Today on Broadway: Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025

Summary

BroadwayRadio Presents: Today on Broadway - Thursday, January 23, 2025

Hosts: Matt Tamminini and Grace Hockey
Release Date: January 23, 2025
Podcast Description: Broadway's Premier Podcasts

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1. Historic Casting Change in Wicked

Matt Tamminini kicked off the episode with monumental news regarding the beloved Broadway musical Wicked. On January 23, 2025, it was announced that Ali Trim will assume the role of Glinda starting March 4th. Ali has been a standby for the past two years, and her promotion is a celebrated step forward. However, the standout announcement was Lyncia Cabetti taking over as Elphaba, marking her as the first Black actress to fully embody the role on Broadway.

"This is not only her Broadway debut, but obviously making history as well, on the heels of Cynthia Erivo playing the role in the film...it's never too late to do the right thing."
— Matt Tamminini [00:24]

Grace Hockey expressed her excitement and the significance of this casting decision, especially in the wake of Cynthia Erivo's portrayal in the film adaptation.

"This is a really exciting casting just in general because both of those actors are fantastic. Everything that I've seen shared today is about how people are so excited to see her."
— Grace Hockey [01:57]

The hosts reflected on the 21-year journey it took for this milestone to be achieved on Broadway, emphasizing the importance of representation and the positive reception anticipated from fans.

2. Justin Cooley Takes the Stage in Kimberly Akimbo

The next highlight was the casting news for the touring production of Kimberly Akimbo. Tony nominee Justin Cooley will be stepping into the role of Seth from February 7th through March 17th, performing in cities including Las Vegas, Omaha, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and Detroit.

"He is stepping into the role of Seth from February 7th through March 17th...It's not a bad gig to go from being opposite Victoria Clark to Carolee Carmelo in this show."
— Matt Tamminini [03:02]

Grace Hockey lauded Justin's talent and his potential impact on the tour, noting his nuanced performances and the opportunity for broader audiences to experience his Tony-nominated skills.

"He's so good, he's so nuanced. He's a great scene partner. So I'm excited that audiences across the country... will get to see his Tony nominated performance on the road."
— Grace Hockey [05:27]

3. Broadway Box Office Performance

Matt Tamminini provided an in-depth analysis of the latest Broadway box office figures. Despite one show closing, the overall grosses increased by $1.2 million, totaling $33,372,160. Attendance saw a minor dip of approximately 3,500, settling at $250,806, while the average ticket price rose to compensate for the reduced turnout.

Top Performers:

• Wicked: $2.6 million
• Hamilton: $1.9 million
• Gypsy: $1.89 million
• The Great Gatsby: $1.86 million
• The Lion King: $1.75 million
• Sunset Boulevard: $1.6 million (largest gross increase due to Nicole Scherzinger's return)

A surprising standout was Maybe Happy Ending, which grossed over $890,000, defying initial skepticism about its potential audience reach.

"If you would have told me that it would be doing that when the show opened, I would have been flabbergasted because I wasn't sure if that show was going to find an audience and it certainly has."
— Matt Tamminini [05:03]

Grace Hockey expressed her enthusiasm for Maybe Happy Ending, highlighting its unexpected success and potential momentum heading into the Tony Awards season.

"It's a four person show. It's an original musical. On paper, it's not likely to do well on paper, but thank God because it's a great piece."
— Grace Hockey [08:05]

4. Gypsy Spotlight: Danny Burstein's Heartfelt Tribute

In a touching segment, Matt Tamminini highlighted a recent interview with Danny Burstein from Broadway.com. Burstein shared the sentimental gesture of customizing his dressing room in Gypsy to honor his late wife, Rebecca Luker, who had graced Broadway for over two years.

"I'm getting goosebumps before I even say it...I have the dressing room where my late wife had been...I have a picture of her in that room...as a reminder of not only our relationship."
— Danny Burstein (as quoted by Matt Tamminini) [08:48]

This personal touch underscores the deep emotional connections and memories that actors carry with them, adding a layer of poignancy to their performances.

5. Upcoming Productions: Schmigadoon and The Last Five Years Revival

Matt and Grace delved into recommendations for upcoming Broadway productions, starting with a press preview rehearsal for the Kennedy Center's Schmigadoon!. Featuring performances by Alex and Mackenzie Kurtz, the musical promises a delightful blend of classic tunes and comedic elements.

"Schmigadoon looks so much fun...I think it might just work even better for me because I know people loved it on Apple, but... on stage, the gags and the jokes make a little bit more sense."
— Matt Tamminini [09:48]

Grace Hockey shared her excitement for the limited run, anticipating strong ticket sales and positive audience reception.

