This Week on Broadway for November 30, 2025: Gotta Dance @ The York

Summary

BroadwayRadio – This Week on Broadway for November 30, 2025:

"Gotta Dance @ The York"

Date: November 30, 2025
Hosts: James Marino, Peter Filichia, Michael Portantier
Special Segment: Opening/Closing Musical Moments by Dennis DeYoung (from Chess)

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Episode Overview

This week’s episode dives deep into recent productions on and Off-Broadway, pays tribute to the late Tom Stoppard, reviews a dazzling dance retrospective at the York, and surveys other notable New York theater happenings. Listeners will find critiques, behind-the-scenes industry news, and recommendations for what to see, stream, or listen to in the coming weeks.

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Highlights & Major Themes

1. Remembering Tom Stoppard (04:18 – 16:42)

A heartfelt tribute following news of Stoppard’s passing, discussing his unique impact on theater and the enduring influence of his works on multiple generations.

Key Discussion Points:

• Influence on Playwrights:
  • Peter Filichia suggests Stoppard inspired dramatists to explore minor characters (“Are there any other minor characters in various properties that could be mined?” – 04:38).
  • Examples given: "Wicked," reinterpretations in Chekhov.
• Unique Plays:
  • “Every Good Boy Deserves Favour” (exploring delusion and music) and “The Real Inspector Hound” (a sendup of critics and stage clichés).
  • Stoppard’s humor contrasted with his intellectual density.
• Accessibility & Writing Style:
  • Michael Portantier respects the brilliance but often found Stoppard’s plays “too dense for me.” (09:23)
  • Notable exception: he "absolutely love[s]" the screenplay for Shakespeare in Love (10:24).
• Notable Obituary Moment:
  • Portantier questions the New York Times’s use of “prolix” describing Arcadia – "I don’t think that’s the word he meant to use..." (10:45)
• Background & Identity:
  • Stoppard’s Czech origins and multilingual background highlighted as influencing the breadth and complexity of his writing (14:34–15:06).
  • Discussion of his 22 Broadway productions and many Off-Broadway accolades.
• Leopoldstadt and Narrative Choices:
  • Filichia observes how Leopoldstadt skips over WWII directly, perhaps in order to focus on dramatic irony and aftermath (13:49).

Notable Quotes:

• "If you need a 28 page glossary, you know you’re dealing with a superior mind." – Peter Filichia (07:32)
• "He really was just a major, major figure in the theater." – Michael Portantier (11:53)

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2. Review: The Seat of Our Pants at The Public Theater (16:42 – 30:17)

The panel explores The Seat of Our Pants, a new musical by Ethan Lipton, adapted from The Skin of Our Teeth.

Key Discussion Points:

• Title & Adaptation:
  • Clever retitling captures the show’s spirit.
  • Historic attempts by Kander & Ebb to musicalize the material discussed.
• Production Details:
  • Directed by Lee Silverman, featuring a dynamic, genre-crossing score.
  • Ruthie Ann Miles receives high praise for her galvanizing performance as Mrs. Antrobus: “Whoa. She is galvanizing every scene she’s in.” (21:11)
  • Michaela Diamond’s portrayal of Sabina is solid, but Miles is the standout.
• Musical Style:
  • Fusion of Golden Age and contemporary influences; compared to Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet (27:19).
  • Repetition in the score is noted as effective.
• Conceptual Challenges:
  • The play’s blend of allegory and fantasy makes it a challenging but ultimately rewarding experience.

Notable Quotes:

• “The Seat of Our Pants is a terrific alternate title for Skin of Our Teeth because it has the same type of feeling...” – Peter Filichia (19:55)
• “Go, go, go...” – Michael Portantier’s enthusiastic endorsement (29:52)

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3. Review: Gotta Dance at The York Theatre (30:32 – 36:18)

A loving look at a dance retrospective that’s a joy for fans of Broadway dance.

Key Discussion Points:

• Production Overview:
  • Conceived and directed by Nikki Feirt Atkins and Randy Skinner.
  • Features standout talent and robust production values, including live music.
  • Presented in association with Ricky Kane Larimer; higher-than-usual Off-Broadway resources.
• Program Highlights:
  • Celebrates Broadway and film musical dance numbers: “One hit after another!” – Michael Portantier (34:13)
  • Special mention of Jessica Lee Goldyn’s “phenomenal” turn in The Music and the Mirror and I’m a Brass Band.
• Reason to Attend:
  • “An absolute, absolute must see… you would pay less for this show than for many a Broadway show and get… four times the entertainment value.” (35:34)

Notable Quote:

“Fabulous retrospective of amazing moments from musical theater history… an absolute must see.” – Michael Portantier (30:45, 35:34)

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4. Other Reviews: Fast Takes

Reunions at City Center Stage 2 (36:41 – 42:06)

• Two new musicals based on classic plays; Twelve Pound Look draws comparisons to A Doll’s House.
• Chip Zien and Joanna Glushak highlighted for their performances.
• “Not a world beater, but decent.” – Peter Filichia (41:35)

Seth Rudetsky’s Broadway Friends at Carnegie Hall (42:38 – 47:29)

• Major Broadway talent joins the Malloy CAP21 BFA students and a 60-piece orchestra.
• “Absolutely thrilling… really great that Seth was able to create such an amazing evening.” – Michael Portantier (47:06)

Lao Wang, a Chinatown King Lear at 59E59 (48:26 – 51:31)

• Modern King Lear twist about family and legacy in Chinatown.
• Central prop: a dollar bill, used inventively to drive the plot.

The Surgeon and Her Daughters at Theater 154 (51:59 – 55:59)

• Explores family dynamics, adoption, and the truth of relationships.
• “When it’s good, it really hits the spot.” – Peter Filichia (55:43)

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5. Broadway at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (56:34 – 60:00)

• Performances from Buena Vista Social Club, Just in Time, and Ragtime.
• “All three shows came across very, very well on the parade, which is not always… the case.” – Michael Portantier (58:54)
• Jonathan Groff sang live despite illness, causing him to miss subsequent shows.

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6. Upcoming Events & Recommendations (60:00 – 69:04)

• Cheyenne Jackson at Carnegie Hall (Dec 8): Joined by Jane Krakowski and Jessica Vosk—“entertainment value…through the roof” (61:52).
• Porgy and Bess at the Met: Strong new cast, “an absolute masterwork” (64:52).
• NY Times ‘5 Minutes That Will Make You Love Musicals’: Panelists discuss surprising favorite moments from the musical theater canon.

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7. Modern Cast Album and Streaming Recommendations (69:12 – 76:30)

• Full video of Twelfth Night from Shakespeare in the Park on YouTube.
• PBS documentary on the Delacorte Theater renovation.
• Mo Rocca’s “wonderful” extended interview with Stephen Schwartz.
• Newly released color video archives of classic musicals (Ray Knight Theater and Film collection) now streaming via the Institute of the American Musical.

Notable Quotes on Schwartz & Mo Rocca:

“He really is a mensch. And I think that absolutely comes across in this interview, so you might want to check it out.” – Michael Portantier (71:38) “Mo knows…a scholar of Broadway.” – James Marino (72:50)

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8. Closing Segments

Brain Teaser (76:54 – 78:35)

• Trivia about musicals and famous lists (the Kubler-Ross stages of grief).

Musical Moments (78:48 – 80:37)

• Dennis DeYoung performs two songs from Chess: “Someone Else’s Story” and “Where I Want to Be".

