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Today on Broadway: Wednesday, April 30, 2025
00:18:08
Keenan-Bolger to Receive Honorary Tony, ‘Mamma Mia’ Revival Cast Announces, Amber Gray and Taylor Iman Jones to Lead World Premiere Since 2016, “Today on Broadway” has been the first and only daily podcast recapping the top theatre headlines every Mond...
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Brad
When the Moore family ditched cable Internet and switched to Zigly Fiber, they got so much more. Mr. Moore got more upload speed for next level gaming and livestreaming to the masses with reliable service. Mrs. Moore is no longer her family's IT guru, leaving her more time to stream games into overtime.
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Grace
Let's go.
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Brad
And young Mason Moore got more done quickly uploading HD product demos and video conferencing without FreeSync.
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Grace
The numbers look good, Brad.
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Matt
You're on mute.
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Brad
Switch from cable Internet to Ziply Fiber and get more of what you love for $65 less per month than cable@ziply.
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Matt
Fiverr.Com welcome to Today on Broadway for Wednesday, April 30, 2025 on Broadway Radio's.
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Grace
Matt Tammanini and I'm Tell Me on a Sunday podcast, Grace Hockey.
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Matt
Grace Today's the last day of April. I don't know how we're here. Time flies when you're having fun. What if you could boil down the month of April in your world to just a single word? What would it be?
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Grace
Oof.
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Matt
That's that. We could just do that if you want.
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Grace
Yeah, it's just oof.
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Matt
Okay, let's go with oof. It is busy. Things are going to get incredibly more so because tomorrow we will get the Tony nominations. As I mentioned earlier this week, we will have an episode come out in the normal Today on Broadway slots. But it will not be Today on Broadway because we are going to wait until the nominations are out. I will plow through an episode as soon as those nominations are complete. We will get that out into the feed. So just be aware if you are waiting for Today on Broadway, it'll be delayed a little bit until after those nominations are available. But on Tuesday we did get the name of another Tony Award winner who will be honored this year. And the 2025 Isabel Stevenson Tony Award will go to Tony Award winner Celia Keenan Bolger. This is going to recognize her long history of advocacy through the arts. Everything from co founding Broadway for Obama in 2012, working as a field organizer for his 2008 campaign, serving on the advisory board for Broadway Impact, co founding Broadway Feeds Bellevue during the pandemic. She also created the Activist Artist Endowed Scholarship Fund with the late Gavin Creel. She is a certified end of life doula and she worked with Creel during the last period of his life as well. The American Theatre Wing President and CEO Heather Hitchens and Broadway League President Jason Lacks said in a joint statement, quote, celia's star shines far beyond the Broadway Stages, illuminating her peers, passions and purposes with generosity of spirit, integrity and compassion. She is truly an inspiration and we are thrilled to honor her with the Isabelle Stevenson Award. Grace, if it's not going to be Seth Radetzky, I think Celia is one of the great people in our community and certainly someone who is deserving from all of the work that she does in so many different areas of public life outside of her role as a performer.
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Grace
Yeah, I think this is always like a really lovely honor and I am totally in agreement with you on Celia, but also for people like the Seth Cordes of the world that like have this very extended like past their performance like career that they attribute to building up that theater community, building up people that are in different diasporas, things like that. So I think this is really cool and I, I wish we could give like a million of them out a year because there are so many people that do year round work like her. So yeah, it's great. I, I look forward always to seeing who is selected for this.
