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This Week on Broadway for November 9, 2025: Out of the Box Theatrics’ production of Beau The Musical
01:04:36
Peter Filichia, James Marino, and Michael Portantiere talk about Kyoto @ Lincoln Center Theater, Out of the Box Theatrics’ production of Beau The Musical, The Queen of Versailles, Messy White Gays @ The Duke on 42nd Street,
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- [00:00]
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Musical Performer
I got a little crush on you. Sing that with me. Just a little. Okay. Just you crush on you? Yeah, you got it. Just wanna give you a little part of me. You'd open up your eyes that many would see. Who would have thought you'd bring out.
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Peter Filicia
The joy in me?
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Musical Performer
This crush is so unforeseen.
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James Marino
Hello and welcome to Broadway Radios this week on Broadway for Sunday, November 9, 2025. My name is James Marino, and in the broadcast today we have Peter, Felicia and Michael Portantier. Peter is a playwright, journalist and historian with a number of books. Peter's new Day by Day Desk calendar, a show tune for today, 366 songs to bright New Year is available at finer retailers. Peter also has columns at Masterworks, Broadway, Broadway select and many other places. Hello, Peter.
- [01:41]
Peter Filicia
Hi.
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James Marino
So, Peter, we have, you know, Broadway brings us a number of unlikely heroines.
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Peter Filicia
It sure does. The calendar today, November 9, is significant, especially this year, because it was 60 years ago today that I was sitting in the back seat of a car surrounded by two people. The driver and passenger seat were filled as well. We're driving on Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge sometime after 5 o' clock, and suddenly the driver said, oh my God, there's a power outage in Cambridge. All the lights went out and we turned on the radio and we heard that this was a blackout that was extending through much of the Northeast that was affecting New York City as well. And I said, but how can the Zulu and the Zeta open? And four people turned. I could see them because of the headlights behind us. Four people turned in at the exact same time, said, what did you say? So, yes, indeed, the Zulu and the Zeta was supposed to open tonight in 1965, but it had to open the following day. So even though it ran 169 performances, it would have run 171 because they would have done the Wednesday matinee as well. So anyway, I bring this up because, yes, the song for today is Cecily Smith from the Musical Fly by Night and one of the most clever plot twists in the history of musical theater. I don't know if it was Will Connolly's idea, Michael Mitnick's idea, Kim Rosenstock's idea, but they wrote this musical in which a guy is very upset because his wife died. He feels there's no reason to live. She was Cecily Smith. So he decides to commit suicide. He fills his bathtub with water and he throws his radio in. However, it's the moment the blackout happens. So as a result, he doesn't die. All he gets is wet pants. So I think that's so clever. So that's why Cecily Smith is chosen. But if you want to, you can also listen to It's Good to Be Alive from the Zulu and the Zeta, which, after all, is an optimistic song. And all these songs on the calendar are optimistic songs. So that's the reason for Cecily Smith. And indeed, it's good to be alive.
- [04:07]
Michael Portentier
All right.
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James Marino
Also with us giggling is Michael Portentier. Michael is a theater reviewer and essayist. He's the founder and editor of castalbumreviews.com he is also a theatrical photographer whose photos have appeared in the New York Times and other major publications. You could see his photography work atfollowspotfilm photo.com. hello, Michael.
- [04:30]
Michael Portentier
Hello.
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James Marino
And Michael.
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Musical Performer
Yes.
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James Marino
I forgot again to put it in your bio. You're doing something else that's really cool. Tell us about this.
- [04:40]
Michael Portentier
Well, on Tuesday, December 16th at 7pm at the Lori Beachman Theater at the West Bank Cafe, I will be interviewing Len Cariou live on stage. An Evening with Len Cariou we are calling it. This will be the same format as the live interview with Sandy Duncan that I did several months ago, hoping to maybe make it into a series. And I was trying to think of who we could have to follow up on Sandy because it was such a wonderful evening. And I, of course I thought of Len because he's got such an amazing career. And you know, as I mentioned, he. He has been still performing, doing like a number or two in shows at 54 below and, you know, as a guest artist and things of that sor. And he until recently anyway, he would appear every year in the Broadway backwards shows. I'm not sure if he did it last year, so it's not as if he's not around. But I was thinking that people don't, you know, really get a chance to hear him talk about his amazing career and the legends he worked with. So on this occasion, we'll Have a little of both of that. But we'll. It'll mostly be an interview, but he is going to sing one or two songs. We have Mark Janis going to play for him, and I'm really looking forward to. Because I'm curious to hear some of the stories myself. I mean, I don't. I don't know a whole lot about him, and he really is quite a legend.
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Peter Filicia
I'll.
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Michael Portentier
I'll never forget years ago when I was at Theater Mania, I was going to interview him for some reason, I don't remember the specific reason, and it was set up that he was going to call me at the office one day. So I was sitting there working and the phone rang and one of my colleagues picked it up and he said, oh, you know, hold on a moment. And then he said, michael, Sweeney Todd on one. So, you know, and of course, everybody laughed, but we knew what he meant. And so, Tuesday, December 16th, as I said, 7pm at the Lori Beachman. Tickets are only $25 plus fees, and the fees are not very expensive. So it's 3102, actually. What you'll pay for the ticket, and then There is a $25 food and drink minimum. But I think it'll be quite an evening and really special and a chance for you to be in that wonderfully renovated new theater, if you haven't already.
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James Marino
All right, so we'll have a link to an evening with Lincario at the Laurie Beachman Theatre coming up on Tuesday, December 16, in the show notes. We'll have a link to easily get to it, things like that. But Michael, that's not what I meant.
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Michael Portentier
You meant tomorrow night.
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James Marino
Okay, so tomorrow night. Tell us about tomorrow night.
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Peter Filicia
You got a million of them.
