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Today on Broadway: Monday, March 3, 2025
00:19:19
Tank to Join ‘Hell’s Kitchen,’ Upcoming Shows Release Songs, New ‘Maybe Happy Ending’ Music Video 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]
Matt Tamminini
Welcome to Today on Broadway for Monday, March 3, 2025. I'm Broadway Radio's Matt Tamminini, and I'm.
- [00:07]
Grace Auke
Tell me on a Sunday podcast, Grace Auke.
- [00:10]
Matt Tamminini
Grace, your weekend was just as busy as your rest of your week was. That means that you did not get to see the absolute high art theater that happened in Toronto on Saturday night at the WWE Elimination Chamber. I know you heard all about it. F was giving you live updates. Are you okay following the fallout from the men's elimination chamber match?
- [00:33]
Grace Auke
No. And I'm sure that you can hear I have no voice. I mean, I'm in shock. F literally, I got a text while I was at purpose on Broadway when I was getting out at 11 o'clock, and they said, do not go onto the Internet. I need to tell you something in person. So, yeah, it was. It was really crazy. I was like, oh, no, what's happened is the president, you know, like, what's going on? And like, another thing. You know what I mean? And then they were like, hey, you need to sit down. This is about John Cena. So, yeah, it's been a crazy weekend.
- [01:06]
Matt Tamminini
Yeah, the heel turn from Cena, 25 years in the making. But if you don't care about that, we have plenty of content for you over in the Patreon feed. Tons of things happened over the weekend. Jan Simpson's latest episode of all the drama was released where she dove into the 2020 Pulitzer Prize winner for drama, a strange loop. She spoke with the creator of the show, Michael R. Jackson. So that is in the feeds. On Sunday, I released my episod with Kelsey Watts, who is the new Jane Seymour in six on Broadway. Had a wonderful conversation with her. That's in the Patreon feed. And by the time you're listening to this, it'll also be in the regular feed. And then on Monday at 8am, my travelogue episode talking about the shows that I saw in London will be available in Patreon as well. If you want to hear all of that, head over to patreon.com broadwayradiobradaryradio.com Patreon and sign up for the mezzanine tier and above. All right, Grace, not a ton of news coming out of Friday, but you went back and visited Hell's Kitchen last week. Well, you're going to have a new star in Hell's Kitchen because we'd already discussed the fact that Brandon Victor Dixon would be ending his run coming up on March 9th, taking over in his role of Davis on March 11th. So next Tuesday will be nine time Grammy nominee Darrell Tank Babs. He will play a 13 week limited run. The role, he said in a statement, quote, stepping into the Broadway stage is a dream come true. Music and acting have always been a part of my journey and now I get to bring them together in a whole new way. Grace, Admittedly pop music, popular music in any kinds, not my thing. But I saw a ton of people really excited about Tank joining this show, even though he was not somebody that was on my radar really much at all.
- [02:59]
Grace Auke
I think this is a really similar thing to like when Betty who came into Hadestown. For a lot of people, this person's very popular and famous and beloved. And for a lot of people they're like, I don't know who that is. That kind of is our musical landscape in 2025. I feel like we kind of knew who everybody was 30 years ago because of the radio, but now because of the Internet and because of the way that music is kind of cross generational and things like that. Like, I think streaming, this is exactly like, this is really exciting. And when I knew a couple of my co workers were like, oh my God, oh my God, Tank is going to be in it. Tank is going to. And I was like, I don't know who this artist is. Like, I need to research them. So this was really cool. And I know that a lot of people are pumped. I'm excited that this show is going to continue to have like they've got Jessica Vosk opposite this guy. Like I can't wait to hear their fallen. But yeah, it's going to be really good.
