Today on Broadway: Monday, Nov. 24, 2025

Summary

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Today on Broadway: Monday, Nov. 24, 2025

Podcast: BroadwayRadio
Hosts: Matt Tammaneni, Grace Auke
Date: November 24, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode ushers in Thanksgiving week with a lively discussion of major Broadway and theater-related news, focusing chiefly on the blockbuster box office success of the Wicked film adaptation and news about upcoming stage productions, performances, and holiday events. The hosts offer insider takes on both Broadway and Off-Broadway happenings, interweaving personal anecdotes and recommendations amidst the latest schedule notes and casting news.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Wicked Movie Dominates the Box Office

• Wicked opened globally to massive success, not just as a Broadway movie adaptation but as a cinematic event in its own right.
  • Projected to make $151 million domestically and $228 million globally during opening weekend.
  • Breaks prior records for a Broadway musical movie, beating last year’s original Wicked film by $29–30 million.
  • Ranks as the third-largest opening for any musical film, and marks the second-biggest North American opening ever for Universal (after Jurassic World).
• Cultural Impact:
  • The hosts discuss how Wicked’s broad appeal—even outside theater circles—makes it a near-unrepeatable pop culture phenomenon.
  • Social media was “inundated” with content about Wicked, ranging from fun to analytical deep dives [01:58].
  • Quote [Matt, 02:40]:

    “It was obviously an event for people even beyond the theatrical world ... 22 years on Broadway, stories like this have been able to build up followings, even if it’s not from those of who live and occupy theatrical spaces all the time.”

  • Both hosts agree the unique combo of “one of the biggest pop stars in the world” and a massive IP is likely impossible to replicate, even with titles like Hamilton or Funny Girl [03:38, 04:31].
  • Quote [Grace, 03:38]:

    “It’s the combo platter ... one of the biggest pop stars in the world kind of owning this second film and the fact that it’s such a large property ... I can’t think of one [show] ... it’s just like the combo platter is too insane to be replicated. So yeah, I agree. I don’t know when it could happen again like this.”

2. New Play Announcement: ‘Kramer/Fauci’ at NYU Skirball

• Directed by Daniel Fish; dramatizes the famous 1993 televised clash between Dr. Anthony Fauci and playwright-activist Larry Kramer.
  • Stars Will Brill (as Fauci) and Thomas J. Ryan (as Kramer).
  • Runs at NYU Skirball Center, Feb 11–14 and Feb 18–21 (8 performances) [05:12].
  • The showdown was pivotal in AIDS history and their friendship became an important symbol for cooperation in public health [05:30].

3. Theatrical Schedule & Noteworthy Openings

Anna Christie at St. Ann's Warehouse (Brooklyn)

• Eugene O’Neill’s play begins Nov 25, directed by Thomas Kail, starring Michelle Williams, Tom Sturridge, Brian D’Arcy James, Mare Winningham [07:38].
  • Grace praises the Williams/Kail collaboration as “unmissable” [08:03].
    • Quote [Grace, 08:03]:

      “When you think about our great actors, we’re talking about Michelle Williams and I just think that her collaboration with Tommy Kail ... is going to be one of those great collaborations. So I feel like this is an unmissable thing.”

Gotta Dance at York Theatre Company

• Showcases iconic dance numbers from musical theatre, runs Nov 25–Dec 28.
  • Choreography from classics (West Side Story, Pippin, Singin’ in the Rain, etc.) and legendary choreographers.
  • Noted as a fun, engaging show well-suited for holiday audiences [08:56].

Queen of Versailles at St. James Theatre

• Sheri Renee Scott takes over as Jackie Siegel, first performance Nov 25 [09:31].
  • Discussion about cast (including Andrew Coper) and playful remarks about musical numbers [10:21].

4. Thanksgiving Day Parade: Broadway Performances

• Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade to air Thur., Nov 27.
  • Broadway musical performances from Buena Vista Social Club, Just in Time, Ragtime; Radio City Rockettes; K-Pop, Demon Hunters, Cynthia Errivo, and celebrity appearances [11:13].
• Personal story: Grace shares a nostalgic and serendipitous memory of dancing in the parade and subsequently meeting now-spouse “F” years later after both performed at the same parade [12:04–13:12].
  • Quote [Grace, 12:47]:

    “My favorite memory ... is the fact that F and I appeared in the same Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade ... didn’t know each other ... years later, we found this wild, wicked … connection.”

