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Today on Broadway: Friday, Dec. 20, 2024
00:17:10
Original ‘Hadestown’ Stars Sell Out London Run, ‘Dead Outlaw’ Coming to Broadway, ‘Suffs’ to Be Filmed Since 2016, “Today on Broadway” has been the first and only daily podcast recapping the top theatre headlines every Monday through Friday.
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- [00:02]
A
Welcome to Today on Broadway for Friday, December 20, 2024 on Broadway Radio's Matt.
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B
Tammanini and I'm Tell Me on a Sunday podcast, Grace Hockey.
- [00:10]
A
Grace, as we had talked about previously, Gypsy opened last night at the Majestic Theater on Broadway. But because everybody decided that they wanted to focus on the gala and the red carpet and all that stuff rather than having to worry about reviews, the embargo for the reviews was at midnight. So the end of Thursday, beginning of Friday and we're recording before that. Because you have been sick. I have been sick and I am old and I just don't stay up that late. So you can listen for a review recap episode that'll pop up both on Patreon and in the regular feed sometime on Friday if you want to hear all of those reviews. But I imagine that with stars like Audra and Danny Burstein and all of those folks in the company, there will be plenty of pictures and videos from the red carpet to keep you satiated until we dive into those reviews. Now Grace, we previously talked about the fact that the original principal cast of Hadestown would be heading over to London to do this show for like a little under a month in February and March. Well, the pre sale happened on Thursday morning to people who had registered through the UK Productions website and so many people bought tickets that they have canceled the on sale for regular folks because every ticket for that entire one one month run has been sold and there will be no more tickets for that unless there are cancellations and returns. So if you want to see Amber Gray, Patrick Page, Andre de Shields, even Opalzada, Reeve Carney in Hadestown one more time and you do not have tickets yet, you are either going to need to get them on a secondary market or be hounding the box office for returns. Grace I got up at 6:45. I was already up but I got online at 6:45 and I waited in not one but two queues and I now have three tickets to see that cast in London in February. They're going to be a Christmas present for my niece and brother and we're going to fly over to London for a weekend to see that show. So I'm very excited not only to see that company again because I love them obviously, but also for my first trip ever to London. So my brother is going to be a little bit of a tour guide since he's been there multiple times before.
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B
The second that I saw that this was happening I just feel like the world exploded. How exciting is it? I I just love, I love that you're going and I love that, you know, it's become this very like, oh my God, who all is going to get to be able to see this? And it's such a short run that I, I have a feeling that it's, I mean, was it sold out already? Obviously like that. It's just amazing.
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A
And what's crazy is, and I know this is true across London theater compared to New York theater, the tickets were cheap. I'm in like the fifth row on the aisle in the orchestra and they were 95 pounds a piece. So that's what, like $126 a ticket. Those tickets on Broadway would be much, much more expensive. So loving this, looking forward to sitting in the stalls rather than the orchestra, but excited about the entire experience nonetheless. But something else that we are excited about, Grace is something that I had theorized and I think everybody assumed when Swept Away announced its closing. But yesterday it was confirmed that Dead Outlaw is coming to Broadway this season and it will begin performances at the Longacre Theater on April 12 ahead of an April 27 opening night, as he did Off Broadway. David Cromer will direct. The cast has not been announced, but I would imagine that many of the folks that were in that original production will also be coming with it, including Andrew Durand, Eddie Cooper, Julia Nettle and more. What's interesting about this Grace is that it features a book by the great Itamar Moses, but it also features music and lyrics by Eric Dellapena and David Yazbeck. Yazbek is also going to be represented on Broadway this season, as I'm not exactly sure what his title is because he's not the composer, but he did work on Buena Vista Social Club. So it's interesting that we will have two very David Yazbeck heavy shows competing for best musical this season in what seems to be a wide open race. I think we previously talked like Buena Vista Social Club was kind of the leader for a while, and then maybe Happy Ending has been such a huge success that I think that moved ahead, which we talked about in the Q and A episode that'll drop on Patreon on Saturday. But now that Dead Outlaw is here, I think this one also has to move. I mean, you can debate if it's the front runner, but it is certainly amongst the front runners for best musical this season.
- [04:44]
B
Yeah, I've heard nothing but great things. I genuinely cannot wait to see this show because I think it's going to be right up my alley. You know, I love sad boys and stylistically, too, with the. With the music, I think it's going to be right up there. But I love. I love the genuine authenticity of the movement behind this show. I think it's like, the way that it feels already is very, like, in the spirit of Stereophonic, where people were just like, this was an excellent piece of writing. This is an excellent story, and I'm really excited to see it. So congratulations. You know, I love when the Longacre is filled. I'm sad that my boys are going away and swept away, but I'm glad that they, you know, this other show has found a home.
