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Today on Broadway: Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025
00:18:36
‘Cats’ coming to Broadway this spring, ‘Purple Rain’ musical finds leads, NYT theater critic job posting 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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Matt Tamminini
Broadway for Thursday, August 14, 2025. I'm Broadway Radio's Matt Tamminini and I'm.
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Grace Hockey
Tell Me on a Sunday podcast, Grace Hockey.
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Matt Tamminini
Grace we are going to record our Patreon exclusive episode later today. So if you are hearing this and you have any questions or topics that you want to throw out to us, please email us at Patreon BroadwayRadio. Then that episode will come out on Sunday at 8pm in the Patreon feed for Mezzanine Tier subscribers and above. So if you want to hear all of that, head over there, but let's dive into the news. Grace and this is a two pronged. One, because the main announcement came out that Andrew Lloyd Webber's really Useful Group, which is the entertainment company, production company that he owns, is going to be rebranded as LW Entertainment, Lloyd Webber Entertainment. That's I guess the big takeaway from the press release that they wanted to put out. But in the fine print of the press release they talked about the next major productions that the really Useful Group slash LW Entertainment is going to be bringing to the stage. One is the Illusionist, which we've talked about before, which is being worked on with Jamie Lloyd, and the other is Cat's the Jellicle Ball. And this one is going to be coming to Broadway in the spring of 2026. It's interesting because I've heard so many rumors going back and forth about whether this is going to be on Broadway, Off Broadway. I've heard it kind of bounce back and forth basically every time I hear a new rumor about it. But it does appear that the show that played at PAC NYC a little over one year ago is going to be coming to Broadway next spring to cap off the 20252026 season. I have heard some rumors as to where that is going to be. What I have been told is that it is in a theater that is currently occupied for a show that has not yet announced a closing date. We will see what happens with all of that. But, Grace, we've kind of talked about this before. What are you thinking about the opportunity for this show to come to Broadway versus a more perhaps convertible commercial off Broadway space? Where are your thoughts about this? Having seen it, having been able to think about it for a year, and hearing all of the rumblings about the different incarnations this show is going to have for a return engagement, I'm so.
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Grace Hockey
Excited for everybody involved. I think that this show is just going to do so well and I hope that it's welcomed with open arms the way that the. The Pack performance was. You know, I think this director is a visionary. I'm hopeful for more from all of them, but regardless, I just think. I think it's excellent. I think it's. It's a show that people rallied behind, justifiably so. And yeah, I'm just pumped. I'm pumped for the prospect. I have wanted this to happen pretty immediately. I know it's not that easy, but the fact that they are getting it, to get, you know, to have this moment is pretty exciting. I know that with all Andrew Lloyd Webber, what a. What a. What a third act he's having, you know, it's kind of insane, but really useful group is doing very well with the, you know, masquerade and everything. So congratulations to all involved.
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Matt Tamminini
Yeah, I mean, you've got Masquerade, Sunset, Evita, obviously, Catagelical Ball, who knows what else. I mean, Starlight Express over in the uk. So, like, things are going very well for Andrew Lloyd Webber, despite the fact that he hasn't written a good show in decades. But nonetheless. All right, let's move on to another show that is going to be coming to Broadway at some point. We don't know exactly when, but we now know who is going to be leading this fall's world premiere of the Purple Rain stage musical adaptation. Of course, it is going to be kicking off its life at the State Theater in Minneapolis, the hometown of Prince. Playing the role of the kid, which is the role that Prince played in the original 1984 film, will be an up and coming musician songwriter named Chris Collins. And starring opposite him as Apollonia will be Rachel Webb, who, Grace, I don't know if you worked with her much. She was an understudy and in the original cast of. And Juliet went on for Juliet and then quite a bit on Broadway and then, I believe, was the first Juliet on the national tour. The show is going to be beginning performances on October 16th and currently slated to run through November 16th. We don't know exactly when that is going to be coming to Broadway, but presumably with dates like that, it could be this spring if they think it's ready and they can find a theater. But it'll be interesting to see what the reviews are like for this. Minneapolis is not exactly the normal place where we hear of shows doing out of town tryouts, but excited for this one nonetheless. We also found out members of the creative team and design team for the show, including the choreographer Ebony Williams.
