This Week on Broadway for October 26, 2025: Oh Happy Day @ The Public Theater

Summary

BroadwayRadio: This Week on Broadway – October 26, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode centers on recent events and reviews in the Broadway community, with in-depth discussions of major revivals, new works, and adjacent theater news. The panel—James Marino, Peter Felicia, Janetessa Fox, and Michael Portantier—offers critiques on new productions (“Ragtime” at Lincoln Center, “Not Ready for Prime Time,” “Oh Happy Day” at the Public Theater), the “Kiss of the Spider Woman” film adaptation, and memorable cabaret/pops performances. They weave in personal anecdotes, historic context, and humorous interplay, resulting in a lively, insightful episode for theater fans.

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Panelist Introductions & Banter

Timestamps: 03:25–08:12

• James Marino welcomes co-hosts and introduces their credentials, highlighting Peter’s extensive theater writing, Janetessa’s reporting, and Michael’s work as a reviewer and photographer.
• Light banter about Carnegie Hall leads to Michael revealing he is training as a docent there, humorously noting the venue’s storied history. (“You can ask me any question. I probably won’t be able to answer all of them because the history goes back to 1891.” – Michael, 07:01)
• Chat turns briefly to tours of other New York institutions, such as Yankee Stadium.

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Review: “Ragtime” at Lincoln Center Theater

Timestamps: 09:08–20:35

Key Points and Critical Insights

• Peter Felicia praises the revival’s adaptation to the Vivian Beaumont’s thrust stage, noting director Lear deBessonet’s masterful translation from City Center’s proscenium setup.
  • “It works astonishingly well on the Vivienne Momo stage... I thought that was one of the great strengths.” (09:23)
• Minimal, non-ornate scenery contrasted with the original production’s opulence—“the show is so magnificent, always has been.”
• Performance Highlights:
  • Michelle Lewis (Mother) receives a standing ovation; Joshua Henry (Coalhouse) gets extended applause. Casey Levy (Mother), Brandon Uranowitz (Tateh), and Ben Levy Ross (Mother’s Younger Brother) all recognized.
  • Noted diversity in casting: “There really is such a melting pot feeling here that reminds us that America once was a welcoming melting pot.” (14:06)
• Sociopolitical Context: The musical’s themes of race and the American dream felt urgent, with Peter lamenting contemporary backpedaling on social justice:
  • “It’s sad to think that in the 27 years since ‘Ragtime’ that I can’t say that things have much improved.” (13:38)
• James echoes Peter, discussing the four mid-show standing ovations and extolling the upgraded staging and deeper resonance at Lincoln Center.
  • “I think that this production is far, far better than City Center.” (16:15)
• Tony predictions abound: strong prospects for Best Actor, Best Actress, and featured categories.

Notable Quotes

• Peter Felicia: “The barometer for standing ovations meaning something is when that happens in the middle of the show... only count if you get them in the middle, as opposed to the knee jerk reaction at the end.” (15:25)
• Michael Portantier (on making a movie musical): “So much of it is direct address... They would have to come up with a film equivalent of that. I expect maybe that’s one reason why there’s not a movie of it yet.” (17:44)

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Review: “Not Ready for Prime Time” at MCC Theater (Newman Mills)

Timestamps: 21:13–28:23

Key Points and Critical Insights

• Play Subject: The creation of “Saturday Night Live,” focusing on Lorne Michaels and the original cast.
• Michael Portantier found the direction and script lacking:
  • “Very little humor in it, which obviously was going to be a kiss of death, given the subject matter... kind of boring in general.” (21:13)
• Pitfalls of Portrayed Icons: The cast faced “tremendous pitfalls” playing such legendary comedians; the writing failed to support them.
• Peter Felicia adds that the staging made sightlines and audibility difficult; moments of audience engagement were rare except for Evan Rubin as Gilda Radner/Roseanne Roseannadanna:
  • “It was almost like you were in the middle of the ocean drowning and you found a life preserver.” (24:34)
• The show’s lack of affiliation with NBC or SNL is clarified—a point of confusion.

Notable Quotes

• Peter Felicia: “I wish people resembled the characters more... for the most part, for virtually 99 and 44/100% of the time, it's really quite boring.” (25:12)

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Review: “Kiss of the Spider Woman” Film Adaptation

Timestamps: 28:43–43:32

Key Points and Critical Insights

• Janetessa Fox delivers an in-depth, scholarly history of the source material, from Puig’s novel to various stage and screen adaptations.
• Screenplay Critique: Condon’s screenplay blends elements from different sources, resulting in characters and themes that sometimes “don’t always fit together perfectly and the seams can really show.” (approx. 30:45)
• Tonal Mismatch: The central film-within-film fantasy does not mirror the main prison storyline as effectively as other versions.
• Characters’ Evolution: By softening the antagonism between Molina and Valentine, the film loses some dramatic impact:
  • “Having [Valentine] be supportive from the very beginning means he doesn't have nearly as far to grow.” (32:45)
• Performance Praise:
  • Diego Luna, newcomer Tonatiuh, and Jennifer Lopez each play multiple roles. Lopez’s performances are mixed, excelling as the movie star and Spider Woman but less effective as Aurora.
• Production Design: Visual allusions to classic MGM musicals; costumes and cinematography applauded.
• Industry Frustrations: Weak marketing undermined box office—“There were no marquees in Times Square, no. Nothing in the subway stations. ...people who I know were interested in seeing it didn't know it had been released.” (40:50)

Notable Moment

• Michael provides direct feedback from Bill Condon on the “Lady in the Dark” references, revealing the filmmaker’s intent (37:08–39:15).

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Review: “Oh Happy Day” at the Public Theater

Timestamps: 44:13–47:42

Key Points and Critical Insights

• Peter Felicia finds this Jordan E. Cooper play with music to be “tremendously effective”—combining family conflict, redemption, and fantasy as “three angels” set the tone.
• Cast: Donovan Louis Bazemore and Tamika Lawrence, praised as revelations.
• Direction: Stevie Walker-Webb’s pacing keeps the show moving with “one surprise after the other.”
• Production Extended through November 9: Indicating strong word-of-mouth and audience interest.

Notable Quotes

• “A very, very effective play with music... a freight train that keeps going and going and going with one surprise after the other.” (45:22)

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Review: “Playing Shylock” at Theatre for a New Audience (Brooklyn)

Timestamps: 48:17–54:22

Key Points and Critical Insights

• Premise: Saul Rubinek plays a version of himself justified in a show-within-a-show setup—“Merchant of Venice” canceled mid-performance due to antisemitism protests.
• Michael finds the conceit effective, allowing the play to explore modern debates about Shakespeare’s “Shylock” and antisemitism with power:
  • “Saul Rubinek in this one-person show does a brilliant job... one of the best one-person shows I’ve ever seen.” (50:49)
• Peter notes the show is slightly overlong and repetitive but overall “worthwhile” and “clever under the circumstances.” (52:22)

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Review: “Ho Church” at Ars Nova

Timestamps: 54:22–57:44

Key Points and Critical Insights

• Peter Felicia attends this Brandon Kyle Goodman solo show, which uses a faux-church setting to preach sex positivity.
• Audience Participation: High enthusiasm, minimal lewdness despite graphic puppetry; the message is to embrace sexuality.
• Social Relevance: Challenges outdated teachings and shame surrounding sex—“Sex is just one of those things that we should really embrace rather than be fearful of.” (54:39)

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The New York Pops: Movie Musical Magic & Cabaret Highlights

Timestamps: 58:26–66:16

• Michael gushes over the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall, focusing on hearing lush original and movie orchestrations live (“Oklahoma,” “The Sound of Music”).
• Guests included Yu Pinero (Phantom’s longest-running Broadway star) and Elizabeth Stanley.
• Highlights: Stanley shines in “Unusual Way” from “Nine” and “Back to Before” from “Ragtime.”
• Michael reviews Daniel Reichard’s “Hello, Neighbor” (songs from children’s classics) at the Laurie Beechman and Julie Styne tribute at the Cabaret Convention.