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A
Let me ask you this question. There are now no theaters available in the spring. Every single house is currently booked for the spring. Do you think that there will be anything else closing and then something else opening during the 2024, 2025 season?
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B
I mean, I really hope not. I don't know anything, but I really hope not. Like, that's a lot. That's a struggle, you know, and to bring in another new show, possibly, if it's a play, maybe, but, like, I feel like it's enough, Matt. Like, I don't know how you feel, but I don't know.
- [05:59]
A
I mean, who knows? But as I'm looking through the list of shows, I don't know what. I don't know what would be closing if it hasn't already, you know, like, the new shows, like, I was on the fence about, you know, what I thought might happen with maybe happy ending. They seem to be doing great, so that's wonderful. I honestly thought that they could close the Great Gatsby with Eva and Jeremy leaving, but obviously you get Ryan McCarten and Sarah Hyland. That thing is going to run for a little bit. I thought maybe they would close Six or Hadestown when their current casts left, but they have announced a great cast for Hadestown and they've announced staggered departures for Six. So I'm assuming that we will have a new full cast announced for February. So other than that, I just don't know what could potentially close unless something just wildly unexpected happens. So I would imagine that our season is set, but never say never. You know, it's just one of those things where I guess anything could happen. But as I'm looking at the landscape, I can't imagine anything. You know, here's the one thing that might happen, and I hope it doesn't. Redwood begins performances in late January at the Nederlander. If that is a quick closing, which I don't think it will be with Idina Menzel. But that's the only show that begins performances in January. So, like, maybe you could get something to sneak in the Nederlander at the end of the season, but I would not expect that. Some other things that we can look forward to in the spring on Broadway is we got some new principals coming into oh Mary on Broadway. We already knew that the wonderful Betty Gilpin would be replacing Cole Escola as Mary in the show beginning on January 21st. She will now be joined by a few familiar names, both for folks on stage and screen. Taking over as Mary's husband will be Philip James Brannon. He will be replacing Conrad Rickamora. And as Mary's teacher, Chris Renfro will be succeeding James Scully. Bianca Lee and Tony Mott will be continuing in their roles as Mary's chaperone and Mary's husband's assistant. What's interesting about this, Grace is we had heard some pretty big names at least for Mary's husband, and I think that that might still be on the cards maybe after a certain late night TV show wraps up its. But it's interesting that there are no. I mean, Betty Gilpin's a moderately big name, but I thought they might go starry, even more starry than this for the subsequent cast after Cole leaves. But these are all great actors, so I'm excited to see it in late January because I already got a ticket to see Betty and this new cast will be in there as well, beginning on January 21st. What do you think? Do you think this show needs names to keep it going or is the show a name itself at this point?
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B
I don't think it's about like needing names actually on this one for me. It's actually like who understands the piece tonally because it's selling itself on the name. And I'm more interested in people just genuinely like understanding the type of humor that it is and the absurdity of it all. So if those people are nailing it, great, like I, it seems like they, they are selling the engine that that has been created of O Mary. I think that Cole has created that world. So I don't know. But you know what, who's to say? And maybe I'm totally wrong, but I do think that I would rather someone get that style of comedy and be, you know, a person with 400 Instagram followers than somebody who is a name that doesn't understand that kind of beat humor at all.
- [09:43]
A
Yeah, that is a very tough needle to thread, I would imagine to have somebody who can do this type of humor, but also be a name. So I would certainly rather err on the side of understanding the tone than anything else. So I agree with you there. We got some other great news from Broadway yesterday as the current Broadway production of Suffs, which is gearing up to close on January 5, will be filmed later this week on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for a Future airing on PBS's Great Performances. I think this is wonderful. This is a show that I was really moved by, and I think in maybe a different season could have won best Musical. Obviously it won Tony awards for Shayna Taub for both book and score. And I am incredibly happy that it is going to be preserved and it's going to be one of those shows now that people are going to be able to watch for generations to come. And while it didn't get the run that it probably wanted, it probably didn't get all of the awards that it wanted. Grace, this is a big deal for the life of the musical, not just for, like, the commercial future of a show, but just for the longevity and importance a show can have on the culture and on the art form. Having it filmed and not just filmed and like being thrown on a streaming service, but to have it be part of PBS is massively important, I think, just for, like, the good feelings about a show and what it can do for its place in the. In the community for generations to come.
- [11:18]
B
Yeah, I think that what we're gonna have is one of those moments where, like, in 20 years you're gonna be interviewing some actress and they're gonna say, like, actually the thing that. That sparked my interest in this is gonna be seeing stuffs on pbs. Like, I firmly, firmly believe that. And I'm obsessed with. With the whole thing. I think it's great. I saw some people, like, leaking that they were, you know, filming over there, which is kind of a bummer because it's always exciting when you get that announcement and not like, people posting photos of. Yeah, because they had to, of course, they have to, you know, put notices on the outside of the theater being, like, filming is taking place here, of course, a posting notice. But it's. But it is very exciting. So I'm congratulatory of all of the people involved in that because it should be a piece that's preserved.