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Grace Hockey
Well, it's Minneapolis is the birthplace of Prince, like he, he is the Prince of Minneapolis. So I think that if you're gonna do a hometown thing, do the hometown thing. So I totally, I see the vision and you know, this one has been in the pipeline for a long time. I have known Rachel Webb for many years now and I'm very excited for her to get this moment for sure.
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Matt Tamminini
Yeah. Between Dolly happening in Nashville, at Belmont University, Purple Rain happening in Minneapolis, they are certainly leaning into the hometown thing in terms of non traditional out of town tryout spots. So that seems like it. It's a very smart move. Grace, what would be other than like Grace the Grace Hockey Story, who would be the perfect person to have their bio musical debut in either Chattanooga or Dalton, if you want to get that specific.
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Grace Hockey
Oh gosh. Bessie Smith. Do a Bessie Smith musical in Chattanooga. Bessie Smith, one of the godmothers of the blues. I mean, I mean she's, she is one of the founders, I would say. I mean the Bessie Smith strut I think still goes on in Chattanooga, but I would say that that would be the number one person I would, I would recommend for a, you know, famous blues jazz singer hometown. I think that that would be incredible.
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Matt Tamminini
Okay. All right. Well, we'll get working on that right after Grace the Gray Saki Story. All right, less exciting news, but yesterday we found out who is going to be not only the 2025 Kennedy center honorees, but who is hosting the Kennedy center honors this year. And let me tell you, I ain't watching. Let's start with the honorees. And most of them are fine and deserving. Some of them you might raise an eyebrow at. But this year's honorees will be George Strai, Sylvester Stallone, the band Kiss, Gloria Gaynor, and the original Phantom on Broadway, Michael Crawford. Unlike in past selections, which had all of the honorees selected by a committee of arts professionals and arts insiders and art supporters, Trump said that he was pretty much 98% in control of this process and actually turned down some of the people who were selected initially. He said, quote, they were too woke. I had a couple of wokesters, interesting group here. I would say maybe half of them, two thirds of them are probably deserving. But the thing that really is quite comical. Trump is going to host. Apparently. He said that I've been asked to host. I said, I'm the president of the United States. Are you folks asking me to do that? Then he says, somebody else said, sir, you'll get much higher ratings. I said, I don't care. I'm the president of the United States. I won't do it. They said, please. And then Susie Wiles, his chief of staff, said, sir, I would like you to host. I said, okay, I'll do it. Which is Conversations that never happened for 100. Alex.
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Grace Hockey
Do you guys remember the SNL sketch with Kristen Wiig where she said, don't make me sing? Oh, I know. Why don't we have some music?
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Matt Tamminini
William, you play. Yes, I've heard your piano is quite good.
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William
No, no, no, no. I could do William. He's wonderful.
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Lilia
Oh, don't make me sing.
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William
I've seen him play at the Tom Tom Supper club.
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Grace Hockey
Oh, please, William, please play.
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William
I don't know.
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Lilia
Oh, don't make me sing.
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William
Everyone is dying to hear you play.
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Lilia
Everyone is dying, but don't make me sing.
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Matt Tamminini
All right.
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William
I guess I could play one song and. Lilia, may I?
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Lilia
I could sing one, I guess. Guess I can. Oh, don't make me sing.
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Grace Hockey
Really?
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William
I could just play if you'd rather.
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Lilia
Well, I don't have a choice. They're making me sing. Are you sure you want to make me sing? Everybody in the room, do you want to sing? I guess I have to now. Right, right. You're making me sing, that's all.