5. Broadway & Off-Broadway: Comings and Goings

Tartuffe at New York Theatre Workshop

• Matthew Broderick stars in a new adaptation of Molière’s comedic classic, with an ensemble cast including David Cross, Bianca Del Rio, Amber Gray, and more [13:18].
  • The team expects “nothing ... [to be] just a straightforward piece” when Lucas Hnath is involved [13:39].
  • Show runs through Jan 24.

Hadestown Non-Equity Tour in Florida

• Matt discusses his excitement to see Hadestown for the 13th or 14th time [14:25].
  • Notes unique aspects of the non-Equity tour but praises the “power and magic” of the performances [14:50].

Off-Broadway Closings:

• Kyoto at Lincoln Center Theater: Closes after strong run; Matt calls it “phenomenal,” one of his favorites of the year [15:15].
• Romy and Michele at Stage 42: Musical adaptation ending its engagement.

6. Wicked ‘For Good’—Country Version Release

• Former Glinda (Jenna Claire Mason) and Elphaba (Mary Kate Morrissey) reunite for a country rendition of “For Good” to mark Wicked4Good’s film release [16:09].
  • Jenna Claire is now a Hallmark star; Mary Kate is about to debut as Elsa at Papermill Playhouse.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I don’t know exactly what the rest of this week is going to foretell ... but for sure we will have [the travelogue] in the Patreon feed. So if you want to hear my thoughts on shows like Seat of Our Pants, Two Strangers Carry a Cake Across New York, Kyoto and more, make sure that you head over to patreon.”
  — Matt, [00:48]

• “It’s the combo platter ... one of the biggest pop stars in the world kind of owning this second film and the fact that it’s such a large property ... I can’t think of one, you know. So it’s all a testament to all of those things. ... The combo platter is too insane to be replicated.”
  — Grace, [03:38]

• “I just don’t think that it has all of those quadrants that you just mentioned. So I’ve heard some people talking about some fun things ... But I think it’ll be very, very long and far between before we get something on the level of Wicked.”
  — Matt, [04:31]

• “When you think about our great actors, we’re talking about Michelle Williams ... her collaboration with Tommy Kail ... This is going to be one of those great collaborations. ... this is an unmissable thing.”
  — Grace, [08:03]

• “My favorite memory of this ... is the fact that F and I appeared in the same Macy’s Thanksgiving day parade. Like 20 floats apart, didn’t know each other. They were in Peter Pan Live and I was ... on Idina Menzel’s float. ... Then a month later I saw them ... I just think that the world is a very funny place.'”
  — Grace, [12:04–12:59]

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• Wicked Film Box Office & Cultural Analysis
  [00:38] – [05:00]
• ‘Kramer/Fauci’ Play Announcement
  [05:00] – [07:15]
• Upcoming Productions: Anna Christie, Gotta Dance, Queen of Versailles
  [07:15] – [10:32]
• Thanksgiving Parade Broadway Performances & Personal Anecdotes
  [10:32] – [13:18]
• Tartuffe, Hadestown Tour, Off-Broadway News and Closings
  [13:18] – [15:42]
• Wicked “For Good” Country Version Release
  [16:09] – [16:49]

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Final Thoughts

The episode balances industry news with engaging stories, blending host expertise with insider anecdotes. Wicked's cinematic domination is celebrated as both monumental and singular, while the hosts’ anticipation for new and returning stage shows, especially during this busy holiday season, shines through. For those seeking Broadway’s pulse—onstage and off—this episode is essential, especially for fans tracking the intersection of theater and mainstream culture.

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Transcript

[A]

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[B]

For Monday, November 24, 2025. I'm Broadway Radio's Matt Tammaneni.

[C]

And I'm Tammy on a Sunday podcast.