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Memorable Quotes (with Timestamps)

• "If you need a 28 page glossary, you know you’re dealing with a superior mind." – Peter Filichia [07:32]
• "I always respected the hell out of him, but really didn’t enjoy most of his plays because they were just too dense for me." – Michael Portantier [09:23]
• “Ruthie Ann Miles is Mrs. Antrobus. Whoa. She is galvanizing every scene she’s in.” – Peter Filichia [21:11]
• "This is a fabulous retrospective of amazing moments from musical theater history... an absolute must see.” – Michael Portantier [30:45]
• “Go, go, go.” – Michael Portantier’s endorsement of Seat of Our Pants [29:52]
• “You would pay less for this show than for many a Broadway show and get... four times the entertainment value.” – Michael Portantier [35:34]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [04:18] Remembrance: Tom Stoppard Dies at 88
• [16:42] Review: The Seat of Our Pants at The Public
• [30:32] Review: Gotta Dance at The York
• [36:41] Review: Reunions at City Center Stage 2
• [42:38] Review: Seth Rudetsky at Carnegie Hall
• [48:26] Review: Lao Wang at 59E59
• [51:59] Review: The Surgeon and Her Daughters at Theater 154
• [56:34] Review: Broadway at the Macy’s Parade
• [60:00] Upcoming Events & Recommendations
• [69:12] Streaming/Online Recommendations
• [76:54] Brain Teaser and Musical Moments

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Final Thoughts

This episode offers a vibrant, wide-ranging survey of New York theater, reverently marking the passing of a much-loved playwriting icon, and radiating excitement for all things musical. It's a perfect listen for insiders and outsiders eager to get the flavor of the city’s theater scene—and will leave Musical lovers with a long to-do list of what to see and hear in person and online.

Transcript

[Dennis DeYoung]

Long ago in someone else's lifetime Someone with my name who looked a lot like me Came to know.

[Peter Filicia]

A girl.

[Dennis DeYoung]

And made a promise she only had to say and that's when where he would be. Lately, although the feelings run just as deep the promise he made has grown impossible to keep and yet I wish it wasn't so. Will she miss me if I go?

[James Marino]

Hello and welcome to Broadway Radio's this Week on Broadway for Sunday, November 30, 2025. It's almost that time of year. 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 and a great stocking stuffer. It is Black Sunday, something like that, or Cyber Monday by Tammy. Hear this. Peter also has columns at Masterworks, Broadway, Broadway select, and many of the places. Hello, Peter.

[Peter Filicia]

Hi.

[James Marino]

Hey, I was thinking, you know, Sunday, it's Today is a great day to buy this calendar.

[Peter Filicia]

It's Today is also a song from Mame. And the reason I chose it for November 30th is because that's the date in 1929 that Agnes Gooch delivers Patrick Dennis to his Auntie Mame's house. Not that Mame was expecting him, for she assumed he was arriving at the end of the month, November 31st. To prove that she was right, Mame recites that famous poem that begins 30 days at September. When she gets to the 11th month, she only has to say the first syllable, Nov, to realize what the last day actually is. So Mame says also that it is today that it may not be anyone's birthday. Well, I imagine there are plenty of people who are born on November 30th. I think she means it may not be anybody's birthday at that party that she's throwing. Okay. But nevertheless, happy birthday, Mandy Butankin, among many others.

[James Marino]

All right. Also with us is Michael Portantier. Michael is a theater reviewer, an interviewer. He is the founder and editor of castalbumreviews.com and also as a theatrical photographer whose photos have appeared in the New York Times and other publications. And he also writes reviews of cabaret shows for NightLifeExchange.com Additionally, Michael is known as a producer and director of shows at 54 below, the Laurie Beechman Theater and other venues. Hello, Michael.

[Michael Portantier]

Hello.

[James Marino]

And Michael, just in two weeks or so, you are going to have an evening with Lynn Cariou.

[Michael Portantier]

Yes. At the Laurie Beechman, A full length interview, live interview with some clips of his performance. And you know, it's almost as if the universe heard that I was going to do this because suddenly on YouTube have appeared all of this extremely rare stuff of Len carry you in live performance. I can't believe the coincidence. So I guess it's a good sign, right? I think it's going to be a wonderful evening. And he's so great as far as not only his talent, but he's a great raconteur as I think people will see if they attend. He really has a lot of stories about a lot of great experiences and amazing legendary people he's worked with over the decades.

[James Marino]

So in the news this week, we don't typically start with news, but some big news coming down the pipe yesterday is that Tom Stoppard passed away at the age of 88. So Peter, let's, let's talk a little bit about the impact of Tom Stoppard on the world of theater.

[Peter Filicia]

I think there was an impact that may be something that doesn't immediately come to mind. But given that his first place was a play with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern dead, at least in this country, I have a feeling that he really influenced people in playwrights and screenwriters to say, huh, Are there any other minor characters in various properties that could be mined? I, I've certainly seen Mrs. Berschinin takes a character that isn't even in Three Sisters. But her point of view, this is Rashin and his wife who's away. We never meet her. When he falls in love with Masha, he talks about her. And so playwright gave us her side of the story. Certainly wicked, certainly. I mean one might argue that the witch is in such a minor character, but nevertheless, taking a story from her point of view was certainly successful on many levels. But I, I, I just wonder if subconsciously Tom Stopard planted that thought in writers minds. I don't know. But nevertheless it occurred to me two things I'd like to talk about with Tom Stoppard that one doesn't usually hear very much about. The first one was Every good boy deserves favor. Which wasn't done on Broadway, it was done at Lincoln Center, I think, and I did see it there. And so it's two gentlemen who are in a mental institution. They're sharing a room and one of them hears music and he conducts music. His hands are always moving as he conducts music. And now remember, this is only inside his head. Now, of course, there is an orchestra behind him at Lincoln center playing the music, but nevertheless, it's only in his head. So anyway, what's really great is that his roommate coughs and he glares at him, you know, because he's disturbing the music. Like when you're in a theater, you hate the person next to you who coughs, you know, it disturbs you. And of course, the poor soul has no idea that he's disturbing the guy because after all, he's not hearing any music if it's silent. As far as he's concerned, it is. So I think that was a very funny way to start a show. And that's what happens immediately at the beginning of Every Good Boy deserves favor. Also, I want to bring up the real Inspector Hound, which was great fun. One act play in which two critics go to production. That's very much like the Mousetrap. And it is a parody on that.

[Michael Portantier]

The.

[Peter Filicia]

The maid comes in and says something like. She answers the phone, good morning, the so and so resident morning in early June, you know, to the time now, that type of thing. And it's great when you see the second act of the play and she comes in, she answers the phone, she says the same, you know, because that's something you often see in playbills as well. So it also spoofs drama critics very, very well in which she talk. One drama critic is praising the other and saying, you must be so pleased. They put up your entire review outside the theater in light bulbs. So. So Tom Stoppard had a good sense of humor as well. God knows that he could be very, very difficult to understand at times. And those of us who are mere mortals often had trouble catching up with him. I will never forget being at work and seeing that there was a 28 page glossary of terms from the University of Chicago. They print, they assembled it for the Invention of Love. And on the commute I had from New Jersey to go to the theater, I read those 28 pages. And even though I certainly didn't memorize the definitions for every word, the point was that when I heard those words coming from the stage, it wasn't a case of what do you say? You know, at least I had a familiarity with it. But my point is, if you need a 28 page glossary, you know, you're dealing with a superior mind. And so many times many of us got lost while watching a Tom Stopper play. But when we could catch on to them, they were awfully good.

[James Marino]

Michael, what are your thoughts on Mr. Stoppard Sir Stoppar.

[Michael Portantier]

Tom. Yeah. Well, first of all, Peter, what is the exact title? Is it Every Good Boy Deserves Favor?

[Peter Filicia]

Yes. S V O U R. Yeah.

[Michael Portantier]

And do you. Do you know what that. What that refers to?

[Peter Filicia]

The scale?

[Michael Portantier]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Peter Filicia]

Every Good Boy Does Fine. Seems to be the American.

[James Marino]

That's the American version. Yeah.

[Peter Filicia]

Yeah.

[Michael Portantier]

And I just found another one. Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge.

[Peter Filicia]

Oh, I like that one. Now we're talking.

[Michael Portantier]

But that's an example of Stoppard's cleverness. I do have to agree with you, but I guess I'm more on that other side. To me, you know, I guess I always respected the hell out of him, but really didn't enjoy most of his plays because they were just too dense for me. And I don't. I personally don't think that audiences should be required to have.

