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Today on Broadway: Monday, June 23, 2025
00:24:24
‘Dead Outlaw’ announces abrupt closing, ‘Evita’ aiming for Broadway, Hugh Jackman play to hit Audible 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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- [00:00]
Matt Tamineni
Today's show is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. You chose to hit play in this podcast today. Smart choice. Make another smart choice with Auto Quote Explorer to compare rates from multiple car insurance companies all at once. Try it@progressive.com Progressive Casualty Insurance Company affiliates not available in all states or situations. Prices vary based on how you buy. Welcome to TODAY on Broadway for Monday, June 23, 2025. I'm Broadway Radio's Matt Tamineni and I'm.
- [00:32]
Grace Aki
Tell Me on a Sunday Podcast.
- [00:33]
Matt Tamineni
Grace Aki Grace, it has been a wild, wild couple weeks after the Tonys with things being announced, things closing. So we're going to get into all of that news. But I do want to remind you to head over to patreon.com broadwayradio broadwayradio.com Patreon to make sure that you get everything that we are bringing to you for from Broadway radio. Always lots of fun stuff there. We'll be kicking off even more stuff in July, so stay tuned for that. But on Friday, Grace, we got a little bit of a surprise announcement. Not necessarily that the announcement was a surprise, but I was surprised as to when it came out. But we found out that best musical nominee Dead Outlaw will be closing this coming Sunday, June 29th. And as we talked about during the grosses last week, it hasn't been doing great. So I did ponder how long that it had on Broadway. So it wasn't necessarily surprised that it announced, but I was a little bit surprised that it announced on a Friday. Normally these things happen, honestly on Tuesdays because they have to inform the cast a week before closing and you know, the playing week starts on Tuesdays. So I was a little bit surprised about that, but obviously disappointed for everybody involved with the show. Over at the Longacre Theater. At the time of closing, it will have played 87 performances on Broadway. It received seven Tony nominations and did even better off Broadway last season or the previous season when it was the Off Broadway darling, winning just about everything that it was up for. This is a show that I know it didn't necessarily hit for me, but a ton of people really, really loved this show and you know, it was different. And I think that's what Grace, you and I both always talk is we want musicals especially that come to Broadway to try something different, that break outside the box that aren't just cookie cutter type of shows with a different story, but pretty much the same thing that we've already seen. So I applaud everybody involved in the show. David Yazbeck, Eric Dellapena, Itamar Moses, the entire cast. Like I said, it didn't work for me as much as I would have wanted it to, but I applaud the effort and really enjoyed parts of it. And I'm sad for everybody for whom it really, really did work.
- [02:51]
Grace Aki
Yeah. Shout out to Tom Sesma, who is such a shining light in that show. There are so many people involved in that that I feel like also should have gotten their due, because I know that there were like three, you know, best actor nominations, but I would argue that you could have also given those. Any three of the other soloists in that show could have also been nominated for those Tony Awards that the other cast members were in. I think that it was a. It was a great, honorable effort. And, you know, a lot of people talk about the Curse of the Longacre and how it's really challenging. And I'm like, I don't know if it's always the theater so much as it is. Like, maybe the show combo with that theater with the timing, like, I think it's just been circumstantial. But it is hard to see a consistency in limited runs there, for sure.
