James Marino (2:12)

What is today's show tune for today?

Mason Moore (2:16)

Well, in Amor the musical from way back when, it's established that on May 25, 1950, Marcel du Soleil writes his mother to let her know that his his cat is doing fine. No, he hasn't found a wife, but his cat is doing fine. Marcel's life is a little on the humdrum side until he finds he has the ability to walk through walls. And that eventually helps him with Isabel to whom he's desperately attracted. So that's what we're celebrating today. But it's interesting, as Pookie Adams says in the sterile cuckoo played by Las Manelli, by the way, probably all the good things in life take place in no more than a minute. You spend 19 years sleeping, spend five years going to the bathroom, spend 35 years doing some sort of work you absolutely hate, and 7853 minutes blinking your eyes. Add to that you probably got one good minute of good things. But nevertheless, Du Soleil does have that moment in time where he does enjoy his life immeasurably. And indeed, that's what we're celebrating on May 25th.

James Marino (3:25)

All right. Also with us is Michael Portantier. Michael's a theater reviewer and SAS. 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 major publications. You could see his photography work@followspotphoto.com. hello, Michael.

Mr. Moore (3:45)

Hello.

James Marino (3:46)

And, Michael, you are incognito from some undisclosed location in Connecticut. Are you gambling heavy or seeing the Good Speed Opera House or having good lobster? There's tons of great lobster places in Connecticut.

Mason Moore (4:03)

They sure are.

Mr. Moore (4:06)

I'm doing some of those things. I'm visiting Gerard Alessandrini, who says, hi, Peter.

Mason Moore (4:10)

Oh, good, good. Yeah. I hope we can meet later this week, remind you.

James Marino (4:16)

Okay.

Mason Moore (4:16)

All right, fine.

James Marino (4:18)

All right. So, Michael and Peter, we didn't talk about this last week because you had already seen it, but the embargo for review had not lifted yet. Both of you got over to Classic Stage Company to see William Inge's Bus Stop, a co production of the National Asian American Theater Company and the Transport Group, directed by Jack Cummings iii. Isn't it usually Jack E. Cummings iii?

Mason Moore (4:44)

I think so.

James Marino (4:45)

Like that. Yeah, it's odd. All right, Peter, what'd you think about Bus Stop?

Mason Moore (4:50)

Well, for one thing, this is a very good opportunity to see Bus Stop as William Inge wrote it. Because if you see the movie, and many people have, of course, partly because Marilyn Monroe was in it, it was an important building block in her career because it was one of the times when you could really see that she was a good actress and not just a joke and not just because she was a quite the beauty sex symbol. No, she was a good actress and she certainly shows it in Bus Stop. But the thing is, it's a very different property in the movie. There's a lot of backstory that is definitely dramatized in the movie. So it's good to have an opportunity to see what William in actually had in his mind when he wrote it. So a very effective story, obviously a slice of life drama where people arrive at a bus stop, they've been on a bus and it's time to get off, and the roads are terrible because the weather's been terrible. So as a result, they're going to be there a while and they have no idea how long they're going to be there. And we learn a lot about the people who were there, especially with Beau and Sherry, though he insists on calling her Cherry, which would have been the name of the musical, by the way, that was being developed in the late 60s. In fact, they even had a billboard in Times Square above the Palace Theater saying that it was coming. No, it didn't. Anyway, so this is one of those things where a young woman says yes to a guy a little too quickly and he takes her, he's sure they're going to get married and they're going to live happily ever after, and she's already having her doubts. So that's one of the conflicts that happens here. There's also another interesting conflict with a man who is certainly past middle age. And he is a worldly type who greatly impresses the waitress there, who's a young girl. And we find out as time goes on, he has a history of certainly coming across as well. As I say, worldly impresses young women. And certainly what happens after that is not so up and up. So this time we'll see what happens with this man. Does he have a conscience? Does he realize that, indeed, he shouldn't be doing this? Well, we shall see. So that's what happens here. And it's also interesting to find out people who work for the law, we also find the ostensible. I don't know if she's the owner or just the. The head cook and bottle washer. I don' what does happen is that she disappears for a while for a very good reason, but she should be working. Okay, all this is fine. However, I do feel that this production csc, even though the acting is fine, Jack Cummings III did a fabulous job with every actor. The problem for me was the set. I think it was really oddly constructed there. The counter where people sit is house. Right? But you have to understand there's a strip coming right down the center. So here's my point. Anytime there was a funny line, you would hear one side of the house laughing. You would not hear the other side of the house laughing unless people were on the other side talking, and then you'd hear the other side. It's very badly designed. The. The set should have really been. The counter should have really been way upstage and facing us. That would have helped immeasurably. Also, there's a very strange, strange obstruction where a wall comes out and it blocks the exit and entrance where people come and go. I don't know why that happened. I was on the right side, so I could see people come and go. But why there was this wall in front of the actual door, the entrance and exit, I have no idea. So I really felt that this was very injurious to the production. And I'm very sorry that it was designed this way because there were plenty of times where we could not hear what was said. And if indeed had been staged in a more conventional way, we would have heard everything and we would have enjoyed everything because indeed, there are terrific performances in this. Midori Francis is the one who plays the Marilyn Monroe part. And Jack Cummings was very smart not to cast anybody who looked or acted in any way like Marilyn Monroe. Completely different type, completely different performance. Completely believable too. So that's one of the things that I think a lot of people will be surprised by if they know the movie. Bo Decker, played by Michael Sue Rosen, very, very fine, hot headed, ready to fight at a moment's notice. Cannot understand why indeed this woman would not be as much in love with him as he is in love with her. But he's. He's pretty innocent and he doesn't understand how love really works. And he has a friend played by Moses Billarama, who is a bit of a mentor and has a nice surprising speech at the end of the play. So that's very good too. And Rajesh Bose is the one who's the one I talked about, the older man who certainly has designs on the young waitress. Everybody's fine. I just wish the staging were not on this terribly obfuscating set.