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Matt Tamminini
William, do you know Rhapsody in Blue? All right, moving on to less depressing things, we found out who is going to be joining the production of Chicago in just one month's time. Replacing the current star, Dylis Croman, will be Oscar winner Mira Sorvino. She will take over at the Ambassador Theater on September 15th and currently scheduled to play the role through November 2nd. She says that she has always wanted to do a Broadway musical, hasn't had an opportunity, of course. She's been a star on screen for many, many years, having won the Academy Award for Mighty Aphrodite. Also quiz show Summer of Sam, it's Impeachment, American Crime Story on tv, and of course, Romeo and Michelle's High School reunion, which is getting the musical treatment off Broadway this fall. I think. I don't. I have to check the dates for the musical. But, like, it's happening in November, so there might be a little bit of an overlap of the time that Mira Sorvino is doing a musical on Broadway when Romy and Michelle the musical is happening a few blocks away at New World Stages.
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Grace Hockey
And see, Matt, this goes back to my earlier point because this is what I've been trying to talk about when Rachel McAdams was on Broadway at the same time as the Notebook. Okay, if we can get, if we could get Sylvester Stallone on Broadway, it's the same time as Dog Day Afternoon. Like, I am trying to keep track of all of the stars that are on Broadway in alternative timelines where a known IP that they were in is being adapted for the stage. Because if you think about, like, warriors, the Lost Boys, like, there is a world where we could have more of this. And if, like, you know, if there's a bill in Ted, like, you, you don't know, like, with Gadot, you know, on Broadway, like, there's so much out there that could happen that I like the cinematic universe of that. I think it's fun.
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Matt Tamminini
And I did double check. Yes, performances begin off Broadway for Romy and Michelle, the coolest New Musical on October 14th. But I was wrong. It's not at New World Stages. It is at stage 42 on the other side of Times Square. So there we go. Got to get her and Lisa Kudrow to opening night somehow. Next. This is a very cool story, Grace. There was a play written by the iconic Zora Neale Hurston. The play Spunk, was adapted in 1935 from a short story of the same name. The play version, though, was believed to have been lost. It never was produced. No one had ever seen it on stage. But it was eventually found in 1997 by the library of Congress in its unpublished Manuscripts division. Now, for the first time, 28 years later, Yale Rep is going to be producing this show. It is going to run from October 3rd through the 25th, and the cast features a number of well known folks from Broadway, including Jeanette Baerdel, Sean Bowers, Jay Quentin Johnston, Kimberly Maribel, Christian Peterson, Kimber, Elaine Sprawl, Matthew Elijah Webb, Corey west, and more. So just a really cool opportunity to look back in history at a show that many people assumed we would never see. So if you have an opportunity to check this one out during its run up at Yale, I would love to hear your thoughts on it. But congratulations, all of them. And this is a fascinating bit of theatrical history. Then moving to developmental news tomorrow on August 15, a new play by Vahid Taliban called Dino Nuggets Are Gay will get a closed industry reading. It is being directed by Noah Eisenberg and features Robin DeJesus and in the Heights co star Javier Munoz, as well as John L. Jor, Ian Field Stewart, Dom Martello and Joey Maroff. The play centers on a group of gay men vacationing in the Catskills where conversation goes to queer love, casual sex, fast food, chicken and more. All right, Grace, everybody out there listening. Get your resumes ready because it's official on LinkedIn. I am looking at the job posting for the New York Times theater critic. There is so much interesting stuff in this job posting. Let's start with the high level things. The salary is between 125 and $170,000. Some of the responsibilities are that you will regularly write reviews on deadline, write critics, notebooks, appraisals and other features. Routinely use alternate story formats and multimedia as part of your work and criticism. Participate in audio and video storytelling, such as joining in podcasts and delivering criticism on camera. The requirements include five plus years of journalism experience, including experience working as a theater critic on deadline, knowledge of contemporary theater, demonstrated ability to cover everything from Broadway to regional theater. The preferred qualifications, interestingly here, a passion for the mission and values of the time times and a lively writing style. That last one is pretty interesting to me because I don't know that I would consider any of the recent New York Times critics, either full time or stringers, to have had a lively writing style. But I'm interested in to see how they do this. Grace, I have my doubts as to whether or not they will pick the type of candidate that I would like to see them or candidates, to be quite honest with you. But the fact that it's out there, the fact that they're doing this, I'm interested to see what they come up with.
