← BroadwayRadio
BroadwayRadio
Today on Broadway: Friday, Feb. 21, 2025
00:18:18
Duncan Sheik Adapting Graphic Novel, Lin-Manuel to Revive Free Film Series, Matt’s London Plans Since 2016, “Today on Broadway” has been the first and only daily podcast recapping the top theatre headlines every Monday through Friday.
Loading summary
Transcript21 lines
- [00:02]
Matt Tamminini
Welcome to Today on Broadway for Friday, February 21, 2025. I'm Broadway Radio's Matt Tamminini and I'm.
- [00:07]
Grace Aki
Tell Me on a Sunday podcast.
- [00:09]
Matt Tamminini
Grace Aki Grace, by the time that this is out, I am somewhere either in the air or on the ground in London. This will be my first time heading to, I mean actually anywhere in Europe, anywhere overseas. The only other countries I've been to have been on cruise ships or Canada, so. So I'm very much in looking forward to this experience, albeit it is only going to be about 48 hours on the ground in the UK but we're going to talk about that a little bit at the end of the episode. But we are diving into a pretty quiet week and full disclosure, I'm leaving for the airport in the afternoon so we're recording a little bit earlier than normal. But we do want to talk about what news is out there now. And this is pretty big news. And it's interesting, Grace, because we have talked so much about IP being turned into Broadway shows, especially musicals lately that we have kind of discussed how different types of IP make for different types of musicals. And we are going to get another one as the very first ever Japanese manga graphic novel is being adapted for the Broadway stage. And this one is called Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen which was by Mayoko Anno and it is going to feature music and lyrics by Duncan Sheik. It'll feature a book by former Broadway radio guest Lee Nanako Winkler and it'll be directed in court choreographed by Rob Ashford. The press notes say, quote, memoirs is a bold, sensual and innovative new work that pushes the boundaries of conventional musical theater. Duncan and Lee have expertly taken Mayoko Anno's manga series and given it new life for the stage all through the unparalleled direction and choreography of Rob Ashford. This was a serialized story that came out between 2013 and 2018. It has received numerous awards. This show is going to have an invite industry only presentation. Actually it happened yesterday and today either. Obviously I was not there. I didn't know anything about this. They did not release who was going to be a part of this. Grace, have you heard anybody who is going to be involved in this reading?
- [02:14]
Grace Aki
Not at all. And I stalk socials so I don't know how I missed this.
- [02:19]
Matt Tamminini
Yeah, it was just announced. I think it was first in the briefing and it's out there in other places now. They sent out the full press release but nobody's been talking about this. I haven't heard anything about this at All. But I don't know this manga. Like, while I do comic books, I don't do a lot of manga graphic novels. But I'm excited to see what this will look and sound like. That is such a different type of entertainment and book and reading experience that I'm interested to see how something that is so visual, it's all visual, translates to the stage, Grace. But if anybody can do a vibe, it might not always be a vibe that I enjoy, but if anyone can do a vibe musical, Duncan Chic is definitely it.
- [03:03]
Grace Aki
Well, that's the thing is, like. And I know that he loves supporting. I believe that his wife is Asian American or API Asian person when I briefly met them. But I think that, like, I love his music so much. I obviously love his musical writings, like, deeply. So I trust him immensely. I'm always curious when IP that is so visual and illustrative and those types of things is adapted. But look, you know that Totoro is like, my favorite stage piece the last, like, five years. So if they can do it, I think that there's hope for this show and I'm very excited to see whatever comes of it.