- [03:42]
Matt Tamineni
Yeah. So if you either loved Dead Outlaw or haven't had an opportunity to see it and want to make sure that you check it out before it closes up shop, head over to the aforementioned Longacre theater by this Sunday. Obviously, tickets are on sale. Now. Something that presumably you're going to be able to see in New York is the current London production of Jamie Lloyd's Evita. However, it doesn't sound like you're going to be able to see it anytime soon, probably. Baz Vomaboy from Deadline reported late last week that the show is already starting to line up a Broadway run, but that it won't probably happen until 2027. And there's a lot that goes into that. We've talked about everything happening with this production of Evita. Rachel Zegler is starring as Eva Perrone. They are doing Don't Cry for Me Argentina, actually on the balcony of the London Palladium, which. That can generate a lot of fun guessing as to where the show might actually end up on Broadway when it comes. But I do wanna mention that, like Grace, we talked about some of the pushback that for the initial previews, I do feel like the tide is turning on that a little bit because people who I've. I know who have seen it have really kind of enjoyed it quite a bit. But then also, like, the crowds outside the Palladium are gigantic, which is Fascinating. But the show is planning to come to Broadway. That is not a surprise to anyone. But what's interesting is that, like I said, it's not going to be coming, at least as of now until 2027. And there's a lot of factors for that. The main one is it doesn't necessarily want to compete with other shows by its authors. Obviously, that's one of the main reasons why Cats, the Jellicoe Ball, did not come to Broadway this past season and is coming this season is because Andrew Lloyd Webber didn't want his two shows, that and Sunset Boulevard, competing in the same category. So obviously he wouldn't want Evita and Cats competing in the 2025, 2026 season. But also keep in mind that Tim Rice wrote the lyrics for Evita and and he has Chess coming to Broadway this season. So probably Sir Tim Rice doesn't want those shows conflicting either. That all makes sense. But I would have thought that, okay, follow the Sunset trajectory and bring it in towards the beginning of the 2026, 2027 season. That show kicked off, I think in September, built up momentum, carried it through for a Tony Award win in the best revival of a musical category. However, that does not seem like that is going to be the case. And one of the reasons that Baz Bama Boy mentions is that Rachel Zegler is being rumored to be playing Maria in a Broadway revival of Sound of Music over at Lincoln center, although that has not been confirmed. Neither has the production of that show been confirmed as part of Lincoln Center's season. So that could obviously conflict with her availability to do Evita at this point. But we've all known that this show was almost certainly going to come to Broadway. Grace. But pushing it back, do you think that that hurts it in New York is like, does it need to be riding the wave of momentum from London or do you think that there's enough built in excitement for the property for Jamie Lloyd and especially Rachel Zegler, that having a year, two year break in between productions shouldn't really hurt it?
- [07:06]
Grace Aki
I think it's more so for me, the stamina of having done Romeo yet going Evita. I mean, granted there was a little bit of a break, but not really because there was the press tour for Snow White. I'm more thinking about like the longevity of her as a young human being being able to do back to back to back, especially with such massive performances as those. Those are all like fully leading. She is the show, you know what I mean? Performances. And I just think that that's hard to commit to. And, like, I'm thinking, like, of her agents and family being like, maybe we take a break. You know, maybe we slow down or something. But who knows? She might want to be doing these things. I mean, good for her. But I, I, my brain immediately went to and when do you sleep? Because these are all very exciting, you know, hypothesis. I have heard that there is a lot of talk around the, the Rogers and Hammerstein Sound of Music situation coming to Broadway, like, possibly with, like, you know, the, the revitalization of the film and then a tour and all these other things. Like, a lot of different people have had their pockets in it. So I'm curious if that's what that conversation is about. I haven't heard it about Lincoln center, but then I saw that rumor this weekend, so who knows? But, yeah, it's all very exciting. I think ultimately what I do find interesting is, like, someone like Rachel, who is such a powerful performer and, like, obviously has the attention of everybody right now, they're not looking at originating apart, because I don't know that there's any new shows that I would be like, oh, yeah, her. You know what I mean? Like, it's smart for her to be doing these revivals in this way. I think of, like, a similar model with, like, Lea Michele, you know what I mean? Whereas Idina Menzel has taken this totally different path of, like, original, small, etc. But, like, Leah doing Funny Girl and then doing Tess, but then, you know what I mean? Like, she has not done in her post Glee era. She's not done an original musical, to my understanding. Correct.
- [09:14]
Matt Tamineni
Yeah. As far as I know. Yeah.
- [09:16]
Grace Aki
Yeah. So, like, because, like, Spring Awakening was right before that. So, yeah, I just think it's interesting that, like, I don't know that we know what to do with these incredibly powerful and for lack for better phrase, because I really can't find one right now, divas, like, and I don't mean that in the derogatory sense. I just mean it in this amazing sense. I don't know, it's just something to think about. Do you know what I'm saying, though?
- [09:38]
Matt Tamineni
Well, I do. But also, I think you also have to remember that Rachel Zegler is like, what, 23? Is that about how old she is? And new musicals take a long time. So it might just be that because she's been so busy with films and obviously now really getting into her theater era, that she might just not have had the opportunity to get in on a new musical and develop it thoroughly to the point where it comes to Broadway. So kind of parachuting into a revival is a lot easier because it doesn't take those years of workshops in development. Does that make sense?