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In Memoriam: June Lockhart

Timestamps: 66:16–70:49

• Panel remembers June Lockhart, who passed at 100; discussion of her Tony-winning Broadway work (“For Love or Money”) and iconic TV roles (“Lassie,” “Lost in Space”).
• Anecdotes & Humor: Peter fantasizes about the “Lost in Space” cast mounting “She Loves Me” in space.

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Brain Teaser & Closing Musical Moments

Timestamps: 71:38–76:19

• Brain Teaser: Peter provides this week's and last week's trivia challenges.
• Musical Moments: Michael offers a comparative lesson—a juxtaposition of “The Sound of Music” film and stage orchestrations, reflecting on the importance of faithful adaptation.

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Notable Quotes & Standout Moments

• “It’s sad to think that in the 27 years since ‘Ragtime’ that I can’t say that things have much improved.” — Peter Felicia, 13:38
• “The barometer for standing ovations meaning something is when that happens in the middle of the show... as opposed to the knee jerk reaction at the end.” — Peter Felicia, 15:25
• “Very little humor in it, which obviously was going to be a kiss of death, given the subject matter.” — Michael Portantier, 21:13 (“Not Ready for Prime Time”)
• “Having [Valentin] be supportive from the very beginning means he doesn't have nearly as far to grow.” — Janetessa Fox, 32:45 (“Kiss of the Spider Woman”)
• “A very, very effective play with music... a freight train that keeps going and going and going with one surprise after the other.” — Peter Felicia, 45:22 (“Oh Happy Day”)
• “Saul Rubinek... does a brilliant job. It was an absolute gem and I was so, so glad that I went.” — Michael Portantier, 50:49 (“Playing Shylock”)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 03:25 — Host introductions, Carnegie Hall banter
• 09:08 — Review: “Ragtime” at Lincoln Center (Peter, James, Michael)
• 21:13 — Review: “Not Ready for Prime Time” (Michael, Peter)
• 28:43 — Review: “Kiss of the Spider Woman” film (Janetessa, Michael)
• 44:13 — Review: “Oh Happy Day” at Public Theater (Peter)
• 48:17 — Review: “Playing Shylock” at TFANA (Michael, Peter)
• 54:22 — Review: “Ho Church” at Ars Nova (Peter)
• 58:26 — The New York Pops & cabaret performances (Michael)
• 66:16 — Tribute: June Lockhart (Peter, Michael)
• 71:38 — Brain Teaser & Musical Moments (Peter, Michael)

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Tone & Style

The episode is conversational, historically informed, and punctuated with smart humor and friendly ribbing among co-hosts. Critiques are candid but respectful, often contextualized with theater history or personal anecdotes. The group’s fondness for musical theater’s legacy and their optimism about its future come through, even when discussing disappointments.

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For Further Exploration

• Ragtime at Lincoln Center: Performances through Jan 4, 2026; strong reviews portend award nominations and possible extension.
• Oh Happy Day at The Public: Extended to Nov 9, 2025—highly recommended for fans of new American drama with musical elements.
• Playing Shylock at TFANA: Must-see for those interested in Shakespearean reinterpretation.
• Kiss of the Spider Woman (Film): Streaming release set for Nov 11; recommended for fans of musical and literary adaptations, despite narrative seam issues.
• Cabaret & Pops: Seek out New York Pops events and cabaret conventions for an orchestral theater fix.

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For complete show notes and links, visit broadwayradio.com.

Transcript

[Peter Felicia]

Morning Zoe. Got donuts.

[Janetessa Fox]

Jeff Bridges why are you still living above our garage?

[Peter Felicia]

Well I dig the mattress and I want to be in a T mobile commercial like you teach me.

[Janetessa Fox]

So Dana oh no, I'm not really prepared. I couldn't possibly at T Mobile get the new iPhone 17 Pro on them. It's designed to be the most powerful iPhone yet and has the ultimate pro camera system.

[Peter Felicia]

Wow, impressive. Let me try. T mobile is the best place to get iPhone 17 Pro because they've got the best network.

[James Marino]

Nice.

[Janetessa Fox]

Je free.

[Michael Portantier]

You heard them.

[Peter Felicia]

T mobile is the best place to get the new iPhone 17 Pro on us with eligible traded in any condition. So what are we having for lunch?

[Janetessa Fox]

Dude, my work here is done.

[Peter Felicia]

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[Rubrik Agent Cloud Announcer]

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[Musical Performer]

R U B R-I K.com Sam the hills are alive with the sound of music with songs they have sung for a thousand years the hills fill my heart with the sound of music.

[Janetessa Fox]

My.

[Musical Performer]

Heart wants to sing Every song it hears My heart wants to beat like the wings of the birds that rise from the lake to the trees My heart wants to sigh Like a chime that flies From a church on a breeze to laugh like a brook when it trips and falls over stones on its way to sing through the night Like a lark who is learning to pray I go to the hill.

[James Marino]

Hello and welcome to Broadway Radio's this Week on Broadway for Sunday, October 26, 2025. My name is James Marino and in the broadcast today we have Peter, Felicia Genitus Fox and Michael Portant. Here, Peter is a playwright, journalist and historian with a number of books. Peter's New Day By Day Desk Calendar, a show tuned for today 366 songs to bright new Year is available at finer retailers. Peter also has columns at Masterworks, Broadway, Broadway select, in many other places. Hello, Peter. Hi, Peter. I just feel like Sunday morning is the two of us.

[Peter Felicia]

That's right.

[James Marino]

Well, there's two and two.

[Peter Felicia]

That's right. What James is referring to is the fact that on my show, Tune for Today calendar, on October 26, we have the two of us, a song from Look, Mom Dancing. Now, the reason for this is that on this date back in 1972, 30 luminaries were inducted in the first class of the Theater hall of Fame. And a lot of people were surprised to see Fred Astaire mentioned. I mean, because, yeah, he did appear in a dozen musicals from 1917-32, but that was 40 years earlier when he was. And he never came back to Broadway, so. But, you know, when you think of it, how many songs mention Fred Astaire? You're the top. The title song, I'm on your Toes, do it the hard way From Pal Joey, Mr. Wonderful's Charlie. I mean, there's so many even this century. We heard one in Saturday Night. Now, granted, Sondheim wrote Saturday Night long before this century. But in a moment with you, it took Fred Astaire years to learn to tap as a lyric. So if you really go through a lot of Broadway songs, you'll find Fred Astaire mentioned, partly because a stair is an easy rhyme. There are plenty of air rhymes, and that's one of the reasons. But it's very interesting how he's been kept alive in musical theater because of the fact that he was indeed the quintessential dancer in so many people's minds. So that's why the two of us in Look, Maram Dancing, a wonderful song that everybody should know, is my selection for today.

[Michael Portantier]

It's also mentioned in All I Need is the Girl in Gypsy.

[Peter Felicia]

Absolutely. A stair bit. Yes, indeed.

[James Marino]

Also with us is Jenna, Tessa Fox. Jenna has written about theater for many publications, including Playbill, Broadway World, Timeout, and Howl Round. She's a member of the Legal Professional Theater Women and the Drama Desk and is a contributor to Broadway Radio. Hello, Jenna.

[Janetessa Fox]

Hello, James. How are you doing?

[James Marino]

I'm good. You're coming to us from the mile high city of Denver.

[Janetessa Fox]

Yes, it's bright and early over here in Denver, but it's a beautiful morning.

[James Marino]

Well, you sound a mile high.

[Janetessa Fox]

I'm not quite sure how to take that, but I'll take it in the best way, you mean.