James Marino (10:25)

Michael, how about you?

Mr. Moore (10:27)

Well, it's interesting, Peter. I understand what you're saying. And I had some problems with audibility also. Only at the beginning, for some reason, I really thought it was going to be a big problem throughout the show. And I felt like I missed several lines in the opening scene between Grace and Alma. But then, no, I mean, obviously people start to move around and unfortunately, I mean, I don't think your solution about moving the counter alone would have necessarily helped because of course, people are not always standing behind the counter when they're talking. So it really depends on where the actors are positioned. And as far as the entrance being partly hidden, I assume I couldn't see the door, but I assume they did that partly because they didn't want to spend the money to recreate a storm outside. So if you can't see it at all, then you can't see it. So those are my reactions on the staging. I read somewhere in either one of the reviews or one of the press materials that they made a big point that this production used no amplification whatsoever. And that in combination with the fact that it was in the. Not in the round, but I guess a three quarter thrust situation that really exacerbated the audibility problem. So maybe if they were going to do it in the, you know, in three quarter thrusts, maybe they could have allowed themselves to have amplification or, or vice versa. So that's my reaction to all of that. I thought it was a very solid production, all Asian American cast. But as far as the accents and the speech, the mode of speech, everyone did pretty much what they should be doing given the setting of the play. I thought that it was very, very strongly cast across the board, including Rajesh Bose in the role of Dr. Lyman, which I have always felt that character seems like he's walked in from another play. I don't know, he just seems so foreign to me to what's happening on. But also, Inge was a closeted homosexual that is now well established. And he wrote so coded, you know, certainly much more than Tennessee Williams, who is far more open about all of that, as open as he could be at the time. But Inge really, I mean, to me it's fascinating to see how he coded things. So I've always thought of Dr. Lyman. I mean, he's an older man who's lusting after this young woman. But I always felt like he was a. As sort of a stand in for, you know, an older gay man, maybe, you know, lusting after some, some younger man or even boy, the way that Inge apparelly did for people like Warren Beatty, which is also, again, really well established. So there's that. But as if that weren't enough, Peter mentioned the role of Virgil, Beau's somewhat older friend who has been living with him on his ran ranch and is now traveling with him and is supposedly going on with him back to the ranch with, with Sherry now. And he, you know, I mean, the only real explanation for their relationship is that he is also in love with Beau. Although Beau, I think maybe is supposed to be so naive that he doesn't quite realize it. So it's really interesting to see all that, all of that coding in this play. I think much of the play is held up very, very well. And then, unfortunately, there are moments and elements in it that now seem rather melodramatic and clunky. But it was all helped greatly by the direction and the superb casting. The excellent, excellent casting. I want to also single out Cindy Chung as Grace and David Lee Nguyen as the Sheriff Will. But to me, I have to really praise as much as possible Midori Frances as Sherry. I thought she did something very, very smart at the beginning, at her first entrance. And I don't know how much of this was her own decision and how much maybe was Jack Cummings. But normally when I've seen Sherry come on, she's coming off of the bus and she runs into the diner and she says, there's a crazy man on the bus who's abducting me. I have to. Can I please stay here and maybe you can hide me. And she normally, in the past, has always seemed very, very upset, which is natural given this situation. But if she's that upset from the beginning, then I don't think you can ever fully rec and fully accept her change of heart at the end of the play. So what Midori Francis did was she played the first part, I want to say, almost more lighter and more comically, and I thought that made a tremendous difference. So whether, again, that was her idea or Jack Cummings, I thought it was a really, really great one, and I'm glad that I saw this production. We don't see Bus Stop very often anymore, I think, because it is generally considered somewhat dated and clunky by many people. The last Broadway production was not successful with Billy Crudup and Mary Louise Parker. So it was really great to have it back, even if it was just off Broadway at csc.

James Marino (17:02)

Okay, so this, as I mentioned, this production of Bus Stop at Classic Stage Company has just officially opened. It's on a limited run through Sunday, June 8, so there's about two weeks left before it closes up. So we'll have a link to that in the show notes. Michael, you headed over? Not so far, but probably not the same day from Classic Stage Company over to New York Theater Workshop, where you saw Lights Out, Nat King Cole, which is written by Colman Domingo and Patricia McGregor, who's the artistic director of New York Theatre Workshop. Tell us what you thought about Lights Out.