- [03:41]
Matt Tamminini
Yeah, obviously, Totoro and even something like Amelie, which was also very visual. Those are. Those are, I guess, kind of close comparisons, but they are very different because those were films and those did have dialogue and movement and anything from the page that is more than just written word. Obviously, we have seen dozens and hundreds and thousands of books adapted to the musical stage, but like, to have something that is very little in terms of text and so much about pictures and images, like, I'm just kind of interested to see what direction they go with this. So keep your eyes out on social media to see who says that they were a part of it. And hopefully we know more about this moving forward. But it is so rare nowadays, Grace. When we hear, like, hey, there's this musical coming. We're doing something today, that usually means that we are going to have some sort of movement on this sooner rather than later. Of course, this is probably to try to gin up producers, but it's not like, hey, here's the Dolly Parton musical. We're going to be working on this for a long time before we get to the stage in the summer. Or Coal Miner's Daughter, which has been in the process for multiple years now, dating back to before Loretta lynn died in 2022. So it is kind of just like, bam, here it is. We'll see what happens from here. Now, Grace, I know that you are somebody who loves to bridge the gap of theater and movies. And it is something that you are passionate about both on social media and something you are trying to work on IRL as well. But somebody else is doing it in a little bit of different way than you like to. As the United palace in Washington Heights is bringing back its free series of films curated by Lin Manuel Miranda. They did this years ago, but they are bringing it back now for the 10th anniversary of that show. It is wild to believe that Hamilton began at the public 10 years ago and then made its way to Broadway. But he is going to be doing a series of events at the United palace starting on March 10th that is going to be looking at Satisfied, the documentary that followed Renee Elise Goldsberry through her life. Lynn is going to be joined by Renee Elise Goldsberry for that. Then on April 28, they're going to look at the 2021 version of west side Story and he will be joined by not only Oscar winner, but the bullet herself, Ariana DeBose. Then on May 5, they're going to have something that they have not announced yet. Then on June 2, it'll be one Night in Miami, an incredible film that looked at a real life meeting between Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown and Sam Cooke. Starring in that film as Sam Cooke was Leslie Odom Jr. He will be a part of that event as well. And then on September 7, they will also have another one that they have not announced yet. But this is so cool, Grace. Like, I love this. I wish we had more things like this that kind of brought these two close cousins of mediums together in ways that we don't often get to see.
- [06:52]
Grace Aki
Okay. So famously I have gone to so many of the United palace movie series, like free movies. And I don't know if you know this, Matt, but I took my friend Mackie to see When Harry Met Sally and it was supposed to be Billy Crystal introducing the film alongside Lin Manuel Miranda because obviously like him and Luis, his whole family like that. That's a, you know, the big part of the programming. The day that it happened, I think Lynn had Covid and all of a sudden could not come and then had Mark Shaiman come in who wrote and did a lot of the arrangements on the film. And they, Billy and him just had a lot of back and forth about SNL and the film and it was just such a beautiful moment. We also like won this like film strip from the movie. Like it was crazy. It was just like an amazing experience. And I think that everyone should have their notifications on their email, on their text, I immediately, because listen, there's not a lot of free things to do in New York City. And I'm a big fan of not only the United palace as an institution, but also this film series because, you know, I'm a film person. But we often go, like, why aren't there more accessible opportunities for live entertainment and events? Here's one that exists, so you should take advantage of it.
- [08:05]
Matt Tamminini
All right, Grace, there's one little story that I want to mention because I had talked about it. Gosh, I don't even remember what episode I talked about it, but I talked about the show Three Houses, which was a Dave Malloy show that I saw last summer with Robbie Rosel. And we sat next to Richie Ridge actually at the show. And I had talked about the fact that I hoped that they would come out with a cast album. It might have been in like a year end episode that I did maybe with Ashley Huffer, but I don't remember. Or maybe it was with you and I talked about, oh, I really hope that they do a cast album because this is such a unique show about three different people isolated during the pandemic. Well, that cast album is now out and you can listen to it. It is so weird and so different and so unique and so Dave Malloy. It features JD Mollison, Mia Pack, Margo Siebert, Henry Stringham, Scott Stanglin and Cheng Valdez Aran. It is very, very, very unique and it really is just like three different segments of each of the main three people, JD Mia and Margot singing their story basically straight through for a half an hour with other people backing up. But it is so cool. And I think I saw somewhere a regional production was finally happening. So I hope more theaters around the country do this show now that the album is out. And then one little bit of news here, Grace, and it'll tie into something that I want to wrap up with. But yesterday the upcoming Broadway revival of Othello announced its digital lottery process. You can go to the website rush.telecharge.com it will open up at midnight for the day before the performance. So you will get, if you sign up, you will get a notification at 10am that day if you are a first round winner and then a second notification for additional winners at 3pm but the winners will be able to purchase up to two tickets for $49 a piece. They may be partial view, but still with Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal, those tickets are going to be expensive so it should be a pretty in demand opportunity to get those tickets. But, Grace, I think you're going to see the show for cheaper than $49, right?