[B]

Grace Auke well everybody, we made it to Thanksgiving week. I don't know exactly what the rest of this week is going to foretell, either for you or for me, or more importantly, for theatrical news. But we're going to play it by year throughout the course of the week and if major things happen, we'll let you know. I I do know that later tonight on Monday in the Patreon feed, I'll be dropping the travelogue episode for all the shows that I saw in New York when I was there. Whether or not we continue to have enough news to talk about on TODAY on Broadway or not, we'll wait and see how things play out over the next few days, but for sure we will have that in the Patreon feed. So if you want to hear my thoughts on shows like Seat of Our Pants, Two Strangers Carry a Cake Across New York, Kyoto and more, make sure that you head over to patreon.com broadwayradio broadwayradio.com patreon now Grace, the biggest story in all of theater technically isn't even theater. It is the opening of Wicked for good in movie theaters around the world. And through this first weekend it has done exceptionally well at the box office. While we are recording on Sunday, so we don't have the final totals just yet, it is projected to make $151 million domestically to come in at 228 million DOL globally. That will break a ton of different records, making it the highest opening weekend for a Broadway musical movie adaptation, besting the mark set last year by the original Wicked film by about $30 million $29 million, which is pretty impressive. It would also be the third largest opening all time for any musical behind two Disney live action remakes, 2019's The Lion King and 2017's Beauty and the Beast. It would also second biggest North American opening Ever for a Universal movie behind only Jurassic world, which was $208.8 million and the second best for a weekend before Thanksgiving ever behind Hunger Games Catching Fire. So lots of people are going out to see this. It was obviously an event for people even beyond the theatrical world, Grace. But when you have such a long history, 22 years on Broadway, stories like this have been able to build up followings, even if it's not from those of who live and occupy theatrical spaces all the time. So clearly a ton of people are going out there. Lots of people are making content about it on social media because basically my feeds have been inundated with Wicked for good content. From silly and fun to critical to breaking things down to going deep dives on stuff. So lots of people are going out and seeing it. And Grace, this can only, I imagine, be good for the prospect of Broadway musicals being adapted to movies in the future. Even if they are not ever probably going to be as big of movies like Wicked is coming from the stage.

[C]

It's the combo platter of one of the biggest pop stars in the world kind of owning this second film and the fact that it's such a large property. So I agree with you. I don't think that there's ever a world where this type of thing would happen again to that level. I think that the only thing close would be like a Funny Girl, Lady Gaga. Like, I don't know, I just, I can't think of one, you know. So it's all a testament to all of those things. And it has the Disney kind of seal, which is princess power, you know what I mean? Like when there is an ability to make action figures for all ages and all gendered children, et cetera. And then on top of that, it's just like the combo platter is too insane to be replicated. So yeah, I agree. I don't know when it could happen again like this. So kudos to everybody making money.

[B]

Yeah, I don't even think if they ever did a Hamilton live action film, which to be quite honest with you, I don't think that they probably should. At least not anytime in the foreseeable decades. I don't even think that would have nearly as much of a draw, partially because they've already released the pro tape on Disney. But I just don't think that it has all of those quadrants that you just mentioned. So I've heard some people talking about some fun things that I think would probably do well to certain levels because of their pop culture cachet. Something like, you know, Legally Blonde or doing, you know, a fun indie version of like Avenue Q or doing an animated version of Book of Mormon. Like, I think those could maybe do well. But I think it'll be very, very long and far between before we get something on the level of Wicked. Now getting back to the stage. On Friday, it was announced that Daniel Fish will direct a new play that'll kind of have a will run in February at the NYU Skirball Center. It'll be part of their season there. And the show is called Kramer Fauci. It is a staging of a 1993 televised clash between Dr. Anthony Fauci, who at the time was the US's leading AIDS researcher and playwright and activist Larry Kramer. They initially were on TV together and clashed tremendously. Larry Kramer, as many people might know, wrote the Normal Heart and was an early champion of AIDS research, founding act up up, and he was pushing for a more rigorous investigation into the causes of aids, while Anthony Fauci, who, you know, remained in the public eye all the way through Covid, was advocating for a more reserved scientific approach. Kind of waiting and seeing what happens. Despite their initial clash on tv, they did grow to be very good friends. And this televised event between the two of them really was a turning point for the fight for care and treatment of those with HIV and aids. So the show, again directed by Daniel Fish, it is going to star Tony Award winner Will Brill as Dr. Anthony Fauci and Thomas J. Ryan, who was in An Enemy of the People Broadway and did Uncle Vanya Off Broadway with Will Brill as well. In the Loft. He will be playing Larry Kramer. So it's going to play at the NYU skirball Center from February 11th through the 14th and then again from the 18th through the 21st. Only like eight performances. So if you want to check this out, make sure that you get your tickets now. And I think that we probably will see a little bit more of this in the future. All right, Grace, let's dive into this week's theatrical schedule because it is Thanksgiving. There's not a lot of like openings or closings or beginning of previews, but there are a few. And we're going to start over in Brooklyn at St. Ann's Warehouse where this new Off Broadway production of Eugene Oneills Anna Christie will begin performances. It is being directed by Tony Award winner Thomas Kail and it will star five time Oscar nominee Emmy award winner Michelle Williams. She will be co starring alongside Tom Sturridge, Brian Darcy, James Mar Winningham and others this is an interesting run. It begins performances on Tuesday, the 25th, runs through February 1st. Although they do take two weeks off in the middle for like Christmas and New Year. That is a role that I have a feeling that Michelle Williams is going to absolutely destroy, Grace. And I think this is probably going to be one of those must see shows for this season, even though it is out in Brooklyn and not on Broadway.

