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Today on Broadway: Friday, Sept. 12, 2025
00:13:30
Is ‘Broadway Vacation’ finally coming to Broadway? ‘Buena Vista Social Club’ band to play free events and footage of Orfeh in ‘Burlesque’ Since 2016, “Today on Broadway” has been the first and only daily podcast recapping the top theatre headlines ever...
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Matt Tammini
Broadway for Friday, September 12, 2025. I'm Broadway Radio's Matt Tammini and I'm.
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Grace Aki
Tell Me on a Sunday podcast Grace.
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Matt Tammini
Aki Grace for what I think are probably obvious reasons for a lot of people. Not only is today Thursday as we're recording September 11th, but also with the murder of Charlie Kirk happening on Wednesday, not a lot of theater news out right now. I don't think anyone wanted to get into that news cycle and have to fight with all of that discourse and dialogue and remembrances going on. So there's not a ton of news here to talk about today. So we're gonna get through what little news that we have and then you and I are gonna kind of talk about some things that we're excited about. But we will have some fun stuff in the podcast feeds over the weekend. Jan Simpson's latest episode of all the drama, which is already in Patreon, will be in the regular feeds this weekend and this week's Patreon exclusive episode will be me and Mickey Jo talking about all things Evita, why it maybe isn't coming to Broadway, and some great things that are happening over in London and could potentially be happening in New York. So if you want to hear that, head over to patreon.com broadwayradio broadwayradio.com patreon and sign up at the Mezzanine Tier or above. Now the only news that we have really Grace is not actually news, but it's a preview of news to come later today on Friday. Because yesterday on the social media handle B Way Vacation we got a little teaser image and the image is the back of an old beat up station wagon with a license plate that says 091225. I'm going to guess that is not a lottery number and that is actually just meant to represent today's date, September 12, 2025. And of course this is the social media for the long gestating show the Griswolds Broadway Vacation. This is a show that has been kicking around now for a very long time. They originally had industry readings in the fall of 2019 starring Kerry Butler and Will Swenson. Then obviously the world premiere that was supposed to happen in the fall of 2020 did not happen. That got pushed back to 2022. They did it in Seattle at the Fifth Avenue Theater. That Seattle production starred Hunter Foster and Megan Reinking. Megan Reinking stepped in when Kate Rockwell had to exit the production because she was pregnant. So we don't really know what's going on with this show. I'm guessing if they're making an announcement like this, it is not to do another out of town tryout, even though that has now been through three years. Three years ago. So I'm guessing we're going to get some sort of Broadway or maybe off Broadway announcement for this, but I have heard nothing about it, Grace. Like, I have not heard about this one for a while, so I'm not sure what's going on with this. I spoke with one of the writers on a episode here a year or so ago and he just kind of told me, we're still working on it. We'll see. But it was written by David Rosemer and Steve Rosen, who have been guests on the podcast multiple times because they wrote the other Josh Cohen, who I thought. Which I thought was a fantastic show. So I'm excited about this. But I literally, until this Instagram post came out, Grace had no idea that this had any plans on having any kind of life anytime soon.
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Grace Aki
When I tell you I love the other Josh Cohen, like, I love that show and you can listen to it all the time because there's an incredible cast recording. I love those two writers. I think they're very smart, they're very gifted, they're very talented. And I think that what we're seeing, though, is like a more trans. It's. It's much more transparency in the way that things are actually kicked around in terms of development processes these days. Like, it used to be that, like, you wouldn't hear about anything and then there would just be a show happening. And now because of all this information and social and press and all of the other things, right, like, we have a little bit more understanding about, like, you know, the timing of some of this, like, doesn't make sense because none of it makes sense. And like, we are all trying to, like, get a theater, get sponsors. There's sometimes there's a ton of interest, but there's no availability for the things that that production might want or need. So good for them. If that's how it's moving, who knows? I could also see a world where it tours for a while because it is quite literally a travel vacation. But no, I think it's. I think that's cool. And again, I didn't get to see the workshop. I know a lot of people that were in it and they were all very, very funny people. So I'm very hopeful for that one.
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Matt Tammini
Yeah. It's interesting as I look through all of the shows that we know are coming to Broadway this season and then ones that we think could come to Broadway this season, there's a lot of very interesting musicals, but the vast, vast majority of them are not musical comedies. Well, I'm sure Dalian original musical probably have some jokes in it, but that's a bio musical. That's a kind of a different thing. So like, when it comes to old fashioned musical comedies, it's really this. And like, if Schmiga Dune comes to Broadway, we know they've recently had yet another workshop, so I'm assuming they want to do that for Broadway, but I don't know for sure. So it's really just kind of those two. And then there's other things, you know, like all the stuff we've talked about already. There's, you know, Queen of Versailles, which again, might have some comedy in it, but it's not, you know, a musical comedy. Two Strangers is a rom com, so not exactly the same type of thing. And then there's, you know, other stuff kicking around like Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Galileo Wanted, you know, stuff like that where I don't know that even if Benjamin Button comes over, like those aren't musicians in the vein of like something like Death becomes Her that we saw last season. So it'll be interesting to see if Griswold's Broadway vacation does come. If it's really the only musical theater old fashioned comedy that we have on the boards this season and what that means for the box office. But I'm certainly looking forward to that. All right, Grace. Speaking of a show from last season that is not a comedy but is one of the most joyful things you will ever see. Yesterday it was announced that the Band of Buena Vista Social Club on Broadway will be offering a free performance and a panel discussion at the Whitney Museum. It is to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from next Monday, September 15th, through October 15th. Just after that, on October 17th, at 6pm The Tony Award winning band from Buena Vista Social Club will perform at Manhattan's Whitney Museum as part of the art institution's free Friday nights programming. And then they will also offer additional performances as part of Sing out for free freedom. That is a concert that will happen at the NYU Skirball center for the Arts on October 27th that's being produced by John Leguizamo. So some great opportunities to check out this truly incredible band of musicians. So if you want more information about those things, they will be in the show Notes all right, Grace, so we've talked a lot about the Broadway season and what we think could come into the season and where we think things can go and all of that. But I wanted to do a little bit of a chat about things that we're excited about Off Broadway either things that are coming back and we've seen before, things we've never seen before, shows that we've heard about but have never had an opportunity to see on stage. So I know for me I'm gonna go with the return engagement for Heather Christian's Oratorio of Living Things. I was supposed to see this Off Broadway not in its first run, but in its second run just shortly after the Pandemic. And then when I came into town, they had to cancel a performance because of COVID And if you are familiar with the show, it is a big classic chamber type of musical sonic performance where everybody is in the cast is basically singing and making music together and it's very hard to lose one, two or three people and still make the music work. So I didn't get a chance to see it. I am incredibly excited that it's going to be returning to the Signature Theater this fall. It is going to be playing from September 30 through November 16 and it's directed by Lee Sunday Evans. And everything I've heard from this show and about this show and honestly Heather Christian's other works as well have been that it's just a truly remarkable different type of theater experience. So I will be sat for that one way or the other, either in September, either in October or in November. But I will not allow myself to miss that show for a second time.