[James Marino]

Also with this is Michael Portentier. Michael's a theater reviewer and essayist. He's the founder and editor of Kissed Album reviews dot com. He is also a theatrical photographer whose photos have appeared in the New York Times and other major publications. You can see his photography work at news fox, follow spotphoto.com. hello, Michael. Hello, Michael. I understand that just in a. In a. In the immediate future we will be able to ask you any question about the Carnegie Hall.

[Michael Portantier]

Yeah, well, I mean, you can ask me any question. I probably won't be able to answer all of them because it's. It's. The history goes back to 1891. But, yes, I'm going to be. Well, I'm training to be a docent tour guide at Carnegie.

[Peter Felicia]

How wonderful.

[Michael Portantier]

Yeah.

[James Marino]

I can't believe they let you deliver babies right there in Carnegie Hall.

[Michael Portantier]

It was fun because the other night I was there for the New York Pops, as I'll talk about later. And then the following morning I was there to follow one of the tours. And it's. It's kind of neat to be in it when it's completely empty. Yeah, I took a pretty great photo of. Of the interior just from like this, just below the stage. And it's. It's just amazing. You know, the tours are only an hour long, but you could easily talk for three hours because the history is so rich.

[James Marino]

Yeah, well, I. An hour should be. It's just basically one big room.

[Michael Portantier]

Well, no, no, actually there are three. There's the Wild Recital hall, which they don't include in the tour, and then. But then recently they have begun including Zankel hall in the tour. So. So it is. That's a stop. Sometimes, not always.

[James Marino]

And does the tour include backstage and dressing rooms and stuff?

[Michael Portantier]

No, no, just the front of house and the auditorium. The Isaac Stern Auditorium.

[James Marino]

Peter, have you ever done the tour of Yankee Stadium or the old Yankee Stadium?

[Peter Felicia]

No, I'd like to do it now to see the monuments out to see if they did anything with Lou Gehrig. The statement that nobody will ever probably surpasses Streak, which, of course, Cal Ripken did. So I'd like to see if they rub that off or just left it.

[James Marino]

So in our review section this morning, Michael talked about Ragtime last week, but Peter and I have seen it this week. So, Peter, why don't you give us your thoughts about the Lincoln Center Theater revival of Ragtime?

[Peter Felicia]

Well, what's really great is the fact that it works astonishingly well on the Vivienne Momo stage, the Thrust stage. And I thought that was really one of the great strengths, that the director Lier Debessonnet certainly adapted it very well. From the proscenium arch stage that she had at Lincoln. Sorry, At City center last year. So from City center to Lincoln center, she's done extraordinarily well watching it. This must be one of the hardest shows to direct in the history of mankind. It. It's. There's just so much going on. And a lot of friends have said to me, is there much scenery? Did they add scenery? I don't think they did. So if indeed you're. You're concerned about that because the original production was so ornate, that may let you down. But I don't think you're going to mind because the show is so magnificent, always has been, and the production is really quite fine. It was very nice to see Michelle Lewis get a standing ovation after your Daddy's Son. I thought that Joshua Henry was going to get a couple, certainly after Wheels of a Dream and make them hear you. But sustained applause is good enough. Good enough indeed. Casey Levy is very, very fine as well. Everybody's good. Brandon Uranoretz, how wonder. Wonderful to see him. And he has the most interesting character because, of course, he goes from literally rags to riches. And it's. It's nice to see that one of the things is the fact that Ragtime tells us that the American Dream is achievable. And it is not easily achievable, too, because, of course, the Jewish gentleman does indeed succeed and make the American dream come true for him. Well, of course, the blacks in this show do not have that experience at all, indicating that we still have a long way to go. Even now. It's. It's sad to think that in the 27 years since ragtime that I can't say that things have much improved. And to say that things have backpedaled, I don't think would be terribly wrong either. But the score has always been so wonderful and Steve Flaherty and Lynn Aarons doing so well by every character. What I also want to mention, though, is the fact that I watched the movie immediately following the movie of the novel. Not there has been a movie of the musical. And considering what's happened with Kiss of the Spider Woman, I'm not sure there will be. But nevertheless, it's fascinating to me that in the movie, when mother takes in the baby, father is still very much on the scene. He doesn't go away to the North Pole for whatever reason. Michael Weller, the screenwriter, made that decision. Now, in the novel, I'm told that indeed he does go away. The musical takes that from the novel. But it's interesting the movie didn't use that. It's a good movie anyway. But nevertheless, the musical is substantially better and it was so great because I remember being in the press room for the Tonys when indeed certainly score and book went to ragtime. And yet, you know, it went to Lion King, which certainly Julie Taymond did miracles with the staging there as well. There's nine. The the vision of that is terrific. But good lord, neither the book nor score to Lion King can remotely, remotely approach this. And it almost seemed as if the Lincoln center audience knew this and wanted to make it up to Ragtime. I, I, I, that I can never prove. Or it was just a feeling that there a need to validate the greatness of this show. And I was glad to see that happen. So. Oh, you know, I also want to mention that very impressive was Ben Levy Ross as mother's younger brother. But isn't it interesting that we have Ben Levy Ross and Cassie Levy playing wasps? You know, I mean, there really is such a melting pot feeling here that reminds us that America once was a welcoming melting pot. And there are lessons to be learned for bragtime. And I hope the right people go to see it and learn the lessons.

[James Marino]

Peter, I saw it last Sunday right after we recorded the matinee performance. Unfortunately, Brandon Uranowitz and Shayna Taub were out, so I miss them, but their understudies were wonderful.

[Peter Felicia]

So I've been told. Yeah, and I'm sorry I didn't mention Shayna Taub who's really quite wonderful, is Emma Goldman. A lot of spirit and spunk. I'm sorry.

[James Marino]

No, no, absolutely.

[Janetessa Fox]

So.

[James Marino]

In my Sunday performance, the reason that I bring it up was we had four standing ovations mid performance.

[Musical Performer]

Wow.

[Peter Felicia]

Wow.

[Janetessa Fox]

Nice.

[James Marino]

It was, it was, you know, the cast was on fire. You know, I don't need to repeat everything that Peter has said. Longtime listeners will know how much we love Ragtime as a, as a property. And this is just a top notch cast. And it's interesting when you were just talking about the Julie Taymor and Lion King, it's like, you know, Lion King, the production open and is still. The original production is still running. And this is the second revival, third appearance of Ragtime on Broadway.

[Peter Felicia]

You know, you're mentioning the standing ovations brings up an interesting point. Given the fact that every show virtually gets a standing ovation at the end of the show. I guess the new barometer of standing ovations meaning something is when that happens in the middle of the show, I guess that's what used to be standing ovations, period. Now only really count, count, count as if you get him in the middle of the show. So as opposed to the knee jerk reaction at the end, I guess those are the compliments. Now it used to be the compliment that the final standing ovation was, wow, look at that, they stood. Now it's got to be in the middle of the show because at the end everybody stands. So.

[James Marino]

I had seen it at City center as well. I think that this production is far, far better than City center. And it's got nearly the exact same cast, nearly the exact same, the exact same creative team. It's just probably a tribute to them having more time and more budget to work on it. And you know, City center, that, that.

[Peter Felicia]

Breath stage is important too.

[Michael Portantier]

Yes, yes, yes, yes.

[Peter Felicia]

Michael.

[James Marino]

Yeah, yeah. So, you know, Ragtime is scheduled through January 4, 2026. Right now. I'd be surprised if it wasn't extended. I think we're gonna have, you know, quite, quite amazing horse race in. And best actor for a musical, best actress in a musical, the support, the best featured roles as well. I think that the, you know, what we're seeing here at Lincoln center is going to be heavily, heavily in the mix. And it's, it's a great way for the new leadership at Lincoln center to break out with this production of Ragtime.