- [03:54]
Matt Tamminini
And you mentioned Betty who who I will say was extraordinary in Hadestown. So it's not like you're bringing in people from popular music and you're just throwing them out there because you think they're gonna get people to show up. Like in many, many cases, I'll say Hadestown. Cause I see so many of those people in Hadestown. They've all been great. So if, if Tank has a background in acting as well, I'm sure he will be tremendous. And Alicia Keys said in a statement how excited she was for him to be in it. So this should be a wonderful opportunity. All right, Grace. There are two upcoming shows coming to New York who have released new music in the past week. Just on Friday, the upcoming Broadway musical Real Women have Curves released an ep. This is not with the stars of the show. This is with the composer Joy Huerta doing four of the numbers. It's similar to like what Sara Bareilles did with the Waitress album that she put out before the show came to Broadway. Obviously she went on to star in the show. Who knows if Joy Huerta is going to be a part of Real Women have Curves in the future, but there are four numbers in there so you can get a sense of what the music will sound like when it does officially open on Broadway. And then another show that is coming to New York, not yet on Broadway, but maybe in the future, is Goddess. This one is going to be beginning performances at the public theater on April 29. They are going to be releasing a cast album, but they have put out one single so far called Honey Sweet. It features Amber Maan, Austin Scott and Nick Rashad Burrows, who are all incredible vocalists. So you know that this song is tremendous. And we have both links to both of those in the show notes. And I'm always interested, Grace, you know this. You know the strategy behind this. So much more. Not only working in show marketing but also having worked in cast albums. But, like, what is the benefits of, like, putting out these albums, whether it's with the stars of the show or with the composers ahead of time versus, like, like waiting till the show is up. And people have heard the music in the theater for the first time.
- [05:55]
Grace Auke
I think that doing the single releases are really smart because a lot of people are looking at this and you're looking at the 100 shows that you have to choose from and they're like, I don't even know what that is. I don't know anything about that. You know, the people in it. I don't know, you know, what the show might be about. Like, it's not based on a famous person. So what can you do? What can you control? You can't show them a clip from the show. You haven't shown B roll. But if you can get people in the studio and start to roll out some of the music, the vibes, the essence of the show, more people are able to say, oh, that that seems interesting. And you're not giving anything away, but you're still highlighting a portion of the artistry of the show and you're getting people excited. So I'm a big fan of it. I know it's very costly. I know it's very difficult, but I do think that it does pay off.
- [06:43]
Matt Tamminini
I love that. Very cool. Grace. Before we get into some more news, we're going to talk about our sponsor for this week Factor. I know your voice isn't doing so well, so let me handle the heavy lifting with this One. Are you ready to optimize your nutrition? This year, Factor has chef made gourmet meals that make eating well easy. They're dietitian approved and ready to heat and eat in two minutes. So you can feel right and feel great no matter what life throws at you. Factor arrives fresh and fully prepared, perfect for any active, busy lifestyle. With 40 options across eight dietary preferences on the menu each week, it's easy to pick meals tailored to your goals. Choose from preferences like Calorie, Smart, Protein plus or Keto. If you have been a listener for a long time, you know that the sun dried Tomato chicken is my absolute favorite Factor meal. I get it every single time that it is on the menu and to be quite honest with you, I get multiple every time that it is on the menu. It is absolutely tremendous. You have a fire grilled chicken breast that seasoned with basil, oregano and garlic and it's served with this incredible creamy sun dried tomato sauce. When I go make breakfast in the morning and I know that's what I'm going to have for lunch, I have a better day. It is the highlight of my eating day. I've also started to go a little bit extreme, extravagant at times and add on a gourmet plus meal every week. And I have been getting the truffle butter filet mignon with potato leek mash and roasted carrots. I mean, what else needs to be said other than truffle butter filet mignon? I mean, that is absolutely a treat every single time that I get it. So eat smart with Factor. Get started@Factor Meals.com Factor podcast and use code Factor podcast to get 50% off your first box plus free shipping. That's code Factor podcast@Factor Meals.com Factorpodcast to get 50% off plus free shipping on your first box. All right, let's get back into the news. Grace. It is interesting, Grace, as we talk about all of the shows that are coming in the spring, we actually have nothing of note on Broadway this week. Obviously there are some shows in previews you went and saw, as you said, purpose, which is. So that's why you can't discuss your experience there yet. But we do have some things happening off Broadway that I want to talk about because the following week things start to get really, really hairy on Broadway. But tonight over at the Sheen center, we've talked about this show multiple times because it has had multiple runs. But tonight at the Sheen center will actually be the closing for the return engagement of Leah Romeo's