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- [00:00]
A
Oh, hey, welcome to gift wrapping. Whoa.
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B
So is Saldana.
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C
Hey, can you wrap these please?
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A
Wow.
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B
IPhone 17s.
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C
You splurged at T Mobile. You can get four iPhone 17s on them. The new center stage front camera is amazing for group selfies. It's the perfect gift for everyone.
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A
I'm the worst.
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B
I only got my mom a robe.
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C
Well, it's better than socks.
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B
So I have to trade in my old phone, right?
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C
No AT T Mobile. There's no trade ins needed when you switch. Keep your old phone or give it as a gift.
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A
Incredible.
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C
In fact, wrap up my old phone too for my aunt Rosa.
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A
Forget that.
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C
Aunt Liz will be jealous.
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B
Like my family drama.
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C
Oh, I got it. I'll give it to my abuela. I'll take reindeer paper with. Hey, where are you going?
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A
To T Mobile.
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B
The holidays are better. AT T Mobile get four iPhone 17s on us. No trade in needed when you switch plus four lines for just 25 bucks a line. And now T Mobile is available in US cellular stores with 24 monthly bill credits and 4 eligible board ins on essentials for well qualified customers. Auto pay + taxes, fees and $35 device connection charge credits ended balance due if you pay off earlier. Cancel Contact Us Finance Agreement 256 GB$830 required Visit T mobile.com welcome to Today.
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A
On Broadway for Tuesday, November 25, 2025. I'm Broadway Radio's Matt Tammini and I'm.
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D
Tell me on a Sunday podcast, Grace Aki.
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A
Grace, we said we would only be doing Today on Broadway episodes if there was substantial news to report and unfortunately we're doing a show today. Not unfortunately because I don't like doing the show, but unfortunately we have some news that we have to report and it is some disappointing news for everybody over at the St. James Theater because yesterday the new Broadway musical Queen of Versailles announced that it will wrap up its Broadway run on January 4th. That first Sunday following the new year. It began performances on October 8th, opened just a couple of weeks ago on November 9th, and despite the fact that it is making over $1 million, clearly the show is not feeling great about its chances to survive the winter. The advanced sales are not looking great, and it is a fairly expensive show to produce. The New York Times reports that it costs up to 22 and a half million dollars to capital because the reviews weren't great, the word of mouth isn't great, and the advance isn't very strong. They decided to announce closing now, hoping that they can juice up this holiday season and give Tony voters Enough time to come in to see if they want to nominate or vote for anything that is a part of the show, whether it's performances or technical or the writing. But obviously, Grace sucks that this happens at all. Sucks that it happens Thanksgiving week. But I am glad that everybody that is a part of this show will have an opportunity to do it through the holidays and hopefully get to play this show in front of as many people as humanly possible.
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D
Agreed.
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E
I'm really trying to see it right now. I'm hopeful that that happens. But regardless, like, I'm glad they have gotten a run. It's very hard in this climate. It just is. And I just think it's also difficult. With the heels of Wicked for Good with Stephen Schwartz and Kristin Chenoweth, I know this is quite devastating for all of them. So as a person who has closed shows at the St James, let me say peace and love to everybody in that building. They are truly some of the best in this business. Just bare minimum.
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D
So, yeah, I'm really hopeful that I get to see this one.
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A
Yeah, this is obviously a closure that probably on paper, is pretty surprising. With Cheno, with Stephen Schwartz, with Michael Arden, with a name of a property that is at least somewhat in the popular consciousness, and with the advantage of Wicked for Good coming out, they probably hope that this would run a little while longer. Unfortunately, that is not the case. As of now, There are only three Broadway houses that are available for the spring of 2026. The St. James, the James Earl Jones, and the Winter Garden Theater. I am under the impression that two, or maybe all three of those theaters are already accounted for. But that, of course, does not take into consideration any other shows that might announce closing on January 4th or early enough in the fall for a new show to open or in the winter, for a new show to open in the spring. But, Grace, this is getting into the last week of November. If shows were going to close in January, you would think that they would want to make that announcement ahead of Black Friday, or, you know, they kind of risk the opportunity of not having the chance to sell as many tickets as humanly possible. Are we at a point now where, like, if a show is running, say, next Monday, or, I mean, it has not announced closing as of next Monday, that they are planning to play through the spring as much as humanly possible?
- [04:36]
D
It feels like it. I feel like everybody's like, scrape. And I don't mean this in a negative way. I think that everyone is trying to get through the next two weeks. And I say that for like any productions at all. It feels like everyone is trying to figure out what do the next two weeks say? What are the next two weeks say? What do the holidays say? What do the next week say? So maybe it seems like it. Yeah.
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A
I just feel like it would be really missing an opportunity if they waited any any longer to to announce a closing if they were planning to wrap up sometime in January. But we'll have to wait and see. All right. While we are here, unfortunately we talked about that. But let's talk about some casting news. Not in New York City but out in the Washington D.C. area as yesterday the upcoming Arena Stage production of Shay Joey Not Pal Joey. This is the reimagined Pal Joey has announced who is going to be playing its title character and that will be Tony Award winner Miles Frost. This is the version that had previously played New York City center was like the City center gala I believe like just a little over two years ago. It features a new book by Richard Le Gravinae and is co directed by Savion Glover and Tony Goldwyn. Glover also choreographs the piece at City Center. Ephraim Sykes did the role of Joey. Now it is being done by Miles Frost. Frost is a Maryland DMV area native, so it is a little bit of a homecoming for him after his Tony award winning and MJ three and a half years ago. The show will begin performances on January 30th at the Krieger Theater at the Mead center for American Theater. It is going to run through March 15th. No other details in terms of casting have been announced, but considering that rehearsals will probably have to start probably pretty quickly in the new year, if not before, we should be getting some of those announcements fairly quickly. To remind you, some of the names that were a part of the show when it was at City center are Brooks Ashmanskas, the legendary Loretta Devine, Aisha Jackson and Elizabeth Stanley. Savion Glover was actually in the ensemble of the show as well. So we'll see if any of those folks are going to continue with this production in dc. But Grace, this is one that we have been hearing about for, I mean it feels like decades, but we've been hearing about this for a while and they really are working on it to make it get to a place where they could bring it back to New York and have a commercial or at least a non profit Broadway run. So I don't know what that looks like, but it doesn't feel like they're just going to continue to grind away at this piece and put up productions of it if there wasn't some larger goal of bringing it to Broadway in mind.