[Michael Portantier]

So I mentioned that when I saw it, I got to speak with Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty afterwards and I was with Gerard Alicendrin. And of course at some point we mentioned the possibility of it ever being a movie. And they said, you know, of course there have been discussions over the years, but nothing definite is planned at this time. But I said, what's so interesting to me is in a way it would be absolutely perfect for a movie because of the epic scope of it. And you know, think what they could do visually and recreating, you know, the Gilded Age and all of that stuff. But, but on the other hand, they would have to get over the hump of the fact that so much of it is direct address of the charact characters to the audience. So they would have to come up with a, you know, a film equivalent of that. And I expect maybe that's one reason why there's not a movie of it yet.

[James Marino]

So what did you think of Colin? Donald played father. Just a wonderful, wonderful voice. But the whole, you know, he started the show with this whole heavy beard thing.

[Peter Felicia]

Exactly, yeah.

[James Marino]

Did that throw you off? It threw me off.

[Peter Felicia]

Yes, it did. I have to say, because of course, we associate that with Tata having a beard. So. Yes, I, I will admit that, that, that occurred to me as well, James.

[Michael Portantier]

Yeah, me too.

[James Marino]

And it gives us less of a sight gag for when he returns from the trip up north. You know, he. It was. And I'm wondering, you know, I think.

[Michael Portantier]

I know why they did it. I. I think it's because if without a beard, he still has quite a baby face.

[Musical Performer]

Ah.

[Michael Portantier]

So that's my, that's my guess. Yeah.

[James Marino]

So, yeah, I don't, I don't think that wasps were big facial hair people back in the time of Ragtime. So I thought that that was interesting and it sort of took away that one gag when he comes back from the North Pole.

[Michael Portantier]

Right.

[James Marino]

Yes. But I mean, what a cast. I mean, if, if that's the worst thing you can say about Rag. And Joshua Henry. Oh, my goodness. Yeah. Does he sing you to sleep every night?

[Peter Felicia]

Keep me awake.

[James Marino]

He should. He should. All right, so Ragtime. Jenny, you're going to see it in a few weeks. Maybe we'll have you back on and give us your thoughts when you, when you see it. And I would love that. I'm sure this is not the last time that we will be talking about ragtime. All right. Michael and Peter, did you go to Saturday Night Live? What? I, I'm looking here. It says, it says Michael and Peter went to Not Ready for Prime Time. I. I'm not sure. Michael, tell us what Not Ready for Prime Time is.

[Michael Portantier]

Well, as one might guess, it's a. A play about the creation of Saturday Night Live. And I suppose that maybe people who are real, real passionate fans of that show and, and know all the, the history and the minutiae, I suppose maybe they might enjoy it more than I did. Although they, on the other hand, maybe they would enjoy it less because, I mean, in a way, it's like these people have set themselves up for failure because the cast is very talented. Ian Bullion, Ryan Kraut, Jared Grimes, Caitlin Houlihan, Nate Janis, Christian Lugo, Woodrow Proctor, Taylor Richardson, Evan Rubin, etc. But, you know, they have to play such icons as Bill Murray and Lorraine Newman and Gilda Radner and John Belushi. And I, you know, obviously there are tremendous pitfalls involved in that, especially because I'm very sad to say, I think the writing of this play by Eric J. Rodriguez and Charles A. Southers is quite poor. There's very little humor in it, which obviously was going to be a kiss of death, given the subject matter. And then also little drama and, and just kind of boring in general as we, we see Lorne Michaels get the idea for this show and how he, he is portrayed by an actor on stage and how he builds it and finds all these people to be in it who at the time were all unknown. And it's. I, I felt like there was flop sweat on, on all of the actors and, and more specifically the actor who played Lorne Michaels from the beginning because at least at the performance I attended, the audience response was almost non existent, very little, almost no laughter. I felt like people weren't following the story and didn't really care about the characters. Directed by Connor Bagley, by the way. So I'm afraid for me, this was a near total loss, kind of a complete washout. And that's my sad report on it.

[James Marino]

Okay, Peter, what did you think?

[Peter Felicia]

I agree with that word for word. What I will add, I think that Kona Bagley did a terrible job of directing in terms of people seeing what was going on. Lorne Michaels is sitting at a desk which is next to a staircase. And I was on the extreme left of house and I could not see him at all while he was talking behind his desk. That was not the place to put it. Next to the desk is a staircase and a lot of people sit on the staircase. And as a result, people who are talking to them on the staircase have their backs to us and it's not ideal to hear them. I don't see why they had to sit on that staircase. So I thought that was a real problem as well. So the audience really did perk up only once during the entire performance that I saw. And that was indeed when Roseanne, Roseanne Dana made an appearance. Evan Rubin playing Gilda Radna did a fine job with that. And it was almost like you were in the middle of the ocean drowning and you found a life preserver. People grabbed onto that like crazy. Just saying, oh, finally something that interests us. I was surprised to hear so much about Lorraine Newman's drug use. There's a lot of that now. I'm not one to really revel in scandals of, in people's lives. I don't really seek out information on that. And I had no idea that was the case. I assume it was for them to say this, but that was pretty shocking to me and the way that played out. I was also surprised that they. This is not a problem, but I was surprised that they went as far as showing us that Gilda Radner did get ill and, and dealt with that I didn't expect that to happen. It's not a problem. It's not a flaw. I'm just saying I didn't expect it in a show that seemed to be out for Cops the whole way. I wish people resembled the characters more. I guess the closest that we had to that was Ryan Crowd as John Belushi. It was very nice to see Jared Grimes as Garrett Morris, even though he doesn't particularly resemble him. But this is the guy who certainly did so well by Funny Girl playing Eddie Ryan. So it was nice to see him again. So there are shards of things in this production that are certainly uplifting and make you happy that you were there. But for the most part, for virtually 99 and 44, 100% of the time, it's really quite boring. And what's so interesting to me, I don't know if you saw the film Saturday night. That was terrible. So both on stage in the film has been a terrible miss. Each has been a terrible misfire. And I'm very surprised that something that would seem to have so much potential has turned out to be a dud.

[Michael Portantier]

In both media also, presumably, you know, this is all authorized, completely authorized by Lorne Michaels at all. And for that reason, I was even more surprised at how unfortunate the whole thing turned out.

[James Marino]

I don't know if it was authorized. It. It's very prominent in all of their materials. It's got two sub lines on all the materials. It says, not Ready for primetime is not affiliated with NBC or snl. And it also says, Not Ready for primetime is not a production of MCC Theater.

[Michael Portantier]

Oh, you know what? I'm sorry. My mistake. And right here it says, the unauthorized.

[Peter Felicia]

Oh, yeah.

[Michael Portantier]

Unsanitized and slightly unhinged story. Well, so I guess they were able to write about all that because these are all considered public figures.

[Peter Felicia]

Yeah, I guess so.

[Michael Portantier]

Wow. Interesting. I wonder if they vetted it, you know, with.

[Peter Felicia]

Yeah.

[Michael Portantier]

Their lawyers. I would imagine so.

[Peter Felicia]

Yeah.

[James Marino]

The law doesn't mean anything anymore.

[Michael Portantier]

Thank you for noticing that, James. That was. That was my mistake.

[Peter Felicia]

Oh, well.

[James Marino]

All right. Not Ready for Prime Time at the Newman Mills Theater at MCC is running through November 30, 2025. We'll have a link to that in the show notes. That's it. All right, Janet says Fox, you got a chance to see the Kiss of the Spider Woman movie.

[Janetessa Fox]

Yes.

[James Marino]

As someone who is often confused for JLo, tell us what you thought about it.

[Janetessa Fox]

Oh, yes. I mean, she and I could be twins. Absolutely.

[James Marino]

Twinsies. Twinsies, definitely.