play, still directed by Adrian Campbell Holt. It stars Melissa Gilbert and Mark Moses. So if you haven't had an opportunity to see that and you want to see it before it closes up, head over to the Sheen center tonight. Then on Wednesday we have the Off Broadway opening of the play. Sumo, which we have previously talked about, has already extended it extended before performances even began. It is written by Lisa Sanai Dring and is directed by Ralph B. Pena. And it is a co production with the La Jolla Playhouse and the Ma Yi Theater Company. It is entrenched in an elite sumo facility in Tokyo where six men trained to be sumo wrestlers, where they all practice, eat, love, play and ultimately fight together. The show is currently scheduled to run through March 30th and then also happening on Wednesday over at the Ensemble Studio Theater. There is a new play called have youe Met Jane Goodall and Her Mother that will begin performances. It is just scheduled to run through March 30. It is written by Michael Wallach and directed by Lindsey Fuhrman. And I didn't. I assume this is true. I did not know anything about this, but the Tanzanian government allowed Jane Goodall to Chimpanzees in the Wild under one condition. She must bring a chaperone. So Jane invited her mother. I love that. That's kind of an interesting idea for a show. Then on Thursday, we're gonna head back to the Public Theater. And it's not a Public Theater production necessarily. It is a Clubbed Thumb production. But Clubbed Thumb has been doing shows at the Public Theater over the last few months, and their new show, Deep Blue Sound, will officially open. It is currently scheduled to run through the end of the month on March 29, and it stars Tony Award winner Miriam Silverman, Arnie Burton, Crystal Finn, Jan Leslie Harding, Mia Kadabak, Ryan King, Armando Resco and Carmen Ziles. And it is set on an island in the Pacific Northwest and the community gathers to address the disappearance of the local orca pod. Friendships fray, tumors grow new, love blooms, wood is chopped, poems are written, the seasons change. Will the whales ever return? Club Thumb is one of the best. I guess that would technically be off Broadway, but they are like a small kind of independent Off Broadway theater company and hopefully they get a little bit more exposure being at the Public Theater. But this one is directed by Aaron Arbus and written by Abe Coogler. And then one thing, Grace, that we have talked a lot about is the new Classic Stage Company production of Alice Childress play Wine in the Wilderness, directed by Lachanze. Obviously, Lachanze starred in Trouble in Mind on Broadway couple seasons ago and was incredible in it. This one is currently scheduled to run through April 13 and will begin performances on Thursday, March 6. In the cast are Olivia Washington of the Denzel Washingtons, Grantham Coleman Brooks Brantley Lakeisha May and Milton Craig Neely. The show is set in 1964 with the backdrop of the Harlem riot in the middle of the summer. And in the show, fortune has smiled on artist Bill Jamison. His friends just introduced him to a model for the final piece of his triptych on black womanhood. But this woman is no mere muse. She's about to give Bill much more than he bargained for. Grace, I continue to just be so impressed with everything that lachanze does. Obviously, as an actor and a singer, we know that she is an icon. But her move into producing has been so incredible to watch. And now going into directing, it just kind of reminds you that these people that we think of for one specific thing, especially like if you're thinking about someone as like, legendary as lachanze, if you just think of her as like once on this island, you not only lose all the other things they do in their career as an actor, but also lose all of the other things that they are capable of outside of just the acting and singing part of it. So I think this is very cool and very exciting and I really hope that I get the opportunity to check this one out.
- [13:23]
Grace Auke
I will say Lachanze is producing so much on Broadway this year. We've obviously known her to do Kimberly Akimbo, but I love seeing her name in a lot of programs, frankly. I think it's very exciting and she's a very strong creative mind, but also she's so far an excellent producer. So I'm excited to see more work out of her in that space as well.
- [13:45]
Matt Tamminini
All right, wrapping up the week on Sunday over at mcc. This is not an MCC production, but it is one of the most buzzed about shows in New York City right now. Had some friends of ours go see it over the weekend, Grace, and while they are not talking about it specifically because, you know, embargoes and stuff, some of them who are not bound by those things are talking about how great it is. And it is All Nighter, the new play by Natalie Margolin and directed by Jackie Bradley. It has a great cast of up and coming stars. Some of them are already here, but Christine Frosythe, Katherine Gallagher, Julia Lester, Havana Rose Liu and Aaliyah Chanel Scott. The show is a strictly limited Engagement now playing through May 18th in the show. It's the final week in a small liberal arts college in rural Pennsylvania. A tight knit group of roommates pull one last all nighter to complete their final assignments. Holed up in an old ballroom, the hours pass, the pressure mounts, and the truths that have always bound this group together are put to the test. What will be left when the sun rises? Greece. I feel like this is such an interesting collection of young talent that it is going to appeal. Kind of like we talked about with Tank, it's going to appeal to a very specific demographic of theatergoers that might not appreciate just how special this show in this group is.