[C]

I mean, yeah, we've been talking about this for a second and I think that, like, when you think about our great actors, we're talking about Michelle Williams and I just think that her collaboration with Tommy Kail, which is an insane sentence that I never thought I'd be saying, you know, 15 years ago. This is going to be one of those great collaborations. So I feel like that this is an unmissable thing.

[B]

Yeah, obviously they've worked together on screen before. They are also now married, so that obviously plays something into the relationship they have working together. So looking forward to hearing all about that one. Also on Tuesday, beginning performances Off Broadway is the York Theater Company's production of Gotta Dance. They are doing this with the American Dance Machine in association with Ricky Kane Larimer. It features reconstructions of choreography from musicals such as west side Story, A Chorus Line, Pippin, Singin in the Rain, White Christmas and. And it works to bring to life some of the work of choreographers like Bob Fosse, Jerome Robbins, Gene Kelly, Michael Bennett, Susan Stroman and more. There are a number of really fun names that you might be familiar with from Broadway and Off Broadway, including Paloma Garcia Lee, Jessica Lee Golden, Aphra Hines, Jess La Prado and others. So this one is going to run from Tuesday again through December 28th, and again, not a holiday specific show, but something that I think is probably a lot of fun and really engaging for a lot of people during the holidays. So even though, I mean, they do have a little White Christmas in there, I guess, but even though it's not a holiday show, it feels like something that could be a lot of fun during the holidays. Also on Tuesday, Grace, this is not like an opening specifically, but over at the St James Theatre, the one and only Sheri Renee Scott will have her first performance as Jackie Siegel in Queen of Versailles. So if you want to make sure that you collect all of the different. If you've already seen Cheno and you want to make sure that you see Sheri Renee Scott as well, Tuesday is her first performance. Grace, I know you're hoping to make it over there for the seven o' clock performance. On Tuesday.

[C]

Oh, yeah. Gotta see her. Gotta see her. Haven't gotten to see the show yet, so I might reach out, but it's. And also Andrew Coper, our dear friend is starring in it, so I can't wait to see this one.

[B]

I know you haven't seen it yet, but does he sing anything from Smash mouth in this show?

[C]

I've heard he doesn't, which is kind of a shame because he is so good at that.

[B]

He did open your wedding with a smash mouth song, a little all star, so that was fun. But we'll have information on that in the show notes as well. Then on Thursday, of course, it is Thanksgiving, so we will have the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. That will air primarily on NBC and its streaming service, Peacock. Although CBS will have coverage as well. They will have all of the floats and balloons and of course Santa Claus will close out the parade. But generally towards the very beginning of the parade, they will have the Broadway performances. We will have performances from Buena Vista Social Club, Just in Time and Ragtime. There will also be performances by the Radio City Rockettes. The stars of K Pop, Demon Hunters and Cynthia Eriva will open the parade with what they are calling a show stopping number. Don't know what that means. Maybe it's something from Wicked, maybe it's a holiday song, who knows? But some other really great people will perform throughout the course of the day as well, including Meg Donnelly, currently starring on Broadway as Satine in Moulin Rouge. Kobi Callet will be there, Ciara, Gavin DeGraw, former Broadway alum Debbie Gibson, the band Foreigner, Chris Jackson, of course Tony nominee Jewel, former masked singer champion there Broadway alum Darlene Love, Callum Scott, Shaggy and others. So if you want to make sure that you see this, you have number of places. NBC, Peacock and cbs. One of the highlights of the holiday season. Grace, do you have a favorite Thanksgiving Day Parade performance of all time?