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Michael Portentier
Gee, gosh. All right, okay. Oh, tomorrow night is, as we mentioned, Broadway by the Season, the big benefit concert at Merkenhall. Scott Siegel putting on a great show with songs from, you know, musical theater hits and flops, I guess, maybe throughout the. Throughout the decades. And a great cast. William Michaels, Cooper Grodin, Michael Winthard, Ben Jones, Leanne Marie Dobbs, Alex Getlin, Sophie Rapelco, et cetera, et cetera. And again for a lot less than you would pay for a Broadway show at Merkin hall, which is another great hall up on 67th street near Lincoln Center. So that's another entertainment option for you. So now what. What were you talking about? Tapes?
- [08:28]
James Marino
My pig Latin is bad, but the. Yes, exchange tay of nightlife pay.
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Michael Portentier
Oh, oh, oh, yeah, no, that's fine. I thought. Yeah, I I just wanted to mention I've really recently begun writing cabaret reviews for a wonderful site called nightlife exchange.com they really have a great site and they really cover lots and lots of cabaret shows, which is such an important part of the entertainment life in New York City. So check out nightlifeexchange.com.
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James Marino
All right, so also quickly, a quick mention that, as we have supposed here a number of times, Reg time has extended through June 14. A curious date, because early June, there's something else that happens, but I can't remember what that is, so.
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Michael Portentier
And part of that news is that presumably for that reason, Casey Levy has announced that she will not be in the original cast of the Lost Boys. Which I was thinking is a little surprising because, you know, by that point, having done Ragtime for six months and, you know, gotten recognition for it, don't you think she might want to create a role in a new musical?
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James Marino
But no, I would much rather win a Tony award than create a role. Oh.
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Michael Portentier
Yeah, but I mean. But so you're saying she has a better chance if she's in the. If she's still in Ragtime?
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James Marino
Have you heard her sing back to before? Oh, my goodness.
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Michael Portentier
Oh, yeah, But I mean, no, but I, I just meant that, you know, all the Tony voters will have seen her.
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Musical Performer
But.
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James Marino
Yes, maybe, you know, the Tony voters from out of town that come in in the spring for their tour in the spring. And if she's not in, she might lose that one or two critical votes against Liam.
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Michael Portentier
Good points like that.
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Peter Filicia
The other thing, too, is that she claims that the management of Lost Boys was very gracious about it. And, and that's something, too. If that's really the case, that's pretty amazing because after all, they have to scurry in a hurry to get somebody else.
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Michael Portentier
Yeah, good point.
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James Marino
But.
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Michael Portentier
Well, you know, who knows? Maybe they. They had someone.
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Peter Filicia
Yeah.
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Michael Portentier
In the bullpen.
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Peter Filicia
Yeah, good point. Yeah, sure. It's entirely possible that. That Mrs. Levy won by a whisker and over someone else. Who. Now, don't forget that John Lloyd Young was not the first choice for Jersey Boys.
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James Marino
Yeah.
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Peter Filicia
Somebody else was who decided to do a TV series that lasted 11 epis. That was.
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Michael Portentier
Oh, right, right.
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Peter Filicia
So you never know.
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James Marino
Yeah, it's. It's interesting how all these things play out. And you have to think about this, you know, when we're doing Monday morning quarterbacking after. After the Tony Awards, literally on Monday morning, and we're like, oh, you know.
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Peter Filicia
There are plenty of Tuesday morning quarterbacks too. But that's Another story.
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James Marino
Yeah, that's true. So let's get on to. Oh, there was something else I was going to say about that, but I can't recall what it was about.
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Michael Portentier
Ragtime.
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James Marino
Ragtime. But it has eluded me. All right, so, Peter, a couple of weeks ago, you got over to Lincoln Center Theater to see Kyoto, which we couldn't talk about last week because it hadn't opened yet. So reach back into the recesses of your mind a hundred shows ago for you and tell us what you thought about Kyoto.
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Peter Filicia
Well, after the show, I was standing on the platform, the one train at 66th street, when a gentleman came over to me and said, oh, I see his. You saw Kyoto? I see the playbill. Yeah. What'd you think of it? I said, oh, my God, it's so scattershot. It's so fast paced. Oh, to keep up with it is murderously hard. What did you think of it? He said, well, I'm in it. And indeed he was. Rob Narita, who plays the representative of Japan. He was very gracious about it. He said, no, I. I understand that it's. It's occasionally maddeningly hard to follow. I, I get it, you know, I do. But I certainly believe in the play, and certainly a lot of people do, too, he said with a. A most serious look on his face. So, indeed, there's a great deal of worth here. But do keep in mind that this is a tough play to keep up with because Fast and Furious, a whole bunch of people, about a dozen of them, are talking about climate change and this actual meeting that did happen in Kyoto and plenty of other places, too. A lot of these people had to travel here, there and everywhere to talk about climate change. And it is told from the point of view of Don Perlman, a real person played brilliantly by Stephen Kunkin. He's so engaging, and you really are on his side. As time goes on, you find out he might be a bad guy, might be. It's up to you to decide whether or not he is, if he has the right take on climate change and if his ideas are the ones that really should be followed. Natalie Gold plays his wife, and she has a big part and knows that she has to tread very carefully on what she says and what she doesn't say, and she has to be a supportive wife when he comes home from utterly frustrated by all this going on with all these people from China, Germany, Japan, as I say, Saudi Arabia, Tanzania. I mean, really, a lot of people, it's all done in a circular thrust stage and in fact, if you buy a ticket, you might even sitting. Be sitting at where the actors are. There are a few seats where you actually do get to sit right next to, let's say, Daniel Jenkins, who's very, very good in a number of roles, including Al Gore, who, of course, if you know anything about politics, knows that he had a great deal to say about climate change. So I also very much like seeing Kate Burton, who was the representative for the United States, and George Bush. That's. I'm sorry, that's J O, R, G E, which I guess is Jorge Bosch. B O, S, C, H. I didn't mean to say George Bush. But anyway, playing Raul Estrada, a game that's very close to Raul Esparza, is quite good as well. So if you're into politics and you're into this issue, you're going to find it pretty fascinating, especially in the second act, where there's a lot of talk about commas and semicolons and words where they're trying to compromise. Take this word out. Take this. Put this one in. Is very reminiscent of 1776, six in that way. And there's a lot of discussion there. So. But do. It might be a good idea to have a few cups of coffee before you go, because indeed, you're going to have to keep up with a scattershot lot of dialogue.