Mr. Moore (17:53)

I have to be careful because overall I disliked it intensely. It started out so well. The framing device is that we are at the taping or the broadcast, the telecast of Nat Kinko's final show of his variety series. And he is preparing to go on and there's discussions with his, you know, his producer and other people, the tech people involved in the show and all that. And I thought that was a really good framing device and I was expecting it to be, you know, aside from everything else, a very intelligent examination of the racism of the time, which is really something that it's hard for many young people today to imagine, I think. I mean, I lived through a little bit of it. I was very young, but I was conscious of it. And I think it's important to keep reminding people that even though things are certainly not perfect now, they were much, much worse back then. But unfortunately for me, this show, so it started out really well and especially when Dulay Hill started to sing as Nat King Cole and sounds exactly like him. He did a beautiful, beautiful job of that. And they also, the makeup and costume people did a good job of making him look quite a bit like Nat King Cole, including his hairstyle, which was pretty distinctive to Nat King Cole. So when he started to sing and he looked just like him and I thought, oh wow, this is going to be really great. But to me, it then became so heavy handed that I turned away from this show almost completely. Especially the role of Sammy Davis Jr. I mean, there's someone into playing Sammy Davis Jr. And he's supposed to be Sammy, but he's, he's also sort of like an evil, an evil spirit that's haunting that, you know, you know, always, always challenging him about racism and, and everything else. And I hated the performance because first of all, I mean, I don't remember, I'm sorry, I don't remember Sammy Davis Jr. Being a tremendously flamboyant homosexual. And that's what it came across to me as. Yeah, I did not like that at all. Yeah, so I mean, I can appreciate what Colman Domingo and his co writer were going for, but I just thought less would have been much more. There are interesting things, the way that people like Peggy Lee and Betty Hutton are worked into, into the narrative. And I, I like all of that and it was just to me, everything was done with a sledgehammer. And so I, I did not respond to that at all. I'd be curious to hear other people's thoughts.

James Marino (21:34)

Well, those other people's thoughts might be Peter Felicia, who's going to see it sometime in the next couple of weeks and we will revisit it. Then lights out. Nanking Cole at the New York Theater Workshop is scheduled through June 15th. So you have about three weeks left, Peter, to get down there and see it.

Mason Moore (21:53)

Yeah. If Betty Hutton's a character, I don't want to go. She's my least favorite. Does she act like Betty Hutton in the worst sense of the word?

James Marino (22:05)

Was.

Mr. Moore (22:05)

She was one of the more restrained performances.

Mason Moore (22:08)

Oh, thank God. If then Betty Hutton could have learned a lot from her. It's so painful for me to watch the Annie get your Gun movie and also to think of what Judy Garland would have done with it is. Oh, speaking of Judy Garland, I'll be soon seeing a show about Judy Garland in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, and I really am very much looking forward to it because it's directed by Paul Shamplin, who did such a phenomenal job with a hat full of rain back in the fall last year. So. So anyway, this is about Judy Garland's TV show and the ups and downs of it. So I am looking forward to that. But I wish we had Judy Garland in the Andy get yout Gun movie, and I'm sure that many people agree with me on that.

Mr. Moore (22:48)

Well, yeah, I don't think you're gonna get much argument on that.

Mason Moore (22:52)

I don't either.

Mr. Moore (22:53)

And yet Betty Hutton's performance in that is indefensible.

Mason Moore (22:58)

Yeah. Grotesque.

Mr. Moore (23:01)

Just another thing. On the Nat King Cole show at New York Theater Workshop, it looks to me, it seems to me, very clear that they have their sights on Broadway. It's a very large cast for Off Broadway, and the production values are quite elaborate. And so I'm guessing that that's what they have in mind. It will be interesting to see how other people react to the show itself. I read one or two reviews that were mixed. Neither of them is as negative as mine. So we'll see what the consensus is and if there's any momentum for moving it. I mean, it would be great to see Dulay Hill's performance on Broadway, but the rest of it, to me, it was just so off putting, I could not recommend it.

Mason Moore (23:56)

Well, the other thing is, just as we learned earlier in the season that a lot of people don't know who Louis Armstrong is anymore. I think that might even be more true of Nat King Cole. I just don't know how much people remember or know or even heard of this guy. Yes, the story is significant. Yes, he was wonderful. I bought the three record albums set of his greatest hits way back when. But nevertheless, I'm not sure that he's very famous anymore.

Mr. Moore (24:30)

Well, we all have our different perceptions on that. Of course, to me, he's a true icon. Some of those songs are. Seem to be deathless and you can still hear them in elevators and, and things like that. So you, you may be right, but.

Mason Moore (24:45)

And you may be too. Yeah, I'd rather you be right on this, by the way, you know, but. Go on, go on.

Mr. Moore (24:52)

Well, and it certainly didn't hurt the Bobby Davin show.

James Marino (24:57)

That's true.

Mason Moore (24:59)

I, I wonder if, if Jonathan Groff were not in it, if that would be as significant. I don't know. I don't know.

Mr. Moore (25:05)

Yeah, yeah, I think you're right.

James Marino (25:08)

Well, if they're going to bring it to Broadway, they better straighten up and fly right. I love Dulay Hill, I'm a big fan of his. So I have to see if I can get down to New York Theatre Workshop and see this just in case it doesn't transfer. I think that that's wonderful that somebody as television successful as Dulay Hill is, is doing an off Broadway show.

Mr. Moore (25:35)

I think incredibly impressed by his singing. And also I, I didn't mention.

James Marino (25:40)

Wasn't he a tap dance kid? He was a tap dance kid, wasn't he?

Mason Moore (25:44)

Was he?

James Marino (25:45)

Yeah, I think. Let's look that up, Dulay. And this long pause is brought to you by the slowness of the ibdb. Yes, he was tap D kid.

Mason Moore (26:06)

Look at that. Good for you.

James Marino (26:08)

He was, he was a tap dance kid. In 1983 he did black and blue. In 1989 he did bringing Noise, Bringing the Funk. He did Stick Fly, Magic Bird. Oh, I didn't know he was in Magic Bird. Wow.

