things are not going to change. I'm doing what I did before, that's all.

[Peter Felicia]

Was Jemset Dilepp involved?

[Meg Bussert]

Yes, she and Jamie Jameson kind of were the dancers that recreated everything. She didn't get a lot of billing on that, I don't think, but she was there quite a lot.

[Peter Felicia]

Yeah, because she really became the keeper of the flame as time went on with that show. She'd show up at plenty of productions and say, no, no, no, this finger needs to be curled that way. I mean, she was really very specific. I saw her work with the Cincinnati Conservatory kids when they did it some years ago. And so I know how ma. Meticulous she was.

[Meg Bussert]

She was, yeah. And she also gave reasons why she knew the reasons where Ms. DeMille didn't always explain them. And I did a Brigadoon up in Pittsburgh, Civic Light Opera after that. And you know, she came in just to check it out. This was an agreement that she had made with them. And she explained, you know, some of the dances in Brigadoon particularly there's no mother figure. It's, you know, it's the young ladies kind of flailing around here with no mother mentors, there's fathers, but there's no mothers. And which is one of the reasons why Meg Brocki is the way she is. There was no mother to give her any advice. And so Jamsy was extremely, in a female way giving the dancers and giving the women a reason for why some of these things were going on. And to watch those notes you know, being given to like the dancers who were dancing. Maggie, when she comes in and does the death dance after Harry Beaton has been killed, it's a brilliant, brilliant thing. And to watch her beating her chest and all of those just the way the psychology that many directors wouldn't have taken the time or knew, you know, to impart to the women what was going on. That was, that was how Agnes evolved so many of her narrative dances. Very strong female point of view.

[Michael Portentier]

Yeah, oh yeah, absolutely. I was privileged to know Jemsy at the very end of her life. She was really extraordinary. And I remember we talked about, of course she was very close with James Mitchell, you know, the, the wonderful dancer who's dream Curly in the film of Oklahoma, et cetera, et cetera. I told her that I had interviewed James once and he couldn't, he, he couldn't praise Agnes DeMille enough. But when it came to Jerome Robbins it was, it was, you know, a very different thing. And I said, so Jimsy, I said basically my, my, you know, my feeling was that James Mitchell could. Had only good things to say about Agnes and only bad things to say about Jerry Robbins. And she said, well that was pretty much the size of it.

[Meg Bussert]

Well, thing that Ms. Dumille did was we had a young lady in the dancing chorus who was apparently splitting with her husband, but she had a five year old little boy and you know, all the kind of hours putting in, sometimes her babysitter would not come and so she brought her little boy to rehearsal and you know, the stage manager says, well you can't do that. And Agnes says, oh yes she can. Yes, that's fine, you know. And then so Agnes assigned like one of the swing dancers to sit over with the little boy and play with Them while the work was going on. And that happened, you know, and it was very impressive. I mean, those were the days that people in the ensemble were still being called boys and girls. It was just starting to say, no, you can't do that anymore. It's men and women, please. And yeah. So that was a yes.

[Peter Felicia]

Even boys and girls in chorus line, they refer to boys and girls. Yeah.

[James Marino]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Peter Felicia]

Right.

[James Marino]

So, Meg, tell us when we come see you at 54 below, what will you be doing?

[Meg Bussert]

Well, I'm re upping with my partner, Marty Vidnovic. Martin Vidnovic. And we haven't sung together in about 45 years.

[James Marino]

Wow.

[Meg Bussert]

So we. We know each other. You know, we haven't really worked together since then, but just, you know, people. You know, people. You keep in touch with them a little bit. We haven't been in touch for many years, but it was a hoot and a half. The last thing I did at, you know, Studio 54 was with you, Peter.

[Peter Felicia]

That's right. God love you. Marty was in the audience, by the way.

[Meg Bussert]

Yeah, yeah.

[Peter Felicia]

Well, you did.

[Meg Bussert]

Thank you. Well, Marty was in the audience. And afterwards, I ran around and sat with some friends, you know, and then somebody pulled me and said, marty's over there, you know. So I went and were tearing over, and the two of us giggled and laughed. And so this is great. It's. We are our two personalities. Marty and I fit into Fiona and Tommy very well because I'm. Fiona is a strong woman who has her own opinions about things, which I guess I was told as a young woman, the oldest of seven, I had the same. So when things would get confused, I would stand up and be the older sister and start telling everybody where to go. Whether or not they listened was, of course, you know. Anyway, so we got back to doing this stuff, and I just sort of had to remind Marty of all of the staging. And he went, oh, yeah. So we're having. We're touching on a little bit of the staging. Michael helped us the other day, and it's. It's just fun to revisit it. And in, you know, 54 below, all of those times, revisiting the old rep is the old characters that you've done. You have a very different take, and so you want to capture what you did when you were a young actor singer, but you know a whole lot more about life. So that kind of sneaks in whether you want to or not. And I've enjoyed that. And I think the audiences at 54 below also are. If they're not of a certain age, they're musical theater nerds. And so they love the stories and they love the little. The two. The storytelling from two perspectives at once, if that makes sense. They really get that, and it's a delight to play there for that audience. Yes, we're gonna have a blast. So we're doing our duets, and then Marty will do a solo, and I will do a solo from the show. And it's a big program that, you know, Michael's put together. Michael Levine is playing as he's brilliantly, as he always does, and there's a little touch you're getting. You know, all the Lerner and Low things pretty much are represented, and we're all looking forward to it. It's going to be. You know, the catalog that they wrote was really quite remarkable.