- [15:49]
James Marino
It's like a play of the Gilmore Girls. I wonder how many people will get that reference. So, all right, so Kyoto is at Lincoln Center Theater's Mitzi New House. That's downstairs from Ragtime. It's considered an Off Broadway production, and it is running through November 30th. We'll have a link to that in the show notes. Peter, I'm sorry, did you mention this? It's got two directors.
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Peter Filicia
Yeah, I know. Isn't that something as well? And I would think that because it's such a complicated show, that one said, hey, you take over for a few minutes. I don't know how it really work, but I don't know if one succeeded the other. But yes, that is curious.
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James Marino
Yeah. Interesting. So had there. Has there ever been. Well, I guess it's off Broadway, so it won't really matter, but for Drama Desk purposes, who gets nominated? Has there ever been a winner? Directors?
- [16:51]
Peter Filicia
Well, not necessarily that, but I mean, of course there have been a ton of things where people have been joined together. Sure. Nominees, you know, like Sideshow, certainly. And Seaweed Bansi is Dead in the island. If we go way back into the 70s. So, yeah, they'll just be listed as one item. So the Billy Elliott Kids too. Weren't they listed as one group?
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James Marino
I think, yeah, the Billy. But I'm thinking of in the directors.
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Peter Filicia
Yeah, the directors. Yeah, that doesn't ring a bell at all.
- [17:18]
James Marino
Yeah. I wonder if that's a future brain teaser. All right, so next up, Michael, you were over at St. Luke's the to see out of the Box theatrics production of Bo the Musical. Peter talked about it last week. What was your take?
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Michael Portentier
Oh, I really love it, so I really wanted to talk about it. Also, I had seen it in its previous run down on Christopher street, and I honestly think despite one or two major issues I have with it, pretty major issues, I still think it's one of the best new musicals I've ever seen. I've seen in. In recent years in quite some time. And even though one of the biggest compliments I could give it is that even though the type of music featured, which is I think you would describe as country, country and country rock, maybe country pop is not my primary favorite, I. I loved it. I just think it's so very well done music, especially by Ethan D Pakar. P A K C H A R the lyrics also. And, and you know, I know this is something Peter and I disagree on, but there are a number of. Of near rhymes in it. But that didn't bother me because I know that's very true of country music. So. So, you know, I, I would not have minded if the lyrics rhyme perfectly, but it really didn't bother me so much. And I think it's just a really wonderful story that goes in places, directions where you might not think it's going to go. First of all, the central character is not Bo. The central character is a young man. We first meet him as a young boy in middle school named Ace Baker. And it turns out he's living with his mom. She's a single mom. Their dad left sometime earlier and he suddenly finds out that he has a grandfather who's still alive and was never mentioned to him. And he becomes very, very angry with his mother for not mentioning to him that he had this major family member. Especially because Ace is struggling so much somewhat because he's gay. You know, he. He feels that he's gay even though he's. He's just in middle school and he's being bullied by someone at school and he really needs, you know, he feels like he really needs a male figure in his life and he's been denied that. So he winds up traveling really basically Sort of running away to spend some time with his grandfather after getting the grandfather's approval and, and then they become very close. And this story, as I said, goes in places where you really might not think. And I just absolutely loved it. My two issues to get them out of the way is that I wish that they would just rewrite the show very slightly so that when we first meet him as it is now, he's supposed to be 12. And it seems to me that some of the things that are happening to him and some of the things that are doing are not that credible for a 12 year old. Whereas if they had just started it when he was maybe like a junior in high school, maybe like 16, I think that would have been better. And it would also have eliminated the issue of Matt Rhoden who plays Ace. You know, I mean, obviously he doesn't look like a 12 year old, but he does conceivably look like he could be 16 or 17. So I wish they had made that minor. And then the other thing is something that Peter alluded to. Ace's mother has become involved with a new man who is very, very much, as Peter mentioned it, like Glad Hand in West side Story. One of those very, very effusive people, you know, always like, hi buddy, how are you? Yeah, you know, like that. Which can be annoying. But I just didn't like the way that, that it was portrayed that Ace hated him so much. Every time the guy comes on stage, Ace says this and I, I, you know, I, it didn't seem very real to me because especially since Ace is, you know, there are other people who treat him so badly and here's someone who's trying to be nice to him and even if he's a little too much, I mean, his heart is still in the right place. So I, I didn't like that and I wish that could be rewritten. But for what it's worth, at the end of the show, Ace does realize that this guy is really a good guy. So I guess that's the important factor. Really well directed and choreographed by Josh Rhodes with an amazing performance in the role of Ace Baker by Matt Rhoden, who is just so multi talented. I think I mentioned when I interviewed, when I reviewed the show downtown, he's arguably miscast somewhat in the sense that to me, I don't know, he just has a somehow a more of an urban than a country feel. And I think that might come down to something as simple as may sound silly, but his, his hair style doesn't look very country. To me. But the biggest compliment I can give him is that even though he's arguably miscast in that sense somewhat, I, I, it's hard for me to picture anyone else in the role. And Jeb Brown, who's been in a million shows starting as a child actor on Broadway, is also perfect for the role of Beau. He was not in it when I saw the product, the, this production downtown, but he told me, we actually, I was speaking with him afterwards that he had been involved with it from the beginning of the, the, of the development process, as had Matt Rhoden. And Jeb just couldn't do the, the run on Christopher street for one reason or another. But now he's back and all of the other people are just fantastic. Amelia, Cormac and the rest of the cast. I, I can't praise this show enough, despite my minor reservations. I really think it's the best musical I've seen, best new musical I've seen in a long time. And I could conceivably see it on Broadway, though, you know, it is a very intimate story. So they'd have to be careful and maybe put it in one of the smaller theaters like the Haze, if that were available. Anyway, I wish it, well, I wish it a long run. And it too recently just announced an extension. I don't know how long they could stay at the theater at St. Luke's but hopefully for quite a time.