[Janetessa Fox]

Yes. And Michael gave a really good critique of the film last week and thank you very much for that, Michael. And as soon as I saw the movie, I had emailed James saying I have thoughts. I need to be on the show to talk about all my thoughts. And I need to preface this by emphasizing I really did like this movie and I'm going to be very critical of it, but I did go to see it twice in the theater. I have pre ordered the digital release, so my criticism really does come from a place of very deep affection. I've heard this show described as the musical everyone loves but will not buy tickets to see, and it seems like that curse is continuing with the new film adaptation written and directed by Bill Condon. I'm going to assume that most people listening to this already know the basic premise of the story. Two people are in an Argentine prison cell. Each one represents what the other dislikes most in the world, but they still managed to develop a very close relationship, while one of the prisoners recounts classic movies as bedtime stories for the other. The story has had a really long journey over the past 50 years. It started out as a novel by Argentine writer Manuel Puig. It was considered so scandalous that no publisher in Latin America would touch it. It was published in Spain right after the dictatorship of Francisco Franco ended, and I really don't think that was a coincidence. Puig then adapted the novel into a two actor play, which then inspired a movie written by Leonard Schrader and directed by Hector Babenko. Five years later it came back to the stage as a musical by John Kander and the late great Fred Eben Terence McNally at a workshop in Purchase, New York. And then two years after that, a very revived musical that premiered in Toronto before going to London and then coming to Broadway, where it won I think seven Tony Awards, including best musical. And now, more than 30 years after the musical closed on Broadway, it's finally been made into its own film. I wanted to mention all the different iterations of the story because Condon's screenplay combines different elements from each of them and unfortunately that turns the screenplay into a patchwork of pieces that don't always fit together perfectly and the seams can really show. Sometimes songs that were written for one moment in the narrative are now repurposed for another moment, even when they don't really make sense in the new context. So the impact isn't as effective. The film within the film that's being narrated doesn't reflect the main story of the two prisoners as well as other adaptations have done. And to Me at least that also really weakened the effect. Beyond lifting from McNally's books, for both the 1990 and 1993 versions of the musical, Condon also lifts directly from the original novel and a little bit from Schrader's screenplay for the 1985 non musical film. The characters in each writer's hands have been very different from one medium to the next by necessity, but having them all combined in this version makes them inconsistent, I would say, from one scene to the next. And at the same time it felt like Condon really wanted to make the characters much more sympathetic and appealing to contemporary audiences. Which is a problem because if the two protagonists aren't antagonizing each other in the beginning, their growth just isn't as powerful. In every other version, the characters are arguing and fighting and irritating each other from the get go. But here there's some initial awkwardness. There's one very brief fight and then they become cordial and then friendly. And I should mention here, one of the prisoners, Molina, is a trans woman. Although given the understanding of the times and the terminology of the times when the book and the different adaptations over the years were written, the character is usually described as a gay man. This has meant that in other versions of the story, the other character, Valentin, a Marxist revolutionary, has been depicted as either initially homophobic or transphobic, which establishes conflict between the two. Condon's screenplay scraps this in favor of making Valentine just ignorant about our current understanding of the gender spectrum and of queer theory, which makes the conflict much less intense. It makes Valentine's emotional journey much less interesting. And I don't want to say it would be better to have Valentine dropping slurs and being really vicious and cruel to molina, as in McNally's original libretto. But having him be supportive from the very beginning means he doesn't have nearly as far to grow. The three lead actors in the film range from good to really excellent, which is especially impressive since they all play multiple roles and bring multiple bring different qualities to each performance as each character. Diego Luna plays Valentin with a very effective quiet gruffness, and he also plays the film within a film's leading man with a very suave endearing charm. The two performances really offset each other nicely. Newcomer Tonatiu plays Molina with a lot of spunk and attitude as well as a lot of wit and humor, which I really think Manuel Puig would appreciate. He famously hated William Hurt's very dramatic, Oscar winning performance in the 85 film. He also plays a sly supporting role in the film within a film that lets them show off their range. Both actors just give wonderful performances, and I really hope they'll be remembered once awards season kicks off properly. And then a lot of the big buzz has been about Jennifer Lopez making her movie musical debut. She plays three roles in the film, and I thought she was very good in two of them, but unfortunately, most of her screen time was spent on the third. And that was where she seemed most out of her depth when she plays the movie star Ingrid Luna dancing joyfully around a film set. She was great. When she's the lethal Spider Woman stalking through a jungle, she was very intense. But then she plays Aurora, the main character in a 1940s musical, and she's just sort of fair. She wasn't awful, but she also just seemed lost in the role. Though I will admit this could be due to how Condon wrote the film Within a film, so I don't want to lay all the blame on her. There are a lot of elements in the film that really work beautifully. Colleen Atwood's costumes, Tobias Schleisler's cinematography evoke classic movie musicals in all the best ways. And Condon's direction really does nicely balance the horror of the prison scenes with all the fun camp of the fantasy moments. There are some great visual references to classic movie musicals. My friend and I had a lot of fun trying to figure out what costume and set piece was lifted from what classic movie. There's some references to lady in the Dark for some reason, including the name of a character for the film within a film, and I really want to know when AN went into that decision. So if I can ever get to interview Bill Condon, I will ask.

[Michael Portantier]

I can answer that somewhat.

[Janetessa Fox]

Please do.

[Michael Portantier]

Yes, he was at the screening that I went to. I don't usually get to go to screenings at movies, but a friend of mine is a SAG nominator. So I went to a screening that was held right before the official opening up at Lincoln Square, and it was followed by a Q and A with Bill Condon and Tonight and Jennifer Lopez. And I got to speak with Bill very briefly after as we were headed out afterwards. I had interviewed him years ago when Dream Girls happened actually on screen. And I said. And so I went up to him and I said, Kendall Nesbitt, you know, which is the character from. From lady in the Dark. And it's quite odd in. In this Spider Woman because Aurora plays a. I believe she's identified as a publisher or editor. Yeah. Of a fashion magazine. But now it's all obviously supposed to be taking place in Argentina. And there were all these Argentinian characters. And then suddenly there's this fellow named Kendall Nesbit, you know, who waltzed in from lady in the Dark. And I said. I said, why Kendall Nesbit? Why lady in the Dark? He said, because she has psychological problems and she's trying to figure out her psychological problems. He decided to write the film within the film as one film rather than in the Broadway show where we saw Chita Rivera in fantasy versions of numbers from different musicals. But he decided to make it one. And for whatever reason, he decided, decided to pattern the story after lady in the Dark and to add and to put Kendall Nesbit in as one of the characters. So I guess that's a partial answer to the question.

[Janetessa Fox]

Just to me at least. Lady in the Dark does not really fit with the classic MGM fun comedies. Lady in the Dark is much darker.

[Michael Portantier]

Agreed, agreed.

[Janetessa Fox]

Which it is. Like I said, the Seams show. Yes. Thank you for that. Thank you for explaining. I really was curious about how that was supposed to fit in. So. Wonderful. Right. Orchestrations. Doug Besterman, Sam Davis, Charlie Rosen, Christopher Janke. Excellent. They complement the cinematography just beautifully. And I really recommend listening to the soundtrack. Shout out to Van Dien and Robbie Roselle for their work on that. Hear how they incorporated some cut songs into instrumental moments. That was lovely. Sergio Trujillo's choreography. It ranges from Go to Great from moment to moment. Though I'm not sure if some of Lopez's awkwardness in some dance scenes was due to Trujillo's style or to her own limitations. I should also mention the film is rated R for very good reason. It does not shy away from how horrifying conditions were in Argentina during the Dirty War. The prison scenes are very bloody and violent and much more so than the films of Cabaret in Chicago were when they had the realism contrasted with the fantasy, fun musical numbers. This is. Kiss of the Spider Woman is a very good film. I'm really sad that it's done so poorly at the box office. I saw next to no advertising or marketing for it.

[Michael Portantier]

Right, right, right.

