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Today on Broadway: Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025
00:14:51
Micast Announces First Performers, Patrick Page Out of ‘Hadestown,’ Sherie Rene Scott Sings ‘Strongest Suit’ 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 Tuesday, February 11, 2025. I'm Broadway Radio's Matt Tamminini and I'm.
- [00:08]
Grace Ake
Tell me on a Sunday podcast. Grace Ake.
- [00:10]
Matt Tamminini
Grace, you did a very special interview on Monday that'll probably be coming out next Monday. Why don't you tell us who you got to chat with yesterday?
- [00:21]
Grace Ake
Yeah, so I got to chat with Andrew Barth Feldman. We're gonna let you hear all about that. I'm very excited. It's called we had a World and it's directed by Trip Coleman. It's at, it's through MTC, but it' New York City Center Stage, two very intimate, 300 seats. So you're gonna, you're gonna be sitting with Joanna Gleason is my point. So it's, it's really cool. I loved getting to talk to him about it. So we'll, we'll let you listen to that soon.
- [00:45]
Matt Tamminini
Yeah, we'll have that coming up to you in the next week. I believe it'll be Monday's episode as we'll be traveling over the holiday weekend and everything. So stay tuned for that Andrew Barth Feldman, one of the most incredible up and coming stars in theater. So excited to hear that conversation. But Grace, we are now into February, which means it's getting close to one of our favorite times of the year and that is miscast time. Yesterday we found out that Miscast 25 will honor the absolute icon of icons, Emmy Award winner and original Dreamgirls cast member Cheryl Lee Ralph. The evening will take place at the Hammerstein Ballroom as it always does, on April 7th and then it will stream on on April 21st. Not only do we know that Sheryl Lee Ralph will be honored, we now know the initial performers. This is not all of the performers. There will be more as the date gets closer. But this initial list is incredible. It will feature Annaleigh Ashford, Danielle Brooks, Titus Burgess, Cole Escola, Jordan Fisher, Steven Pasquale, Andrew Rannells, Nicole Scherzinger, Britton Smith, Philippa Sue, Ephraim Sykes, Aaron Tveit, Jordan Tyson and Michael Urie and more, as I said, be announced. So, Grace, you're my. One of our favorite events every single year and they just keep upping it with the incredible people that are going to be a part of it. So very much looking forward to this. Can't wait to hear everybody else that is going to be a part of it. And I guess I need to start planning my spring to see whether or not I'm going to be be in town for this one this year.
- [02:23]
Grace Ake
I, I mean, I love Ms. Cast. I love that they have like this, you know, dedicated, you know, event that's at the Hammerstein Ballroom. Of course, if you're not able to be in physical attendance, have an opportunity for you to give back to MCC with virtual links. So we'll obviously be talking about that when those dates arise. But I just, I love this whole event. I think it's so exciting. And I also think that it becomes very clear where people are wanting to campaign for those Tony nominations. Like, let's just say what it is.
- [02:50]
Matt Tamminini
You know, I think I was going to ask that question because like, Nicole Scherzinger is going to be there, Cola Scola is going to be there, Jordan Tyson is going to be there. But like Nicole and Cole are like Nicole and Cole. They are probably frontrunners in their categories. And we know Nicole had some bumps in the road in November that many people thought would derail some of her Tony campaigns. I think that has mostly been swept under the rug at this point and kind of people have come to their senses a little bit. But she is starting to not only make more appearances on tv, we've seen her do performances on late night shows. But showing up at MCC Miscast, like, that's a big deal. Like, there's a lot of very important people in that room and then also people who pay very close attention to it throughout the season. Like, how important is this type of campaigning for an actor or a show or anything like that?
- [03:46]
Grace Ake
Well, it's doing two things right. There's a lot of, let's say it probably voters and industry people involved in it. But then you also have the fact that like in a campaign in the spring especially, you've got to do one of two things. You got to be the people's princess and you've got to, to talk to the industry folks that are going to move those needles. You have to, you have to be able to play both because if you only hit one side of that campaign, you're not talking to the other people. Right? So I think it's super smart. I've always liked how I feel like certain shows are strategizing with things like these types of press opportunities. But I also know it's just a lot of fun for any performer that's involved, even if they're not. You know, in a spring Broadway show, this is still something that it holds a lot of clout. Like, I think that on the Mount Rushmore of things that actors especially want to be able to do in their Careers. This is their version of hot ones, you know what I mean? Like, for Broadway, like, if you get to be on Miscast, you're kind of, like, solidified in a way of, you know, part of the community.