Mason Moore (26:22)

Wow.

James Marino (26:23)

And After Midnight. Yeah. Dulay Hill. And he just had a birthday. Happy birthday, Dulay.

Mason Moore (26:30)

Wow. You know, Magic Bird. For those who don't know what that's about, it sounds like something very different. You know, Johnson and Larry Bird.

James Marino (26:40)

Larry Bird, yeah.

Mason Moore (26:42)

Fabulous basketball players of their day.

James Marino (26:44)

Yes, absolutely. The, the LeBron and Jordan of their day. So what else did I want to say? Oh, Elizabeth Vincentelli of the New York Times reviewed it and it did not make it a critics pick. So that, that usually plays heavily into a transfer if it's not a critics pick. Although we'll have to see what happens here. I mean, Colman Domingo's name holds a lot of sway these days. So damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead might be the way to go. All right, so what do we got up next? Lights out. We just did that. Oh, yes. So in the last couple of weeks we've had some, some award ceremonies. We're going to talk about the Outer Critics Circle and the Chita Rivera Awards and maybe see if the occ the out of Critics Circle shines some insight into either the Drama Desk Awards coming up or the Tony Awards in two weeks. So, Peter, just give us your general impression and Michael, give us your general impression of the awards, each one of them, and then we'll go through the categories. Okay?

Mason Moore (28:15)

Sure. The Cheetah Rivera Awards. Such a lovely ceremony. Joe Lanteri really does a wonderful job of coming out and telling us all about the awards. And what I love is the fact that he doesn't use a piece of paper or index cards or anything, anything like that. He memorizes his speech. He does it beautifully. So he's a very welcoming presence. But what was great fun, even though they did use index cards and paper, by having the three women from Hairspray who did the wonderful review. Mama, I'm a big girl now. Early in the season. Be co co hosts, if you will. So it was so nice to see Marissa Jarrett Winoker as well as Kerry Butler as well as Laura Bell Bundy. And they, frankly, I would like to have seen them more, but there were so many other presenters that they, they had to share the stage. Stephen Schwarz was there to give the lifetime achievement award to Ben Vereen. And I wrote this on Facebook for those of you who didn't see it or aren't on Facebook. What I always noticed about Stephen Schwartz is that he is so good about giving credit to other people. Whenever I've said to him, oh, I love in that show where you did blah, blah, blah, inevitably he says, that was so and so's idea. He learned a long time ago to give credit where credit is due. And I think that's quite wonderful. He did it here this time because he talked about the fact when they were auditioning for Pippen, they saw Ben Vereen out of courtesy, they didn't have a part for him. But he said, Roger Hirson, the book writer, said, well, maybe we can stitch things together and we can use him as a type of narrator. Maybe that'd be good. So. So anyway, he did give credit to Roger Hirson for coming up with that. And certainly Ben Vereen has to be grateful about that, that Ben Vereen got up and spoke for perhaps 15 minutes, no fewer than 10, I can't imagine. And at the end of the night when we went to the party, I said to Stephen Schwartz, you know what I love about you? And I was going to mention what I just mentioned. He said that I don't speak as long as Ben Vereen. So, yeah, it was. It was an inspirational speech about the fact that we have to save the arts in this country. No question about it. But it was a little lengthy. It was a lot lengthy, let's face it. So. But there was some surprises, I thought, in terms of the winners. The outstanding dancer in a Broadway show. Sure. I thought that Kevin Solak in Gypsy was tremendous as Tulsa, and as a result, he certainly proved it by appearing there that night and doing his dance. So. But I didn't expect that Robin Herder would win for Smash. Good luck to her. She's quite good in the show, but I can't say that her choreography in the show, the dances she was doing in the show, really stuck with me. So that was a surprise to me. I love the fact that Buena Vista Social Club won for outstanding ensemble. That was really quite impressive as well. So I like that a great deal. So a good time was had by all. Sure, it would have been a good 15 minutes shorter had been. Vereen just said, thank you. But as he pointed out, hey, this is my lifetime achievement. 1. I'm entitled. And we all cheered. We cheered a lot. But that added to the time as well. But the fact is, if people are cheering, that means they're having a good time. And a good time really was had by all.

James Marino (31:39)

All right, Michael, how about you? What were your takes on this?

Mr. Moore (31:44)

Oh, I. I wasn't at the Cheetahs.

James Marino (31:46)

No, no, on the. On the occ. So you went to the occ, right, yes.

Mr. Moore (31:53)

Yeah, yeah. Sorry, what was.

James Marino (31:55)

I'm sorry, what was the take on the occasion?

Mr. Moore (31:58)

Yeah, before I. I do that, Peter, I. I mentioned recently that Sandy Duncan and her husband Don Correa are voters for the Cheetahs. Did you see them there?

Mason Moore (32:08)

No, I did not. I wish I had.

Mr. Moore (32:10)

I mean, I'm not sure they attended, but.