[Janetessa Fox]

Which is just baffling. I mean, people who I know were interested in seeing it didn't know it had been released. So I don't know what went into that decision either. There were no marquees in Times Square, no. Nothing in the subway stations. I mean, this is the city people come to to see musicals. One would think this is where there'd be interest, but it was just really disheartening. I do hear it will be released to Video on demand on November 11th. So I really hope people will buy and or rent it then. And for all the bones I have to pick with it, I have already pre ordered my copy so I can try to catch all the other Easter eggs that I've missed on the first two books.

[James Marino]

All right. So what's surprising to me is that we think of JLO as being a huge box office draw and this has had very, very little box office. And I mean, I, I guess.

[Michael Portantier]

Is.

[James Marino]

Somewhat related to marketing. Marketing is very often an afterthought and people might have counted on JLo's base just going out to do this, but it's. It's really had problematic box office right now. And I wonder if maybe it'll have a second life on streaming and when it's.

[Janetessa Fox]

I hope so.

[James Marino]

In, in different ways.

[Michael Portantier]

But she seemed very emotionally invested in it. It in the Q A that I saw. And as I said, that was right before it opened. So I imagine that she's extremely upset by the box office returns.

[Janetessa Fox]

I went to see it in Times Square, at which one of the theaters on 42nd Street. The theater did not have a poster for it. There was nothing. And there was no sign that this movie was even screening there.

[James Marino]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Janetessa Fox]

So I'm sorry, James, I cut you off.

[James Marino]

Yeah, no, that's okay. When you were at the beginning of giving the acts the history of Kiss of the Spider Woman, you talked about Franco and it. And it reminded me of that line in a musical. Franco's reign in Spain should see other 40s. So you're just a quality ally who looks as secure in his job as you. So I'm hearing that a certain transfer from London is not as secure in his job as you. So I just. If you are looking for that transfer from London to New York, I think you might be waiting a little while.

[Michael Portantier]

So tell us more, Tell us more.

[Janetessa Fox]

Did you get very far?

[James Marino]

No, no. Greece is going to be coming back as a revival, definitely. But Evita maybe not making the leap.

[Janetessa Fox]

Okay, Rats.

[James Marino]

So which is a terrible, terrible transition to Peter. You saw oh Happy Day at the Public Theater.

[Peter Felicia]

Sure did.

[James Marino]

Tell us about that. This show.

[Peter Felicia]

Well, this is a play with music, but my. Is the music wonderful. There are only about three or four songs by Donald Lawrence, but certainly the first one gets it off to a tremendous start. And it's done by three angels. And there's no question that we're going to be in a fantasy land of some sort here. But wow, the story is extraordinarily Powerful because here it is, it's middle aged man's birthday and his wife is and is really setting up a nice party when all of a sudden their grown son arrives and while she's glad to see him, he is not and he has lost his job because of his son. Given the fact that it's closing today, I'm just going to let all the comments. Peter.

[James Marino]

It has been extended to November 9th.

[Peter Felicia]

I see.

[James Marino]

Another two weeks. Another two weeks.

[Peter Felicia]

Oh, okay. I was under the impression it was closing today, so as a result I'll be a little more circumspect. But anyway, there's a reason why the father lost the job and the son is inadvertently responsible. I don't think the son could have really had a tremendous amount of intelligence to not know that this would happen considering the act that he did. I will also say that the father is not happy with the profession that the son has chosen. Not that the son wanted that profession in the first place, but nevertheless there are sparks that are going to fly here and boy do they ever. So it's a very, very effective play with music written by Jordan E. Cooper, who also plays the grown son. So he is tremendous. He knows where the lines are, where the, where the rises and falls should be and where the drama is. So it's always wonderful to see somebody who has talent in both areas lay and write. So that really has happened here. So tremendous, tremendous work by everybody. Actors that were new to me, Donovan, Louise Blazemore and Tamika Lawrence, these, I, I may have seen them along the way but I can't say that they rang a bell. But, but tremendous work from everybody and really an arresting show that really surprised me in picking up the steam that it did as it went on. And of course we have to thank Stevie Walker Webb for directing it in that way to really make it quite the freight train that keeps going and going and going with one surprise after the other. And I thought that was really quite, quite good. And I'm delighted to hear that it has been extended even though I can't tell you much more than I would like but good for it. And I hope it has much more of a history than it has at the theater at the moment. But I don't think that's impossible either that you will get a chance to see it after November 10th.

[James Marino]

All right. Oh Happy Day at the Public Theater in the Martenson hall has been extended through November 9th.

[Musical Performer]

9Th.

[James Marino]

We'll have a link to that in the show Notes. Michael and Peter were in Brooklyn. Did you Go to. Did you go to Juniors and get some cheesecake and Original Juniors in Brooklyn?

[Peter Felicia]

It's very close to the theater.

[James Marino]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly.

[Michael Portantier]

Wish I had known.

[James Marino]

Come on, Michael Juniors has been there for 75 years. You didn't know.

[Michael Portantier]

Sorry.

[James Marino]

So at Theater for a New Audience, a production of Playing Shylock at the Polanski Shakespeare center, which is the home for Theater for the New Audience, as I mentioned, Michael and Peter saw it. So. Michael, why don't you get us started on this?

[Michael Portantier]

Well, when I read the press release about this show, I thought what a great idea to begin with. And as we all know, sometimes great ideas don't necessarily translate into great shows. But in this case, I think it absolutely did. Saul Rubinek plays a, I suppose a fictionalized version of himself in this play written by Mark Lyren Young. And the, the conceit is that the audience is about to see Act 2 of a production of the Merchant of Venice starring Saul Rubinic as Shylock. But what happens is that he comes out on stage and he apologizes that the production has been abruptly canceled in the middle of the performance because of protests of, of the portrayal of, you know, the, the fact that the character of Shylock is thought by so many people to be so anti Semitic. Now I, on the one hand, I, I think it strains credibility to think that a, a play could ever be canceled in the middle of a, of a performance. But, but I guess it's supposed to be dramatic license to explain why Saul has an audience, you know, to talk to. I was trying to think of how it could have been rewritten, and I suppose there is some way it could have been rewritten so that it was a subsequent, you know, lecture that he gave or something like that. But anyway, that's, that's, that's what they chose to do. And I found it fascinating because I always. The very discussion, you know, of whether or not the character is anti Semitic and you know, what that meant in Shakespeare's time as opposed to our own and all of that. I've always found that very, very fascinating to begin with. And Saul Rubinek in this one person show does a brilliant job of talking to the audience as the actor who's playing the role or was playing the role until the show was canceled. And also gives us just enough of the, the, the original text of Merchant of Venice to really give us an idea of what he would be like in, in the role completely. And in one really fascinating moment, he delivers the, the famous Hath not a Jew eyes Speech in Yiddish and because we, I think many of us know it so well. And also, I mean the, the emotion of the speech is so evident and obvious that it almost didn't matter that it was Nefar language. So I think this was brilliantly written and, and phenomenally acted by Saul Rubenik. It's certainly one of the best, certainly one of the best one person shows I've ever seen and I would say one of the best of any type of show that I've ever seen it. It was an absolute gem and I was so, so glad that I went. And I'm very interested to hear Peter's thoughts, particularly because I know he has written his own. Well, I don't know if you'd call it an adaptation or his own play inspired by Merchant of Venice.