- [15:07]
Grace Auke
I think, no, I think that they are like, I, I, you know, I, I went on Friday and the entire, like the, I would say 80% of the theater itself were filled with people, especially women in their 20s, going to see a play, which was awesome. You know, I think that Thomas Laub and that whole team of producers behind this show are really smart. Aaliyah's got very cool deals out of it. I saw we, we got a press release about their opening night is sponsored by Urban Decay. That's cool. Like, there's, you know, there's a lot happening here and I think this is another moment of exciting, you know, branding, marketing, social. Like all those pieces are coming together in a really smart way. And the casting, it's like the Romeo and Juliet effect, but off Broadway, frankly, where it's like you're getting people into the space in the theater that don't normally go to an off Broadway show. And I think that that is worth celebrating in and of itself. Regardless of whatever's, you know, your thoughts are on the show. This is the right thing that's going on right now. So I was very excited to see that demographic in the room.
- [16:09]
Matt Tamminini
Yeah. And obviously you saw it this past weekend. Apparently doesn't open until next Sunday, so you can't talk about what your thoughts are on the show, but that is good to know. Also happening on Sunday the 9th, though I do want to mention that second stage is production of on the Evolutionary Function of Shame, which is happening over at the Signature center, will wrap up its run. All right, Grace, I have two videos that I want to send people out on as recommendations. The first one is a short clip of the new MC and Sally Bowles in Cabaret in London. And that is, of course, the iconic Billy Porter and Marisha Wallace. I'm not saying that these two might continue to do this show somewhere other than London, but that's the word on the street that I have heard, obviously. Billy Porter is a Emmy, Tony, Grammy winning legend. Marisha Wallace is a huge star, has become a huge star. An Olivier nominee over in London. We've had her here on Broadway radio multiple times. So check that one out. And then in preparation for their upcoming. The upcoming release of their cast album, which will happen on not this coming Friday the 7th, but the following Friday, March 14th, maybe, happy ending has released a music video from the first single for that it is the rainy day we met, and it features not only the standard stuff we see from the recordings inside the studio, but also B roll and footage from the actual Broadway production. So a wonderful music video and I'm really excited to listen to this cast album, Grace. It's one of those shows that I saw in the fall and little strands of music have kind of stuck with me more than I would have anticipated. So having the opportunity to kind of really dive into this cast album is exciting and something that I'm looking forward to later this month.
- [17:57]
Grace Auke
I can't wait. I really can't wait. I'm so excited. That's not the song that I wanted the first release to be, but it was really smart of them to do so. But yeah, I'm really excited about it as well.
- [18:10]
Matt Tamminini
What was the song that you would have picked?
- [18:12]
Grace Auke
Oh, no, I just like all the other songs more.
- [18:15]
Matt Tamminini
Oh, okay.
- [18:17]
Grace Auke
All right.
- [18:17]
Matt Tamminini
Well, then why do you think that this was a smart one? Because it's like the day we met kind of intro y stuff.
- [18:21]
Grace Auke
Yeah, well, everything else has been very. It's like the early. It's like the opening number or it's the same that it always was. It's the mechanical. Like, I think it. I think if they released another song that might have. If people don't know the show already, they might have felt like, oh, it's. It's very robotic or something. This is a very gorgeous, romantic legato song that helps in storytelling but also doesn't give anything away. I think it was really smart.
- [18:47]
Matt Tamminini
Yeah, good. I. Good point. Very good point. 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, broadwayrading. You can follow me on Instagram at wwmatgrace. We're. Can people find you?
- [18:57]
Grace Auke
You can find me at. It's Graceaki and I will have more of a voice.
- [19:02]
Matt Tamminini
No, you sound great. All right, everybody, thanks for listening. Have a wonderful Monday, a wonderful week, and we'll be back to talk to you tomorrow.