Mason Moore (32:12)

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Mr. Moore (32:15)

The. The Outer Critics Circle Awards, it's the first time I ever attended it was at the Bruno Walter Auditorium, and I was invited by my friend Michael Levine, who provided the musical accompaniment, to play all of the winners onto the stage. And he made some very witty choices in that regard. So that was a joy in itself just to see what songs he was going to come up with for the various winners. The Outer Critics is one of the awards awards where the winners are announced ahead of time. So there are all these nominees that have to be read and have to be present, and it makes for a much shorter award ceremony, especially because there were also no real. There Were no performances at all. All. It's just really one award announced after another with acceptance speeches. Very, very lovely and for the most part, very short and heartfelt acceptance speeches. Let me just read the winners because I'll just go through them quickly. And by the way, the way they do it is each award is called outstanding. So you have outstanding new Broadway musical, maybe happy ending. Outstanding new Broadway play. John Proctor is the villain. New off Broadway musical was Drag the Musical, which was a bit of a surprise to me, but when you think about the shows that actually opened off Broadway musicals that opened off Broadway, there really weren't that many. And of course, I should point out, Dead Outlaw was not eligible this season because it was eligible last season. New off Broadway play was Liberation. The John Gassner award for new American play went to Good night and good luck. A revival of a play, Broadway or off Broadway was Went to Vanya. The one person. Vanya with Andrew Scott. Revival of a musical, Broadway or Off Broadway. Cats. The Jellicle Ball. Lead performer in a. Yes.

Mason Moore (34:40)

I love how your voice goes up at the end to say, how could that happen? Yeah, go on.

Mr. Moore (34:49)

I actually really enjoyed it, but I see.

Mason Moore (34:51)

Yeah, sure.

Mr. Moore (34:54)

Lead performer in a Broadway musical, Jasmine. Amy Rogers for Boop. The Musical, which really did my heart good. I think she is so wonderful and that. And I'm glad she got this recognition whether or not she wins a Tony. Featured performer in a Broadway musical, Jack Malone. The wonderful Jack Malone for Operation Mincemeat. Lead performer in a Broadway play, Laura Donnelly, Hills of California. Featured performer in a Broadway play, Francis Jew, Yellowface, who's getting all kinds of deserved acclaim this season for that role. Lead performer in an off Broadway play, Adam Driver. Hold on to me, darling. Featured performer in off Broadway play, Michael Rishon. Table 17. He was so great in that.

Mason Moore (35:41)

I agree.

Mr. Moore (35:42)

Lead performer in an off Broadway musical, Nick Adams for the musical. It was great to see him again after not seeing him for a while. Andre de Shields, one featured performer in an off Broadway musical for Cats, the Jellicoe Bolt and Sarah Snook. Or Snook. People at this awards ceremony pronounce it both ways, by the way, so I don't know where we stand. Sarah Snook.

James Marino (36:10)

She calls herself Snook.

Mason Moore (36:12)

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.

Mr. Moore (36:13)

Yes. So you. Yeah. Is that. That's your basis for. Okay, well, then I think that's. That's fair enough. Picture of Dorian Gray. Outstanding solo performance. Outstanding new score. Will Aronson and Way park maybe Happy ending. Book of a musical. Those same two people for maybe Happy Ending. Scenic design went to Stranger Things. Not surprising. Costume design, Greg Barnes. Boop. The musical. Lighting design, Stranger Things. Sound design, Stranger Things. Video or projection design, the Picture of Dorian Gray. And then we're getting to the end here. Orchestrations, Andrew Resnick and Michael Thurber. For Just in Time. Musical, Michael Arden. Maybe Happy Ending. Choreography, Jerry Mitchell. For Boop. Director of a play, Donnia Taymor. For John Proctor is the villain. And a special achievement award to Patrick Hoffman, who is the recently retired curator of Theater on Film and Tape archive at the New York Public Library. So I think every, every single winner was very, very well deserved. I was very happy and I appreciate the invitation from Michael Levine because as I say, I'd never been to that particular awards ceremony and it was just lovely.

James Marino (37:50)

All right, so the occasion, I'm not sure if this is correct, but leading in the non gendered categories. I'm not sure if other people did it before the occasion.

Mr. Moore (38:09)

Drama Desk was later, I think.

James Marino (38:16)

And Drama Desk is. While they have non gendered categories, they have two winners, don't they? Whereas the OCC just has one winner.

Mr. Moore (38:27)

Right, right. But, but the Drama Desk has two winners. But they, but they don't specify that they have to be different genders.

James Marino (38:35)

Exactly. It's just one category with two winners, whereas the UCC is one category with one winner. So we can strike the fear of Audra into both men and women and other people who are non binary. You know, the, the Audra effect. Oh, doing something. We will see what happens. This is quite, you know, it's interesting to me because I, I feel as though that Jasmine Amy Rogers for Boop. The musical has surged in the last, in the last week or so and all of a sudden this category that everybody assumed Nicole Scherzinger was going to win, Jasmine Amy Rogers. So, you know, next week, Peter, Michael and I will talk about our predictions for the Tony Awards and if you feel very strongly about one of these Tony Ward things, please email us and we'll. We'll consider it for next week. So, Peter, any thoughts about the outer critics circle?

Mason Moore (39:43)

No, I think it's terrific though to hear that they've done so well because there was a time when it was a very modest ceremony on the second floor, third floor of Sardis and that was the extent of it. People. I do. There were 50 people there. So it's really nice how it's grown tremendously and I'm very, very happy about that given the fact that, that the outer critics certainly have done their part. To stay alive. And Simon Saltzman certainly has a great deal to do with that. He really worked so hard to keep these awards going and it's so nice to see them flourishing.

Mr. Moore (40:19)

Well, I don't know.

James Marino (40:20)

Exceeded.

Mason Moore (40:21)

Go ahead.

Mr. Moore (40:22)

I, I didn't do the research, but I'm not sure if this is their first time at the Bruno Walter, but that is a very nice venue.

Mason Moore (40:30)

Oh, sure.