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James Marino
Maybe the little sherbet we talked.
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Michael Portentier
I, I was just gonna say that.
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James Marino
All right, out of the box theatric production of Bow the musical at St. Luke's is scheduled through December 7, 2025. We'll have a link to that in the show notes. Peter, you got over to the St. James Theater to see the Queen of Versailles. So tell us about this new Kristin Chenoweth star vehicle.
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Peter Filicia
Yeah, I, I have to admit that a lot of people have had issues with this show. I think you're going to have a very good time at this show. If you go 10 minutes late, I don't know if they'll seat you, but if you go 10 minutes late, I think you'll respond a little better. Here's why. They start off actually in Versailles in 1611, where Louis Couture is king. Now, what's really interesting is they establish, and I did check this, and it's True, he was 23 years old when he became king. So as a result, yeah, you don't think of kings as that young. So that was so already I'm interested, you know. And as a result, you know, what are your values when you're 23 years old? So no wonder he wants to spend money. And he really expects everybody to kowtow to him and all that.
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Musical Performer
That.
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Peter Filicia
And the reason he can spend money, because I can. Okay, the scrim lifts up, and there you are seeing the construction of this enormous house in Orlando, Florida. And there's indeed, Jackie Siegel and her husband David, Kristen Chenoweth and F. Murray Abraham saying that the reason that they can build this house is because I can, because they got money. Well, you know, this is a very bad thing to do to an audience. You're not going to win over an audience by saying, I can, but you little people cannot. You know, do they have to throw in our faces that they can throw money around? I mean, I think that's very, very bad. So, I mean, because even people who can afford premium seats don't have the wherewithal to build the biggest house in America, which is indeed their goal, one that's going to mirror Versailles. So, I mean, because a lot of people are going to have to forego food necessities even to buy a seat in the rear mezzanine. So. So. So it's not a good thing to do. It does distance you from the show. Now I understand why they might want to start with. Might not want to start with the idea that here was Jackie Siegel growing up in Binghamton, New York, which is a town that's very famous for being on the poverty scale. It's right up there. It has more poverty than most places in the country. So there she is with her family. They're watching tv. They're holding a lottery ticket. They're hoping, hoping, hoping that this is the night they were going to win a fortune. And their fortunes will change. No, it doesn't. The next show on is Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, which used to be a TV show that used to certainly establish what people with money, how they spent it. So this is where Jackie gets her ideas of being rich, if not famous. That doesn't seem to be a value of her. She just wants money. But, you know, starting with this idea that she's down and out with this family is something that would be. Give us some sympathy for it. And I can also understand why they say, no, no, no. That's so conventional. The standard rags to riches set up. You know, I understand it, but I do believe that that opening number really, really injures the show tremendously. Maybe they needed Jerome Robbins to come in the way he did with Funny Thing Happened and say, you Got the wrong opening number because they really do. So, all right. What really makes the show interesting to me is that just when you're inclined to write her off as superficial, she always shows some substance. And that gets lost because you've turned against her from the beginning. But, you know, for example, when she says, if I get money, mom and dad, I'm going to buy you a house, you know, so that's nice. I mean, it's not like she wants to shove them aside. And what's also interesting is later, when she has money and she goes back to see the parents and wants to do something nice, they're very happy where they are. They don't judge her. I mean, parents are notorious for saying, hey, here's what you should be doing. You know, take my advice. No, they let her be herself, but they don't want to be any part of who she's become. And that is not something that they're really upset about. They accept their child for who she is. So that's kind of interesting to me too. But anyway, so let's go back to where she's starting out. She decides to. To make herself more attractive. She decides to do what Val does in A Chorus Line. And it works. She marries, she becomes pregnant. But she discovers too late that her husband's quite the bum. And here's one instance out of dozens, dozens where we see the strength of this woman. She's not into self pity at all, even though she has to now work two jobs to afford a studio apartment. She has a kid. The kid has a crib with a mattress. But Jackie is sleeping in a sleeping bag. And she never complains. Never complains. And you see her being very tender to her young daughter. So, all right, who knew there was such a thing as a Mrs. Florida pageant? Not Ms. Mrs. So she does it. She goes and she, you know, they ask her for an inspirational quotation. She gives it, ah, you know, and the emcee is really impressed. And she admits that it's not her thought. So again, this is something where she could very much finesse it and make it sound like it's something she came up with. But no, she volunteers the name of the person who actually did that. So she's honest in that way. So I find that very interesting. Okay. As a result of becoming Mrs. Florida, she meets David Siegel. Now, he's not as lofty as she is. I have to