[Michael Portentier]

Yes.

[Meg Bussert]

I think, you know, Rodgers and Hammerstein and Lerner and Low are they just. They just rise up there as enormous creators of the storytelling musicals that. That we have today. We wouldn't have them if we didn't have those gentlemen.

[James Marino]

I always like to ask folks who were there in the beginning of great musicals if there is something that was lost for time or just cut for the production or something like that that you think about and you think, oh, that could have worked. Worked.

[Meg Bussert]

I'm not. I don't think so. And the things that I did really were revivals of things. Most of, you know, the big things that I did. So, you know, I had. I would lean on.

[James Marino]

But Lolita, my love.

[Meg Bussert]

Well, yeah, I was such a baby, you know, I didn't know anything about that. But one thing, I was very fortunate. All of us starting out then were so fortunate because these folks were still around. You know, I had conversations with Meredith Wilson when I did the Music man, which everyone thinks was a bomb in New York, but we were a big success on the road. And I met Wilson, and my story with him is, you know, he came back, he saw the show. He was having some issues with memory and stuff, but he came back and he chatted with me. He said, you're so funny. He said, I never realized that Marianne could be so funny. He said, will you do me a favor? And I said, but he said, would you sing My White Knight? Would you sing my Triplets in My White Night? And I dropped open and I went, what? You know, I said, yeah. And then I ran to the music and said, what am I doing? And he said, rosenstock. Milt Rosenstock was the conductor. And I said, meredith Wilson wants me to sing the triplets. And he said, I told you that the first day of rehearsal. So what I was doing was. I was. I was acting. I was acting in my white night, you know, not a lancelot nor an angel, angel with wings. Just someone, you know. And I looked at the music and what he did, what he wrote was my white knight not a lancelot nor an angel with wings. And underneath it was this. This tension with the strings, you know, going on. So if I hit the. The triplets as he wrote them, that was. There was this juxtaposition of what the musical lyric was doing, the melody and what was going on in the orchestra. And all of my acting was right there. And I did it that way and it literally stopped the show. And it was such a shock, you know, why does my white knight stop a show? Duh. But it did. And I go, whoa. And then he came back and he said. He said, sometimes you just really have to look at the notation because sometimes we do know what we're doing. Thank you, Mr. Wilson. I mean, he was. And he didn't do it, you know, as a scolding. He just kind of was congratulating me for paying attention to what he wrote. And, boy, that was a lesson I never forgot. So I never doing those old roles, I never phrased until I had tried out what I was given. And,

[James Marino]

well, Brigadoon returns not after a hundred years, but after 45 years at 54 below this Tuesday, May 19th, where you can see Meg and company in Michael's show. Meg, thank you so much for joining us on Broadway radio. Really appreciate it.

[Meg Bussert]

Thank you. Jameson, take care.

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[James Marino]

So, Peter, as I mentioned last week on the show and also at the top of this show, you were in London last week seeing seven shows. So give us a rundown. How was your trip?

[Peter Felicia]

Well, frankly, I wish I could have seen nine. I had spaces from nine. But the thing is, Nine is playing

[James Marino]

over in the West End.

[Peter Felicia]

A revival, I guess, would be welcome. There but no, because Sunday matinees, I was raring a go, but so few shows played then. And the Wednesday matinee was simply shows I had seen a million times, so I didn't want to go again. But, yeah, seven was good. The most impressive one I saw was the musical version of the Karate Kid. I think this one is going to be major now. Why? Because just as teenage and tween girls responded to Wicked and its issues with popularity, teenage and tween boys will respond to the Karate Kid with its issues of bullying. All right. Yeah. We learned from a musical and a movie that there are mean girls in middle and high schools, but they're not as physically treacherous as boys in those grades decades. And many a lad has had to face one tougher kid. Or in this case, poor Daniel LaRusso was targeted on his first day of school, and he's bullied by not just one kid, but a whole troop of kids. So imagine what it's like to go home and your single mother is saying to you, hey, how was the first day of school? And you wear your sunglasses, so she doesn't see that you have a black eye, you know, so. So the crowd really, really respond to it. You know, Also, what's wonderful is seeing a young boy bond with a much older man. And because Daniel learns that if he. If he needs to. If he's going to survive, you know, he's. He's going to have to get some help from Mr. Mayaji, who certainly is a karate expert. But here's the thing. This is so smart. The bullies have a mentor.