"It's so surprising. Like, it's only running through February 9th, so I feel like if it's not already sold out... it's going to be pretty well done."
— Grace Hockey [11:07]

The conversation then shifted to the upcoming Broadway revival of The Last Five Years, featuring Nick Jonas and Adrian Warren. While Matt expressed reservations about Jonas's fit for the role, citing vocal concerns and personal disagreements, he praised Warren's performance.

"Adrian Warren is lovely and charming and sounds great... I love Adrian. I love this show."
— Matt Tamminini [12:07]

Grace Hockey noted that they had extensively covered this topic, affirming the show's buzz and anticipation among fans.

"I feel like we've really covered him. The mine was going to be the Schmigadoon, so thank you for mentioning it."
— Grace Hockey [13:26]

6. Closing Remarks

Matt Tamminini wrapped up the episode by encouraging listeners to follow BroadwayRadio on social media platforms and teased upcoming content.

"Thanks for listening to Today on Broadway. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at Broadway Radio... Have a wonderful Thursday."
— Matt Tamminini [13:31]

Grace Hockey directed listeners to her social profiles, concluding the episode on a friendly note.

"You can find me at... It's Grace Hockey."
— Grace Hockey [13:39]

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Key Takeaways:

• Wicked marks a historic moment with Lyncia Cabetti as the first Black Elphaba on Broadway.
• Justin Cooley is set to elevate Kimberly Akimbo on its national tour.
• Broadway continues to thrive financially, with shows like Maybe Happy Ending outperforming expectations.
• Personal stories, such as Danny Burstein's tribute to his late wife, add depth to Broadway narratives.
• Exciting new productions like Schmigadoon! and the revival of The Last Five Years are generating buzz despite mixed casting opinions.

For those passionate about Broadway, this episode of Today on Broadway offers a comprehensive glimpse into current trends, casting milestones, and upcoming theatrical delights shaping the vibrant landscape of New York's theater scene.

Transcript

[Matt Tamminini]

Welcome to Today on Broadway for Thursday, January 23, 2025 on Broadway Radio's Matt Tamminini.

[Grace Hockey]

And I'm tell me on a Sunday podcast, kind of in the cold. Grace Hockey.

[Matt Tamminini]

Where are you at? Grace?

[Grace Hockey]

Oh, you know, I am indeed at Bryant park because, you know, I just wanted to test just how cold it actually is. It does feel like it's 17 degrees, but it's kind of evening out to a nice 12.

[Matt Tamminini]

Nice. Gotta love the wind chill factor. Well, let's get you on your way home and let's, let's wrap this show up as quick, quickly as possible. Let's start off with some very big news that is honestly over two decades in the making. Yesterday, the Broadway production of wicked announced its two new leading witches who will be beginning performances on March 4th. Stepping into the role of Glinda will be Ali Trim, who has been a standby for the show for like, at least two years. That is great. Ali Trim's awesome. But the big news is that taking over the role of Elphaba would be Lyncia Cabetti, who becomes the first black actress to ever play the role of Glinda full time. As we've previously discussed, Sakan Sing Blow did the role on Broadway all the way back in 2005, but she was an understudy, so she was not a regular Elphaba. But Kabetti spent five years on the Hamilton tour where she started in the ensemble, took over the role of Angelica Schuyler. She's been a backup singer for Beyonce. So this is not only her Broadway debut, but obviously making history as well, on the heels of Cynthia Erivo playing the role in the film. And the role is about a woman of color. Like, it just seems kind of insane that it has taken 21 years on Broadway to have this happen. But as somebody famous said, it's never too late to do the right thing. So it's nice to hear that this news is now becoming official. Grace Better late than never, I suppose.

[Grace Hockey]

Yeah, this has been super exciting. I know a lot of fans of the show, especially after the film starring Cynthia has come out, a lot of people have brought this back into the zeitgeist to say it's been surprising that we've never had a full time black actor. But I think that, you know, so much of the conversation has been like, a lot of people have been so excited to see a black woman on screen playing this role. And so I think that they knew that it was the moment. It's the time to make this more normalized. And it's not a stunt. It's something that, you know, I think that they're going to be carrying on across, you know, both Glinda and Elphaba. Last year we, you know, we made history. Exactly. So I'm, I'm excited for what this means for the future of the show because I know it'll continue forward in whatever progressive sense that might be. But this is really cool. And that actor just seems phenomenal. Everything that I've seen shared today is about how people are so excited to see her. Not just that, like, finally a black woman, et cetera, but like also this actor is like, really, really fantastic. So I think that people are going to be really astonished and I can't wait to see it.

