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Today on Broadway: Friday, Oct. 31, 2025
00:17:50
Reviews are in for ‘Little Bear Ridge Road,’ Equity approves production contract, ‘Bat Boy’ highlights 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, October 31st Halloween. Ooh on Broadway radio's Matt Tammanini and.
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B
I am Tell Me on a Sunday Podcast Grace Aki, I'm not going to.
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Ask you what your costume is, Grace. We've already been over this. It's a secret. But for everybody going out there and celebrating Halloween, whether that means you're going trick or treating, you're waiting for people to ring your doorbell so you can give them candy, you're going out to parties, whatever it is, or if you're like me and just not leaving your house because it is an absolute nightmare in the town that you live in to get around anywhere on Halloween. I hope that you have a safe and happy and sweet as well as goblin filled holiday. I did want to let you guys know that next week we will be off. I'll be traveling. Grace is super busy with a ton of things so there will not be Today on Broadway episodes next week. What I'm going to do instead is on Monday we will start with with the latest episode of Some Like It Pop and then we will go back on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday with the previous month's episode so you can get caught up on all the pop culture things that you might have missed. There will be one opening next week, but it is Rob Lake Magic with special guest Muppets. So I'm not too worried about missing those. But we will be back on Monday or at least I will be back on Monday the 10th to kind of get things back in a regular schedule for you. So enjoy those episodes of Some Like It Popped. Get all of your pop culture needs taken care of as you head into the winter months of November and December. All right, Grace, we're going to start today's show over at the Booth Theater where Little Bear Ridge Road officially opened on Broadway. That's why we're a little late coming to folks on Patreon because we were waiting for these reviews to drop after 10pm this is the latest play by Samuel D. Hunter and his Broadway debut. Despite being somebody who has been a mainstay of off Broadway and even has a major feature film based on one of his plays, this is the first time that one of his shows has been on Broadway. It was originally commissioned by the Steppenwolf Theater Company in Chicago. It was put together by director Joe Mantello and the star Laurie Metcalfe. They commissioned it from Hunter specifically for Metcalf to star in. Bringing it to Broadway are producers Barry Diller and in his return to Broadway after four or five years in seclusion is Scott Rudin. Starring in the show is Metcalf as Sarah. We'll talk more about that character here in a minute. Micah Stock plays her nephew Ethan. Also in the show, playing multiple characters, are John Drea and Megan Garachas. The plot of the show is described thusly. On the remote outskirts of a small Idaho town, a razor tongued aunt and her long estranged nephew find themselves suddenly back in each other's orbit, two lonely souls with a crumbling house to sell and a tangled history to unravel. Bitingly funny and quietly explosive, Little Bear Ridge Road is a sharply etched portrait of two people reaching across emotional galaxies, searching for meaning and fumbling toward connection even as they fear it might swallow them whole. In this piercing and profound new play, the void is vast, the stars are indifferent, and love, messy, human and hard won, might be the only thing tethering us to earth. One thing to keep in mind with this it does begin in 2020, at the height of the COVID 19 pandemic. So that is the starting point for this show. Obviously, when you're talking about characters who are emotionally isolated, that makes sense. But let's begin with Laura Collins Hughes of the New York Times, who did make the show a critics pick. She said, quote, bulldozer. Aggressive, with a tripwire temper and a tendency to shout, she is seemingly unacquainted with the notion of emotional regulation, as played by a glorious Laurie Metcalf and Samuel D. Hunter's keen eyed, compassionate play Little Bear Ridge Road, which opened on Thursday night at the Booth Theater. She's also one of the funniest and most thoroughly human characters seen lately on a New York stage. One of the most entertaining, too. Despite the fact that Sarah's habitat is entirely domestic and almost defiantly unglamorous, she lives a small life not amped with exciting incident, unless you count the whipsaw changes to her mood. But as she says of the overwrought dramas she flips past on tv, real people aren't always desperately doing things. Little Bear Ridge Road asks of its audience. A mere 95 minutes straight through, and if Hunter wraps things up neatly at the end, that's the kind of story he decided to tell. Unlike some maddening TV show, he is not about to leave you dissatisfied. Charles Isherwood of the Wall Street Journal was also positive, saying, Mr. Hunter's writing has a clarity, delicacy and crisp simplicity that allows us to watch as Sarah and Ethan negotiate the minefields of their relationship, drawing comfort from one another's company, even though both would be loath to admit it. Under the astutely unfussy direction of Joe Mantello, Ms. Metcalf's remarkably fine performance is flinty, funny and savagely unsentimental. And Mr. Stock's Ethan? He says Micah, but he screws up. The name there is sensitive to the point of seeming to squirm inside a constricted, wounded soul. David Rooney of the Hollywood Reporter is also positive, saying, quote, the production brings the reliably brilliant Laurie Metcalf back to Broadway in a role that dovetails neatly with her strengths. Playing Sarah, a flinty nurse, involuntarily nearing retirement and living in northern Idaho as far from other people as she can get, Metcalf exercises her usual peerless comic timing, tossing off line readings in a blunt deadpan that never misses. Only gradually does she allow reluctant glimpses of the fragility forced on her by the betrayal of her body. Jackson McHenry of Vulture was mixed, saying in Little Bear Ridge Road, Metcalf racks up the hits with ease, though the production feels more like watching Home Run Derby than a full game, I couldn't escape the nagging sensation as I watched Samuel D. Hunter's drama unfold that the circumstances were all arrayed too perfectly for a Metcalf showcase, that they're too custom fitted to her skills, that there were diminishing returns to watching her do only what she does best. Is it wrong to wish for more uncertainty, more risk the presence of another team on the field? Adam feldman of TimeOut New York did give the show five out of five stars. So he was positive. And finally, Johnny Oleksinski of the New York Post was positive, saying, quote, it's a hard hitting, hard laughing show that combines topics that you arrive at the theater not itching to confront. The COVID pandemic, meth addiction, health insurance shift pay into an absorbing story you leave wanting much more of no grace. This is one that, as we were talking before we started recording, like neither one of us have heard a ton about. So reading the reviews is unsurprising that somebody as beloved by the critics as Laurie Metcalfe and Samuel D. Hunter to that extent as well, it's no surprise to me that this is one that the critics really liked. Like I said, though, I know people who have seen it, but I just haven't heard a ton about it. So the reviews are good to know, but the word of mouth, at least in my circles I don't know about yours, is pretty negligible. So take that for what it's worth. But certainly a show that seems to have enamored the people writing reviews.