- [12:03]
A
Unfortunately, we did get some bad news about a show that I was really looking forward to. And while I'm still looking forward to it, just. I am now just looking at it slightly less with an excited eye because when the new musical, three Summers of Lincoln begins performances at the La Jolla Playhouse for its world premiere. It will not star Brian Stokes Mitchell as it had previously been announced to do. Instead, he will be replaced by Ivan Hernandez, who is great. I saw him in Dear Evan Hansen on tour. He's very good. But Stokes had to pull out. He said, quote, it is with great regret that due to a personal matter I will be unable to join Three Summers of Lincoln at La Jolla Playhouse within the timeframe of the production. If you remember, it had felt like Stokes was going to do this show instead of love life at Encore since he had previously been a part of that before, before COVID and he wasn't going to continue with that and he was gonna do this instead. And now it looks like he's not probably gonna be doing either of them, which is really a bummer because this is a show that I think a lot of people are super excited about and could eyeing this one for Broadway in the near future. In addition to Hernandez, it is going to star Eric Anderson, Carmen Cusack and Quentin Earl Darrington. But they also announced some other very fun cast members. Some names you might remember include Sakon Senbla, Gino Carr, Noah Rivera, Evan Ruggiero, Grace, your good friend Nathan Salstone and some other fantastic folks. If you want to see the entire cast, check it out in the show notes. But this is a new musical that features a book by Joe DiPietro and lyrics by DiPietro and Daniel J. Watts with music by Crystal Monet Hall. And I'm pumped about it. A little disappointed that Stokes won't be in it, but otherwise everything about this seems incredible.
- [13:47]
B
Yeah, like I, I was, I was very excited about this announcement. This is very cool. Anytime you get especially that group together, it's kind of insane. So shout out to all the friends and homies that are a part of this very, very cool.
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A
And finally in news, we learned yesterday that the new play by Liena Sanclar before this new year will have its world premiere off Broadway at the Duke on 42nd Street. And it will be directed by Obie winner Knud Adams, who is also going to be represented on Broadway in English. Coming up, it'll begin performances in March of 2025 and it follows Allison Bennett, a high school track star who's forced to confront some old feelings and life changing decisions as she reconnects with a former while home for the holidays after her first semester of college. And then finally, Grace, our feel good recommendation. How could it be anything other than this? Today as Gypsy opens on Broadway at the Majestic Theater. We have the first highlights from the show, of course, as I mentioned earlier, starring Audra MacDonald and Danny Burstein, but also featuring the wonderful Joy Woods, Jordan Tyson, Kevin Solak, Leslie Margarita, Lily Thomas, Melinda hall and more. Check this out. It's obviously just a little snippet of everything that is happening over at the theater. There's a reason that this show is considered one of the greatest written pieces in musical theater history and one of the perfect musicals. So I cannot wait to see it next month. All right, everybody, that's all that we have for today. Thanks for listening to Today on Broadway. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Rodrivadian. You can follow me on Instagram @bwwmattgrace. Where can people find you?
- [15:22]
B
You can find me at. It's Grace Aki.
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A
Remember, this will be the last Today on Broadway of 2024 unless something crazy happens. Grace, you and I are going to be recording a bunch of holiday and holiday tangential episodes this weekend that will run out over the next two weeks. But before we hang up, Tob for the year, anything else you want to say before we pack it in?
- [15:44]
B
Just thank you so much for listening and if you are or are not a Patreon subscriber, please consider doing so. It's how we're able to stay on the air and do all those things. But just grateful for James and Matt and everyone involved today on Broadway. And thank you all for saying, I've had multiple people throughout this year be able to spot me in human form in the, in the, in the world and say, weird, isn't it? But it's, but it's so, it's so generous because I'm a very, like, I'm, I'm not good at going up to people and telling them, like, oh, I admire you, I listen to you, or whatever. Like, I'm just, I'm not good at it. I'm actually a very introverted person, if you can imagine. And so it's, I'm just so grateful that when people do, like, tell me, oh, I listen to the show or I love, you know, you and Matt's commentary or something like that, it really means the world. And it's, it's nice that, you know, of the 10 people this year that said that to me, I'm like, we have 10 listeners. And I really appreciate that. You know what I mean? Like, I don't know. But I'm just so grateful. It's just, it's my favorite part of the day and I just love that this is hopefully one of your favorite parts of the day as well. So thank you. Thank you all for being a part of that.
- [16:52]
A
And I echo everything she said. So thank you so much for listening. Have a wonderful Friday, a wonderful weekend, a wonderful holidays, and we'll be back to talk to you in a different form on Monday.