admit that. I mean, it all depends how you look at it. But I don't think he'd be voted Mr. Nice Guy for the way he got his money. Because what he did was latch on to a guy who knew everything about timeshares. I mean, he was doing very well with timeshares. And David gives us the impression, I could be wrong about this, but I got the impression that the guy was saying, hey, come work for me. And, you know, we'll. I'd like to have you as an employee. But the only thing David is doing is learning the business. And the moment he knows everything that this guy can teach him, he's off and starting his own business. And in fact, he eclipses the success of his mentor. And. But if he's not Mr. Nice Guy there, he's Mr. Very Nice Guy when he meets Jackie, because he's willing to marry her because he loves her, but also is willing to be a father to her child, which a lot of guys would not want to do. As he says, you're a package deal. And I think that's a very nice line. Okay, so they go to Paris, they go to Versailles. And so a tiny little detail, but a very telling one, is that when Jackie gets there to Versailles, she takes a picture of the tour guide. I think that's terrific. You know, that tells us who she is, you know, and she's so impressed with Versailles. But it's really David want David's idea to say, if you want a house like this, you can have it. It's more, believe me, she doesn't object. And she says things that show that she would love to have a house like this. But he does say, whatever you want, you can have. So. So she's like Scarlett o' Hara in a strange way. Initially shallow, but she turns out to have strength, indomitability, resilience. Because David goes broke and what happens? Does she wallow? And so, no, she goes into a survival mode. She's going to sell everything that they have at fire sale prices. And she doesn't for a second say, you know, oh my God, look what happened to nothing like that, okay? She knows that she has to do something. He's not as good at that. This property he wants to hold on to, he won't be able to, but he wants to hold on to it. And she's not in that mode at all. Okay, we're broke. Here's what, what we do. We have to do this to get by. So they don't cite separate flaws. I won't say that because there's a line about how many children she has that will turn out to have great resonance in the second act. And speaking of that, that daughter Victoria, we do get to see her up to her teenage years, not beyond. But she's very, very well played by Nina White, and she's not a glamorous person. Then she has a song about what it's like not to be pretty. And it's hard, you know, for a daughter when the mother is prettier than you are. And. And very good lyrics by Stephen Schwartz here about pretty jumps the line, you know, that you. You do have advantages of pretty. So. So that's pretty impressive as well. So I'm telling you little details. Jackie gives her a journal, saying, look, you might not be able to express your feelings out loud, so why don't you put them in a journal? And the kid says, where'd you get that idea from, tv? From Oprah? And Jackie says, yes. Now, I mean, the average mother would say. Would say, how dare you say that? You know, no, this was my idea. You know, she's honest. She's not only honest as the day is long, she's as honest as the day is long. On the day we turn the clocks back, I'm telling you. So this character is fascinating to me. Yes. I can understand why people go to it and say, oh, she just wants to show off her wealth. And again, the opening number suggests that. So I'm telling you, you know, 60 years ago at this very theater, the St. James, hello, Dolly was playing. Okay. Rave reviews from all six New York. Well, at least approvals. But, I mean, nobody of the six. Yeah, there were six newspapers. Nobody of the six critics said anything bad about hello, Dolly. So it's selling out the hottest ticket in town. Try to get a ticket, you won't be able to get it for months. But God with Champion goes back and he changes a number as good as. He didn't have to do that. I mean, the show's doing extraordinary. Said, no, no, I think I knew it better. I hope these people go back and drop the opening number. I think it may make a great deal of difference in how people regard the Queen of Versailles.
- [35:47]
Michael Portentier
Just to clarify. But. But in the opening number, she appears as Marie Antoinette.
- [35:54]
Peter Filicia
No, that happens in the second act.
- [35:56]
Michael Portentier
Oh, okay. That happens the second act.
- [35:58]
Peter Filicia
That's the second act opener. Yeah. So, yeah, interesting. Yeah, that should be dropped, too. I. I don't think they should go to Versailles at all. Well, of course, she goes in the scene where she sees it, but, I mean, I don't think we should go back to 1611. That's what I get. That's what I mean.
- [36:17]
James Marino
Okay, the Queen of Versailles is at the St. James Theater. The standby for Krista Chenoweth is Sherry Renee Scum.
- [36:28]
Michael Portentier
Right.
- [36:32]
James Marino
Sherry Renee's got scheduled shows. November 25th, December 3rd. That's a Wednesday. She's going to do the matinee and the evening performance and January 20th. So the. November 25th to Tuesday, January 20th to Tuesday. December 3rd is a Wednesday. So those are scheduled times that Sherry will go on. So if you want to catch Sherry, those are the dates, and we'll have a link to that in the show notes. Michael, you were over at the Duke on 42nd street to see messy white gaze. So tell us about this Drew Drogie show.
- [37:10]
Michael Portentier
Yeah, first of all, do you think that's how to pronounce his name? Because I have no idea. Drew Drogie.
- [37:19]
James Marino
Drogie.
- [37:20]
Michael Portentier
Droji.
- [37:20]
Peter Filicia
Droji.
- [37:22]
James Marino
I believe that it is Droji.
- [37:24]
Peter Filicia
Okay.
- [37:25]
Michael Portentier
Yeah. Very fun show, but odd. Kind of a comic version of Rope.
- [37:35]
Peter Filicia
Ah.
- [37:36]
Michael Portentier
The. You know, is one way to look at it.
- [37:40]
James Marino
The.