- [10:11]
Grace Aki
Yeah, but I think what I'm saying is that we are not developing epic musicals. We are developing pop punk. Like we are. We are not in a place where we're developing Sondheim's and Webers for the stage. Tim Rice, like, I don't. I don't see any epic musicals being funded in that capacity right now. Do you see what I'm saying? Like, yeah. What newer shows? Because I would say that Limpica was the last one in that style, but I don't know.
- [10:43]
Matt Tamineni
Well, I mean, I think we've got. I did not see the Queen of Versailles. Stephen Schwartz, I think, is probably the next in line following off of ALW and going from there. Obviously, very different styles, but, like, we'll see what that looks like. But. But, yeah, I do feel like, especially with the explosion of screen to stage adaptations, it is a very different world than when somebody like you mentioned Adina came up with doing Rent and Wild Party and stuff like that. I think it'll be fascinating to see where Rachel's career goes because she has had a lot of success on screen. But I don't think that that success is nearly mirrored by how successful her stage career has been so far in its infancy, only one show and a second show in previews. But I feel like she's going to be a massive star. And I think that there are similarities to be made as you did with Lea Michele with her and Leah, because Leah has had success on screen, obviously with Glee, she did Scream Queens and done a bunch of other things to a smaller degree. But she is a massive theater star still to this day. We saw when she came into Funny Girl, and I wasn't sure if she would still have that kind of draw because it had been so long since she'd been on stage and she proved that she does. I feel like Rachel, because of her talent and because of how young she was when theater fans first discovered her, that I feel like she's always going to be a massive star on stage, regardless of what her TV and or film careers look like. So what we'll have to wait and see. But I am certainly excited to see what happens with Evita, and I'm already kind of going through the Rolodex of what theaters have balconies that this production could end up being at. At some point in 2027. All right, let's take A real quick break to talk about our sponsors for this week. And let's start with our friends at surfshark. Ever felt like the Internet is watching your every move? Google how to fix my wifi. And then suddenly your feed on social media ads on every website you go to is filled with things for routers or even like conspiracy theories, how wi fi signals rewire your brain and stuff like that. There's a reason for this. It's because your browser is able to watch and store your digital activity. And that's why it thinks that you are all of a sudden fascinated with everything to do with routers. But you can put an end to this by signing up for Surfshark vpn. It encrypts everything you do online so snoopers, trackers and even sketchy cop coffee shop wi fi hackers can't see what you're up to. But Grace, that's not the only benefit to using Surfshark vpn. Why do you use surfshark in your daily online activities?
- [13:36]
Grace Aki
You know, it's funny because we talk or I talk a lot about, you know, how much I love to see TV shows and film. Like I love to take in pop culture and media and a lot of times things will come out in other countries that I'm not able to get in the US best yet. Or maybe it's something that I want to stream that is only available in a certain country's streaming service. That's where a VPN comes in. You know, I'm able to actually watch the things that I'm excited about. Whether that's, you know, British Bake off or some foreign French film that is not currently on the Criterion Collection. I'm able to actually access those things by utilizing a vpn.
- [14:09]
Matt Tamineni
So it's time to take control of your online security. Try Surfshark risk free today and enjoy their 30 day money back guarantee. Go to surfshark.com tob for four extra months of Surfshark. That's code tob@surfshark.com the URL and the code can be found in our show notes. And next, let's talk about our friends from Cash app. As I mentioned last week, I'm getting ready to head out of town for a birthday bucket list trip. And I'm going to be seeing friends and family going to shows, going to restaurants, going to casinos. And I know at some point there's going to have to be money exchanged between us because it is so much easier to do that than to ask a server or a cashier to separate bills, and then they end up screwing it up. And you have to go back and say, no, no, no, this was on this person's bill. This was on this person's bill. It is just so much easier to, after it's all said and done, get the receipt, go into Cash App and say, okay, you owe this person this. You send this much to this person and get it all taken care of. Because everything about Cash App is safe, easy and fast. And when you have to send or transfer money, those are the best three things that you have to look for.
- [15:24]
Grace Aki
Yeah, one thing about me is that, you know, I'm going to go out and I'm going to have a great time with a big group of friends, and we're all going to have a great time eating. And then someone's going to slap their car down because they want credit card points, but at the same time, you're going to have to split that bill up. It's an uncomfortable conversation. Nobody wants to do it. But with Cash App, you're actually able to send personalized invoices so you don't have to have any kind of like, how did we split this up? Type of thing. At the end of your meal, you're able to enjoy your night, and it's fast and easy. You don't even have to connect your bank account.