[Peter Filicia]

To.

[Michael Portantier]

Have to use a glossary. And it wasn't only that, though. It wasn't only words that I didn't know. Just. I don't know, lots of philosophical discussion. And the. The. To me, the. The one that I found impenetrable, and I know many people disagree with me, is coast of Utopia. I just could not stay awake during those. I. I much prefer the earlier plays, such as the Real Thing and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. And also, you know, maybe. Maybe it was because Stoppard was, to some degree writing down for the general public, but to me, the best thing he ever wrote was this scre play for Shakespeare in Love. Oh, I absolutely love that. So much. Interesting, too, that he collaborated. Yeah, I think someone else had the idea.

[Peter Filicia]

That's right.

[Michael Portantier]

That's right. Yeah. Yeah. And so that. That's. That's basically my feelings about him. One really interesting item in Bruce Weber's obituary for Stopard in the New York Times. And. And I really like Bruce Weber. I think he writes excellent obituaries. But there seemed to be a huge oops moment in this one because what he said was, he was referring to. He was listing Stoppard's most famous plays, and he referred to, quote, unquote, the prolix and ribald comedy Arcadia, 1993 and Olivier Award winner, unquote. Now, I wasn't sure that I knew what prolix meant, so I had to look it up, but I did. And do you know what prolix means? It means using or containing too many words. Tediously lengthy. I don't think that's the word he meant to use because it didn't sound like he was trying to Criticize it. So maybe that was just an error on his part or maybe he was trying to slip in a criticism amidst the praise. But I did notice that, and that was something that. That hopped out at me. Stoppard's death was announced yesterday. I still haven't seen any exact information on when exactly he died or of what cause. He was 88, so, you know, he was not a young man. Maybe that'll come out in. In. In future days. But I know that many, many people really more in the loss. And I think that I've heard a lot of people talking about it because he really was just a major, major figure in the theater. The other thing, too.

[Peter Filicia]

I'm sorry. Go ahead, James.

[James Marino]

I didn't realize he was born in Czechoslovakia.

[Peter Filicia]

Is that something?

[Michael Portantier]

Yeah.

[James Marino]

And maybe that leads to. Michael, what you were saying about his work being Den. That's perhaps the same thing that Bruce Weber was referring to. And you know, I often find some of the great works of Russian theater to be too long and too wordy and too dense for myself.

[Michael Portantier]

Interesting.

[James Marino]

Yes. Maybe that was the influence there, but certainly his. He born in Czechoslovakia and then moved to Singapore trying to escape. Escaped the German invasion of Eastern Europe.

[Michael Portantier]

And his father was killed. His father stayed behind and was killed.

[James Marino]

But the family, you know, he certainly had such great exposure to so many different societies which are reflected in his works. Peter, what were you going to say?

[Peter Filicia]

Well, I was going to say about Leopoldstadt, which was a more serene Tom Stoppard play. But it was very interesting that when the time came for World War II, that he completely did not deal with it. He dealt with the 30s and then jumped to the 50s. And I get the feeling that the reason he did that is because, look, we've all heard about the 40s. Let's concentrate on what happened before and what happened after. And especially it's very interesting to hear people talk about the fact some people at the party in the 30s saying, nothing's gonna happen. What do you worry, bro? Come on, calm down. And, you know, we have the knowledge, the dramatic irony that we know certainly a lot is going to happen and something in fact happens that very night. So he was very skillful in knowing what to include and what not to.

[Michael Portantier]

Include relative to what James said. Alan Teasley pointed out in our chat that English was Stoppard's second or third language. So all the more impressive, you know, that he mastered it to such a degree, you know.

[James Marino]

Yeah. I mean, I just assumed that he was English and.

[Peter Filicia]

Yeah, why wouldn't you?

[James Marino]

Yeah.

[Michael Portantier]

And a lot obits led by calling him a British playwright, which is not completely true. Yeah, I mean, you know, he. I'm sure he became a citizen.

[James Marino]

Best known as. Best known as. But Broadway fans may or may not know that there's been 22 productions on Broadway of Stoppard's works. And Peter mentioned the. The first in 1967. Rosecrans, Guildenstern, then Jumpers, Travesties, Dirty Linen and Newfoundland. Less lesson known. The real thing. We talked about Arcadia, the Invention of Love, Costa Utopia, parts one and two, Parts three. Oh yeah, Part three. So Travesties. Leopoldstadt just a couple of seasons ago. It's just amazing. I. I tried to pull up his productions in the Off Broadway Datab. If you search for Stoppard in the Off Broadway database, nothing comes up.

[Peter Filicia]

That may be.

[James Marino]

That's the database because if you look for the productions, if you look for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, you find five or seven productions Off Broadway and you can see in there that Stoppard is credited there. But I couldn't find out. I'd imagine it's got to be 100 or so off Broadway productions. Just.

[Michael Portantier]

Do you have to change the drop down menu to say people like you do on ibdb?

[James Marino]

No, just got a general search thing.

[Michael Portantier]

Oh, okay.

[Peter Filicia]

That site used to be so good.

[James Marino]

The site used to be great. Yeah. So now in. What else have we got here? The New York Times. Michael mentioned Bruce Weber's obituary. I've put that in the Show Notes as well as a couple of other articles from the New York Times talking about Stoppard that I found really interesting reads. So you can get over to the Show Notes and take a look at that. So in our review section, Michael and Peter have seen the new production of the Seat of Our Pants at the Public Theater. It is a musical based upon. Based upon a play that wasn't my favorite play last season or the season before or something like that. So, Peter, why don't you get us started on the Seat of Our Pants production?

[Peter Filicia]

I still remember at Lincoln center thinking this is the perfect show to open after the pandemic, the Skin of Our Teeth. Because the whole point is that somehow we do survive. No matter what happens in the world and in life, somehow human life goes on. So I thought this is the perfect one to open the Lincoln Center. And of course, the director had Gabby Beans speak a mile a minute at the beginning, losing people immediately. This play was very famous back in the 40s because cab drivers used to show up at the end of the first act, knowing there would be so many people walking out. It's a tough play, no question about that. It's very allegorical, it's fanciful. It deals with the human race. You have the Antrobus family, who represents everybody. In fact, their kid, we're led to believe, is actually Cain, who killed his brother. There are all sorts of juxtapositions of time and place. So it's a tough play to hang on to. And again, James is not alone by any stretch of any imagination. And not being one of the fans of it, I certainly came to love it when I was teaching at Arlington High School in Massachusetts. And the director decided to do it. And his Sabina was Susan Hilfredy, who has since become a famous costume designer, in fact, designed the costumes for Wicked. So the original production. Yeah, got it, Tony. So. And she was terrific in it. And so I know the play very, very well. And I'm very surprised that the first musical iteration of it, at least the first one that I know of, by Cander and Ebb, which went through quite a few titles, the Skin of Our Teeth, all about us over, didn't surface. Now, I understand they lost the rights. Now, here's what's going on. Tappan Wilder, who used to be the head of the estate because he was the nephew of Thornton Wilder, the playwright who wrote the Skin of Our Teeth, recently recently abdicated. And Jeremy McCarter, who many people may remember as a critic for New York Magazine and also helped on the book of Hamilton. I don't mean. I'm sorry. What I mean is the book about Hamilton. I don't mean the libretto of the musical. So Jer McCarthy is now in charge. So I guess he's the one who gave Ethan Lipton the rights. And I have to say that Ethan Lipton, composer that I didn't much know, I think has done a very good job in coming up with a score that has a bit of Golden Age in it, a bit of New Wave in it, never goes into rock that I can recall, and is very, very entertaining and a lot of good lyric ideas. In fact, I do believe the title. The Seat of Our Pants is a terrific alternate title for Skin of Our Teeth because it has the same type of feeling of. You get by just by luck and coincidence, and mostly luck, you know, as. As much as you do from skill. So it's a very fine production, directed by Lee Silverman. But there is something funny about this, and this may sound like much more of a criticism than, I mean, it to be. But usually when you come out of the Skin of Our Teeth, the person you're talking about is the person who played Sabina. And Michaela diamond does a fine job. She certainly does. But, oh, that Ruthie Ann Miles is Mrs. Antrobus. Whoa. She is galvanizing every scene she's in. Wow. Your eyes are riveted. Your ears are primed to hear every syllable. It's a tremendous performance. And everybody else is fine. But for me, nobody could touch Ruthie Ann Miles, who really inhabited that character. Now, this is a woman who's playing a woman of 5,000 years. She goes from one age to another. The first age is the Ice Age, and they get through the skin of our teeth, the. The sea of their pants, because it's tough getting through the Ice Age. Need to say everybody's pretty cold, even the. The animals who come in to get warm. The second act takes place in Atlantic City, where the expression is to enjoy yourself. And Mr. Antrobus, who is played by Shula Hensley, not for the first time. He also was in a product Skin of Our Teeth musical. So here he is again, and. And he's fooling around with Sabina. But the message is that, yeah, you can enjoy yourself, but when it all comes down to it, they all go back to their wives. Whether or not that's true or was more true in the 40s is another story. And the third one takes place after a war. And now we have father and son battling each other. Lord knows that there is a famous Sicilian expression, a bo not become a man until he can beat up his father. And that's what's going on here. But somehow, by the end of the place, the comes in and tells us that we're all going to go on and we're going to get by, in this case, by the seat of our pants.