[Matt Tamminini]

But here's the big question, Grace. Has there been a black actor playing Bach on Broadway?

[Grace Hockey]

Yes.

[Matt Tamminini]

Has there been? Okay.

[Grace Hockey]

Yes. Oh, goodness. Jordan, I believe. Let me look into this. I want to see. I also want to see some, some more Asian Glindas and Elphabas. That's also. But yeah, I think that this is a really exciting casting just in general because both of those actors are fantastic. A lot of people have seen Ally go on. They love Ally. She's beloved. I mean, listen, if you're going to have a cast member from thirteen, the musical in the film, you might as well have one on stage.

[Matt Tamminini]

That's where I was going to wrap up. Yeah. Obviously, Ally was one of the leads in 13, the musical on Broadway, which also of course, featured Ariana Grande. So now that Ari did it in the film, it's time to get Ali into the role full time on Broadway. All right, moving on. Yesterday, speaking of some fun casting news, this is a little bit of a surprise because yesterday we found out that Tony nominee Justin Cooley is going to be taking over the role of Seth in Kimberly Akimbo on tour, the role that earned him that Tony nomination. It's just going to be for a short period of time. He is stepping into the role beginning in Las Vegas and he's going to do it in Vegas, Omaha, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and part of the Detroit run. Miguel Gill, who is doing that role normally, he is going to be taking about five weeks off. I don't know if that's to do some other gig or not. But Justin will be stepping into the role of Seth from February 7th through March 17th. And of course he will be playing opposite three time Tony nominee and absolute Broadway legend Carolee Carmelo. So not a bad gig to go from being opposite Victoria Clark to Carolee Carmelo in this show. Grace, like, for somebody who is still pretty early in his career, like Justin is obviously playing a teenager, to have those two women be your leading ladies, like you're living life. Right. If you get to do that, you know, in the course of one show's lifetime.

[Grace Hockey]

Yeah. And I just want to remind everybody because I know I talked a lot about it when the show was up and running on Broadway. I think that he's one of like, the actors to watch. I'm not alone in thinking that. Like, he's so good, he's so nuanced. He's a great scene partner. So I'm excited that audiences across the country that might have not gotten to see him on Broadway will get to see his Tony nominated performance on the road.

[Matt Tamminini]

Absolutely. All right, let's dive into last week's Broadway grosses. We were down one show with a closing, which I honestly, I don't remember what it was at this point, so I apologize about that. But there were 29 shows on Broadway, but the grosses actually went up by $1.2 million to come in at 33,372,160 dol. Attendance though, declined by about 3,500 people to come in at $250,806. And the average ticket price obviously had to increase to make up for that. Lost attendance to $133. Six pennies. Again, Wicked continues to nearly lap the field, coming in at $2.6 million, followed by Hamilton, which is at 1.9. Gypsy was at 1.89. The Great Gatsby in Jeremy Jordan's final week on Broadway was at 1.86. And then the Lion King came in at 1.75. Sunset Boulevard was was next at 1.6 million, but it was the show that had the largest grosses increase. That show saw nearly $746,000 increase because previously Nicole Scherzinger had been out for a couple shows. So that did very well. But the rest of the shows, north of seven figures in descending order are the outsiders. All in. Death becomes her. Oh Mary, M.J. aladdin, Hell's Kitchen, Cursed Child, Our Town, and its final week on Broadway, Cabaret and Juliet as well as Romeo and Juliet and then Book of Mormon. Very gratified to see that maybe happy ending was not too far off. It was over $890,000, which if you would have told me that it would be doing that when the show opened, I would have been flabbergasted because I wasn't sure if that show was going to find an audience and it certainly has. And in the middle of January for maybe happy ending. A four person show with, you know, not based on IP to be pulling in that kind of money makes me very excited for its run towards the Tony Awards. In total, only seven of Broadway's 29 shows did not see week to week increases. So that's lovely to see. And in total, 19 of the shows on Broadway played to 90% capacity or more. Wicked, oh Mary and All in were at 100% capacity. The outsiders were at 102.5 and Romeo and Juliet was at 102.94. But Grace, people are, people are finding maybe happy ending. So I feel like those reviews in the word of mouth has clearly done a ton of good for that show. It was at 95.94% capacity last week, which is actually a little bit down. But the grosses, the capacity. This is really boding well for their chances to look really good on Tony nomination day.

[Grace Hockey]

I think it's also sliding into that spring season where you're going to have a lot of new musicals opening in the next month or two, primarily in the next two months. They really need that buzz to be hitting right now so that they're really poised and not getting lost in the madness come, you know, April. So, yeah, I'm really excited for them. Obviously I'm a big fan of that show so it could be all me and I'd be like, yep, I am there. But yeah, so I'm really excited for them and the fact that they have had that bump makes me feel so good because, you know, you never know. To your point, it's a four person show. It's an original musical. On paper, it's not likely to do well on paper, but thank God because it's a great piece.