[Michael Portentier]

2.

[Peter Felicia]

A Vietnam veteran who is still furious that he was victimized by that frustrating war. And he has all this displaced hostility, and he's going to pass it on to his students who are the bullies. So that's really terrific. One of the most dynamic songs in the show, and there are many, is the Zach Mo song where he sings that his students must not merely dominate an opponent, but he must humiliate him. And the boys work very hard to make that happen to poor Daniel. Well, part of the reason the musical succeeds is that karate moves lend themselves to. Well, to music. And you get both choreography and fight choreography in each production number. The effect is thrilling. And Keoni and Mari Madrid. Who'd expect the word Madrid to show up in the musical that deals with so many Asian concepts? But. So Robert Markamen, who wrote the screenplay to the original movie and the third one, actually, there have been plenty of Karate Kid films, has maintained the best of the story and I'm not above admitting that I cried at the end. The director's name, Aman Miyamoto, suggests that he knows the territory and he sure does and stages the show very briskly. Drew Gasparini songs fit the bill and I love when a lyricist comes up with an idea that is for fresh and that's at a party when the lyric says the whole room changes with a slow song. That's a nice perception, but really what a thrill to see so many young boys and teens in the audience respond to a musical. Hearing their cheers, and I'm talking about sustained cheers, mind you, was so satisfying. I won't be surprised if in 20 or 30 years middle aged men will fondly be saying yeah, the first musical I saw was the Karate Kid and that got me started on seeing more musicals. I think that's entirely possible. So that was the highlight of the trip. It was in Wimbledon at the new Wimbledon Theater which was. Is not a new theater at all. I don't know, maybe it closed for a while and they renamed it that I don't really know, but it's quite a place. I mean Wimbledon is an area, area of London as we all know from the tennis situation. But, but this is a Broadway sized house, I mean with more than one balcony and really it was amazing to see. Just as when I went to the Lyric Hammersmith Theater which has a brand new facade but when you go in there it's a Broadway sized theater. And again Hammersmith is an area of London as well. This is off the beaten track. These are not West End theaters. These are not analogous to, you know, Broadway or Off Broadway. It's amaz how in London. And it makes sense because London has such a long theatrical tradition that in the semi suburbs that they were building these enormous wonderful theaters. So, so yes, I saw An Ideal Husband at, at the Lyric Hammersmith Theater, a play that I'm very fond of because I love the movie that Julianne Moore is so wonderful as this conniving woman. So. And the woman who played it in in at the Lyric Hammersmith certainly did a fine job as well. This was, I can't say an African American production because we were in England, but it certainly was a black production most of the time. And boy, they really did a wonderful job. They many people had Jamaican accents and. But boy you adjusted quite quickly. It was very nice to see Odoska Wild's fabulous play done so well. Well, I saw the Producers now outside the theater it says the first major revival of the Producers in London. Well, I can't say it's major because it's. At first thing is that a small theater, the Garrick Theater is very small. Ironically enough, the last time I was in the Garrick Theater, I saw another Mel Brooks musical, and that was Young Frankenstein. I wonder if the next time I go to the Garrick Theater, I'll see that musical of Blazing Saddles that we were promised, the ape. I've got to check and find out. When they stopped on Broadway, Young Frankenstein singing at the curtain call, they actually had lyrics saying, we're going to have a musical of Blazing Saddles. I don't know how long that stayed in. I know when the script was published, they certainly didn't put that in. But anyway, it's not a major revival in the sense that the scenery is there. Max's office is a door frame, a safe and a couch, and that's it. Hit no posters on the wall of his past hits or anything like that. Now, the reason is it moved from the Meniere Chocolate Factory, and I'm sure it looked good there, but, you know, it reminds me of the Fields of Ambrosia, a musical I'm very, very fond of. The start of the George street playoffs in New Brunswick. And whoa, that set was phenomenal. My God, what a set. They moved to the Aldwitch Theater, a West End theater in London. I went to see it there. The set looked like it cost $1.50. I mean, it really is something that you just can't move a tiny set onto a big stage and expect it's going to have the same power. Cast was very good. But I'll tell you what occurred to me. I would have liked to have seen the original London production of the Producers, which was done in, I guess around 2002, 2003. It ran for nine to 60 performances. I checked. And the thing is that I wondered if it. If it didn't run nearly as long, as long as it did on Broadway, because the blitz in London was a very tough thing. And there were certainly people back then who remembered it. And London was so victimized by World War II that I imagined that a lot of stuff about Hitler was not very funny to these people. So one of the. I. I think the guy who was playing Leo Bloom was over the top. But here's the thing. Thing. When he danced, and I want to be a producer, he was charming and wonderful. So when he kept his mouth shut, he was really terrific. So make of that what you will. It may seem strange that I went to the play that goes Wrong, given that I Can see it here, but it was Sunday night. It was the only thing that was playing that I could find. So fine. I love the play that goes Wrong. I really do believe I'm not going to. This is a term that we don't use very readily or easily or often, but I think it's a masterpiece. I really do. Because just when you think they can't think of anything else, they think of something else. So, you know, people are always saying to me when they come from out of town, what's good? What should I see? And, you know, I usually start thinking of the Broadway shows. I start on 41st street and go all up 54th and Lincoln Center. And I've got to remember the play that goes wrong is playing off Broadway. And I got to send them to that because it really is quite, quite, quite fine. And it's still in great shape, even though it's burning there now in full forever, at the Duchess Theater, the same theater where it started. So then I went to Grace Pervades, which is a play about Henry Irving and Ellen Terry. Now, let me jump and say that in 1978, when Betty Comden, Adolph Green were writing on the 20th century, John Cullum's 11 o' clock number mentioned Henry Irving and Ellen Terry. Now, when the revival happened with Kristen Chenow, with. It was very interesting to me