- [10:12]
Grace Aki
Well, in theory, because I am part of the team, hopefully I'll be able to see an invited dress rehearsal on Saturday. I'm still hopeful for that. It's pretty. Well, I think it's pretty sold through April. I think there's some limited tickets here and there, who knows? But it's those types of opportunities that you just mentioned are going to be the thing that gets you in to see that show if you're not already getting a ticket. So you should be on alerts if this is something of interest to you on the website, on, you know, the email survey, things like that, because it's going to be hard to go see if not.
- [10:52]
Matt Tamminini
And it's so wild to me that I am an old man and this is the first time that there has been a revival of Othello on Broadway basically in my lifetime. The last time this show was on Broadway, I was one year old and that starred James Earl Jones and Christopher Plummer. So it's kind of crazy to think that a show this well known of Shakespeare's, like, we're not talking about, like Coriolanus or something, but it's been almost 43, 45 years since it's been on Broadway, so you definitely want to take advantage of that. But speaking of Shakespearean shows, I'm going to be in London, as I said at the beginning of the show, maybe by the time you hear this, I'm going to see three shows while I am there. And I'm kicking off my trip with a visit to the Shakespearean world. And it is going to start two incredibly big movie stars, Tom Hiddleston and Hayley Atwell. Also, though, Grace, your friend Mason Alexander park is in the show as well. So very much looking forward to seeing Jamie Lloyd's production of Much Ado About Nothing. And what I'm so interested about this, Grace, is that everything we know of Jamie Lloyd, at least on this side of the pond, at least from my perspective, has been pretty serious and at times pretty emotional and dark. Much Ado is arguably the funniest Shakespearean play. And everything I've heard from people who have seen it have said it's hilarious. So, like, I'm wondering what a Jamie Lloyd comedy looks and feels like. Am I weird? Am I wrong with that? Am I forgetting something that he's done that was more upbeat and not about either a woman leaving her family or a woman committing murder.
- [12:35]
Grace Aki
I think that we're. I think that we're deducing reducing his work to the past, like, three years of Broadway. And I think that we. Zoom out. If you guys remember, he was on schedule to be the director of Back to the Future, the musical. Like, this man is not limited to black and white. You know what I mean? Like, he has a style, he has a vision. But I think that we're all. I think that a lot of the rhetoric that people toss around is. Is not his full body of work. And so I think it's funny that everyone's been very surprised by this really glorious comedy. Much Ado is a comedy, and I can't. I have to see it. I think I'm. I think I'm seeing it. Like, I'm not even joking. I have to see it. Mason playing Margaret, which is my mother's name, just feels like too much of a sign that I have to see it. And. And just, like, the joy. I also love that film. I love Denzel in that film. Are you crazy? The one with Keanu Reeves?