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Matt
Yeah, absolutely. All right. We did get some other awards news yesterday and this is in the form of the nominations for the Chita Rivera Awards that celebrate dance and choreography on Broadway and in other areas of performance as well. The winners will be announced on May 19, but the nominees are in the category of outstanding choreography and a Broadway Show. Joshua Brigese for Smash, Warren Carlisle for Pirates the Penzance Musical, Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck for Buena Vista Social Club, Christopher Gattelli for Death Becomes Her, Shannon Lewis for Just in Time, Jerry Mitchell for Boop the Musical and Ricky Tripp and DeWitt Fleming Jr. For a wonderful War, the Louis Armstrong Musical, Outstanding Dancer in a Broadway Show. The nominees are Angelica Belliard for Buena Vista Social Club Kevin Solak for Gypsy. Carlos Falloux for Buena Vista Social Club, DeWitt Fleming Jr. For a wonderful World, Jonathan Groff for Just in Time. Look, I love me some Groff, but I can't imagine there's enough dancing in that show to live up to some of these other folks. But I will have to wait and see. Robin Herder for Smash, Hector Juan Massonette for Buena Vista Social Club, Ilda Mason for Buena Vista Social Club, Marieles Molina for Buena Vista Social Club and Jasmine Amy Rogers for Boop. And outstanding Ensemble in a Broadway Show. The nominees are Wonderful World, Boop. Boyne Vista Social Club, Death Becomes Her Just In Time, Pirates the Pen Dance Musical and Smash. The outstanding choreography in a Feature film goes to a nice Indian boy which also co stars Jonathan Groff. By the way, Amelia Perez A Story of Survival, Snow White and Wicked Part 1. If you want to check out some of the other nominations, including outstanding direction of a dance documentary, you can see that in the show notes. But, Grace, what are the dance moments? Whether it's somebody who's nominated or not, what's a dance moment for you that stands out from this season?
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Grace
Oh, there is this beautiful moment that happens in Act 2 of Buena Vista Social Club where the dance is quite literally physically integrated into the storytelling of Omara leaving her sister. Spoiler alert. And there's something I get chills thinking about it. Obviously, the way people got chills when they were at Illinois talking about the decisions people have to make in life and how that's told through dance is incredibly powerful, I think. Just unfortunately, on a very personal note, when a show and a story is very much about a sister of a time leaving her family either behind or them staying, whatever that might mean. As a person who is like from an immigrant family that has heard tell stories of that. I sobbed when I first saw that and I cried again the second time I saw it. It's so incredibly moving. I hope that if you haven't already seen that show, I would love for you to tell me how that impacts you when you see it. But it's really moving. It's a beautiful number. I can't think of the number is actually called, but it's amazing.
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Matt
Yeah, that's great. I know exactly the moment you're talking about. All right, moving on to some show and casting news. Yesterday we got the complete cast announcement for the upcoming Broadway revival of Mamma Mia. It'll begin performances at the Winter Garden Theater, its original home from 2001. It'll begin performances there on August 2nd, with an official opening on August 14th. And you might be thinking 12 days for previews. That's not enough time to put up a new production. Well, the reason they only have 12 days is mainly because they are pretty much just integrating the entire national tour company into this show. I saw it earlier this year. Many of the people that are going to be a part of this cast were in the tour and they were fantastic. Many of them have deep Mamma Mia. Roots, whether on Broadway with the Las Vegas Sit down. So no one is coming into this without much experience. But playing Donna will be Christine Sherrill, who I believe did play Donna on Broadway as well. Amy Weaver as Sophie, Carly Sokolov as Rosie, Jaylen Steele as Tanya, Rob Marnell as Harry, Jim Newman as Bill, Victor as Sam, and Grant Reynolds as Sky the rest of the cast is listed in the show notes as well, if you want to check that out. And I always knew that this was probably going to be the case, Grace, although I had never had it officially confirmed, although I did know that they were going to basically bringing the set to Broadway. But these people are all fantastic. I love that I raved about it when I saw it, but I do feel a little bit of disappointment just because there's so many great options from the annals of Mamma Mia. History that I would have loved to seen somebody else jump in there, would have loved to have seen Kara Lee come back even or somebody like that. So I love these folks. I'm dying to see them again because I saw them twice in Orlando and need to see them again. But you know, with a show like Mamma Mia. The dream casting is infinite.
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Grace
I agree. But I am excited that all of these performers are going to have the chance to, hello, revive Mamma Mia. On Broadway. I mean, that's a big deal. So it's very exciting and I'm glad they're all getting that opportunity.