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Yeah, I think that's great. That's great. You know, I obviously like, you know, I haven't seen it, but I like when a Steppenwolf production, because that's correct. Right. It was a Steppenwolf commission specifically. I always like that when that happens, when that's brought to Broadway for whatever reason. Obviously we're getting bug lately later in the year in the season, which I'm the most thrilled about. So, yeah, like, I'm always happy when a Steppenwolf commission is making its way over. It's interesting that it is seemingly distanced itself from that. I don't know if Steppenwolf has just due to like whatever controversy there's been around producing credits on this one. But yeah, listen, I always like when a play does well and that's just hard.
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Yeah. And it's, it's, it is interesting because Steppenwolf with purpose last season, the show that won the Pulitzer and Tony for best play, not only commissioned that work, but also was a producer for the Broadway run. That is not the case here. This show is exclusively produced by Scott Rudin and Barry Diller. So you don't know what type of negotiations with that commission took place with Scott Rudin getting involved, what all had to do with that. It is certainly different than what we saw last season. So I don't know what the politics of that was, but it is certainly notable. All right, real quick, let's dive into some other news. And it does appear that the Actors Equity association members have ratified the new three year labor contract with the Broadway League. This is interesting because it wasn't up to a vote for all Equity members. It was just around 3,300 equity members who have worked on Broadway or in a sit down production outside of New York since September 2019 that were eligible to vote because that is what the production contract is. 4 out of the 1456 votes that were cast, which is less than half of all of the eligible actors and stage managers, 71% voted yes and 29 voted no. That is according to a source that told Philip Boroff of the Broadway Journal. As we've talked about before, there is a number of things that are a part of this agreement. Both wins for Actors Equity and wins for the Broadway League. The main talking point is the fact that Broadway actors and stage managers will get an annual 3% raise over the duration of the three year contract. That is less of an annual increase than had been in the previous contract. But the major win for Equity was in fortifying the health plan that it co manages with the league for years. The production contract has meant that the league had only had to contribute $150 per week for per person towards the plan. That has now gone up by $25 every year. So it'll go up to immediately $175 per week. And then by the time that this contract ends in 2027, it will have increased 50%, which is a pretty strong race. So if you want to hear more about the Actors Equity contract with Broadway League, we'll have that information in the show notes. Grace, you're much closer to performers and stage managers than I am. Are people talking about this? Like, are they just all kind of resigned and moving on to whatever it is? Are there strong feelings one way or the other about this contract?
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Yeah, I think it's. It's tough. I mean, obviously any kind of agreement that still exists within a disparity of power is kind of like, okay, like we got somewhere. But, you know, it's difficult. I know there's like a ton of things that come with it. I'm glad that agreements were reached in general because I think that the liminal space of will they, won't they in terms of striking and people potentially losing their jobs is never fun. So I understand and appreciate the work that was being done to get the unions to that place.
- [10:48]
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Well, there will not be a strike. So let's talk about some things happening on Broadway. And the first thing is over at the Stephen Sondheim Theater, where Ann Juliet has announced its new stars for varying lengths of time. Taking over the role of Anne Hathaway replacing Alison Luff will be Teal Wicks. She's taking over for Alison, who is leaving to go do the new musical Wonder at Art. This is being called a leave of absence for Allison, so it is not going to be a full like she's leaving the show completely. The expectation, I'm guessing, is that she will come back in February because Thiel is just going to be in the company from November 24 through February 22. Also rejoining the company will be Hayden T. In the role of Lance. He was an original member of the show's Australian company. He will be stepping in from November 4th through the 30th while James Monroe Iglehart goes on leave. Iglehart will then return on December 2 and is now going to be sticking with the show through March 8th. So that is Very cool. And as a reminder, Kandi Burruss, Grammy Award winner, Broadway producer, reality star, actress, will be taking over the role of Angelique on December 11, and she will continue with that part for the same amount of time that James Iglehart will be in the show through March 8th.