[James Marino]

All right, Michael, what did you think?

[Michael Portantier]

Well, first of all, I completely agree with Peter about the title of this adaptation. I think it's very clever. The Seat of Our Pants is an alternate for the Skin of Our Teeth, and I had to look it up. I couldn't remember that there were two titles for the Kander and EBB version. One was over and over, and the other one was all about us. And all of those titles are perfectly apt for what happens in the. In the show. I. Interesting. Some of our listeners may remember when the play was done at Lincoln Center Theater just a few years ago, I said that I thought it was a missed opportunity in one sense, because they decided to do it with an all African American cast. And I thought, well, actually this would be a perfect play to have an extremely diverse cast representing not only the antibuses, but the, you know, the rest of the company. Because it is really about humanity, even though it's, you know, it's. It's supposed to be about the Antrobus family of Excelsior, New Jersey, you know, but it's. It's a very, very meta play happening in really in, well, in the Ice Age at first and the current day at the same time, basically, which I think is so clever. And I, um. One thing I thought was a little odd was that the beginning of the play, well, the very beginning is delivered by Andy Grotolution, really wonderful, who plays the announcer. And also he plays one of the animals. And that is again taken from the play. It does begin with an announcer. I don't recall if. Peter, do you recall if the announcer is usually on stage? No, no, yeah, I didn't think so. And actually, although I really enjoyed Andy Grotolution, he's so wonderful and so funny and I enjoyed his opening number. I thought it took away a little bit from Sabina because. Yeah, because normally she is the. Basically the first. First person we see and hear speak and. And she makes a, you know, a really big impression in that way. I. I've mentioned to Peter, I know in the past that there is a. There was a legendary TV production with Vivian Leigh as Sabina, and apparently I think the third act of it was lost. But the. The other two acts still exist and you can find them online if you want to see that. My point being, nor in any production I've seen, Sabina starts the action in a very carefree manner. She's dusting around the living room and she says, oh my. Something like, oh, my, my, my, six o' clock and the master's not home yet. And it's all very, very, you know, very like any normal day. And she's just dusting and fixing up and then we find out that there's an ice Age outside. So that's the comedy, you know. But here at the very beginning.

[Peter Filicia]

I.

[Michael Portantier]

Don'T know if it was the direction or her own choice, but Michaela diamond, she seemed very angry from the beginning and then she softened up a little later on. But I thought that was a mistake. I thought that choice was not a good one. The director here is Lee Silverman. By the way, choreography by Sonny Min Suk. Hit. Anyway, I was a little put off by that beginning, but then I really started to Love this show. The music was not what I expected, but I really enjoyed it. The music and the lyrics by Ethan Lipton. I was trying to think. I think Peter gave a very good description of the music, the style of it. I was thinking if it. You know, what it reminds me of? It reminds me of the music of Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet.

[Peter Filicia]

Kind of. Very good analogy.

[Michael Portantier]

Yeah. Kind of like, as Peter said, a fusion of maybe like golden age older traditional style music with more modern, although not nothing that I would. I would really describe as rock. More New Age, some. Some minimalism maybe. There's a lot of repetition in this score, which I think in this case is. Is absolutely apt. And it does help you. As you know, Sondheim pointed out, when a phrase is repeated, a musical and lyrical phrase is repeated several times, it really does stick in your head. And if it's well written to begin with, then it sticks in your head even further. So that was the case with me. I really look forward to the cast album of this. I'm sure there will be one. And yes, really fabulous cast. In addition to the people Peter already mentioned, we have Damon Dano, who many people will remember as maybe the only bright light in that horrendous production of Oklahoma at Circle in the Square. He plays Henry Antrobus, which, you know, the real identity of that character is eventually revealed to the audience. And who we have Michael Lepore, Nat Lopez, Bill Buell, Ali Bonino, Ben Beckley. Just it. Really, really excellent cast. Not surprising from the public. I do regret that I did not get to see the Cameron EB version. I came very, very close to seeing it when it was done in D.C. some years ago. And I don't even remember when. Why. Why I didn't get there. I hope that maybe we were discussing before we started recording, technically, I suppose maybe when the. When the Skin of Our Teeth goes into public domain, someone at that point would be able to, you know, revive this cander and EB version. And given, you know, how lasting their work is and how everyone loves them and how they're, you know, now really part of the pantheon, maybe. Maybe someone will do that. I. I won't be here for it, but that might be something for future generations to look forward to. In the meantime, I think you will be very happy with the Seat of Our Pants, whatever flaws it may have. And I say go, go, go.

[James Marino]

All right, so the Seat of Our Pants new musical is playing at the Publix Newman Theater downtown on Lafayette Street. It's extended one more week through December 7th. So you have just about seven days to get there to check it out. We'll have a link to that in the show notes.

[Peter Filicia]

What a funny thing that, that's Pearl Harbor Day, you know, and we have survived, you know, so very apt.

[James Marino]

All right, Michael, you got over to the York.

[Peter Filicia]

Are you from Boston?

[James Marino]

Get over to the. Yeah, exactly. Cut over to the yok the car and park the car to see Gotta Dance. So tell us about this.

[Michael Portantier]