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Grace Hockey
Yeah, I mean, I agree we're in such a new media landscape. I think that everyone's kind of throwing spaghetti at the wall. But I mean, they, they do, they do know what they're doing. They do know what they want. And I think that hopefully they will get an influx of varied perspectives, which I think is what's needed here. So I'm very excited to hear that it is a multimedia conversation that you and I had talked about on the show a couple weeks back. So yeah, curious to see what happens.
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Matt Tamminini
I think that we think of the New York Times as old and stodgy, which for very good reason. But I think at the time that this was originally announced, you had mentioned like they do have a pretty robust multimedia library of offerings in different verticals, not necessarily in the theater space, but like they do have, I think you had originally mentioned like the cooking stuff. So like what are the things that you think that they can pull from the current New York Times offerings and integrate at least that similar mindset into their theater coverage?
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Grace Hockey
I think a lot of it is bite sized content. I think a lot of people are online to kind of get like the top line notes of how, you know, an institution like the New York Times feels about something. It's why they have, you know, people say, oh, it was a times critics pick and not any of the words that were used. You know what I mean? Like people pull quotes all the time, of course for like tons of different advertising. But ultimately a lot of the time people are looking at that one kind of like marker or the star rating or you know, gave it a one of a two, whatever it might be. So I think that the more consolidated, which sounds so reductive, but hear me out. I think that that's going to be a strength here because people can read and people can watch, you know, five minute videos on, you know, these are all my thoughts about the production. But they're also looking to do like what are the top line thoughts? Well crafted, well acted, exciting performances, you know, what are, what are some of those kind of like grab you conversations and then the more people are interested, the more they can, you know, be invested in a further conversation. But I think that they're going to their strength here is going to be kind of like creating a bite size. Like here's your top line. This show just open. Here's how we felt. Move on.
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Matt Tamminini
I love that. All right, let's wrap up with some highlights from a show that I wish I had the opportunity to see. But this one is happening over in Manila in the Philippines. This is a show that I previously talked about with Clint Ramos, who is the executive producer on this show. But it is a production of into the woods happening in Manila from this organization that's fairly new called Theater Group Asia. It's their first musical production. It is into the woods by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine and it stars a handful of Broadway and West End stars, but also a ton of local Philippines talent as well. Playing the witch is Lea Salonga. Playing Cinderella is Ariel Jacobs. Playing Prince Charming. And the wolf is Josh T. Stella Cruz. Mark Bautista is playing Rapunzel's Prince. Jorine Bautista is playing Rapunzel. And Carla Guevara lafortiza is playing Granny and the Witch. Those are all people with like New York and London theater credits. And then they have a bunch of people from the Philippines. They're calling them homegrown a list talents. So what's awesome about this is that they released over seven minutes of footage of this production and we will have that, of course, in the show notes. It is very cool. Love to see this. And they are, they've already announced they're going to be doing A Chorus Line next year in March of 2026. So very fascinating to see the evolution of this theater company that when I had Clint Ramos on a couple months ago, he spoke very, very passionately about this mission and about this not only production but this theater company. 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 Rodwirding. If you want more Broadway radio, head over to patreon.com broadwayradio and send in your questions to patreonbroadwradio.com Grace where can people find you?
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Grace Hockey
You can find me at Grace Hockey.
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Matt Tamminini
All right, everybody, have a wonderful Thursday. We'll be back to talk to you tomorrow.