- [04:50]
Matt Tamminini
Yeah, absolutely. Well, speaking of awards, these are not New York Broadway Off Broadway awards, but on Sunday we got the 25th annual what's On Stage Awards happening over in London. These are not at the same level of the Oliviers, of course, but I think they have a little bit more, I don't know, clout about them than even the, like, drama desks do. They are a little bit different, but they. I'm going to run through some of the winners here. They have a bunch of really interesting categories both for West End and off West End and a bunch of other things, but Best performer in a musical, you notice that that is not a gendered category, so you had people like Mil Frost and Vanessa Williams in the same category, but the winner was Imelda Staunton for hello, Dolly. Best supporting performer in a musical went to Melanie Laboure for Hadestown. Best performer in a play went to David Tennant for Macbeth. Best supporting performer in a play went to Frima Agamen for Romeo and Juliet. Best Takeover performance, which I'm guessing is like the one like, who stole the show? That went to Leighton Williams for Cabaret. Best professional debut performance went to Javon Break for Starlight Express. Getting into some of the production categories, Best new musical, here were the nominees. Babies, the Curious Case of Benjamin Button, the Devil Wears Prada, mj, the Musical, Mean Girls and why Am I so Single? That's the one by Toby Marlowe and Lucy Moss, who wrote six. The winner was Mean Girls, which I find fascinating, especially because I love that show, but very interesting compared to what else it was up against. Best musical revival, the nominees were Dear Evan Hansen, Hadestown, hello Dolly, Kiss Me, Kate Oliver and Starlight Express. The winner was Starlight Express. Best new play nominees were Giant, Kyoto Princess, Essex Punch, Slave Play and Spirited Away. The winner was Spirited Away and Best play Revival. Nominees are A Raisin in the sun, the Crucible, Macbeth, Oedipus, Romeo and Juliet In Waiting for Godot. The winner was the Donmar Warehouse and Herald Pinter Theater's Macbeth. There are a ton of other things in here, a bunch of other categories off West End, Best concert event, best direction, all of those things. But if you want to check that out, please do. Grace, I don't know that any of these things jump out to me as like, oh, these are going to transfer. Except for Maybe Spirited Away, like, that has that win. We've been waiting for Totoro to hopefully come over, but, like, these are things that I think would have some pretty decent interest from American audiences as well in New York, if, you know, they have the opportunity to come over.
- [07:33]
Grace Ake
I agree. You know that I've been on the Totro train at Lincoln center since day one. This train doesn't exist. This is a train I invented. But I think that with, like, Spirited Away specifically, because it had those multiple fathom events, like, people are able to see it on hbo Max. It doesn't really make sense for that thing to travel anymore. But even though I love Tobiali's puppet production of it, I think that my neighbor Totoro could have that moment, given its West End run that is about to start next month. So I'm hopeful and excited for whatever that could be.
- [08:06]
Matt Tamminini
All right, we will stick in London for this little bit of news, which, honestly made my heart skip a beat a little bit. But I think I'll be okay. You know what I'm talking about?
- [08:17]
Grace Ake
I think so, yeah.
- [08:19]
Matt Tamminini
So yesterday on his social media, the king of the underworld, Patrick Page, said that he would be out of Hadestown in London for at least one week. He suffered an injury, and in his place is honestly somebody who is incredible playing Hades I've seen multiple times is Philip Boykin. So he is going to step in for however long Patrick Page is out. Page did say that he intends to be back in plenty of time for the filming of this, which had originally been scheduled for February 28th, but he now says it's going to happen on February 25th. That's awesome for me because I'm scheduled to see this show on the 22nd. So if he gets in a few performances before filming starts, hopefully he is there that weekend before he included a little bit of a video of Amber Gray rehearsing. And apparently he's using crutches right now to get around. So the people who are seeing him seeing the show this week will not get to see Patrick Page. But trust me, Philip Boykin is incredible. You will love him as well. But I'm hoping, fingers crossed, Grace, that I will be able to see Patrick Page when I'm over in London for the very first time in about a week and a half. Is that what you thought I was going to say?