This is a wonderful, amazing, fabulous surprise. And here again. You know, I, I don't, I don't think I often insist on people seeing things and not more than one in, in any particular podcast, but I'm gonna do that here. This is a fabulous retrospective of amazing moments from musical theater history put together by, conceived by Nicky Fired Atkins, co directed and choreographed by her and Randy Skinner. And this is being done at the York Theater, but it is being presented in association with Ricky Kane Larimer, which for that reason means it's got a lot of money behind it. So it's got nice full cast of some of the most fabulous dancers you will ever see on Broadway or anywhere else. And it's got really excellent production values, including excellent, really effective projections and lighting. And it's even got. It has a seven piece orchestra that sounds like maybe it's twice that size, which does not often happen sometimes in the past, when I have seen this is a presentation of the American Dance Machine Organization at the York Theater. And when I have seen them in the past, sometimes they have used recorded music, but not this time. And so that was a tremendous, tremendous plus. And the program, I mean, oh my God, one hit after another. It's stuff from mostly from Broadway shows and also some movies that then became Broadway shows. So if, for example, the opening number was Broadway Rhythm from Singing in the Rain and then Broadway Melody also from Singing in the Rain, then we had I'm a Brass Band from Sweet Charity, All I Need is the Girl from Gypsy, Simply Irresistible from Contact, Love Potion Number Nine from Smokey Joe's Cafe, Teach Me how to Shimmy from Smokey Joe's Cafe. Also Moses Supposes from Singin in the Rain, the Manson Trio from Pippin with Ben Vereen in the audience and Cool from West side Story, that's Act One, Act Two, Sing, Sing, Sing from Swing, Sweet Georgia Brown, bubbling Brown sugar, Mr. Monotony and the Dance that Follows from Jerome Robbins, Broadway, I Love a Piano from Irving Berlin, Christmas An American in Paris, Pas de Deux, the Music and the Mirror from A Chorus Line and One from A Chorus Line was the finale. I have to first of all mention Jessica Lee golden, who was absolutely phenomenal in both the music and the mirror. And I'm a brass band. She is one of the great talents of Broadway and I'm glad she got such a chance to shine in this show, which, as far as I know, she has not really had before. Incredibly beautiful woman and an unbelievably gorgeous dancer and a very, very good singer. She sang Music in the Mirror better than several other Cassies that I've heard. And an excellent, excellent actor. She did the whole monologue. Well, not really a monologue. That dialogue with Zach, the recorded voice of Zach that. That precedes the music and the mirror. And, and she nailed it. So she was it. Just incredible. But other numbers, other highlights. Jess La Prado was. Was superb in All I Need is the Girl and several other numbers. Barton Cowperthwaite, who was a brilliant young dancer who I first saw in as Paris when the Golden Apple at City Center. He was just amazing in that. And then he had. He. Then he got brain cancer and I was really worried about him, but he, he. I don't know the details, but he has survived and he. That's the first line in his bio in the program. Brain cancer survivor. And he. You would never know it. I mean, he just, just, He. He just looks phenomenal up there. So many other people. Afra Hines, Anthony Canarella. Can't name all of the dancers, but really, this is an absolute, absolute must see. It continues through December 28th because it is off Broadway at the York. It's not that easy to get to. It's up on East 76th street at the Theater at St. Jean's but well worth the trip. And because it is off Broadway, you would pay less for this show than for many a Broadway show. And get, I would say, maybe in some cases, four times the entertainment value.

[James Marino]

Okay, so Gotta Dance at the York is running through December 28th. We'll have a link to that in the show notes. Peter, you were over in Midtown to get to New York City center to see a production of Reunions, a new musical. So tell us about this.

[Peter Filicia]

Two new musicals, really, based on previous properties. One was a title I was familiar with even though I had never seen the play the 12 pound look by J.M. barry of Peter Pan fame. And the other one is called the Sunny Morning. Sunny Morning, not Sunday, A Sunny Morning by the Quintero Brothers. I don't know if that means Jose, but anyway, so people new to me book and lyrics by Jeffrey Scharf and music by Jimmy Colliery. So when I heard the Chip Zion was going to be in the show, I was very, very interested, of course. And when I saw the first act where he maybe has 90, 120 seconds of stage time, I knew that he'd be the main event in the second show. And he was. But let's talk about the 12 pound look first. But it really is, is a minor league version of A Doll's House. Because what it is about a woman who has left her husband. He was well off and in fact now he's even better off. I'm talking about financially. He's married again. He's happy because he's about to be knighted. Anyway, they need a typist to type up a speech and out in comes the typist and it's his former wife life. So that's the reunion. And of course he is lauding it all over her that he's going to be a knight and probably will be a lord for that matter someday. But the thing is that she doesn't care. Her freedom, the ability to be who she wants to be, who she is now would have never happened had she not left him. And that is worth everything to her. The freedom. It doesn't matter to her that she could have been lady whatever. So that's a very effective thing. Thing very effective indeed. So it's essentially answering the question of what happened to Nora after she walked out of the door and slammed it. So it's pretty intriguing. And the music sometimes seems a little anachronistic to me because it is still set in 1910, but worthwhile. And some of the lyric ideas are very good. So I was very impressed definitely by Chelina Kennedy, who plays Kate, the former wife. I did think that Brian Fenart as Sir, this future Sir Harry Sims was a bit much. Boy, does he look like Rocco Landisman. Took me a while to realize. Yeah, it really. That's the way it looked to me. So anyway, that, that's, you know, when that happens, it drives you crazy. Joanna Glushak, an old pro, is in it as well. But again, she had very little to do. So I knew that we'd see her in the second act. So the second act is also a reunion and I. I know a lot of people have found this a little hard to swallow, but it does involve a coincidence in which a woman comes to a bench every day and sits an older woman and sits there. And in comes Chip Zion, who is upset that the bench he usually sits on is not Available other have taken it. So he has to sit down at this bench that this woman, and she doesn't want him there anymore than he wants her to be there. So. Well, only one of two things can happen. They can fight or they can move on and find a common ground. The common ground they found is they were one time lovers once upon a time, way back when. Way back when. So they didn't even recognize each other, which may be a little hard to swallow, not strenuously hard to swallow, but I know some people have a better tolerance for coincidence than others. And if you don't have a good tolerance for coincidence, you're not going to go with this show. But Chip is marvelous, as you would expect, and so is Joanna Glushak. Both wonderful, wonderful situations. Again, occasionally the music sounded anachronistic, though there was a concerted that effort to make it sound Spanish because we are in Madrid, so. So that was good as well. So a pleasant evening. Not a world beater, but decent.

[Michael Portantier]

Peter, I have to ask if you would rate this above or below A Doll's Life.

[Peter Filicia]

Wow. A Doll's Life. Boy, it's, it's. It's far more audience friendly than the Doll's Life was. I think A Doll's Life was sunk by the framing device. It was very strange. Do you remember that? That they, they were actors putting on the show. I saw no need for that whatsoever. And, you know, so I was pretty discouraged when that happened.

[Michael Portantier]

But.

[Peter Filicia]

And I also applaud Carbden and Green for trying something definitely out of their wheelhouse. Yeah, it's really nice that they did it. And I'm sorry that the result was such a short live show. I think it was a week, less than a week, but. But nevertheless, this one's easier to sit through and ultimately more enjoyable. Again, not top notch, but, you know, like a three out of four star show.

[James Marino]

Okay, so reunions at City Center Stage 2 runs through December 14th. We'll have a link to that in the show notes. Michael, you were two blocks north of Peter on 57th at Carnegie hall to see Seth Rudetzky in his latest concert. Tell us about the amazing personalities that he pulled together for this concert.

[Michael Portantier]

Well, they included Carrie Butler, Santino Fontana, Erica Henningson, Nikki M. James, Norm Lewis, Tater Taylor Louderman. Oh, no. Andrea Martin regrettably did not show. She's in another play currently and I guess she was going to come from that and maybe didn't make it or, you know, I mean, I have no idea. Maybe she was ill, but she she was missing, but oh, he also had Jesse Mueller, Javier Munoz, Zachary, Noah Peyser, Leah Reineck, Will Swenson and Joy Woods. And this is with what is called the South Shore Symphony, conducted by Aaron Gandy and featuring the what is billed as the Malloy Cap 21 BFA musical theater students. Now, I had to look this up because I was a little confused initially. Cap 21, as I'm sure many of our listeners know, is is defined as a professional musical theater training conservatory and off Broadway theater company. Now this is where I was confused. Until 2012, it was in partnership with New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. And then in 2014, CAP21 joined forces with Malloy University, which is a Catholic university located Rockville Center. I did not know about that change, so that was news to me. But anyway, an amazing opportunity for these students in the orchestra and the chorus and the ensemble to perform on stage at Carnegie hall with the aforementioned amazing singers. And Seth, as always, was a. Was a brilliant host. He never actually conducted the orchestra during the show. As I said, that was left to Aaron Gandy, but he still did his deconstructions anyway. And one of the highlights was he took a cue from the documentary of the original Broadway cast album of Company. You know how when they showed the recording of another hundred people, there's a point where the camera and the sound mix are focusing on individual parts of the orchestra, you know, whether the brass, the strings, et cetera, and showing how those individual parts all combine into the whole. That was so brilliantly created by Jonathan Tunick, the brilliant orchestrator. Well, Seth did that, that did that basically here live. He had each section of the orchestra play a section of another hundred people individually separately, and then combine them all. And so that was thrilling. And to hear it live, of course, was even more thrilling. There were a number of songs that were done here that I have heard played before by a full orchestra, including the Gypsy Overture. But then there were many that weren't. And I'm so glad I went, if only for that. I mean, aside from seeing Jesse Mueller and Santino Fontana and Kerry Butler and all those people, when am I ever going to get to hear live those brilliant orchestrations of the song? Yes, from 70 girls 70 as performed by Liza Minnelli and Liza with his. See, you know, I don't think that's going to happen again. And then it was a 60 piece orchestra. Did I mention 60 pieces? And they played, you know, for example, also on the program was suddenly Seymour. I mean, I guess Maybe they had a 60s piece orchestra for the movie soundtrack, but I don't, you know, I don't think you're going to hear that live. It was absolutely thrilling and just really great that, you know, Seth was able to, to partner with these people to create such a amazing evening. I really won't forget it. And I. While we're talking about Carnegie hall, where I'm in training to be a docent.