when Amanda Green came in to rewrite some of her daddy's lyrics with Barry Comden, that she eliminated the lyrics about Henry Irving and Ellen Terry. And it makes perfect sense that she would, because Indeed, even in 78, people who, knowing those people were, would be very rare. I mean, they were. They were superstars, certainly in London. And ironically enough, there is a parallel with on the 20th century, inadvertently so. But the thing is that Henry Irving mentored and made something out of Alan Terry, who didn't expect to become a big star, no more than Mildred Plotka did when she became Lily Garland. So I am going to predict, even though this is a fine play, David Hare wrote it. I'm not sure we're going to see it here. And one of the reasons was that I saw the Hills of California in London. It was terrific and it came here and it didn't run very long. Granted, it was an expensive show. There were a lot of people in the cast, but there were in this cast, so that's expensive, too. But here's the reason why so much of the show relies on Shakespeare. There are soliloquies from Shakespeare that are done not necessarily in total, but a lot of people step forward to do Shakespearean monologues and soliloquies. And I don't think it's going to play here with the fact that people don't know who Henry Irving and Ellen Terry are. But the other thing too is the fact that fact that I'm surprised Ralph Fiennes, who certainly is one of our finest actors agreed to do this show because the problem is that Henry Irving stays the same throughout. I certainly relate to somebody who is theater obsessed. Yes, indeed. And of course you have the same type of conflict that I bet you've already assumed that you're going to have. That Alan Terry, yes, is very happy to become a star but that she wants more out of life than just that. But he doesn't and he never changes. So as a result this is a show I couldn't quite give three stars out of four. But anyway, I went to the Shakespeare's Globes theater. I didn't see Shakespeare. I saw Other Courage and Her Children. One of my all time favorite plays starting from when I started at Emerson College. When people ask me one of the best things I've ever seen, I always say I can only limit it to third. I, I have to limited but I can't just make it one. There are 13. It's a 13 way tie, which is interesting. Which means that one out of every thousand times I go to the theater, it's really, really, really, really, really great. But anyway, Mother Courage and her children very, very well done at the Globe Theater. Luckily it was a nice day because it's an outdoor theater and if it's, if it's raining, I don't think you're going to see much of an audience or much of a production because we want the actors to get. What's interesting is that the artistic director of the Globe, Michelle Terry was the one who played the part of Month of Courage. Now you know, I've often said that one of the most interesting conflicts in plays is love versus career. And for example in the front page there's Hildy who is a reporter and indeed loves his job job. But he falls in love with a woman who doesn't want him to do it and he's going to give it up for her and go to work for her family. And that's the conflict. Should he follow his career or should he follow love? And usually in the stories that involve love versus career are involved men and women. But here love versus career actually involves mother and children. That's what makes it very interesting because Mother Courageous runs a canteen that she travels from place to place. Think of Tevye at the end of Fiddler, same type of thing. She pulls a wagon and serves customers. But the idea she puts her kids at risk by being in the middle of the war and is it worth it? Can she give up her business and make her kids safe or will she not do that? That's what makes Mother Courage fascinating and made it quite a thrilling experience for me. So I was very glad about, about that too. And I went to Hercules. Nice lavish production. They really spent money. But you know, I'll tell you what I think the problem is with Hercules. There's a very famous expression that musicals are about big characters and big events. Now, on the surface you would think that Hercules is a big character. I mean, Hercules, he's strong, he can do anything, right. And she certainly has big events because the, the concept here is, is that somehow when he was born, he lost some of his godness. He was the son of Zeus and Hera. But oh, that Hades came and got and mucked it up. And so he. He's not quite a full fledged God and he has to do this, that the other thing to become a full fledged God. The problem is that he's awfully naive and as a result, he's not a big character because of that naivete. It's fascinating. He falls in love at first sight with a girl who's smarter than he is, more experienced than he is. And we can't really get behind his. His Arda for her because we know what love at first sight means, not much at all. So he's pretty goony and that, that takes away from it. So it was a little frustrating to watch this character not rise to the occasion as much as he should for the longest time. Of course, it has to be a long musical, so. And of course, would it be a Disney musical without two hapless characters who can't do the job right? They're supposed to kill him and they don't. Shades of the Winter's Tale, speaking of Shakespeare. But, but anyway, you have those stock characters and I think they've gone to that well one time too often. Very nice to hear Alan Menken's music, of course. And David Zipple is the lyricist this time. And you know me in perfect rhymes, and I would say 99 and 44, 100% of the time he does that. I also loved when he rhymed dilemma with no problema because no problema is indeed something people say. So I thought that was really quite terrific. It's amazing Though you, there you are, you're watching these people on the stage. They're all, you know, five foot, six foot, whatever. And suddenly this enormous dinosaur comes on the stage, you know, to buck up the action. Then comes a cyclops that's enormous as well. You don't see that coming at all. It seems so strange to have given that it comes like a half hour, maybe 45 minutes into the show. So that was a little disconcerting as well. But, you know, it's very interesting because when news these Paper Mill. It didn't take long for News east to come to Broadway. Hercules played Paper Mill and it didn't come to Broadway. Here it is in London. I don't know if this is a triad for Broadway. I don't know if we'll see it here. You may recall there was some sort of strange production that was done at the Delacorte where they brought, they do that occasionally. They bring in neighborhood kids to be in a show and it happened there. But I don't know why Hercules didn't come to Broadway immediately and went to London. I don't know if they're still working on it, if that's the point point. But whatever the case may be, there it is and we'll see if we see it here. So that's my trip to London.