- [13:31]
Matt Tamminini
Well, no, I'm saying there's multiple films that are all really good. It's like, there was also that, right? There was that one, and then there was one, what, maybe five, six years ago that was done in black and white, and it was like. Was it Joss Whedon that did it? Actually, it was longer than ago. It was 2012. It was directed by Joss Whedon and had, like, a bunch of his people in it. Amy Acker, Alexis Denisoff, Nathan Fillion, Clark Gregg, Fran Kronz. I believe Ricky Lindholm was in it as well. So that one's a good one as well. So both of those movies are awesome. From there, I'm gonna go over to a show, Grace, that. I don't know if it has any plans to come over here, but every single person I talked to about me going to London, they were like, you need to see the Curious Case of Benjamin Button. John Schwab, our friend John Schwab, when I first said I was coming to London, he's like, that's the show you need to see. Our friends Kate and Ashley were just over there, and they both raved about this show. So I bought a ticket. I'm going to be seeing the Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and I'm very much looking forward to that. But then, as you all know by now, if you are a regular listener, the reason I'm going is because I'm going to be seeing Hadestown. And obviously the intention was to see all of the original principals. We now know that Patrick Page will not be able to play Hades at this time, although he will be there for the filmed performances that they are going to do. Instead, we are going to have Philip Boykin joining Reeve Carney, even Abuzada and Amber Gray. I saw. I have seen all of those people multiple times except for Amber Gray. I saw the original cast twice, but she was out the second time I went. So I have not seen Amber Gray in this role since previews, since for Hadestown historians, since Andre was rocking a green umbrella. So, like, I am so excited to see Amber Gray in this show again, especially because I just saw her Grace you and I just saw her in Eureka Day. So really excited about this trip. I just have been. I've been traveling so much. I haven't been able to process the fact that like, oh yeah, I'm going overseas in a matter of hours. But I'm looking forward to it and it's going to be quick. But I feel like those are really three great shows to kind of get a full scope of what London has to offer.
- [15:48]
Grace Aki
I can't believe you've never been. This is so exciting.
- [15:51]
Matt Tamminini
Yeah.
- [15:52]
Grace Aki
Wow.
- [15:52]
Matt Tamminini
Okay, real quick because this is kind of what your. Your thing is. What's one place somebody should eat the first time they go to London?
- [16:01]
Grace Aki
Okay, I. This is gonna be silly. And for any Londoners listening, don't come for me. But if you're going to see a show at the Savoy or any of the shows that are on the West End, in that little area, that pocket, there are multiple locations. I think there's about three or four in total. But I love the cocktail bar. Mr. Foggs. F O G G apostrophe S my. The Explorer 1 near the Savoy is my favorite. And they have like, you know, mushrooms and. And like as in the. From the ground, not like a drug, but mushrooms and nuts and bar snacks, they have that kind of thing. So it's not really dinner dinner, but I think that it's just a really lovely experience if you're a theater person especially. I think it's a great cocktail bar to meet people at. They also have non alcoholic options. And then they also have like a mechanical negroni that they like generate in front of you. It looks very steampunky. I'm obsessed with it. So that one is prob. Probably one of my favorites. And then my favorite restaurant in London is Darjeeling Express. I'm obsessed with their chef I went on my birthday two years ago to see the final performance of Groundhog Day. The lead chef came out and said hi to me and took a photo with me, and I started crying because Asma Khan is just an inspiration to me as, like, a human being. But also, she's, like, featured in, you know, all these different podcasts and TV shows, and she's just. She's just an amazing person. She always had, like, women cooking the food in her kitchen because, like, women in her, like, native area of, like, India. When she brought her spices over, she said that none of the men could cook the way that her. The women in her family could cook. So she made sure that the kitchen reflected what she wanted. I just. I think Darjeeling Express is, like, one of the greatest experiences, but also restaurants. It's located in Soho, near all those West End shows, so you'll have to check that out as well.
- [17:49]
Matt Tamminini
All right, everybody, that's all we have for today. Thanks for listening to Today on Broadway. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram broadwayradio. You can follow me on Instagram @bwwmattgraceworks. People find you.
- [17:56]
Grace Aki
You can find me at. It's Grace Hockey.
- [17:58]
Matt Tamminini
All right, everybody, have a wonderful Friday, a wonderful weekend, and we'll be back to talk to you on Monday because I'm going to be home in time to record a regular episode for Monday as normal. So have a good weekend. We'll talk to you then.