[Peter Filicia]

Good.

[Michael Portantier]

Yeah. I wanted to mention a date coming up that I'm sure many people want to put on the calendar, and that is December 8th, when Cheyenne Jackson will be doing a concert there.

[James Marino]

So.

[Michael Portantier]

That'S a, that's a really good excuse to get to Carnegie Hall. You know, if you, if you needed one. They, they really do. Aside from everything else that they do in terms of classical music and, and every possible genre of music, they have so much musical theater there and, and to hear it in that magnificent hall with those perfect acoustics is just, it's really just an amazing privilege.

[James Marino]

Okay, so Seth Rojeski's concert and his Broadway friends was a one night only thing. We'll have a link to that in the show notes. Peter, you were over at 59 East 59, just two blocks north of 57th Street.

[Peter Filicia]

Yeah. Going on, huh?

[James Marino]

Yeah, we are 55, 5759. Making our way through midtown. There some good restaurants where you saw Law Wang, a Chinatown King Lear. So tell us about that.

[Peter Filicia]

This. Yeah, the King Lear analogy may be a little much, but we do have three people involved. But it. Well, let's start with the, the King Lear character who actually is a woman who came from nothing and started her own restaurant in Chinatown and made a go of it and it was doing really well for a long time. Okay. It's been closed now, but she still owns the building and she works, wants a good offer for it. If somebody's going to make an offer and someone does $2 million, she wants $8 million. All right, well, you know, there's going to be some conflict there. But also in the mix are her daughter and her son, both of whom are very successful. The daughter is a lawyer and the son is a doctor. But there's also a third person I'm not going to identify to give too much away, but there's a third person who's involved as well. Well, and indeed, it's entirely possible that this will be the person to whom our heroine will give the money. Okay. Many more complications ensue as time goes on, but the real bottom line comes with a prop. A dollar Bill. A dollar bill doesn't sound like much, especially every day that goes by. It's worth less and less and less.

[Michael Portantier]

Less.

[Peter Filicia]

But nevertheless, I think you will be very impressed by the use of a dollar bill here. I will tell you that at one point, I'm going to give some of it away. At one point, the. The woman who runs the restaurant has a chef who feels he's entitled to substantially more than she's giving him, because, after all, it's his recipes that have done so well and have made the place what it is. And so she fires him. In his severance pay. She gives him a dollar. Okay, that's all I'm going to say about the dollar. But indeed, if you go, you're going to be impressed about that dollar bill anyway. Very nicely performed by a lot of people who I had never heard of before. But I will say that there will be a time, by the time you catch up to it, that Cindy Chong will indeed be more secure. She seemed to have a few problems here and there with her lines, but the rest of the cast, Wei Chong, Amy Kumi. All very good. All very good. So, um, an acceptable evening. Um, to say the least.

[James Marino]

Okay. Lao Wang, a Chinese King Lear at 59 East 59 is running through December 14th. It's a production of Primary Stages, and we'll have a link to that in the show notes. Peter, you also are over at Theater 154, which I feel is not in the 50s, in mid. Where's Theater 154?

[Peter Filicia]

Christopher Street.

[James Marino]

Oh, yes.

[Peter Filicia]

Such interesting people on Christopher Street. So, yes. So this is a play called the Surgeon and Her Daughters. Okay, fine. However, that would lead you to believe that the daughters belong to the Surgeon, Right? I mean, wouldn't you assume that?

[Michael Portantier]

Yes.

[Peter Filicia]

That's not what's going on at all. This is a different situation entirely in which the person we're really talking about who has the daughters meets the surgeon at a restaurant. And they seem to get along. They seem to get along tremendously. She's very impressed that he's a surgeon. She isn't by any means. She has a tough time working her job. And we will soon see that she has two daughters. And the two daughters have a lot of conflict with their mother. One you might assume is non traditionally cast. And that's kind of psyche S E I K I because she's Asian, and we're not dealing with an Asian family. What actually happens in the second act? We learned that Kant was indeed adopted. Now, it might strike you as a little strange That a mother and daughter who are having trouble making ends meet, a single mother would indeed take on a daughter. But it does allow us to have a conversation in the play about what it's like to be an adopt daughter and what it's like to be the sister of an adopted daughter.

[Michael Portantier]

Daughter.

[Peter Filicia]

Because when you're an only child and somehow your parents are bringing home somebody else or your parent, the obvious feeling is, aren't I good enough? Aren't I enough? Why? Why are you going out and getting another kid? Okay, biology is one thing. You know, your parents are in the bedroom and suddenly she's pregnant. Fine. That's far more natural than going out and looking for somebody. Somebody which does, at least in this play, bring up the possibility are not enough for you. So that's interesting. What about the surgeon? The next time we see him, he's wearing a sandwich sign on the street. You mean he was a liar? Wow. He. He doesn't seem to be. He seems very educated and erudite. Very nicely played by Brian D. Coates. C O H E S very nicely played with dignity and style. He will insinuate himself into their lives. No, that's unfair. They welcome him into their lives and especially when the mother suddenly disappears. So it's very interesting that he winds up living with them, which is fine with the biological daughter and not so fine with the adopted daughter.

[Michael Portantier]

Daughter.

[Peter Filicia]

But when you're adopted, do you have as much power in what goes on? And when you're younger, do you have as much power? It does seem a little unbelievable that he'd be welcomed in even by the old daughter. So that's a little bit to swallow. But Chris Gabo, the playwright, believes that it's possible. And I guess Adrian Campbell Holt, who directed, thinks so too. There was also a lot of talk from the boss of the restaurant for whom the surgeon is where if he's a surgeon wearing the sandwich sign so nicely played by Johnny Sanchez. It's a good cast. It really is. And while there are moments that will stretch your credulity and theirs too, the fact remains that when it's good, it really hits the spot. And you will find out at the end whether he really was or wasn't asserted. Surgeon.

[James Marino]

All right, the Surgeon and Her daughters at Theater 154. It's running through December 20th. We'll have a link to that in the show notes. So, Michael, earlier this week on Thursday morning, we had a bunch of kids running up and down Broadway doing some song and dance numbers in front of Macy's otherwise known as the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. And you saw some of the performances. Tell us about them.

[Michael Portantier]

Yeah, I, I, I missed the very beginning. But I believe there were a total of three Broadway performances. Is that correct?

[Peter Filicia]

That's what I heard, yeah.