[James Marino]

So Hercules, it says on the London website, final summer must end five September. Excellent seats available on May and June. Those two things put together tell me that it's not selling well. What did you look at the audience? Was the audience full?

[Peter Felicia]

Half was pretty full. The first balcony, I would say was a third full. So.

[James Marino]

And what day of the week did you see it?

[Peter Felicia]

Wednesday.

[James Marino]

Wednesday. So, yeah, family musical, London in May. Wednesday. I don't, you know, I don't know

[Peter Felicia]

if I'm reminded of a Murray Shiskill TV show called the Love Song of Barney Kempinski that Alan Arkin did back in that ST67 series. That evening Primrose was part of, in which a girl broke up with. And he said, I took you out every Wednesday and Saturday night. And everybody knows those are the best nights of the week to be on a date, so. So I guess maybe that's not true in London.

[Michael Portentier]

Peter, I saw that version of Hercules that was done at the Delacorte and it was pretty good. But I did have some of the issues you mentioned, like those cliche characters, you know, and I, I, my feeling was that I don't know if they actually out and said this, but they felt like the show needed more work so that's why it did not come to Broadway in that incarnation.

[Peter Felicia]

Yeah, that doesn't surprise me.

[Michael Portentier]

Yeah.

[James Marino]

So looking here. Wow. The cast page in London, 1636 42. Wow. Almost 50 people in the cast. Cast.

[Peter Felicia]

Yeah. The stage was pretty full and. And again, ornate. Just when you think you've seen every piece of scenery, they're going to have you see more

[James Marino]

men and Zipple Nicola. Can't they get anybody talented?

[Peter Felicia]

Indeed, indeed. Top notch people. No question.

[James Marino]

So top notch. Oh, it's Disney. They. They can write the checks. Yep. All right. Well, it sounds like tremendously successful London trip. Welcome back to the next three weeks of Tony Madness.

[Peter Felicia]

Yeah, indeed.

[James Marino]

Michael took a little trip to Italy. Little Italy. Well, if only it's at least the Village. It's the Village, Yeah. Got down to NYU you to see Traviata, which they have called Encina, at the Italian Theater Festival. So Michael, tell us about this.

[Michael Portentier]

Yeah, well, it would be in Sheena, if you're going to use the Italian

[James Marino]

pronunciation, I call it Sina Shana. Okay, we're going to record that. No, it's okay. So tell us about it.