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D
Of course they care deeply about this piece. And I think that just something that I want to note is that how difficult and expensive it is to work on a musical just in general. Like talk about, you know, the, the, you know, New York City center moment that they had them choosing to develop the piece more and change the title and you know, put this in a different context. Having the out of town again like this work is difficult, but taking the critiques of the the City center production or what have you and then like working on it even more, doing some more workshops, doing it out of town like that is the work that we have all been striving for. And I think that one criticism, and I'm not really talking about Shea Joey in this moment or talking about just in general the state of theater, which is to say that like, what I keep hearing from patrons is that they're like, it just feel like there needed to be more work done. Like the money was obviously there to bring it to Broadway, but there needed to be more work done. Here's a show that's doing the work right. So like, I'm grateful for this to have happened and just to show patrons and investors and co pros and lead producers and whomever just how much work is still desired. Like, there's a reason that people used to develop for years and years and years. It's because that's what it takes to develop good products. So I'm grateful that they have had the infrastructure to do so and that they're continuing to develop the piece.
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A
Speaking of pieces that are currently in development, yesterday it was announced that a new Broadway aimed rock opera is in development inspired by the music of the iconic soul and afro Futurist Trio LaBelle. Obviously taken from the name of the lead singer Patti LaBelle, but also featuring Sarah Dash and Nona Hendricks. Hendrix is actually writing the book for this rock opera. Along with Pulitzer Prize winner and Tony Award nominee Lynn Nottage. They are taking all of the songs that the group put out in the 60s and 70s and forming it into a story. The rock opera is expected to focus on how Lebel broke barriers of race, gender and genre, blending rock, funk, soul and glam to forge a new sound that inspired generations of artists. Again, no concrete details of when this is going to happen or what the developmental process will be, but they did say that it is hoping to have a Broadway run at some point. And these are the kind of bio Musicals that I actually like, Grace, where obviously Patti LaBelle big star, but LaBelle the band is like not, you know, one of the top 20 names of bands coming out of that era that you're going to think of. So like, rather than saying Carole King or Michael Jackson or someone like that, where it's like, obviously they are huge. Like, I like some of these lesser known stories that I might not know. And also, to be quite honest with you, some songs that I might know, obviously they have some fairly big hits. That's where the Patti LaBelle Lady Marmalade comes from, from this group also. What can I do for you, Night Birds? But like, a lot of those songs are gonna be things that I've never heard, I imagine. So, like, I'm actually kind of more excited about this type of jukebox bio musical than I am the ones where it's like the biggest stars in the world.
- [10:33]
E
Here's what I need to happen out of this. I need someone to recreate the Clinton Christmas White House moment of Patti LaBelle singing this Christmas. I just need that to be a part of the show. I don't need anything else. That is the one moment that I am literally begging for. That's all I.
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A
That is unfamiliar to me. So I feel like I'm going to have to go.
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E
Matt, Matt, are you joking?
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A
I'm not joking.
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E
The moment we end this recording, you have to go to YouTube. It's my favorite thing in the world. I could quote it verbatim.
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D
We don't have time in the show.
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E
As a Patreon episode. I will reenactment, but no one wants to hear that.
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A
Lovely. I can't wait. All right, wrapping up with a little show and casting news. Yesterday it was announced that the Off Broadway run of Meet the Cartosians which is currently playing over at Signature Theater but as part of Second Stage's season will extend. It is going to add some extra time on and is going to run through December 14th. This is a new play by Talene Monahan and directed by David Cromer. Has an incredible cast including Tony award winners Will Brill and Andrea Martin. Also fe featuring Rafi Barasumanian, Nael Nasser and OB award winner Susan Porfar as well as Tamara Savants. The show has gotten great reviews and honestly some of the word of mouth of this is tremendous and it makes me really sad that I that I missed this show. But congratulations to them and you have a little bit more time to head over to Signature to check this one out. And Grace, we're going to wrap up with a recommendation because, like, it's still Wicked week and everybody is putting out their own versions of Wicked songs. This one comes from Tony Award winner Darren Criss along with the band Third Reprise, or Third Reprise, I guess, but they do a kind of a 90s pop rock cover of I'm not that Girl. And they put that out on the Internet, so you can check that one out. You know, we saw the country version with Jenna Claire Mason and Mary Kate Morrissey yesterday, so why not get a 90s pop version of I'm not that Girl? All right, everybody, that's all we have for 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?
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D
You can find me.
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A
Reyesak again. We will be back tomorrow with it today on Broadway if news dictates. If not, I will have my travelogue episode in the spot that Today on Broadway would normally go. So either way, if we do have news, hopefully it's good news and not another closing. But if we do not talk to you tomorrow, have a wonderful rest of your week, a wonderful Thanksgiving, and we'll be back next Monday.