[C]

Yeah, it's me.

[B]

Oh, that's right. No, no, you were like. You did a balloon thing, right?

[C]

No, I was a dancer twice. Oh, I did this my first and second year in New York City. But my favorite memory of this, which I'm going to post about is the fact that F and I appeared in the same Macy's Thanksgiving day parade. Like 20 floats apart, didn't know each other. They were in Peter Pan Live and I was singing I believe or dancing on Idina Menzel's float. So really wild, wicked and otherwise frozen connection. The, you know, just the parallel universes, me not knowing them at all. And then A month later I saw them, I guess after a couple months after Peter Pan Live happened, I saw F in the Peter Pan Live 54 below show where I knew everyone but F. And I posted a video on my Instagram which is still live of F. And I was like, who is this person? They're really talented and funny. So I just think that the world is very. Is a very funny place.

[B]

Yeah, very funny.

[C]

The only non newsy. So I said, well, there they are. And now I know them.

[B]

Lovely. Yeah, and now you're married to them. So lovely. I love that story. I knew parts of that, but I didn't know all of it. Very cool. All right. Back in New York City in the theatrical space on Friday, we just had the Andre de Shields Tartuffe close yesterday actually, as you are hearing this and on Friday we will have another one. Beginning performances. This one comes to us from the New York Theater Workshop. It is adapted by Lucas Hannaith. Sarah Benson is directing. Obviously this is the classic Moliere comedy and it stars just a ton of incredible people led by Matthew Broderick. Also in the company are David Cross, Emily Davis, Bianca Del Rio, Amber Gray, Ryan J. Haddad, Frances Zhu, Lisa Crone and more. I'm excited to see what Lucas Hanaith does with this show because nothing that he does is ever just a straightforward piece. So to see what he could be doing with a classic comedy like this will be fun. The show is currently scheduled to play through January 24th. And then I'm excited because this weekend, just for a short weekend run, the non Equity tour of Hadestown will be coming through the Dr. Phillips center for the Performing Arts. I saw this tour, the non Equity tour last year when it was in Florida. I don't. I have to check to see how much of the cast is still there from the last time I saw it, but it was tremendous. You all know that I love Hadestown. I have very high standards for the show, but it was great, obviously, because it's non equity. It's a little bit different staging, but the performances were great and it still carried just that power and that magic that I love from this show. I love collecting casts of Hadestown. I believe this will be when I see it on Friday. I think this will be the 13th or 14th time that I've seen this show both on Broadway, both the national tour and the non Equity tour and in London. So very much looking forward to checking this one out this weekend. Then on Sunday we have two off Broadway closings. The first comes to us from Lincoln center theater where their Off Broadway production of Kyoto will wrap up its run. This will be a part of my travelogue episode that I talk about that'll be released in Patreon on Monday night. It is tremendous. This is a phenomenal show. It was done by the company that did the Jungle a couple years ago at St. Anne's Warehouse. If you know that show, it's a little bit of that and a little bit of the Lehman trilogy. I loved all of those shows. This is one of my favorite things that I've seen all year, so I definitely recommend that. The other one is the musical adaptation of Romy and Michelle with phenomenal Broadway stars Kara Lindsay and Laura Bell Bundy in the title roles. That one will wrap up its run run at stage 42. All right, Grace, the last thing we have here is another set of former Wicked witches coming together to release a song in honor of Wicked4Good's release. Former Broadway and tour Glinda Jenna Claire Mason as well as former Broadway and tour Elphaba Mary Kate Morrissey have collaborated on a country version of the song for good. These two had actually done the show together on tour and they released this new cover. Jenna Claire Mason is now a big Hallmark star, which I love. And Mary Kate Morrissey is currently starring or at least getting ready to. I'm not sure when the first performances are as Elsa at Papermill Playhouse. So lots of good stuff. Really cool to hear this song taken in a different direction. All right, that's all we have for you 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 Grace where can people find you?

[C]

You can find me at Grace Hockey.

[B]

All right, everybody, have a wonderful Monday. We'll see you when we see you. Depending on the news and everything that happens around the theatrical world. So if we don't talk to you before then, have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

[D]

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[C]

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