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Grace Aki
Grace no, like I, I can't wait to see this. Like I really need to. My life depends on it. Like the way that people talked about it was insane. And I know, I remember when you were going through this whole like you were supposed to see and all these things. So and of course, like Ashley Steves, like if our Listeners remember like she just went on and on about this incredible piece. So I think it's very exciting that this is being talked about again now.
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Matt Tammini
What about you, Grace? What is something in the Off Broadway world that you are looking forward to this season?
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Grace Aki
I realize that obviously this is today on Broadway, but a lot of times these really exciting. There's just been such a, such a beautiful resurgence of the Off Broadway space not only for original materials but also for revivals. And as you all may know, I am a big Michelle Williams fan. I think that she is like so stunning and her being in Anna Christie at St. Anne's Warehouse is very enticing to me. I was also, also, I don't know if we mentioned this from like the Gap. I remember when we were announcing that the show was happening and then the cast, Tom Sturridge was mentioned because I was talking about my mother having seen him in 1984 and she didn't remember and she's a big Sandman fan. I didn't realize that the entire creative team was insane and maybe we talked about it and I've had memory of a Goldfish. But can we just say that Stephen Coggett doing the movement. Nick Britell on music. Did we know this? Nicholas Britell of Succession fame of like, like award winning composer. The team is crazy. The costume design is by Paul Tazwell. Oscar award and Tony were winning Paul Tazwell. Natasha Katz is on lighting design. Like I did not realize that the entire. I was like, oh, this is a Broadway show. Like this is, this is crazy. But of course, like St. Anne's Warehouse does not miss. They do all these premium things. But I just think that's very cool, very exciting. And I just like, I just like what I'm seeing, which is nothing and yet I'm liking it.
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Matt Tammini
Yeah, I mean we are starting to get in to that time of year when we're starting to like be able to stack all of the celebrities. They're going to be doing New York theater this year and this is not uncommon. But we already have obviously mentioned Michelle Williams. We've got Carrie Coon, we've got IO Edebiri, we've got Don Cheadle, we've got June Squibb and Cynthia Nixon. Like we're starting to just continually add more and more stars to the list. We don't necessarily have the Clooney and Robert Downey juniors of last season, but you start to throw in Keanu Reeves who is already. Well, have they started before starter performances on Saturday. That's Right. I was like, I was gonna say they've already started now. Start on Saturday. You've got Aubrey Plaza Off Broadway. You've got Tom Hanks Off Broadway coming up. So, like, they're starting to, like, get to the point where, like, oh, yeah, there's so many incredible people that are going to be seen on and off Broadway this season. Of course, John Bernthal and Evan Moss Bacharach, Rose Byrne, Taraji P. Hint and Cedric the Entertainer. Like, they're just so many. And I'm sure I'm forgetting some as well. Mark Strong and Leslie Manville. Like, the stars are coming out and they're not just going to be in midtown. You will have opportunities to see them in Brooklyn and in other places as well. So this is obviously going to be one that's going to be a very, very tough ticket to get, but probably one that will very, very easily be one that is worth whatever you end up having to pay for it. All right, I've got two recommendations, and both of them come from the other side of the Atlantic because the first one is we have a video with Lucy Jones, big West End in London, theater star singing a new song from the musical version of 13 going on 30. It is getting ready to open at the Manchester Opera House for a limited engagement on September 21st. If you want to check that out, we will have that link in the show notes. It's kind of fun because they put it together with some video from the original Jennifer Garner movie. So that's fun. And then the other one is a video put out by Burlesque, the musical in London in which the one and only Orfeh sings Welcome to Burlesque. That show wrapped up its run in London a week ago, but who knows what happens with it in the future. So we'll put that in the show notes, keep an eye on it, and we'll see what happens with both of these, you know, kind of interesting screen to stage properties, Grace. And we'll, you know, New York loves those kind of things. So we'll see if they end up on this side of the Atlantic anytime soon. 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 rodwayradio. And if you want more BroadwayRadio, head over to patreon.com broadwayradio where can people find you?
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Grace Aki
You can find me at Grace Aki.
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Matt Tammini
All right, everybody, have a wonderful Friday, a wonderful weekend, and we'll be back to talk to you on.