- [15:50]
Matt Tamineni
And now, for a limited time only, new Cash App users can use our exclusive code to earn some additional cash. For real? There's no catch. Just download Cash App and sign up. Use our exclusive referral code, Broadway, in your profile. Send $5 to a friend within 14 days and you'll get $10 dropped right into your account. Terms apply. That's money. That's Cash App. All right, Grace, let's dive into this week's theatrical schedule. And unfortunately, it's a lot of things closing. But before we get into this coming week, I do want to mention that over the weekend, we had three Broadway shows wrap up their runs the last five years. Floyd Collins, those were both limited runs, scheduled to close on the 22nd, and then smash obviously closed earlier than anybody had wanted. We'll talk about Smash here at the end of the show. So those three shows wrapped up on Broadway and a show that I am very excited about, one that I'm going to have to come up to see at some point later this summer, maybe even early fall, began performances off Broadway at New World Stages, and that is Heather's. So that show is running now off Broadway. So I'm sure we will talk about that. One even more over the coming weeks and months. But starting on Tuesday, we have an opening Off Broadway for a new show that's getting a ton of buzz, especially because of how many just incred incredible people are signing on to be co producers of this show and it is called Duke and Roya. It stars Jake Ellis and Stephanie Knorr and it is directed by Warren Adams and written by Charles Randolph Wright. The show is described as a gripping new drama about love, survival and impossible choices. Discover the electrifying connection between Duke and international hip hop artist and Roya, a fearless Afghan interpreter who find love in the unlikeliest of places. War Torn Cobble. This one is playing Off Broadway at the Lucille Lortel Theater and I've only heard great things about it and I cannot wait to check out the reviews on Tuesday. Also opening on Tuesday though, we have another show that has gotten great word of mouth and this one comes to us from our beloved mcc and it is Emmanuel Matana's Trophy Boys, directed by Donya Taymor. In a culture set on punishing and criticizing men for just existing, I feel like that's a little bit tongue in cheek there. The Trophy Boys prepare for the final debate of their undefeated high school careers. Going up against their sister school, they get a debate topic so weighted there's no way they could possibly win. Or could they? What begins as a riotously funny satire turns into a sharp exploration of power and privilege, from high school to the highest circles of political influence. This is a show, Grace, that we've talked about before that had incredible runs in Australia and then this is going to be the American premiere. Even though the entire set of characters are young high school boys, everybody in the cast is either a woman or non binary. So that's certainly a different take on that. Obviously, if you kind of read between the lines of the plot description there. And then Tuesday I am finally getting an opportunity to see the national tour of Shucked as it comes to the Dr. Phillips center for the Performing Arts. You'll Remember back in 2023, this was the show that I thought should win the Tony Award for Best musical. The cast for this one, Grace, is fantastic. I know there are some of your favorites in this tour, so I am very excited to see this. So for people who aren't familiar with some of the folks that are on tour with Shucked, give them a real quick glimpse as to who they're going to see if they come out to see the show with me in Orlando this week.
- [19:25]
Grace Aki
You've got Mike Nappy, you've got Tyler Joseph Ellis. You've got a really great group. I've heard nothing but amazing things about the Shucked tour and the cast and just everything about it, frankly. So I'm really jealous. I'm super excited for you. I was sad, though. Tyler was sick when they were in Atlanta and I said, you're going to be sick in Cobb County. Really? Of all the places, get it together.