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Matt
Yeah, absolutely. All right. Going from a revival to a world premiere. Yesterday they announced the cast for the musical adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time that is set to begin performances at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. on June 12. The opening night is scheduled for my birthday June 26. It features a book by Lauren Yee and music and lyrics by Heather Christian Lee. Sunday Evans is directing. Leading the cast will be amber gray as Mrs. Whatsit Taylor, Iman Jones as Meg Murray, Vicki Lewis, the great Vicki Lewis, who does not work nearly enough as Mrs. Witch Mateo, Liz Cano as Charles Wallace, Stacy Sargent, who I absolutely love from Rex Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future, where she played Bo Weathers. She is playing Mrs. Who and Nicholas Barone is playing Calvin. The rest of the ensemble is listed in the show notes as. But this is one of those shows that I think a lot of people are really excited about. There's a lot of really good theater in Washington, D.C. this summer, even with Legally Blonde not happening at the Kennedy Center. But you put Amber Gray Taylor, Iman Jones, Vicki Lewis, Stacey Sargent into a show. This is one that seems to me to have some sort of excitement and buzz building around it and maybe even has some legs for some future productions. Going from the capital of the United States to the capital of England. Yesterday we got the newest stars who are going to join the production of Cabaret in the West End, taking over on May 29 in the role of Sally Bowles will be Bridgerton star Hannah Dodd, and taking over as the emcee will be Olivier nominee Rob Madge. Those are very exciting additions to that cast. They will replace Marisha Wallace and Billy Porter. Dodd plays Francesca Bridgerton on the Bridgerton series. Of course. Rob Madge, we know from My Sons of Queer, but what can youn do, which was supposed to come to Broadway last summer, will be coming for just a handful of performances later this year. Had to take off a few performances in the middle of their run over at the Kit Kat Club. But Grace, you were kind of the expert of all things cabaret in London and in New York. But, yeah, I mean, in terms of. On this show, at least, you are. This casting is great. Like, I just, I. I'm really kind of loving the fact that they are continuing to bring new people in. They will be celebrating their 1500th performance of Cabaret in London this summer. So, like, they just are keeping doing this four plus years in.
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Grace
Yeah, it's kind of unbelievable. Like, I love. I don't think I've ever seen a casting decision, like, jointly for the Sally and MC roles where I was like, like, man, I'm disappointed. This is bad, like, ever. Like, I've seen every single casting announcement of Broadway and West End and I just think it's so innovative. I think that all of them are interesting. Even if you're not, like, thrilled about one particular person in terms of, like, fandom, you have to admit it's very exciting, like, genuinely creative casting. And I don't think that in any other timeline you would have thought that, like, Orville Peck would play the same role as Rob Madge as you would Bill Porter. That's amazing. That's all happened this year, like, that. I just think that that's cool. And I think I would hope that we as, like, a community would celebrate those things because I think at the end of the day, all of us are clamoring for ingenuity and some level of, like, interesting choices because there are plenty of boring ones, but this isn't one of them. So I'm, I'm excited. I'm very thrilled for Rob. Specifically. I was not familiar with Ms. Bridgerton. I'm very excited to, to see that she's being a part of it. But my mom was thrilled. She texted me. So, yeah, good. Good for them. But I'm thrilled for Rob. I think that that's going to be unbelievable. I thought that. I genuinely thought that the first photo that they put up because they posted like, a carousel today, I thought it was like their dream casting. Like, I thought that, like, initially. Oh, like they would love to see themselves. And then I kept going. I was like, wait, no, it's real. It's real. And so I messaged. I was like, this is unbelievable. So I'm.
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Matt
Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Amy Lou Wood. Wasn't she one of the early Sally bowl replacements? And then she went on to be like this huge breakout role in White Lotus, you know, just earlier this year. So they really are on the forefront of a lot of these castings. We're gonna go from Washington D.C. to London into some sort of fairy tale world. Because in a recent interview with Variety, Bob Martin and Rick Ellis, while talking about Smash, also answered some questions about their long gestating musical adaptation of the Princess Bride. We don't know a ton about it at this point because David Yazbeck, who obviously is currently represented on Broadway with Data Outlaw, he had been attached to write the songs. He is no longer doing that. They did confirm that there is a new composing team, but that has not been announced publicly. And I have. I don't think I've heard anything about it behind the scenes, but maybe if you know something, feel free to reach out to me. But they did say that later this year, at the end of the summer, they're going to be going through a pretty big workshop and developmental session to kind of see all of the material that they have been putting together, both from the Bob Martin, Rick Ellis book side and the score side with the new composing team. So this is very exciting, obviously, for many, many people. The Princess Bride is one of their favorite movies. And it has always. Grace been kind of calling out for a musical theater adaptation. So. So one, I'm excited to see who the composing team is, but then I also am really excited to see who they cast in the workshop and whatever they're going to do later this summer.