- [37:40]
Michael Portentier
The basic setup is very similar in some respects there to gay men who, you know, living together in this case, and they kill a friend of theirs and stuff him in a sort of like a credenza thing. And they're very, very chic, expensive apartment in Manhattan. They're supposed to live in that thing. What is it called that. That huge, tall, thin building on 57th Street. Yeah, that thing. And. And actually, one of the best things about the show is the. Really quite a striking set by Alexander Dodge that shows the, you know, through the windows of their apartment at. Primarily at Central park with this incredible. I don't know if it's a. It's a drop or. I think it's a drop. I don't think it's a projection in back of it. That looks really kind of amazing. So that's a very impressive aspect of this production. Directed by Mike Donahue. I. I had. Although I enjoyed much of this show greatly, I did have one major issue here is. Is that I, you know, even with all of the suspension of disbelief and. And the fact that the portrayal of the. Of the plot and the characters is by no means realistic and very much heightened. Heightened. Heightened reality. Even with all that, I still still thought that basing it on the fact that they actually killed this friend of theirs was a huge mark against the show. And I. I wish it had been some kind of other crime that they had committed because I just think that's a little too much In. In Rope. It's supposed to be A. It's really just a kind of a thrill killing as it was, you know, apparently in the historical incident that inspired Rogue, which was the Leopold and Loeb murders. But here we're supposed to think that these two guys, Brecken and Caden, played by James Kazati Moyer and Aaron Jackson, killed this friend of theirs just because they found him so annoying. And you know, like I said, I didn't think it worked for me and I wish there had been some other idea that they had come up with rather than actually killing someone. By the way, there is a. A dummy on stage that is made to look like the dead body and, and is featured fairly prominently in several scenes. So it's kind of, you know, Weekend with Bernie's in that respect. But, you know, that's a kind of humor, a kind of very dark, over the top humor that I don't necessarily respond to, but I did respond to much of the rest of the humor, which is really dependent very much on the pop cultural gay references. So I don't know how well the play itself is going to age, but for the time being it is quite hysterically funny as written by Drew Dredge. Dredge. And as acted by most of the cast. Those two I mentioned, plus Pete Zayas, Derek Chadwick and Mr. Droji is in it himself and he is also, I would say, one of the best actors in it. The two leads, Brecken and Caden, James Casati Moyer and Aaron Jackson, they were fine. I thought that maybe if they were even better that they might have been able to make the play work completely, despite the reservations that I mentioned. But those are my thoughts and it's certainly there was a whole lot of laughter in the audience when I saw the show at The Duke on 42nd Street. Barely two lines go by without a laugh. And so I think the old time comic playwrights would have really approved. Very, very, very funny and skewering of I guess, can be viewed as very much as a skewering of very pretentious, selfish, modern gay men. So if you're in the mood for that, head to the Toucan 42nd street and I think you'll get a lot of laughs out of it.
- [42:40]
James Marino
All right, so Messy White Gaze is playing on the Duke at 42nd Street. And we'll have a link to that in the show notes. Peter and Michael got over to the Daryl Roth theater to see 44 the musical, so Yankee fans might be thrown because it's not about Reggie Jackson.
- [42:58]
Peter Filicia
Right.
- [43:00]
James Marino
So Peter, tell us what 44C signifies.
- [43:04]
Peter Filicia
Well, at intermission, when Linda was putting on her coat, and not because the theater was cold, because she was soon going to be in the night air, she pointed out that the costumes for Michelle Obama were all wrong. So I don't know anything about that. But what I do know is that 44, which has a book, music and lyrics and direction by the same gentleman, is on the silly side. And it's done in that. Always a problem when you make fun of people, and then at the end of the first act, you want to have a sincere song that you're supposed to really bond with the person, but the damage has been done. You're treating everybody silly. Granted, they don't Treat Obama, who's 44, because he was the 44th president, as silly as they do everybody else. But for me, it got very superficial South American wearing, so I had to stay, but that was that. I frankly, I do think this gentleman has talent as a composer. I'd like to see him do a show that isn't silly. I. I think he'd really be very, very good. He has a real soulful sound that. So if there's an instrumental album, I'd be interested in hearing it. But don't give me these lyrics and these people and this take on it.
- [44:31]
James Marino
Okay. Michael, what did you think?
- [44:33]
Michael Portentier
Yeah, I had very similar feelings.
- [44:37]
Peter Filicia
The.
- [44:39]
Michael Portentier
There is a hook in the show that is basically beaten like a dead horse. But, you know, as Sondheim always said, the key to something being memorable and humble is. One key to it is how much you repeat. Doesn't mean it's good, doesn't mean it's, you know, talented. And in this case, that hook is. And forgive my French, but it's Obama.
- [45:13]
Peter Filicia
Yeah.
- [45:13]
Michael Portentier
Yeah. And at least one review that I read, a very negative review, said that he. He couldn't get that hook out of his head. And I said, of course you can't. They sing it, like 50 times with.
- [45:27]
Peter Filicia
Other people, too, not just Obama.
- [45:29]
Michael Portentier
Right, right. And also. And also, so they repeat it so much. And also, of course, having that phrase, you know, set to music is going to be memorable, because who would set that phrase to music? You know? So, yeah, how many times have. Have I said. And I think you gentlemen both agree with me, that when someone writes the book, music and lyrics for a musical and in this case, also directs it, that can be a huge red flag, which it certainly is here. It seems to me that I agree with Peter that Mr. Bauman is more talented in some areas, for example, music writing, than in terms of Lyric writing and book writing and even direction. And by the way, I don't know if this is true when you attended Peter, and I don't know when you went, but at the performance, I went. It was introduced by Eli Bauman.
- [46:23]
Peter Filicia
Oh. Oh, well, do you mean in person?
- [46:28]
Michael Portentier
Yes.
- [46:30]
Peter Filicia
Okay.
- [46:30]
Michael Portentier
He came out on stage and. Go on.
- [46:33]
Peter Filicia
All right. Well, with me, it was simply a voiceover, but this brings up a good point, and I'm glad you brought that up. And that is the fact that he says, you know, if you want to clap, if you want to really have a good time, you want to cheer, go right ahead. And that didn't quite happen from the audience. No. There were. There were giggles, there were. There were smiles. But I'm telling you, the. The permission he gave was not something that he needed to give because the audience didn't respond nearly in the way that he would hope that it would. No.
- [47:03]
Michael Portentier
And. Yeah, and thank you for mentioning that specifically, because that was part of my point. It was. It was kind of embarrassing in retrospect.
- [47:12]
Peter Filicia
Yeah.
- [47:13]
Michael Portentier
Oh, and also, one before we leave this. And I don't think I have anything more to say without starting to become insulting, but I guess I hated it from the beginning when a woman came out and for the opening number, started to wail with. With the clear intent of getting the audience to start going and, you know, sing the song, you know, and that kind of stuff. And she did it once at the beginning, sort of the beginning of this song, and it didn't work.
- [47:55]
Peter Filicia
Yeah. So she kept.