Mr. Moore (40:31)

You know, I, it's intimate and, and you really, you know, it's, it's just the right size and, and so I, I, I, I'm happy that they landed there and I hope, you know, maybe that'll continue.

James Marino (40:50)

Should we sort of. For folks who may not know Outer critics, it was our originally. Peter. Correct me, Michael, correct me if I'm wrong. Was originally the journalists that were outside the tri state area.

Mason Moore (41:09)

Yeah, I think it was, I thought it was just outside of New York.

James Marino (41:13)

Outside of New York. So. But it, I'm not saying I'm right. I'm just was so from their press release says the outer critic circle is an esteemed association with members affiliated with more than 90 newspapers, magazines, broadcast stations and online news organizations in America and abroad. David Gordon, the president, things like that. Jan Simpson was on the nominating committee, of course, our Jan Simpson. It doesn't say anymore, but it used to be that they were, oh, the official organization of writers on New York theater for out of town national and digital news publications.

Mr. Moore (41:54)

So yeah, whatever that means.

Mason Moore (41:57)

Yeah, it's expanded. That's, that's a smart move to expand it to. Because Outer can, yeah. You know, if somebody on Mars wants to come in and see some shows.

James Marino (42:07)

Yeah, I was just gonna say that, Peter. I was just gonna say if you're a correspondent from Mars Mars, you could join the occ. So there's been a blurring of these organizations since digital and you know, Internet has, has really gotten larger and larger. But I look towards the outer Critics circle as, you know, an indicator, a canary in the coal mine of what's happening in drama desk and what's happening in the Tony awards.

Mason Moore (42:38)

Sure.

James Marino (42:38)

So I think that these things ought to be considered. So there's, that's the outer Critic circle and the Cheetah Rivera Awards. Lastly this morning, Peter, you got down to Lafayette street to see Goddess at the Newman in the, the public theater space. So tell us about about it.

Mason Moore (43:06)

Well, here we are talking about Audra, we're talking about Nicole and we're talking about Jasmine. Boy, the performance of the season for an actress in a musical may very well be Amber Iman in Goddess. Whoa, what a performance. Good Lord. Now we may remember her last year. We should remember her last year in Lempicka, where she played Lempicka's girlfriend. And whoa, she was great there and got a Tony and Drama Desk nomination. And wow, what a powerhouse performer. Not just because she has a phenomenal voice, but the performance is so heartfelt. She really acts it so beautifully. Okay, what's going on? The real story involves a governor and his son. The governor is retiring. He has been grooming his son to become the next governor. Well, you know what's going to happen. I have to admit, you know, it's a very predictable story. The kid wants to live his own life. He doesn't want to follow his father's template. And he really has a great affinity for a nightclub in town where it's not a gay bar. No, but gays certainly populate it. And that's made very clear from the direction and. But everybody has such a wonderful time and he thinks it's a great place. And the father says, you got to stay away from there because you're never going to get elected. If people find out you go there, my God, you're going to really be in trouble. So. But he loves the place also. He's a saxophonist and he's encouraged to play with the band and he's really good as a saxophonist. But again, the father says, no, you can't be there. Are you crazy? So. And so forth. So that's the conflict. And strangely enough, it seems to work out in one way but not another. I'm going to be purposely vague here for those who want to see it, though I am amazed at the end of the show where everybody's boogieing around, that the father is doing the same too at the end. So he's not the type of guy who would come around at all. There's a fascinating thing, the boy also, you know, we're talking about Ken Kenya. I should have mentioned that. Kenya. So the. The rules are a little different there from where they are here. And this boy has been promised in marriage to a girl since birth. Now, I don't know if this was purposeful or not, but the point is, the actor playing the governor's son is substantially taller than the actress playing his intended. Now, I thought, what strange casting. Why would you do that? But on the other hand, I wonder if the point was, if you at birth, assign your kid to a mate, we don't know how those people are going to look as they grow up. So these two look so mismatched. But maybe that was a way of commenting on the fact that this is what happens when you promise your kid in marriage to somebody just born. You don't know how they're going to turn out. So they look like Mutt and Jeff, if you remember those characters from the comic strips. And I'll understand if you don't. But anyway, so I thought that was really, really bizarre until I gave it a little more thought and said maybe that's the point of what they' doing. The performances are fine. It's just the book is a little trite. However, however, however, the music. Wow. Music is really, really fine. And Michael Thurber is the gentleman who posed it and he did a phenomenal job. So is the choreography. It really is very, very good. So we do get a little tired of the conflicts that we've heard a million times. It's amazing to me how many shows I see. I would say really at least 80% of the shows I see involve conflict between parents and children, grown children, small children, whatever. So it's a gosh for people to watch out before they have kids. But nevertheless, that happens all the time. And this is another one that does it. So there's a blinding predictability about the conflict that's going to go on here. And of course the mother loves her son tremendously and is to trying. Trying to walk both sides of the street. But boy, I hope we see performance after performance of Amber Iman. And all I can say is I wouldn't be surprised if the day come that she surpasses Audra and Nicole and Jasmine combined because this is a major, major talent.

James Marino (47:32)

I think that if Shuffle along had done better on Broadway, we would have heard more of Amber Iman. So she was in the. The production of Limpicka, Soul Doctor and Shuffle along, nominated for Tony and Drama League nominations for Limpicka, which she was wonderful in, in a. A problematic production. Limpica was. Was not a great vehicle for anybody, but she was amazing. So, yes, we hope that. That we see more of Ember. So, Michael, you were going to say something?