[Michael Portantier]

Yeah. The Bu Vista Social Club Just in Time and Ragtime. And for me, me, I, you know, I don't usually watch the parade for whatever reasons, but my understanding was that all of the musical numbers were always pre recorded and I don't think that was the case here. It certainly looked to me that at least the first part of the ragtime section which was Wheels of a Dream was being sung live. And uh, and also the beginning of, or at least the beginning of Jonathan Groff's solo portion from Just in Time, which you know, I wasn't the only one who noticed. A friend of mine said he'd really sounded unfortunately quite off pitch and then it turned out he had to miss his first ever performances of the show since it started. He had to miss the, this, this current weekend. I believe he's, it was out this whole weekend. You know, it, it, it must be. Aside from singing out in the, in the, in the elements, in the cold during the parade, it was a really an incredibly busy week with him because aside from the eight show schedule, he also did several TV appearances to promote the, the movie version of Merrily We Roll Along. So it's kind of almost superhuman and eventually everyone is going to, to have to just, you know, take some time and, and make themselves better. So best wishes to him. I'm sure he'll be, he'll be back soon and better than ever. But I thought all three shows came across very, very well on the parade, which is not always, always true. So I don't know if, if, if either of you would agree with that.

[Peter Filicia]

I think I would.

[Michael Portantier]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I really think they did. And, and they were well chosen what, what numbers they decided to do and it, to me it was a win, win thing. I, I, I, I'm not sure of the, my understanding is the shows themselves have to pay to be in the, the parade.

[Peter Filicia]

Oh, I, I haven't heard.

[James Marino]

Yeah, well, I, yeah, I think you know, similar to the Tony Awards, they have to pay the actors and they have to, you know. Oh sure, sure, yeah, all sorts of other things. I'm not sure that they actually have to pay Macy's or, yeah, I'm not sure either like that to be in there. But they do have a lot of additional costs with, with having to Pay the, the actors and the various production staff to make that all happen.

[Michael Portantier]

Well, anyway, I would. If I had only seen those three numbers on the parade, I personally would have bought tickets for all three shows. And I hope a lot of people feel the same way.

[James Marino]

Hmm. All right, so get out your day planners and calendars and things like that because Michael's going to tell you about a bunch of things that are coming up that you want to be ready for. So Michael, first, let's get, let's get Cheyenne Jackson. You know, don't. Do not miss Cheyenne Jackson.

[Michael Portantier]

Yes, and I'm sorry, I meant to look up his co stars.

[James Marino]

Well, tell, tell us about Cheyenne Jackson. I'll find it on the Carnegie hall website. Oh, yeah.

[Michael Portantier]

Well, as I mentioned it, it is Monday, December 8th and he, he hasn't, I guess he hasn't been around that much for a while. He, I believe he now lives permanently in Los Angeles and he sort of left the, the New York theater world a while back, but lately he's been, it seems like he's been venturing back. He has been in recently in O Mary on Broadway. I did not see him, but I can imagine he was quite hilarious in that role. And then coming up on Monday the 8th, he's got his concert at Carnegie. And you know, I always thought he, he really had a great voice and a very interesting comb leading man looks and voice, but also an extremely funny sense of humor. I, I've seen him be very droll in, in many shows and also talk show appearances and things like that. So I think the entertainment value of this show is going to be through the roof.

[James Marino]

So that is, you know, he's got these two up and comers, Krakowski and Vox Vosk. You know, I think that they're gonna make something of themselves. You know, I, I think that.

[Michael Portantier]

Wow, Jane Krakowski. Yeah, Jane Krakowski, with whom. Who also has recently been in O Mary and Jessica Vosk, who is phenomenal. Yeah. So Mark, mark your calendar for that. But also coming up, really the, the Metropolitan Opera is reviving their excellent production of Porgy and Bess and I think now would be. Be really an excellent time to see it because as much as I've loved it in the past when they've done it over the past few seasons, the fellow that they have always had singing Porgy until now, Eric Owens had a beautiful voice, but he really, I felt he was really way too old for the role and also quite stolid as an actor. But now they have a much younger new guy named Alfred Walker, who I'm not familiar with, but I, I, I'm just guessing that he's going to make a tremendous difference in the energy of the overall production because of his youth and hopefully superior acting ability. Plus, we have Ryan Speedo Green as Crown and no longer Angel Blue as, as Bess. But, uh, we do now have, have Brittany Renee. So I, I just think. Oh, and latonya Moore as Serena. You know, to, to hear this score with a full orchestra at the Met is just an unforgettable experience. They, I, I should also mention this is a very judiciously and wisely edited, edited production of Porgy and Bess, which in its full length is tremendously long. And as it is this one, even though I would say they've cut, I'm gonna guess they've cut 45 minutes of music roughly. Really, it's still three hours and 30 minutes. Because it has. Well, partly because it has. Oh, no, excuse me. It only has one intermission mission that's 35 minutes long. Act one is 100 minutes, and act two is 75 minutes. So, but, but really it's, it's, it's an absolute masterwork. And, and I'm a little surprised to see that there are lots and lots of seats available, probably because, as I say, they have been doing it, you know, regularly for the past few seasons. And I guess a lot of people who wanted to see it have already done so. But if you have not get you to it, it's, it's just thrilling. And I mean, it's one of my personal favorites. So I, I will go see it every time they do it. And actually, this leads into something else I wanted to talk about. The New York Times recently did a piece called 5 minutes that will make you love musicals. And they had a bunch of their own writers and also famous musical theater figures pick one song that they felt best demonstrated the, the magic and power of musical theater. And it's so interesting to see the choices by these people because it's such a wide range of styles of music. And to start off with Jesse Green picked There's a boat that's leaving soon for New York from Porgy and Bess. I would absolutely agree with that. And he mentioned not only the song, but the way that that song, the melody of that song comes back at the end of that scene in which we first hear it. It's an unbelievably powerful moment that has to be in the context of the whole show. So absolutely, I agree with Mr. Green on that. Andrew Lloyd Webber picked Some Enchanted Evening from South Pacific. Elizabeth Vincentelli picked and I am telling you, I'm not Going from Dreamgirls. Jason Robert Brown made the excellent choice of Night Song from Golden Boy. Michael Paulson, sit Down, you're Rocking the Boat from Guys and Dolls, which I would not have thought of, but I absolutely agree. Sara Bareilles, will you from Gray Gardens. Alexis Soloski Wiggin A Box from Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Janine Tesori Lost Horizon from Gone Missing, Joshua Henry Fable from the Light in the Piazza. How interesting. Elizabeth Finchantelli again Superstar from Jesus Christ Superstar, Nicole Harrington Satisfied from Hamilton. Jesse Green also picked Low Down Blues from Shuffle along and Laura Collins Hughes picked A Letter from Harry's Mother from Suffs. So I thought that was a really fun article that they did and I, I really enjoyed reading it. It's always interesting to see what other people's favorites are, so I'm sure we could all write our own list.

[James Marino]

If.

[Michael Portantier]

We haven't already done so.

[James Marino]

So, Michael, let me throw something in here. It's two weeks away at Carnegie hall as well. Bridges of Madison county in concert.

[Michael Portantier]

Ah, yes. Which I do have a ticket to. I guess I'm, I guess I'm not thinking quite that far ahead yet because, you know, because so much is going on. But yeah, the original cast, most of the original cast, including most notably Kelly o'. Hare. Para. And Kelly. Yeah, yeah, I remember her. Yeah. And Stephen Pasquale are reuniting at Carnegie hall for a cosmic performance of the Bridges in Madison County. And that's the night before my, my Len carry you show. But I'll. I'm going to be there. Beautiful score. Really beautiful. Jason Robert Brown Music and lyrics Every production I've seen, for whatever reason, has worked better than the Broadway production. I, I still cannot put my finger on exactly what went wrong with that Broadway production, but I think it's. I, I'm really gratified. I think it now has become part of the musical theater canon and I think it's done a lot all over the country. Makes me very, very happy to see say that.

[James Marino]

And then a few things that we can, we can go and view both online and other places. So tell us about those things.