- [47:57]
Michael Portentier
She kept doing it. And finally when she did it for, like, the third time in the one song, it was like beating the audience into submission. And some people, a few people in the audience started to respond that way. So I was. I hate that so much. And the fact that they were so obvious about it really turned me against this. And another thing I will say is that it was also counterproductive because then later on, when the. Another actress playing Michelle Obama started to do a little bit of that and much better, I might add, it was. It was anticlimactic because the very first number, this person we didn't know came out and started wailing and, you know, trying to bring the house down. So that was a tremendous, tremendous flaw in. In terms of, I think, turning the audience against the production and kind of emblematic of the whole. The whole affair.
- [49:06]
James Marino
Okay, so 44 of the musicals at the Darrow Roth Theater. We'll have a link to that in the show notes. Last week, Michael talked about Bat Boy at City Center. And Peter got a chance to see it this week. So, Peter, tell us about Bat Boy.
- [49:24]
Peter Filicia
You know, it's funny. Bat Boy reminds me of Annie. Now you might say, Wait, wait, wait. What are you talking about? Well, here's what I mean. When Annie was first announced, everybody thought, oh, this is going to be quite a spoof. And that's a girl with no eyeballs. You know, boy, what a. What a hoot this is going to be. And I think people thought that of Bat Boy, too. And what's really wonderful about Bat Boy is they really make you care for the kid. And I really have to give credit to the book writers and notice that the credit on the book writer is not simply book by. No, it is story and book by. And indeed, I have to say that Keith Farley and Brian Fleming deserve that credit because after all that World Weekly News, whatever it's called, that did this whole Bat Boy thing with headlines like Bat Child Found in Caves. That Boy Cited in New York Subway. And my personal fave, Bat Boy Fights in Iraq. Anyway, these are real headlines from the World Weekly News. A Weekly World News, whatever it's called. But anyway, the thing is that they make you care for this kid. And that's where Lawrence o' Keefe comes in, who wrote the score. Because Lawrence o' Keefe wrote a song called show youw A Thing of Two where the kid starts off having trouble even repeating a line about like this is a cat or something like that. And by the end of the song, he's talking about the Champs Elysees. And when he makes a mistake, he's so frustrated with himself, you know, and you really say, don't be so hard on yourself. Which also is words we should live by too, that we should not be so hard on ourselves as well. But that's what's so amazing. You care for this kid. And who the hell expected that when he went to see Bat Boy? And that's the strength of Bat Boy. And so a terrific production. There were at the beginning, a few people did come up with binders and were reading from the script. But nevertheless, for the most part, as. As has been the custom at. At City center with their limited engagement musicals, people were pretty much off book and. And tremendously. But my God, Taylor Trench, who has to contort himself into positions that no cat has ever had to endure at the Winter Garden. I'm telling you, it was an amazing physical performance and an amazing performance otherwise, too. Really, this is a very gifted young man. I mean, we have seen him do all Sorts of. Of different roles. He really made you hate Mordred and Camelot. And so really, very, very impressive performance. Nice to see Kerry Butler graduate from playing Shelley, the ingenue to the mother. Doing very, very well by there. But again, so much of it is so impressive because you have a whole bunch of new songs. These guys have not set Path. This is not the Bat boy you saw 24 years ago. If you saw her 24, and you would have had more of a chance to see it 24 years ago had nine, 11 not happened, because it was at the Union Square Theater, which doesn't even exist anymore, on 17th street, which is fewer than three miles away from Ground Zero. And believe me, a lot of people were afraid of going downtown during that period of time. They really were. And it really hurt the show. I really believe that had the climate been very different, that that boy would run substantially longer. And there have been over 5, 500 productions here, there and everywhere, especially in high schools. It's become a favorite. And it was so nice to see so many people in the lobby talking about their high school productions. I really enjoyed overhearing people mention this song and that song, songs that they missed because they were dropped because these guys have not really stood still on this one. So I know it closes today, and this isn't going to be much help to anybody who. Who might want to see it, but nevertheless, I don't think it's impossible that we will see a move somewhere along the line. I don't think it's impossible. I'm not predicting it, but I'm not going to say how bizarre if it's announced tomorrow to be moving somewhere because really it deserves to, because what it has is heart. And who expected heart in Bad Boy?
- [53:55]
Michael Portentier
Well, you know, we should bear in mind that recently, one path that we have seen is that at least two encore shows that I could think of moved to Broadway for limited runs. And it can be a perfect situation if there's a theater that is empty, going to be empty for a certain amount of time, and they need something to fill it, and they have this show ready to go. And it might not necessarily be a show that's going to run for five or 10 years, but it can certainly sell out for, you know, two months. Yeah. So that. So I. I am with you, Peter. I would not be surprised if we see that.
- [54:37]
James Marino
Okay, so as Peter mentioned this afternoon, this evening is the last performance of Bat Boy the Musical at City Center. In this incarnation, we'll have a link to that in the show notes.
- [54:53]
Musical Performer
Notes.
- [54:55]
James Marino
Peter, you were over at Theater 555 where you saw Vape the Grease parody. Did Grace need a parody?
- [55:07]
Peter Filicia
Really? What is a parody of more than anything else is not the stage show, but the movie. It really follows the movie's trajectory far more than the stage show. And there's even a line about Dianetics, so, you know, they're talking about John Travolta, so it takes place in the here and now, and it's not a reunion, but for whatever reason, it's. It's right now. And they use many of the songs, including the movie songs with new lyrics. And may I say, the audience had a wonderful time. I'll leave it at that. But the people certainly ape what you saw in the movie. And, uh, I have to say, after the show, I was amazed to see Ken Weissman there, who was one of the co producers.
- [56:01]
Michael Portentier
Wow.