[Michael Portentier]

Yeah. I went to NYU back in the day for graduate school and I knew they had. I think they have a German house and a French. A French house, but I didn't know they have an Italian one too. Maybe it's newer, I have no idea. But yes, they do have one now and it's called the Casa Italiana Cerili Marino at nyu. And that's where this. This show was held. It. Sorry, just getting my notes up here. It's part of. It was a production of what was called the Enchaina Italian theater festival at NYU. And I think it's on West 12th Street. A very nice house that, you know, I didn't get to explore much of it. The theater was actually in the basement. Anyway, here's a show. I would say the. Was maybe a little better than the execution. Operas have a stereotype of many of them anyway, having very poor libretti, sometimes very melodramatic, over dramatic, sometimes unbelievable and very over the top. But the great operas, I would say that is not true of the great operas. And certainly La Traviata is one of the greatest of all. And of course the source material was La Dame aux Camellia, the novel by Alexandre Dumas, Fils, which then had a long life in many adaptations it became a play and then it became several movies, one of which, I guess the most famous of which was the movie Camille with Greta Garbo and Robert Taylo. But there have been so many others.

[Peter Felicia]

And then.

[Michael Portentier]

And then somewhere during that period, Verdi wrote his opera La Traviata and changed the. The names of the characters for whatever reason. But the same plot about a. A woman who is a. A courtesan, a kept woman living in Paris in the. Well, depending on when they said it, usually in the late. The late 19th century, and she's being kept by a baron, but she falls in love with a younger man and it's true love and. And they go off together and she leaves the baron and all might have been well. Well, I mean, she does have consumption, which is tuberculosis. So. So I guess. I guess, you know, she. She had that to deal with anyway, and so she might not have had a very long life. But what happens, to make things worse is that Alfredo's father shows up, that's the young man's name, and he begs her to leave Alfredo because if she continues to live in sin with him, then that will jeopardize the marriage of his daughter, Alfredo's sister, to a young man from a very conservative family. So that's the basic plot, which I'm sure many people know anyway, what they decided to. Here they call this La Traviata, a free prose opera, and they basically presented the libretto in Italian with English supertitles as spoken dialogue, but with most of the most famous arias sung by the cast. And that therein lies the problem of at least one of the two. Well, one of the two men in the show was not quite up vocally to singing that tenor role of Alfredo. In the keys that they used, which were the original keys, they had tracks kind of. Or music minus one tracks of the opera that all three of the cast members were singing along to. And he, although he was an excellent actor, he did not really quite have all of those notes. And it was kind of painful in at certain times, the woman who played the. Violeta, the lead, didn't have that problem only because she sang the part down the octave. She sang the whole thing down the octave. So it sounded odd in that way, but it didn't sound unpleasant anyway. So it was a really good idea, as I said, not entirely successful for those reasons, but to name the three actors, Andrea Caldi, Elena Romano and Saverio Bari. And this was written and directed by Saverio Bari and. Well, actually by all of these people in. In concert, they sort of put it together and I. I would like to see this done maybe with some other operas and with either with better singers or cut out the music, the singing, the vocal Music entirely and just use it maybe as background music. That might be an interesting way to do it, but I'm glad I went. It was a very, very unique presentation of La Traviata.

[James Marino]

Okay, so we'll have a link back to the NYU website. Website for more information about that. Peter, you were over at Studio 17, a performance space that none of us were familiar with until you brought it up this morning. So tell us about you saw a production of One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest?

[Peter Felicia]

In a way. I'm sorry. I went to London when I did because it closes today. And if indeed I had gone earlier, I would be able to tell people to go because it was an astonishing production. Production. Francesco Solarzano was the director, and not only did he do that, but he played Billy Bibbit, the young man who stutters, who's voluntarily, though we think his mother was the power, voluntarily committed himself to this asylum where Randall P. McMurphy comes in. But the difference is Randall P. McMurd Murphy, in this production is played by Cyra Player, who's a woman. So we have a very different take on a role. And watching a woman go up against Nurse Ratchet, phenomenally played by Jacqueline Knapp, was really something to. To watch these two go against each other. Now, this is a play with which I've always had a problem because my philosophy, not that I invented this, is the two wrongs don't make a right. And so as a result, I have a tough time with Randall McMurphy, who says, I'm going to put a bug up that nurse's ass. We watch in a week. I can drive her crazy. So that's. I. And I understand that she's a dictator. I understand that it's her way of the highway, but there's no highway for these guys. You have to stay there or they. They commit themselves because they can't face the real world. That's part of it as well. Well, so it's a tricky play. And this time I really felt that that was its strength, that it offered both sides of the story. I think the play is substantially stronger than the movie, which, after all, won an Oscar. I don't think there are many plays that failed on Broadway, and it did, even though it had Kirk Douglas in the role. And interestingly enough, enough, his son, Michael Douglas was one of the people who made the movie happen, that it tried out in Boston. I was. I was in high school. I just didn't have the money and I didn't see it. But I would have loved to have seen it then because I think as a kid I might have responded to that and not have so much concerns about your wrongs. Make. Don't make a right. But wow. The play really is expert. Dale Wasserman, who later did Man La Mancha, expert at giving you the information. Exactly where you need to know is. I really do believe it's a sensational play. Ironically enough, it ran in Boston for a long time at the Charles Playhouse, a small venue. And I never got to see it. Yeah, I'll go next week. Yeah, it's. It was running forever. Like, years, I think. Really? Seriously, I think maybe two years. Yeah, I'll get to it next week. Yeah, it's there. I don't have to worry. And suddenly last four performances and I couldn't go. So. So I didn't see it until I saw the movie. And again, I do have issues. But boy, this cast. And I hope that this company called the Barefoot Theater Company gets to do it somewhere again. This really needs to be seen more and more and more. And these young people who did it and these older people who did it. Randall not only knocks heads with Nurse Ratched, but also with Dale Harding, who's wonderfully played by J. Madison Johnston, who's. Who's a very erudite man who does have issues with his wife. And going to an asylum seems to be better than staying in that marriage. And so you have a lot going on here and. But boy, come back, please. Barefoot Theater Company, please find a way to make this happen in a bigger space. This was on 17th street, as James mentioned, up a steep and very narrow stairway. Three flights, no elevator. But it was worth the climb, I'm telling you. So whoever this new company is, and I think it's new because I've never heard of it before. Wow. Keep going. Keep going, please.