[Peter Felicia]

Yeah, so I went with this quite, quite fearful. And it didn't take long for Linda to turn to me and say, you have nothing to worry about because we're on completely different paths here. My play, Shylock, the Antonio, meaning like the way lawsuits are stated, does deal with a situation where Shylock is not the bad guy in the play. This really has a lot to do with the fact that Shylock is often played by gentiles. That point is made quite a bit. In fact, everything is made quite a bit at 110 minutes. I thought it was over long. I agree that Rubinek is phenomenal, has a very nice way with the audience, no question. I just felt it was padded and the point was made early and to me repeated much too often. But, but nevertheless, I found it very, very worthwhile. And I did think that the idea of show being halted mid performance was a little strange. But I can see it happening. I mean, when the protesters arrive, they arrive. I mean, maybe they just didn't get, maybe the subway stalled. But whatever the case may be, I can see it happening. And yes, it did occur to me, as Michael says, that that's why the audience is there, you know, otherwise if it was beforehand, everybody would have gone home immediately. So, so I thought that was very, very clever under the circumstances. Yeah, I would have liked it at 90 minutes. I would have thought it was really, really sensational. But, but anyway, I don't think this is a death knell for my play and we shall see what we shall see as time goes on. But nevertheless, meantime, if you are out on the way to Brooklyn, even if you're just having a quick dinner at Juniors, getting over there is, is not a bad idea. But be prepared for a few longer in the middle of it.

[James Marino]

Okay, so playing Shylock is scheduled through December 7, 2025. We'll have a link to that in the show notes. Peter, you were over at Ars Nova to see ho church. So tell us about this.

[Peter Felicia]

H E A U X. Now, I have found out that this is actually a term that is used in lieu of ho, ho or H O E, depending on you, that does indeed refer to prostitutes. And what's going on here is that Brandon Kyle Goodman, a tremendously entertaining performer, is talking about sex and getting to the point of saying that all the stuff that we have been told in our lives and watch out for this and don't do that, and keep your legs together and never do this and never do that. Sex is just one of those things that we should really embrace rather than be fearful of, or that it is something to truly be enjoyed. And it's done as a church service. He's essentially a preacher who is preaching this message. And that's what he does for about 90 minutes. There are a few puppets that are used that are very, very frank in the way they use and the way they look. There are three of them, so you can think of what sexual organs we're talking about. There is also a scene involving.

[Michael Portantier]

A.

[Peter Felicia]

Practice most known for gays rather than heterosexuals that. That may strike some in bad taste, though I'll be very oblique here. There's a very tasty aspect to it as well. But anyway, I think it does point out the fact that given our own impulses, many of us, when it comes to sexual, color outside the lines. And a lot of that has to do with experiences we've had in our childhood. The example I always like to use is in Equus, where the boy has the. The picture of Jesus replaced by the picture of a horse. And therefore he relates to that as. As God, and it gets him in trouble as time goes on. Little things like that have certainly influenced our sexuality. And a lot of us feel bad about. About the way we feel about sex. And here's Brandon Kyle Goodman telling us not to. I have to say the audience I was with thought it was hilarious beyond belief. There's a tiny bit of audience participation that people couldn't wait to get up there on the stage and participate in. It's not as lewd as I'm. As you may be inferring, considering what I've been talking about. Pretty everybody keeps his clothes on. Brandon does strip down to a certain level, but nevertheless, the whole point is, enjoy yourselves, will you please? You'll have a much better Time in life if you do. And who can argue with that?

[James Marino]

They say none of us are getting out alive.

[Michael Portantier]

All right.

[James Marino]

So ho Church I just had it in front of me is running at ars Nova through November 8th. Okay, so you have.

[Peter Felicia]

I won't be surprised. It's extended. The word of mouth has to be really good based on the audience I saw last night.

[James Marino]

Okay, so Michael, we have a little Michael section here where we're going to talk about a few things. Let's start off with the New York pop station film musicals.

[Michael Portantier]

Oh yes, they did a really wonderful evening at Carnegie hall that I've gone to many of the New York Pops concerts there. And it's such a wonderful orchestra. I mean the thrill of being able to hear an 80 piece orchestra, I think that's roughly the number, you know, playing without amplification in a, in an acoustically perfect place like Carnegie Hall. It's, it's just thrilling. You don't, you don't get that opportunity so much anymore, needless to say. So I, I do not take it for granted. And on this particular occasion, the, the two guests, wonderful Broadway stars, you Pinero and Elizabeth Stanley. And they did a really wonderful program including. Well, one of the greatest things about the, the Pops, the past concerts that I've seen is that you get to hear both original Broadway orchestrations and film orchestrations played by that magnificent orchestra. And again, you know, you, you, it's, it's going to be many, many times the number of musicians that you would hear in a current Broadway production. Even, even Ragtime at Lincoln center, you know, and, and those shows at Lincoln center where they really still make an effort, God love them, to, to have the largest orchestras possible. But you know, I mean, here again, we're talking about like 80 people. So to hear the original Broadway and the film orchestrations, and especially to hear the film orchestrations played live, which in many cases I never thought I would have the opportunity to hear, for example, the whole opening sequence of Oklahoma. The film orchestrations played live by a symphony orchestra. And I certainly never thought until I heard it the pop stew it a few years ago that, that I would ever get to hear the opening of the Sound of Music as heard in the film played by an orchestra leading into the title song as so magnificently sung by Julie Andrews in the film with all of, with all of those arrangements and orchestrations. So here they did that and then it led right into Elizabeth Stanley coming out on stage to, to launch into the Sound of Music. We also heard the Oklahoma music again. And Elizabeth also sang from Broadway. She sang Unusual Way from Nine, happily sounding a lot more like Shelly Burch, who, Who. Who did the song originally than like Nicole Kidman who did it in the movie. And that was, that was great to hear with the huge orchestra. Also she sang Diamonds Are Girls Best Friend. And speaking of ragtime, she sang back to before, Imagine that, with an 80 piece orchestra. Although we didn't get the chorus background, which I do think adds to that number because there was no chorus here at the Pops concert. But it was just magnificent. And what a great role that would be for Elizabeth Stanley. She would be a great mother in Ragtime, I think. So those were her highlights. You, Pinero sang oh what a Beautiful Morning again with the movie orchestrations. He recreated a bit of his performance in the title role of Phantom of the Opera with Music of the Night. He played Phantom on Broadway more than anyone else. He played the title role after having graduated, if that's the right word, from the role of Raul. But he was the Broadway's longest running Phantom. And then he also sang Bring Him Home from Les Mis, which that's interesting because he was Marius in at one point in the original production, but here he was singing Java Jean. Anyway, so it was just a fabulous, fabulous evening at Carnegie Hall. And then I, it was fun for me because I then the next morning reported there for my part of my docent training and to be in the empty hall, you know, on a Saturday morning after having been there the night before for a sold out concert. It was, it was really a unique experience and I, I just loved it.

[James Marino]

All right, and then you saw Daniel Reichardt at Lori Beachman.

[Michael Portantier]

Yes, Daniel Reichard did a wonderful show called hello Neighbor and it was songs of that we, songs we grew up to for a grown Up World. And it's, it was truth in advertising, just what it sounds like. There were lots of wonderful songs from Mr. Rogers, Neighborh Hood and from Sesame street, also from classic children's films or family films like Mary Poppins, which I wrote in my review for Nightlife Exchange. I think, I think maybe Mary Poppins has the best score of any film of that type, any family children's kind of film. Because those Sherman Brothers, they really were just incredible songwriters. So it was a lovely evening. And Daniel is also, he's so charming and I think he still has a boyishness, as I wrote also in my review, despite the fact that he's. I guess he's in his 40s now, but he, he does have that, that charming childlike quality to him, a gentleness and a sweetness. And so he was the perfect person for this show. And then I got to see the second night of the three night cabaret convention, the New York Cab convention presented by the Mabel Mercer Society at Rose hall, which is a, another magnificent hall that I, I not often in. So it was fun to be there for that. And this evening honored Julie Stein. So it was scores of his songs from his Broadway shows and his pop songs and, and his, his films with a really, really great, great cast. Billy Stritch and Clea Blackhurst hosted the evening and they also performed, but also Nicholas King was in it, Gabrielle Strivelli, Ben Jones. Really wonderful to hear a lot of those songs again and, and, and to be reminded of, of Stein's versatility. I think we all know, we all know his Broadway stuff and many of us, you know his pop stuff as well. But I mean, I, I sometimes forget that he wrote, for example, Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow and the Christmas Waltz. So he really was the best of the best and I'm glad they chose him to honor with such a, such a great cast at Rose Hall. It was a very special evening indeed.