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I just want to say on that, as a reminder, the TLC musical Crazy Sexy Cool is happening and is, I think, going to D.C. arena stage, question mark. And while this is happening, no Scrubs is obviously being performed. Who wrote no Scrubs? Matt.
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That would be Candy Burris.
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That would be Candy Burris. And I'm just saying that at some point, I'm gonna need no Scrubs. Scrubs by the nurse, because scrubs and nurses go together. And I think I'm the only person to like that joke. That's all.
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Oh, that's. No, that's great. I love that. That is very good. Very good.
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I'll have to tell them I know someone that works there, so.
- [12:51]
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Yeah. Yeah. You know, some people like you. Yeah, that's very good. I love that. Okay, so not Broadway, but let's move off Broadway. Where the folks over at Little Shop before is continue to bring in stars that are very interesting. We know that currently playing Audrey is Emmy award nominee Madeline Brewer, and playing Seymour is Thomas Doherty. And then joining them in the cast next month will be two stars. The new voice of Audrey II will start on November 1st. That'll be Christian McQueen. And then beginning later in the month after Thanksgiving or right around Thanksgiving on November 25th will be Tony nominee Andrew Durant, who will take over the role of Dr. Oren Scravello. DDS. They are replacing Major Attaway and Jeremy Kushner, respectively. Again, Grace, every time, they bring in some really excellent folks that I would be excited to see if I could ever fit that one back into my schedule. Speaking of things that people probably can't fit into their schedule anymore, is the new Nick Blaymire show soon. Actually, not new because it's like 10 years old, but it is new to New York City. It is currently playing at the East Village basement. But, Grace, I think it's sold out. I think the entire run is sold out. But that does not mean that you couldn't get in. In fact, you saw it on what? Did you see it on Wednesday night?
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B
Yeah. Well, Thursday. Thursday night.
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Oh, Thursday night. Okay. Yeah.
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B
It's so funny because my partner got to see it in D.C. at Signature in 2015. Ten years later, I'm seeing it the East Village basement with them as we pick up their wedding suit. So it was really, really magical to be in that space. I really like the East Village basement. I really appreciate the work that they are letting happen there. I know that it's like primarily rentals, but it was just, it was a good show to see. I love Nicholas Padani. I think he was one of the best parts if of the SNL film that happened recently. His impression of Billy Crystal is like burned into my brain. Mike Milan is also in it who is just excellent. And yeah, it's just, it's a great group of people. It's a, it's like an under. I think it's under two hours. It's a one act musical. They do a great job and I think that a lot of people that have ever felt kind of like the world is burning down around them, I think you will feel seen in this musical. But if and goodness, I hope that they get to extend, make sure that you pop onto those tickets. Absolutely. Worth it.
- [15:18]
A
Awesome. Well, I am going to be in New York in after next week where I'm going to be out of town. I'm going to be in New York the following week. I'm still working on my schedule, but I wanted to give everybody a quick rundown of what I'm going to be seeing. So if you want to hear all about that in Patreon on travelogue episodes, here's what you have to look forward to. There are still two slots that I'm looking to fill. Of the four shows that I'm going to try to fill those two slots with are Oedipus on Broadway. I'm waiting to see if I can get an invite to that oratorio for Living Things, which I don't think I can miss a second time. And then the aforementioned Little Bear, Ridge Road and Queen of Versailles. So two of those are going to make it into these two final spots. But what I have confirmed so far are Caroline at mcc, Kyoto at Lincoln Center, Chess on Broadway, the Baker's Wife at Classic Stage, two Strangers Carry a Cake Across New York at the Longacre and then the Seat of Our Pants at the Public Theater. I'm also going to be going to see our friend Mary Lou Henner's show at Green Room 42. And I have invites in or I have requests in for Ariel Stachel's show Other at the Greenwich House Theater and the musical at St. Luke's so that is going to be my configuration of shows for this trip. There's still so many other things that I need to see that I haven't seen yet. So I'm to going. Might have to make another one back in December or January, who knows. But as of now, that's what I've got on my schedule. And then finally, let's wrap up Grace with a recommendation over at New York City Center. Bat Boy the musical officially opened earlier this week. It is going to run for two weeks starring the likes of Carrie Butler, Gabby Karuba, Alex Newell, Taylor Trench, and more. We've just got like a little over a minute of highlights. I love this show and I'm so bummed that it's closing before I get into town. But if you have an opportunity, I've heard nothing but phenomenal things from people who have seen it. So if you get a chance to check it out, head over to New York City center over the next two weeks. It closes on November 9th. 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 @BroadwayRadio. If you want more Broadway radio, head over to patreon.com broadwayradio Remember, we will not have Today on Broadway's next week. We will have one new and four rerun episodes of Some Like It Pop. Grace, where can people find you?
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You can find me at Graceaki.
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Everybody. Have a wonderful Friday, a wonderful weekend. We'll be back to talk to you in a week and a half.