[James Marino]

All right, so I have been looking around frantically for information on the Internet about this production. It is not easy to find. So I. I will keep trying to find more information and put it into the show notes, but until then, all we have is Peter's words. All right, so quick updates. It looks like the Book of Mormon is going to be starting performances again coming up. Michael, why don't you give us more of an update for Book of Mormon?

[Michael Portentier]

Yeah, initially I think it wasn't clear, and maybe I misstated a little bit that they had initially canceled performances through May 17th just to.

[James Marino]

But.

[Michael Portentier]

But that didn't necessarily mean that they were starting right after that. It turns out that they said they have made great progress in Fixing things up after the fire that they had in the, apparently in the follow spot booth at the Eugene o'. Neill. And now they are on track unless something goes, goes wrong, which I doubt to begin performances again on May 21st. So that's really good news. Two other pieces of good news that came this week are that Fallen Angels, the Roundabout production, is going to be live Streamed by Broadway HD. And that's coming up pretty soon on Friday, June 5th. And then also for those, if you want to wait long longer, Giant is going to be screened in cinemas with, with John Lithgow, although that's not happening until starting, let's see, November 19th. So yeah, you do have a while to wait for that. But I think that's really good news for, you know, people who can't get to New York or, you know, who can't see them live for whatever reason. There's a, are two, two items that really have done very well, you know, in terms of critical response and awards nominations. So I think a lot of people will want to see them.

[James Marino]

Also, in the world of pr, when you issue a press release, you hope you don't generate more questions from the press release than the press release and answers. But Michael, we did have a weird press release this week, didn't we?

[Michael Portentier]

Yeah, you, you hope that. But I mean, I think we all understand that they have to be very diplomatic when, when things go wrong. But to me, there's like a minimum amount of information that's required and something very strange happened recently. Several weeks ago, there was a press release about a production of a music musical version of Imitation of Life that's going to be held at the Shed and it listed the production staff, including Liesl Tommy as the director. And then so fine. But then lo and behold, this past week another release came out as saying a change in production staff for Imitation of Life. And it suddenly looks listed Whitney White as the director, but without even mentioning Liesl Tommy's name or not let alone giving any reason whatsoever for why the change had been made. I mean, usually in a case like that says something like scheduling difficulties or artistic differences or, you know, or, or, or even just says Ms. White replaces Lisal Tommy who had originally been announced to direct the production, but no, her name was not there anyway. And the thing with that is, you know, if they're trying to be diplomatic, who knows what happened. But to me it just, it just prompts more questions than it answers and, and prompts speculation which, you know, might be worse than whatever the reality is. So I don't quite get that, but that did happen this week. And maybe eventually we'll find out why. Liesel, Tommy left the production.

[James Marino]

I, you know, I feel bad for the press reps in this business because we are all people who love drama, you know, So I want to know what happened there.

[Michael Portentier]

I think it goes without saying they have to do what the producers tell them.

[James Marino]

Sure.

[Michael Portentier]

You know.

[Peter Felicia]

Yeah.

[Michael Portentier]

So, I mean, they can advise lies. You know how to phrase it. And, you know, I'm sure they did, but ultimately it. It might not have been their decision to. To write it that way.

[James Marino]

There have been press reps who did not do what the producer wanted. We all know about those.

[Michael Portentier]

Boy.