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Grace
I don't know. I'm interested in whatever that looks like. Very interested, to your point. I'm very interested in the casting of that. You know what I mean? And what types in terms of, like, how that adapt. I mean, famously. I talk about adaptations a lot. Obviously. I'm still doing the screening of Good Night and Good Luck this coming Monday talking about that stage and screen adaptation. But I. We've been talking about that Princess Bride for a long time. And now you've got it in my brain that I, like, need to revisit that and what that might look like.
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Matt
Are you nervous about this? Because I Know, a lot of people are. Because the movie is so beloved. Yeah, go ahead.
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Grace
It's also, like, so much. And this is. This is. And by the way, this is not a critique of, like, we're talking about, like, who's attached, but more so. Like, there are so many films that the reason. Part of the big reasons that it worked so well is because of the characters and the actors that were playing those characters and how they were, like, inconceivable, delivered by any other actor would not have the res. Like, it wouldn't. It wouldn't resonate in the same way that Wallace Shawn does it, right? Or, like, having, at the height of his fame, Andre the Giant in that role, having, you know, like, there's height. No, literally. And so I think it's fascinating that, like, a lot of people go, well, it was a really funny movie. And I'm like, are you dissecting why it was so funny about why, you.
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Matt
Know, I can't believe you didn't mention. You didn't mention your boy Billy, who, like, improvised all of his scenes. Now you're gonna have to have somebody recreate Billy's brilliant.
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Grace
Well, now he doesn't need the makeup. Like, he can just kind of hunch over. And then he's like, you know, I'm old now. But no, he doesn't. He looks amazing, actually. But just to that point, I think that a lot of the time, what's not being communicated always is, like, okay, so how could we shift this for, like, written for another actor of this time? Or, like, what's the new version of this? Because if you try to recreate an iconic line from a film, sometimes in a stage adaptation, it flies.
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Matt
Cringe.
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Grace
It's cringe, right? And it becomes like, this, like, mean girls. Like, when he's like, you don't even go here. It's because he's off in the distance in the shot wearing sunglasses and a hoodie. Like, that's why it's funny, not because he's saying that. So I think that, like, that's my big t. Annoying critique rant on these things is, like, I would hope that that's a part of the conversation of, like, okay, instead of that being in film, what's a variation that can happen on stage that still executes the way that. That makes an audience feel? That's why I think those things are successful. And I will end this now. I'm sorry.
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Matt
No, I think that's great. And that's the insight that I love from you, because you could just say I love the Princess Bride, so let's see a musical version. I love musicals, so let's do that. And it's not as easy to make those things successful as we have seen. So very much looking forward to finding out more about who is involved with this. All right, I do have two recommendations here. The first is a clip from the forthcoming PBS broadcast of the London version of Next to Normal starring Casey Levy that'll be coming to PBS on May 9. There'd long been rumors about this transferring to Broadway. However, I feel like with this coming to pbs, this is probably going to be the only opportunity you're going to get to see this, at least for a while. Casey is, as always, booked and blessed in a lot of projects in gestation, according to rumors around the theatrical community. So if you want to see her playing Diana, make sure that you tune into PBS in a couple weeks. And then the final one is some highlights from the Broadway production of Pirates the Penzance Musical. Lots of excitement around this one coming out of its reviews and heading into Tony nominations. So if you want to see what the show is all about, head over to the Show Notes. All right, everybody, that's all that we have for today. Thanks for listening to Today on Broadway. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram rodwayradio. Grace, quick and people find you.
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Grace
You can find me at. It's graceaki.
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Matt
All right, everybody, have a wonderful Wednesday. Remember, we'll be a little delayed tomorrow because of the Tonys and we will talk to you then. It.