[Michael Portantier]

Yeah, boy, you know, you don't really have to leave your house, do you? Just some wonderful things I found recently on YouTube or elsewhere. There is. I don't think this is going to be there in per perpetuity, so you might want to watch it soon. There is a full length video of Twelfth Night as it was performed this past summer in Shakespeare in the Park. And I found that the other day, and I was not able to get a ticket to that show. So I'm looking forward to seeing that. But again, get the. Get. Get to it soon. On a related note, there's also. We're including all of these in the show notes, these links. There's a link to a PBS video about the renovation of the Delacorte, which really was very extensive, even though maybe it's not so obvious to people who attend. I mean, the footprint and the layout of the theater is still the same, but there really was a lot of renovation done in terms of spiffing it up, but also a lot of things backstage and behind St. You wouldn't. The audience wouldn't see, obviously. So check those out. And. And then there is a. A really wonderful link to an extended version of the really great interview that Mo Rocca did with Stephen Schwartz recently. You know, in conjunction with all that's going on with him, aside from the Broadway opening and soon closing of the Queen of Versailles, of course, there's the Off Broadway production of the Baker's Wife that has been so, so well reviewed, and of course, Wicked 2 for good, which is now in movie theaters. So it's a. It's really a very exciting time for Stephen. And I think he, you know, he. I think his personality really comes across very, very well in this. This interview. Peter mentioned how, you know, how. How Stephen is always the first to give credit to other people, indeed, you know, and. And to really just. Just give honest appraisals of his own, his own work and his own feel. He. He comes right out and says, you know, basically how disappointed he has been with the. The overall critical response to his work over the years, as opposed to the audience response, which is, of course, has always been through the roof. And I just really so appreciate his honesty with all of that. He really is a mensch. And I think that absolutely comes across in this interview, so you might want to check it out. And Morocco is a wonderful interviewer. I'm glad he does so much of the interviews with people that I want to see interviewed, the theater people, etc.

[James Marino]

Can I say about Morocco is that he's an interviewer who is a huge fan of Broadway and knows his stuff.

[Michael Portantier]

Oh, absolutely.

[James Marino]

You know, you see a lot of people interview people about Broadway and they really don't know it. Mo knows.

[Michael Portantier]

Yes, he is.

[James Marino]

He is a scholar of Broadway.

[Michael Portantier]

Yeah, you can tell that even from his questions to Stephen in this interview that I'm talking about, I absolutely agree. Yeah, I think, I mean a lot of interviewers for TV shows and things are just hired.

[James Marino]

Yeah.

[Michael Portantier]

For. Not for, not for that reason. You know, they're hired because of how they look and because of how they come across and their personality and they, they might not necessarily have that kind of background in the stuff that we love.

[James Marino]

Yeah, I'm sorry, I was looking at putting together the show notes as we talk here. Did you mention the Ray Knight Theater and Film collection?

[Michael Portantier]

No, not yet. Thank you. There's so much. Guys, there's so much going on. Like I said, you don't have to leave your house Rain Night. Ray Knight was some crazy guy who from the 1930s through, I think the, maybe the early 70s brought a 16 millimeter color movie camera to theaters and filmed sections of the shows. All silent, unfortunately. And I'm not sure why that is because, because you know, there are 16, obviously 16 millimeter cameras that have sound. But anyway, they are in color and it, it's, it's the, these are now suddenly being released in dribs and drabs. We've included the, the link in the show notes. It's the Institute of the American Musical that is putting them out. And you'll see, you'll be very excited when you see the titles. But don't get too excited yet because as I say, only at this point a fraction of them are available. The ones that have the lines under them and are actual links lines under the titles are the ones that where the footage has been uploaded. So for example, already there is Pal Joey with the original cast, Gene Kelly, etc. The original damn Yankees with, you know, and that's interesting because of course most of those people are in the movie version. But, but, but you do get to see Stephen Douglas and you do get to see Gwen Verdon perform who's Got the Pain with. Not with Bob Fosse who does it in the movie, but with Eddie Phillips I believe his name is. And, and, and one of my personal favorites of the ones that have already ready been uploaded is on the Town to see. See these precious color clips of Nancy Walker and Chris Alexander doing Come up to My Place and all the rest of the original cast, the aforementioned Compton and Green and John Battles who played Gabion, who I'm really not that familiar with. But I mean he just looks amazing in it. He's just such a beautiful looking guy and he had a gorgeous voice as well. So one can certainly understand why he would have been cast as Gabe. Me, it's just a treasure trove. My understanding is that Miles Krueger has had had all of these films in his personal collection for years. I'm not sure of the details as to why they're starting to come out now, but whatever the reason counts.

[James Marino]

All right, so we're, we have run especially long today. So let's quickly run through the end of our show. You know, where to get us and all the other stuff and things like that. If not, listen to other episodes. If you watch future episodes, broadwayradio.com blah blah, blah. All right, Peter, do you have the answer to last week's brain teaser?

[Peter Filicia]

Yeah. The Baker's Opera, Jesus Christ Superstar, Do I Hear a Waltz? Princess Ida, the Sorcerer in the Prom Song from each title from each of these musicals listed in this order for a reason, contains one word that was one of five words that became very famous as a list made by a an author and psychiatrist in 1969. Well, I'm talking about Elizabeth Kubler Ross, who came up with the idea that people go through stages of grief. So we have of all the Friends in Time of Grief from the Beggars Opera, Peter's Denial from Jesus Christ Superstar, Bargaining from Do I Hear a Waltz? When Anger Spreads His Wing from Princess Cider, Constance, My Daughter, why the Strange Depression from the Sorcerer and the Acceptance song from the Prom. Paul Witty was first, although he was quick to ADM that he couldn't have done it without the help of his lovely wife Michelle. They were followed by Juliet Green, Sean Logan, Josh Israel, Tony Janicki, Arthur Robinson, Lee Korn, Steve Sokoloff, Spencer Kornos, Ian Twitty, David Robinson, Brigadoon and John Conti, this one may seem hard, but believe me, there's a very big hint built into it. Okay. Why are these play days? Does Italica wear a Necktie? Eastern Standard Lovers and Other Strangers, Love, that's Luv Masquerade, My Sweet Charlie. Play it again, Sam. And There's a Girl in My Soup lumped together with these three musicals. Anyone can whistle Floor of the Red Menace and A Mother's Kisses. It's a big hint in there.

[James Marino]

All right, if you have found this hint and have a clue, you can email us at trivia Broadway radio dot 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?

[Michael Portantier]

Well, I've been thinking about chess a lot recently because although I had a very negative reaction to the Book of the New Broadway version by Danny Strong and some several other aspects of it. I. I just continue to love the score. I think it's magnificent. And you know what? I wish those ABBA guys had written more musical theater. That. That is a big regret of mine that they didn't.

[James Marino]

Anyway, thankful they stopped after Mamma M. But.

[Michael Portantier]

No, they're not. They're not responsible for that. Anyway. Yeah, I think it's a. It's a fabulous score and so, so well performed in this production, aside from the book. But this made me remember that some years ago, Dennis DeYoung, who was the lead singer for the group Styx, he was actually, at the time he was appearing as Punches pilot in a touring arena production of Jesus Christ Superstar that I saw. I think it was at the theater at Madison Square Garden. And around that time, he put out an album called 10 on Broad. That is a really fantastic album, but I remember that it has two songs from Chess. And I had not listened to that album in years. And I put it on again and was reminded how beautifully he sings these two songs from Chess. So that's our musical moments for this week. The opener is his version of someone else's story, and the closer is his rendition of Where I Want To Be. So please enjoy. Enjoy these two great, great songs from Chess, as sung by Dennis DeYoung.

[James Marino]

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

[Peter Filicia]

Bye. Bye.

[Dennis DeYoung]

Don't get me wrong well, I, I'm not complaining Times have been good.

[Peter Filicia]

Fast.

[Dennis DeYoung]

Entertaining But what's the point if I'm concealing Not only love but all of the feelings? Now I'm where I wanna be who I wanna be Doing what I always said I wouldn't Yet I feel I haven't won it all Running for my life Never looking back in case of someone right behind me Shoot me down and say I always knew I'd fall When this crazy, crazy wheel slows down where will I be? Back where I started where will I.

[James Marino]

Be.

[Dennis DeYoung]

Back where I started.

[Michael Portantier]

Sam.