- [19:49]
Matt Tamineni
Different number of, different number of bees in that Cobb county than the one in Schuck. But yes, very, very good point. That's hilarious. All right, as I said, tons of closings this week and they start on Friday with the Off Broadway production of Sarah Rule's Eurydice that'll wrap up its run at the Signature Theater. And then on Saturday on Broadway we have the final revival of Glengarry Glen Ross. And then on Broadway on Sunday we have the aforementioned closing of Dead Outlaw along with a picture of Dorian Gray, Real Women Have Curves and Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends. Then off Broadway we have closings for ceremonies for Dark Old Men. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. At the Public the Imaginary Invalid from Red Bull Theater, Lights Out Nat King Cole, the New York Theater Workshop production Prosperous fool from Tifana out in Brooklyn. And then of course, Titanique is wrapping up its multi year run off Broadway at the Daryl Roth Theater. And then real quick, Grace got some shown casting news that I want to make sure that we talk about here. We had previously discussed the Hugh Jackman Sonja Friedman new theater initiative called Together that had done a couple shows at the Minetta Lane Theater Off Broadway, Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Class and Creditors. They both finished their runs earlier this month on the 18th. However, they will both be available on Audible this fall, so keep your ears out for that. Then we found out casting for the upcoming Barrington Stage Company's season. It actually begins this week on the 25th with a production of Camelot. In the show, Ken Wolfe Clark will play King Arthur, Ali Ewalt will play Guinevere, and Emmet o' Hanlon will play Lancelot. They will be joined by Danny Cornfield as Mordred and the great Dakin Matthews as Merlin. Also this season we will see a regional premiere of Daniel Goldstein's Joan Rivers biopic Joan, which will star Tessa Auberjonois as Joan. Then we will have a world premiere for a new musical written by Jeff Talbot and Will Van Dyke called Fuzzy. It will star John Cariani, Cass Morgan and Teddy Udane. Following up, they will have a production of Rajeev Joseph's play, King James, which will actually star Gregory Perry, reprising the role that he originated in the Off Broadway production. And then Barrington also announced a new play for the season, the Weeknd by Ben Diskant, and the casting and creative team for that one will be announced. And then finally, Grace, a show that you and I both loved in London, the Curious Case of Benjamin Button sets its final London performance for October 11th of 2025. That is one year and one day following its opening at the Ambassador Theatre Group. A very appropriate way to wrap up that run. In terms of timing. I don't know if this one has a Broadway future in its plans or even if it's a possibility. But having seen that show, Grace, and knowing how intricate the coverages are, because sometimes if people are out, like they shrink the cast and they move people around because everybody plays different instruments, like everybody in the show is part of the band as well, it almost to me would be easier just to close it in London and then bring everybody to New York. I know that there's equity issues with that, but I don't know if I'm going to get over to London to see this again beforehand. But I will be heartbroken if I don't get an opportunity to see a full fledged version of this production again, on whatever side of the pond it might be.
- [23:17]
Grace Aki
I agree. I want it to come to New York, or just at least the US at any capacity. Yeah, I really think that this could be regionally developed with a US cast. I don't think that you necessarily need the UK cast. And because it's such an original property, even though it's obviously based on a book and there was a film of the same name, its own unique thing. And I do think that there's some, some weight to whatever they're able to do with it, but I, I would love that. I really would.
- [23:45]
Matt Tamineni
All right, and let's send you out on a little bit of a high note. As I mentioned, Smash closed on Sunday. However, as kind of a celebration for that, the production posted its closing number, the title song, Smash, on its YouTube page. This is the only song in the entire show that was not from the TV version of Smash. And also it is the only song in the entire show that is like actually sung as like a musical theater Y song, although they play around with that a little bit in it. But it is kind of an interesting way to look at what this show is trying to do. So if you haven't seen Smash or want to kind of get one last look at the closing number. That video will be in the show notes. 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. And if you want more Broadway radio, head over to patreon.com broadwayradio Grace, where can people find you?
- [24:39]
Grace Aki
You can find me at. It's Grace Hockey.
- [24:41]
Matt Tamineni
All right, everybody, have a wonderful Monday, a wonderful week, and we'll be back to talk to you tomorrow. Hi, Zoe Saldana. Welcome to T Mobile. Here's your new iPhone 16 Pro on us.
- [24:54]
Grace Aki
Thanks. And here's my old phone to trade in.
- [24:56]
Matt Tamineni
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- [25:05]
Grace Aki
There's always a trade in. Not right now.
- [25:07]
Matt Tamineni
@ T Mobile.
- [25:07]
Grace Aki
I feel like I have to give you something in return for karma.
- [25:10]
Matt Tamineni
That's okay.
- [25:11]
Grace Aki
I don't really have much in my purse. Oh, let's see. Hand sanitizer. It's lavender.
- [25:15]
Matt Tamineni
I'm good. Seriously.
- [25:17]
Grace Aki
Let me check this pocket. Oh, mints.
- [25:19]
Matt Tamineni
Really, I'm fine.
- [25:20]
Grace Aki
Oh, I have raisins. I'm a mom. Wait, wait one sec. I've got cupcakes in the car.
- [25:25]
Matt Tamineni
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