[James Marino]

Okay, so just one quick item in the news. June Lockhart passed away at the age of 100. And we had a little chat before we started recording and I learned so much. So let's recreate that chat and add on to it. So, Peter June Lockhart. What did, what, what do you have to say?

[Peter Felicia]

Well, I was surprised until Michael mentioned that she had won both the Tony and a Theater World Award for a play called For Love of Money. I, I never noticed that. As many times as I've put over the books and websites involving the Tonys, I've never noticed that. But.

[Michael Portantier]

And the Theater World Awards.

[Peter Felicia]

Yeah, yeah. So that, that, that astonished me.

[Janetessa Fox]

But.

[Peter Felicia]

Yes, I'm of the generation that watched her being Lassie's mother. And, and I can't say I watched that much of Lost in Space because by that time I was out of the house and I had my driver's license, so I wasn't really interested in TV as much as I had been. But it's funny, I did later see the, the pilot Lost in Space and I was very surprised that there was a line. Their daughter Judith, age 19, has rather heroically postponed all hopes for a career in the comedy field for the next two centuries at least. That astonished me and I figured, well, indeed, maybe since they have nothing to do up there, what show could they do? And I decided that she Loves Me would be very good because I can see Donna's George, and Judith is amalia, John is Mr. Marachek. Maureen is a loader, Dr. Smith is Kadai. I mean, really isn't that, you know, Will could be our Pad Raw, and Penny could be the shopper. She would play all those roles. And of course, Rob Hobby the robot would be the synthesizer to play the music. But, but I guess really more likely would be that they would very much sing Lost in the Stars. I think that's more likely. It's something else. But, but, but nevertheless, yeah, June Lockhart was very important to me when I was a little boy because as Lassie's mother, she was a de facto mother to me as well.

[James Marino]

Michael, how about you?

[Musical Performer]

You?

[Michael Portantier]

Yeah, I, I, I have a vague memory of watching Lassie as a very young child, and that was, I guess, my first exposure to her. But then, unlike Peter, I, you know, I guess because of the slight age difference, I watched substantially Space. Well, okay.

[Peter Felicia]

Anyway, go on.

[Michael Portantier]

Yeah, I watched Lost in Space religiously. I think. I watched every episode of it, from black and white to color. And she really was wonderful in it. Anita Gates wrote her obit for the New York Times, and some of it is really fun. I wanted to quote. Ms. Lockhart had known the luster of stardom much earlier in her career. When she was 22, she made her Broadway debut in For Love or Money, a middling comedy about an actor and a pretty vagrant, and won a Tony Award for best performance by a newcomer, a category that no longer exists. Her performance, which also won the Theatre World Award, prompted Brooks Atkinson, the New York Times lead theater critic, to describe her as, quote, the only fresh idea in the evening, and to recommend that she, quote, be kept under surveillance on Broadway to prevent her from returning to Hollywood, unquote, where she had first worked almost a decade earlier. She started very young, very young because she was the daughter of Jean Lockhart, the actor who appeared in many, many films in the 30s and 40s. And in fact, June is in the 1938 version of Christmas Carol, playing one of Cratchit's children with her father playing Bob Cratch.

[Musical Performer]

It.

[Michael Portantier]

So it's a fascinating life, a fascinating career, and she, she made it to 100, I believe she died a, a couple of days in advance of her 101st birthday. So everyone is saying she was 100, but she was really almost 101, if it even, you know, matters once you get up to that, to that, to that point. But really, what a life. What a career are.

[James Marino]

All right, so that wraps it up for today. Before we get on to our brain teaser musical moment, I want to remind everybody that you can subscribe to these broadcasts at the front page of broadway radio.com there's a subscribe link. That way each and every time we have a new episode of this week on Broadway it be automatically downloaded to Apple podcast for you. Of course you don't have to listen to us in Apple podcast as many ways to get us. One way is Patreon P P-A-T-R-E-O-N.com BroadwayRadio is a way that you can support all of Broadway radio shows plus get us a little bit earlier and have a few extra bonuses. Contact information for Peter from Michael and me can be found in the show [e-mail] as well as links to some of the things we've talked about today. So Peter, do you have an answer to last week's brain teaser?

[Peter Felicia]

Indeed. The film of the Iceman comes cometh the film of Jersey Boys, a musical by Marvin Hamlisch. Why are these three items linked together and in this order? Well, the film of the Iceman comets starred Lee Marvin. The film of Jersey boys was directed by Clint Eastwood. The musical by Marvin Hamlisch was Gene Seaberg. And in that order they were billed above the title of the film version of Paint your wagon. Sean Logan was first followed by Ingrid Gammerman and Fred Abramowicz. And that was all all Better luck this week, folks. All right, he was a Tony winning performer in the early 50s. One of his most famous songs was also the title of a Tony losing musical in the first fifth of this 21st century. Who's he? What's the title of the song which is also the title of the musical?

[James Marino]

Okay, if you have an answer for that, email us at Tribute. We'll let you know if you're on the right track. You know, Tony Janicki's been on in Europe and on a boat for the last couple of weeks, but he is back and he's back at fighting weight. And so I'm sure that in the next minute or so we'll have an answer from Tony Janik.

[Peter Felicia]

We may. But there are seven or eight attempts he made last week and alas, none of them passed muster.

[James Marino]

So, you know, he was young, he needed the money. Money.

[Peter Felicia]

I guess so. Yeah. Yeah. We shall see what we shall see.

[James Marino]

Come on, Tony, get back in the. Get back up. Rocky, get off the mat. Rocky, get off the mat. So, Michael, what do we have in this week's musical moments?

[Michael Portantier]

Well, I was inspired by hearing, as I mentioned, the opening of the Sound of Music from the film, those orchestrations played live by the New York Pops the other night. Night. So that is our opener. And an interesting thing there is. I find this so fascinating about how people will sometimes, like, be so meticulous to get something right. If you listen to the. The first track of the original soundtrack recording of the Sound of Music as originally released, which sold millions and millions and millions and millions of copies, copies, what you will hear right before Julie Andrews starts singing is different from what you hear in the film itself. What you hear on the album is more closely based on the verse, opening verse of this song. As heard on Broadway. My day in the hills has come to an end. I know, but when they film the movie and there's that magnificent shot of the helicopter sweeping over the mountains and then, and then coming in for, you know, for a close up of Julie Andrews twirling on the hill and then starting to sing, it was felt that the music didn't build quite enough, you know, because that's such a thrilling, thrilling moment. So they, they clearly went back and rediscovered, did it at the last minute. And you can even hear that there's a somewhat odd key change as the shot begins of the helicopter coming in on Julie. So I think that really speaks to the brilliance of everyone who was working on the film, the director and the musical director and the orchestrator and all of that. So that is our opener. And then as a contrast, to show how well something can be adapted to the screen, Musicals can be adapted to the screen when people know what they're doing. We have the A section of the title song of the Sound of Music as heard on the original Broadway cast recording, as sung by Mary Martin. And I would say both versions of are have their own kind of beauty, but this film version is more appropriate to the way the song was presented in the film. And so that's just a little mini lesson in adapting a stage musical to a successful film version.

[James Marino]

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

[Michael Portantier]

Bye bye bye bye bye My day.

[Musical Performer]

In the hills has come to an end I know a star has come out to tell me it's time to go but deep in the dark green shadows Are voices that urge me to stay so I pause and I wait and I listen for one more sound for one more lovely thing that the hero might say My hills are alive with the sound of music with songs they have sung For a thousand years the hills fill my heart with the sound of music My heart wants to sing Every song it hear My heart wants to beat like the wings of the birds that rise from the lake to the trees.

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