- [56:02]
Peter Filicia
Yes, indeed. Yes, indeed. And I was astonished that he said, oh, I think it's terrific, because I would have thought he would have had a million issues since he was really the power in getting Grease to Broadway. I mean, he was in Chicago sitting on the floor on newspapers in a. Not even a theater. I mean, it was a room. And he, he was told that, you know, there might be something here, and little did he, when he went and sat on those newspapers, that he would have. That was for a time, the longest running show in Broadway history. So. So I, I fully expected that he'd be on the phone calling his lawyers, but. And in fact, there were some legal issues about this because as I say, they're using the actual melodies of the songs, but with different lyrics. So the cast is very good naping the people you've seen in the movie. So. But again, the surprise is that it takes place in the here and now. And so if, if you're fond of the Grease movie, you might have a good time.
- [57:08]
James Marino
Okay, so Vape the Grease parody with lyrics and additional book by Billy Reisi. Friend errors. Yep.
- [57:20]
Peter Filicia
Yes, indeed.
- [57:21]
James Marino
So we'll have a link to that in the show notes. I. I keep on meaning to ask the. You two, did you guys head out to Paper Mill to see Bull Durham?
- [57:31]
Peter Filicia
I did not.
- [57:33]
Michael Portentier
No, I missed it. I wanted to go. I just. The scheduling, I couldn't do it.
- [57:41]
James Marino
All right, so if you got out to see Bull Durham at Paper Mill, drop us an email. Let it. Let us know what you thought about. About it, see how it, how it went. And also, Purple Rain just opened up out in Minnesota, so I'm interested to hear from people to see if anybody has seen that how it went out there. I actually tried to get out there to see it, but I just couldn't fit it into my schedule. So. So a lot of interesting things happening that you know, could be fodder for future Broadway productions. All right, so that wraps it up for this week. Before we get on to our brain teasing our musical moment, I want to remind everybody that you some 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 it. Us and Apple podcasts as many ways to get us. One way is Patreon P-A-T-R-E-O-N.com BroadwayRadio. You get us early, get a few extra bonuses. Listen to us live on Sunday mornings if you're a Patreon supporter. All sorts of things there. Contact information for Peter from Michael and me can be found in the show notes@broadwayradio.com as well as links to some of the things we've talked about today. So Peter, do you have an answer to last week's Brain Teaser?
- [59:10]
Peter Filicia
I do. In one of Harold Hill's songs, he uses a word I put word in quotation marks that would eventually become the name of a popular candy bar. Well, since 1978 there's been a candy bar with the name whatchamacallit, which is why I put it in quotation marks around the word word. Because whatchamacallit is a conglomeration of five words. And it's what Harold Hill says he might stumble on his own one. In Marrying the Librarian, Marion Juliet Green was first, followed by Rob Johnson, Sean Logan, Paul Witty, Mike Meaney, Nikki Jubin, Margo Lynn, Tony Janicki. Took him a while to get it. Steven Sokolov, Kathy Jones. Not to be confused with J. Aubrey Jones, who got it too. By the way, J. Aubrey Jones is in White Christmas at Goodspeed. I'm looking forward to going up and seeing him in it. Then there was Jack Leshner, Jeff Valenga and Guy Matthews, who by the way was the person who gave the $1,500 donation to the Theater World Awards. To get my annotated version of William Goldman, where I scroll to scroll to comment on every page. At least one comment, God love them. Add to the list Krista Garver, Deb Pople, Brigadude Angry Gammerman, and Lee Korn. So that was last week's question, this week's question. So in the 1960s, in the early 1960s, he had three musicals in succession at the same theater that sported his music and lyrics. So who is he? And what were the three musicals that were at the same theater in succession that sported his music and lyrics?
- [60:48]
James Marino
Okay, if you have an answer for that, email us@triviaroadwayradio.com we'll let you know if you're on the right track. So, Michael, what do we have in this week's musical moments?
- [61:01]
Michael Portentier
Well, one thing I didn't mention about Bo the Musical is that it does seem like the producers are really behind the show in terms of putting money behind it and in terms of marketing. Peter mentioned last week and I failed to mention today that, for example, the theater at St. Luke's has been completely reconfigured to really honestly look like you're in an actual bar, you know, a country bar that has a stage at one end and where the musicians, singers, actors perform. And. And it's filled with the kind of things you would see on the walls in a place like that. Photos and license plates and. And bric a brac and. And memorabilia and stuff like that. And it's. It also got a very large, working, functional bar that. That's right there. And I actually asked one of the people afterwards who I think was one of the producers, if, you know, if. If that was going to stay that way after the show closes, and she said, well, you know, we don't think so. This is really all just what we did for this show. I mean, you would swear that it was now permanent, especially the bar part of it. Anyway, my point is they really put a lot of money behind it. And then also, if you go to YouTube, you will find what they call a film trailer for Bo the Musical, which really makes it look like they have made a movie of the whole thing, even though it was just filmed right on that set. It's made to look like. Like excerpts from an actual film of the whole musical. So please check that out. It's really quite amazing. And then in addition to that, there are lots of individual clips of individual numbers from the show being done, you know, again on that set, but. But more obviously as a video and also numbers done elsewhere. So our closing. Well, our opener for today's podcast is one of the songs from the show called Crush, and our closer is another one called Running, both featuring prominently, featuring Matt Rhoden in his spectacular performance as ace maker. One more time, Please go to see the musical. I just loved it, and I think you will, too.
- [63:48]
James Marino
Okay, so on behalf of Michael Botanier and Peter Felicia, this is James Marino saying thanks so much for listening to Broadway videos this week on Broadway.
- [63:58]
Musical Performer
Bye.
- [63:58]
Peter Filicia
Bye.
- [64:05]
Musical Performer
But not if life is a secret? I look deep in the mirror? Became clean mirror? I should open up my door? Now I feel the sunlight? See I'm all right? And I love me even more? So what's in your mirror? Let it be? We go and open up the door? Come fast in the sunlight? You'll be all right? And you'll love you even more? Why are you running? Stop running. No more running.
- [65:00]
James Marino
Mad rodent. Everybody.