[James Marino]

Poor guy. All right, so. And finally, finally this morning, one of my favorite McDonald's was ripped out of Times Square. And. And that space is still empty. And I think Michael has a different take on it.

[Michael Portentier]

Well, I just, I mean, I don't know the details, but it just seems to me that if they went to the tremendous effort and expense of raising statement, of raising the Palace Theater 30ft off the ground from its original location in order to create more retail space on Broadway because that retail space is considered so valuable, it seems to me that they wouldn't have done that without having a tenant in place before they decided to do it. And incredibly enough, that space is still empty. How, how long has. Has the theater been reopened? Is it a year?

[Peter Felicia]

More than a year.

[Michael Portentier]

Yeah. Big signs on the window saying retail space available. We were talking about before. Before we started recording, and James suggested that it. It might have something to do with the fact that perhaps the idea of a casino in Times Square is not yet dead. And it might have something to do with. I mean, that would. That itself would not be large enough space for a casino by any means. But, you know, it might be. They might be counting on. Well, if there is a casino, then the, then the, then the rental rates will skyrocket even further if possible. And then God knows who they could put in there. But I personally think it's. Well, I just think it was a tragedy, a near tragedy that they did that to the palace. Because although the auditorium itself looks basically the same, I think they ruined the lobby and on all of the entrance to the theater and, and really made a mess of that.

[Peter Felicia]

And, and marquee right across from the tkts.

[Michael Portentier]

Yes.

[Peter Felicia]

Was so wonderful. And yes, traditionally, I don't know if, you know, remember this, but the sidewalk outside the Palace Theater was known as the beach because when there was no air conditioning during the vaudeville days when palace was a vaudeville theater, the, the performers used to come out the street and to them, that was the beach because it was as stuffy as it was in the inside the theater. So even losing the beach seems a little historically slap in the face.

[Michael Portentier]

Well, I didn't know that beach story, but that's really sweet. And yeah, I mean, to me it's all, you know, are there no limits to greed, you know, to raise a theater just to get more retail space that then remains empty for a, a year?

[Peter Felicia]

Whatever they're asking for rent, they should lower it because obviously whatever they're asking is not getting the job done.

[James Marino]

All right, so that wraps it up for today. Before we get on to our brain teaser, our musical moment, I want to remind everybody that you can subscribe to these broadcasts by going to the front page of broadwayradio.com there's a subscribe link that way each and every time we have a new new episode of this week on Broadway be automatically downloaded to Apple podcast for you. Of course, you don't have to listen to us in Apple podcasts as many ways to get us. One of the ways is Patreon P-A-T-R-E-O-N.com BroadwayRadio. You get our shows a little bit earlier than everybody else. Get a few bonus things. Matt has been burning up the airwaves with all the reviews for stuff that you. He's. He saw 17 shows last week, I think. 17 shows last week? I'm not sure. I think it was like 17. So you get all of those and be able to support all of Broadway radio's offerings as well. Contact information for Peter from Michael and B can be found in the show notes at Broadway Radio as well as links to some of the things we've talked about today. So, Peter, do you have an answer to last week's brain teaser?

[Peter Felicia]

This cola Brettist 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 sometime after they had divorced. I'm talking about Fred, Sadie S A I D y who wrote Bloomer Girl that had a character named Daisy, which is an anagram for Sadie. Joan McCarthy Kraken, who was once married to Bob Fosse, played her. Sean Logan was first Paul Witty, Juliet Green, Tony Janicki, Stephen Sokoloff, Lee Korn, Arthur Robinson, Isaac Blevins, Seth Kristenfeld and Brigadoon all knew the answer this week's question. He wrote the music to more than one best musical Tony winner before he wrote the score to a musical that opened in a more modest downtown castle cabaret. One of the show's song title was a famous foreign word, although the songwriter spelled it differently. Who's the songwriter? What's the musical, what's the foreign word, and how was it misspelled?

[James Marino]

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

[Michael Portentier]

Well, we have two selections from Brigadoon, one of the scores that will be featured in our 54 sings, learner and low show on Tuesday, May 19th at 54 below. I I think it's one of their best scores, really. I have some issues with the book, but the score I think is really just gorgeous. So our opener is a bit of the prologue, as it's called, not referred to as an overture because it's not an overture, but there's an orchestral prologue for Brigadoon. And this is from the 2017 Encores cast recording, a really wonderful recording that you should pick up if you don't have it with Kelly o' Hara and Patrick Wilson, et cetera. Yeah, I knew you'd say that. And our closer is actually the finale of Brigadoon, the reprise of the title song, the choral reprise of the title song. And this is from the original Broadway cast recording from 1947. So please enjoy these two selections from Lerner and Loew's.

[James Marino]

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

[Peter Felicia]

Forever lies Let the world grow cold around us Let the heavens cry above.

[Michael Portentier]

Ram.