Mr. Moore (48:29)

No, no, just. I mean, what a compliment, Peter. That, that's. That is amazing. That stuff you said about her. I. I'm gonna really have to try to see if I can get this. See this show.

Mason Moore (48:42)

Good. I hope you do.

James Marino (48:43)

They have extended another two weeks, so it is playing down at the public through June 15th. Michael, if you haven't gotten the invite, I'll forward that to you from the public. So let me know about that. That but definitely get to see it if you can. Peter, I want you to take out your crystal ball and look into the future.

Mason Moore (49:09)

Okay.

James Marino (49:11)

Based upon what you have seen recently at the Shubertz High School High School presentation, who should we be looking forward to in the future to show up on Broadway stage?

Mason Moore (49:26)

Well, there are so many that it's very hard.

James Marino (49:29)

Oh, that's crazy here.

Mason Moore (49:31)

And the other thing too is the fact that we, we do get a list of who's in these songs that each school does one song, one production number, actually, I should say. And while they're listed in the program, we certainly have no idea who's who. But, but nevertheless, it's wonderful that MTR and the Shuberts do this each year. And this is the 20th anniversary of Broadway Junior, which we have at least Stephen Sondheim somewhat responsible for this because he showed up at Freddy Gershon's office. And isn't this something we can do to get kids interested? And it led to the Broadway Junior series. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, the one hour condensations of, of, of musicals numbers are cut. I mean, for example, with Guys and Dolls, more I cannot wish you was first to walk the plank, which isn't surprising. But anyway, they're certainly aimed for kids. And so schools showed up and they did songs certainly from Annie, as you might expect, but also from Newsies and more recent shows. So it was a terrific, terrific, terrific event. And I was so impressed by the teachers who really had to corral these kids. And certainly there were a couple of special needs schools there. And watching these teachers be so, so wonderful to these kids and encouraging them. And there were kids who were a little gun shy about going on stage fright, all that kind of stuff, to watch them calm down. These kids, these people are saints. And they really, really deserve so much more credit and money for what they do. So, so that's what really impressed me when I was watching what happened off stage as well as on. But I won't be surprised if someday we read in Playbill bios that these kids got their start at the Ambassador Theater in 2025 at the the marvelous Broadway Junior 20th anniversary celebration.

James Marino (51:41)

Oh, so great to hear. I love that. So I got a question from a listener and I meant to ask you before we were recording, but why not ask you now, Peter?

Mason Moore (51:56)

Sure.

James Marino (51:57)

Are you headed up to art to see two strangers carry a cake across New York?

Mason Moore (52:05)

Maybe. I, I, as I mentioned, I'm going up to see the Judy Garland Show. At Hopkinton. So while I'm up there, it all depends how much time I have. I. To be perfectly frank, my birthday is coming up, and so there's going to be a few celebrations in the Boston area for that from people I don't see nearly as much as I want to. So. And this is everybody's cue to send me a present. Certainly they will be accepted. So. Yeah, I may very well fit that in. We'll see what happens.

James Marino (52:39)

Okay.

Mr. Moore (52:39)

Peter, I think I might. I might try to get to see the light in the Piaza.

Mason Moore (52:45)

Oh, yeah, Yeah. A very acclaimed production at the Huntington. Indeed.

Mr. Moore (52:50)

You spoke about it, didn't you? I think you did last week.

Mason Moore (52:54)

Well, I haven't seen it. I don't know much about it, but.

Mr. Moore (52:59)

I'm wrong. Okay.

Mason Moore (53:00)

Yeah. Obviously somebody else. But nevertheless, everything I've read online from people who have seen it say it's really, really top notch.

Mr. Moore (53:09)

Yes. And Emily Skinner and. And I just found out that William Michaels is in it.

Mason Moore (53:15)

Oh, really? Michaels? Yeah, yeah, yeah. He's Senor Nakarelli, the original Dr. Dillon month.

James Marino (53:22)

I think that that baritone, he's the world's most dangerous baritone. So. Oh, like Light at the Piazza at the Huntington, it is very. It's playing through June 15th. So, yeah, you know, the Barrington Stage.

Mr. Moore (53:45)

Is going to be doing Camel lot with Ali Ewalt. So that's another thing that I, you know, have to try to see if I can get to these things.

James Marino (53:58)

All right, so finally this morning, Michael, we got word from our friends at Lincoln center that they're gonna do a Lincoln center makeover on the outside. So tell us what the plans are.

Mr. Moore (54:16)

Oh, yeah. Well, we sent. For those who missed it in the show notes. Look for a link to an article about it, because it's really amazing. They're gonna. This has been in the works or in discussion, I should say, for quite some time. They're really going to open up the western and. Well, the western side of the Lincoln center campus. The part that's on. That's Amsterdam Avenue, right? Yeah, yeah. So, you know, which now is like sort of. There's a. Basically, now there's a wall that. That. That shuts off the campus from. From the, you know, the. The projects on the other. The housing projects on the other side of Amsterdam Avenue. But the southern end of that, the wall is going to be removed and replaced by, I think, steps just going up to the campus. And the park is going to be renovated. The existing band shell in Damrosch park is going to be removed. So that is something that's I guess a historic loss. But, but there's going to be a state of the art open air theater, yet another theater at Lincoln center in that area. And if you look at the renderings, it's just absolutely amazing. I think they've already done so much there to improve Lincoln center over the past decade or so. All of that stuff that was done really during the pandemic, if I recall, you know, the addition of that lawn area by the Vivian Beaumont and the way that the, the entrance to Lincoln center on Broadway was, or you know, well, the front part of it anyway was completely reconfigured and made more accessible and all the other changes that, that happened for the good and now this. It's, I, I think it's a wonderful thing addressing issues that, that have been existing at Lincoln center for, for decades. But now they're just one by one really making major improvements and I think it's fantastic.