[Matt Tamminini]

Yeah, it's really, really lovely. Speaking of a show that was doing very well at the box office yesterday, Broadway.com had a really wonderful Q and A interview feature with Danny Burstein talking all things gypsy, working and battling on stage with Audra McDonald's. I will put the whole thing in the show notes, but the reason I wanted to call this out is Danny talks about the fact that when he got the offer and he accepted the offer, one of the first things that he told his agent agents he wanted was that I'm getting goosebumps before I even say it is that he said he didn't care where the dressing room was. He wanted the dressing room where his late wife, the great Rebecca Luker, had been for two and a half years when she was playing Christine Daae in Phantom of the Opera there. So he said he has the dressing room. He has a picture of her in that room, and he has, like, her name on one of those sliders that they put on the door. He has it inside just as a. As a reminder of not only their relationship, but the fact that he is sharing a space with her that she spent so much time in. So it's really lovely. The whole thing is great because Dany's, you know, the best, but I just really, really love that little anecdote that was included in this piece. All right, Grace, I've got a number of videos that I want to talk about as recommendations. The first one comes to us from the press preview rehearsal for the upcoming Kennedy center center stage production of Schmiga Dune. They have a little bit of a medley of songs. They've got corn pudding. They've got not that Kind of Gal that Mackenzie Kurtz sings. And then they have, like, the opening number, you know, the title song. Schmigadoon looks so much fun. Like, I've said, like, Schmigadoon is not. Was not like, my. My favorite TV show in the world. But I think it might just work even better for me because I know people loved it on Apple, but, like, I think it might just work better for me on stage because that's where it, you know, that's where it was always supposed to be. I think the gags and the jokes make a little bit more sense on, you know, in real life, on stage, in front of people. So I'm super excited to see more production videos of this and to hear more about its evolution after people to get the opportunity to see it at the Kennedy Center.

[Grace Hockey]

Yeah. And it's such a short run. It's so surprising. Like, it's only running through February 9th, so I feel like if it's not already sold out after those press videos, like, it's going to be pretty well done. So I can't wait to hopefully see more videos. But, yeah, I think that that's the gist of what you and I will be able to see, as far as, you know, proximity. But it looks really fun. I loved that. I'm not that kind of gal.

[Matt Tamminini]

Yeah. Alex and Mackenzie are great. Yeah, absolutely. You're a big fan of both of them, so. All right. The other one. The other videos I'm talking about, it's actually two videos that were released together. They were done by the upcoming Broadway revival of the Last Five years. One of them is of Nick Jonas singing Moving Too Fast, and the other is of Adrian Warren singing I Can Do Better than that. And, Grace, I just have to say Adrian Warren is lovely and charming and sounds great. I. I mean, the other one is a head scratcher. I just. I. I'm not sure what we're doing here.

[Grace Hockey]

If you want Nick Jonas, you're getting him, baby.

[Matt Tamminini]

You are getting the full Jonas experience. If you didn't get enough for him in the 25th anniversary concert of Les Mis, Here we go again. Look, I know he's gonna sell a shit ton of tickets. He is going to draw. This thing is going to sell well. It's going to do great. He doesn't have the voice for this show. I don't know that he has the voice for any Broadway show. Besides, all of his questionable politics aside, you know, and then you throw in the fact that he's not Jewish. I just. It makes it very. It's disappointing to me because, like, I think you can overlook some of those things. Not being right for the part, not being, you know, able to vocally handle the part and then kind of, you know, outing himself as being somebody that might not align with a lot of the Broadway principles. I think you can overlook some of those things. It's tough for me, at least personally, to overlook all three of them. So I. I love Adrian. I love this show. I will be seeing it, of course, but I will probably be holding my breath for many of the Jamie songs, which, honestly, Jamie sucks anyway. So, like, I guess that, you know, won't be too difficult for me to make that leap of faith. Grace, any recommendations from you? Other than not standing out in the cold in Bryant Park, No.

[Grace Hockey]

I feel like we've. We've really covered him. The mine was going to be the Schmigadoon, so thank you for mentioning it.

[Matt Tamminini]

Perfect. 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 at Broadway Radian. You can follow me on Instagram @bww. Matt. Grace. Where can people find you?

[Grace Hockey]

You can find me at. It's Grace Hockey.

[Matt Tamminini]

All right, everybody, have a wonderful Thursday. We'll be back to talk to you tomorrow.