- [09:32]
Grace Ake
Yeah. I was like, oh, he's freaking out.
- [09:35]
Matt Tamminini
Yeah, I am. But if for some reason we do end up seeing Philip Boykin, I've seen him multiple times, and he is spectacular. The only difference in terms of spectacularness is that he wasn't in the original cast, so it'll be wonderful either way. Sticking with some show and casting news, yesterday we found out who is going to be taking over the role of Dallas Winston in the Outsiders on Broadway. We'd previously talked to you about the fact that Joshua Boone had departed the production at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theater to do something on film. We don't know what that is yet, but joining the cast is Alex Joseph Grayson, who we most recently saw on Broadway as Jim Connolly in Parade. He's also been on Broadway and Into the Woods, Girl from the North Country, A Bronx Tale, and he was in Titanic at Encores as well as Parade at City center as well. So maybe not a huge name for people outside of the theater circles, but I think he's incredible. Everything I've seen him in, he's been great. So he will join the production beginning on February 28th and I think that's a really good addition to this cast.
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Grace Ake
Grace I fully agree.
- [10:41]
Matt Tamminini
Going off Broadway now Yesterday was announced that Playwrights Horizons has extended the Off Broadway run of Jordan Harrison's the Antiquities. This is a co production with both the Vineyard Theater in New York and the Goodman Theater in Chicago. It had previously been scheduled to close on February 20th, 23rd, but will now run through March 2nd. It is co directed by David Cromer and Caitlin Sullivan. It will then, after the Off Broadway run, head to Chicago and play the Goodman Getting on May 3rd. The play is set at the Museum of Late Human Antiquities, where the curators are fiercely committed to bringing a lost civilization to life again. What were humans like? What did they wear? What did they eat? How did they die out? So fascinating. I've heard great things about this one, so you'll have another week to check it out. Back into the conversation about awards. Grace yesterday, the 2025 Chita Rivera Awards announced some details about its upcoming program. The nominations will be revealed on April 29, and the ceremony that will announce the winners will be held on May 19th at the NYU Skirr Ball center, which is where it always is. And they announced that receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award this year will be Ben Vereen, another Fosse alum like Chito Rivera was. He will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award for his lifelong commitment to theater dance. And then finally, Grace, My recommendation for today is something that you sent me. You sent me to texting me to TikTok or whatever of backstage at Little Shop of Horrors, and cast member Melissa Victor shared it on her TikTok and current Audrey Sheri Renee Scott was celebrating her birthday. So they did a little bit of a birthday party for her. They were celebrating, they were eating cake. And then I'm not exactly sure how it started because the TikTok says it was an unexpected birthday jam, but somebody had a speaker and they were playing My Strongest Suit from Aida. So what did the original Amneris do? Sheri sang the song and put on a little bit of a concert, which was. I mean, as somebody who loves that show but actually didn't. I saw it on Broadway after Sheri had left. So I actually saw Taylor Dane as Amneris. But I've listened to that album so many times. Like, this was so, so cool to see. So I love that and I love this, this TikTok. And it just is like a little jolt of excitement and good vibes to head into the week with Grace.
- [13:25]
Grace Ake
Yeah, it was just the coolest thing ever. And I was like, this is what we talk about when, like, have your phones ready. Like, it was so fun. And I love to see that kind of thing.
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Matt Tamminini
And what's so funny about it is, is on the cruise last week, there was a show called Broadway Beats where they took a lot of show tunes and some of them, they. They redid. Some of them they just did normal, but they did. I don't know, it was a very bizarre, kind of almost slowed down version of My Strongest Suit that I was not super a fan of. I also wasn't sure that the performer was the right person to be Woman one in this. In this show. But nonetheless, that's not my job. But it was just so fun to have seen My Strongest Suit last Thursday and then to get this on Sunday. It was very fun. So love Sherry, love Aida. Think we need that revival that David Henry Wong had been working on to come to New York at some point and maybe find a way to get Sherry and Heather involved in that one too. So we'll have to wait and see. 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?
- [14:26]
Grace Ake
You can find me at. It's Grace Hockey.
- [14:28]
Matt Tamminini
That's the third time. I'll cut out the other ones, but just so everybody knows it was the third time. All right, everybody, have a wonderful Tuesday. We'll be back to talk to you tomorrow.
- [14:35]
Grace Ake
What I wear, I am.