James Marino (56:50)

Okay, probably no statue of Aaron Sorkin going up there. Michael, have you looked into that?

Mr. Moore (57:01)

No.

Mason Moore (57:03)

Maybe Andre Bishop though.

James Marino (57:05)

Yeah. Well, that's a deserved statue. Absolutely. The, the amazing work, you know, these long term projects, I mean it's been in discussion forever and that's just, it's wonderful to see it starting to come to fruition. All right, so that wraps it up for this week. Before we get on to our brain teaser, 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 we have 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 in Apple Podcasts. There's many ways to get us. One way is Patreon P-A-T-R-E-O-N.com BroadwayRadio is where you can support all of Broadway radio shows and get us early and get some special bonuses like some of Matt Tamanini's non public podcast that he does for subscribers and Patreon as well as listening to us live on Sunday mornings and be able to join us in the, in the podcast and shaping what we we discuss in the mornings. Contact information for Peter for Michael and me can be found down in the show. Notes have broader video as well as links to some things we've talked about today. So Peter, do you have an answer to last week's brain teaser?

Mason Moore (58:29)

Indeed I do. What do the prom crazy for you and Oliver have in common. Now, Sean Logan said. I hate these questions where what do they have in common? They're so hard. And yet he's the only one who got it. But it was impossible, I will grant you, because all of them have a character who has a surname that ends with a W k I n Mr. Hawkins in the Prom, Lank Hawkins in Crazy for your, and Jack Dawkins in Oliver, although he prefers his nickname, the Artful Dodger. So certainly Tony Janicki and certainly Fred Abramowicz and Ingrid Gammon and Brigadoon all came up with alternates that were even stranger than the Question. But Sean Logan was the one who knew what I meant. This Week's Question Actor A A played a featured role in the Stephen Sondheim winning hit. Actor B played the leading role in a Stephen Sondheim flop. Within a dozen years, though, Actor A was playing the role that Actor B had originated in that flop at a revival in one of the nation's premier Tony winning regional theaters at the same time that Actor B was on Broadway playing the same role that Actor A had had in that Tony winning Sondheim show. Who are the performers, what are the shows, and what are the roles?

James Marino (59:57)

Okay, if you have an answer for that, email us@triviaroadrayradio.com we'll let you know if you're on the right track. So Michael, what do we have in this week's musical moments?

Mr. Moore (60:09)

Well, on Monday, May 19, there was this really fabulous event at the Town Hall Hall. Lin Manuel Miranda was honored at the Town Hall Spring Shout Benefit concert. He was honored along with Tom Wirtshafter who is the board President Emeritus of Town Hall. And that is another great venue that has survived in New York against all odds. And I urge you, everyone who has never been there at an event, you definitely owe it to yourself because it's part of history and it's a wonderful, wonderful theater. So that's who Tom Wirtshafter is. And Lin Manuel Miranda, I think needs no explanation or introduction to anyone who listens to this podcast. I got to attend the event as both a photographer and a reporter. I had not done a photo feature for quite some time, but I did one for Talkin Broadway and I sent the link to James so you can find that in the show notes. But before the show started, I got to photograph and speak with Lin Manuel and some of his family. Renee Elise Goldsberry, all of these people who had one connection or another or several to Lin Manuel's career. James Monroe Eaglehart, Christopher Jackson, Priscilla Lopez, Jordan Fisher, Javier Munoz, Leslie Margarita Nicholas Christopher Joshua Henry Robin De Jesus, Olga Meredith. It was really an amazing show with fabulous, fabulous performances. It was, I think, two hours with no intermission. Just one. One incredible performance after another. And really amazing to be there and, and fun to be on the red carpet, which I'm, I'm not usually on red carpets, but it did. There's an energy to it that's like nothing else. And especially when Lin Manuel arrived and, and a cheer went up from the crowd gathered on the street and he spent time signing autographs and speaking to people before he went into the show. You know, certainly one of the most deserved award winners possible for what he's done in the theater and movies. That's a whole nother subject. But yeah, it was really a wonderful event for me and I was so glad I was there. So actually, that is our musical moments for this week. The opener that you heard was a little bit of the opening of the title song from in the Heights featuring Lin Manuel and our closer. You know, Lin Manuel. Embarrassment of riches. How can you possibly choose? But since I did get to. To speak with and photograph Rene Elise Goldsberry, whom I love so much, I thought we would pick a little bit of satisfied from Hamilton as our closer. Please enjoy those two clips and it was a really, really great night.

James Marino (63:44)

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

Mason Moore (63:57)

Now everyone. Give it up for the maid of honor, Angelica Skylar.

Narrator (64:05)

A toast to the groom.

James Marino (64:07)

To the groom.

Mason Moore (64:08)

To the groom.

Mr. Moore (64:09)

To the groom.

James Marino (64:09)

To the bride. To the bride. To the bride. Always, always by your side. Your union revolution and the hope that you provide. May you always be satisfied.

Narrator (64:48)

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Mr. Moore (65:02)

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Narrator (65:03)

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Mason Moore (65:09)

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Narrator (65:11)

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