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Today on Broadway: Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025
00:19:55
Sturridge replaces Faist in ‘Anna Christie,’ Esparza to lead ‘Sweet Smell of Success’ concert, Broadway Flea details Since 2016, “Today on Broadway” has been the first and only daily podcast recapping the top theatre headlines every Monday through Frid...
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Matt Tamminini
T Mobile welcome to Today on Broadway for Tuesday, August 26, 2025. I'm Broadway Radio's Matt Tamminini and I'm.
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Grace Hockey
Telling me on a Sunday podcast Grace.
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Matt Tamminini
Aki, we are coming to you a little bit later in Patreon than normal because Monday was my dad's birthday so I was out doing that. So Grace, thank you for recording a little bit later than normal. This is a Tuesday. We did not have an episode on Monday because of our summer Fridays, but there was a ton of stuff in the podcast feeds over the weekend. On Sunday on this Week on Broadway and Peter and James talked about a whole bunch of things including Twelfth Night at the Delacorte, Jeff Ross, Take a Banana, Mamma Mia. And a bunch of other things. Head over to both regular feed and Patreon feed for that. And on Sunday night I had a chat with Ashley Hufford where she talked about the 40 plus shows she saw during her trip to the UK and and Europe. She saw Hadestown twice in Amsterdam, a bunch of shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and she also talked about Masquerad Parade Grace, which I did not understand how complicated that show was. Have you? I. I don't want to give any spoilers for things, but like, have you heard how intricate some of the casting and the scheduling is for that show?
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Grace Hockey
Matt? I, I'm pretty sure it's 20 of my favorite people in New York in a room and there's a red velvet carpet and that's. I have no idea just how intricate it is.
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Matt Tamminini
It is wild. The, the, the way that Ashley explained it to me, it just, I mean it honestly blew my mind. And like as somebody who loves making spreadsheets, like I cannot even fathom how detailed Diane Paulus had to be to make this all work. So if you want to hear all about that, head over to Patreon and sign up at the Mezzanine Tier and above and you can Hear that? But Grace, this is heading into Labor Day weekend. Pretty much all the decision makers on Broadway are probably already at the Hamptons, so we don't expect a ton of news to come out this week, but we do have some. This actually started on Friday and we got finally the full cast of the Ragtime revival on Broadway. But there has been a little change since then, which we will get to here in a second. Obviously we already knew that performances began at Lincoln center on September 26th. We know that almost all of the principals from the City center production, Joshua Henry, Casey Levy, Brandon Uranowitz, Colin Donnell, Nichelle Lewis, Benjamin Levi Ross, Shayna Taub, John Clay III and others are all returning. Now we know a couple of the other smaller principal roles. Anna Grace Barlow is going to be playing Evelyn Nesbit. That is a replacement from the City center version where Stephanie Stiles did the role. Nick Barrington is playing the little boy and Tabitha Long will be playing the little girl. Then there are some fantastic people in the ensemble, some which did the show at City center, some which did not. Ellie Fishman, who I love, I saw her in into the Woods, a couple Jason Forback, Tanika Gibson, David Jennings, Grace your friend Marina Kondo Morgan, Marcel Kent Overshone, Kayla Piccione, John Rapson, another one of our favorites and more. The one kind of casting change that we had was that Charity Angel Dawson was going to be playing the role of Sarah's friend and she's the one who gets that great solo of Till We Reach that Day. However, over the weekend she posted on Instagram that she is not going to be taking part in Ragtime because she's having continuing health issues. If you remember, she had to take some time off and I think eventually left the production of Anne Juliet because she was dealing with some stuff and she says that she is still dealing with those issues. She is having trouble standing. She is pretty much dizzy all the time. So that's disappointing because I'm sure she would have absolutely killed that song. But we send our best to charity. But the rest of this ensemble, Grace is fantastic and just so many great people and so many great talents that I didn't love it at City Center. But I've heard it's going to be very different than that version. So I'm super pumped to see what this new version looks like at Lincoln Center.
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Grace Hockey
Yeah, I'm obviously very excited for Morgan and Marina and John Rapson. I mean if you want to call today on Broadway anything, it is a John Rapson fan account. So I do think that all of those people are going to provide such a rich, exciting ensemble. So I'm very excited for everyone to see this.
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Matt Tamminini
This is also a show that you work on, correct?
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Grace Hockey
Yeah. Yeah.
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Matt Tamminini
Okay. Okay. Is there any insight into how different this production is going to be than what we saw at SETI Center?
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Grace Hockey
I have, once again, still never seen Ragtime on stage. I can't wait to see it one day.
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Matt Tamminini
Okay, maybe. Maybe you'll get to see it.
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Grace Hockey
Maybe I. Maybe I'll get to see it. Who knows? But I am excited. I've heard so much about Lear's warm room that she is building over at Lincoln Center. I just think it's going to be exciting for all involved. And I know that if anybody loved it at City center, chances are they're going to love it even more here.
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Matt Tamminini
All right. Going from a very warm room to some rooms that are going to be quite chilly here moving forward. And this is a story that is very complicated and gets into a lot of personal and legal dynamics that honestly, I don't necessarily have a ton of insight about. But apparently TV and stage star Ciara Renee has filed a lawsuit against the producers of the forthcoming Broadway show Wanted, previously known as Gun and Powder. If you'll remember, originally they did an out of town production of Gun and powder in Washington, D.C. a number of years ago. It starred, at the time, Solea Pfeiffer and and Emmy Raver Lampman. When they went to do a new version, this time at the Paper Mill Playhouse last year, Solea Pfeiffer was on Broadway in Moulin Rouge. So she didn't do it. Emmy Raver Lampman has moved to Los Angeles and apparently wanted to stay there and didn't continue with the show, which is completely fine. And after that run of Gun and Powder at the time of the Paper Mill Playhouse, that's when we started to hear more rumors about it coming to Broadway. Eventually, the show was announced to be coming to Broadway under the new title of Wanted. However, there did seem to be a few casting changes as they started to do more events for the show. They released tracks and singles and videos, not with Ciara Renee in the role that she played at Paper Mill, but with Solea Pfeiffer returning to that role. Apparently, there was quite a bit of contention around that cast change. And Ciara Renee has filed suit against the producers, citing a number of different things. One of them is the fact that in a lot of Broadway contracts, if you do an out of town tryout, you are guaranteed the right of first refusal for A role if and when it moves to Broadway. Now, how that plays into the fact that Celia Pfeiffer actually originated the role in the first production versus Sierra Monet doing it in the production immediately before Broadway, I don't know. But Sierra Renee claims that despite having been invited to do all of these investor and producer kind of events to try to get more people excited about the show and to get people to buy into the show, a week after doing one of them, she was told that she would not be rehired and that two of the producers had advised Sisters Clark llc, which is the larger production company, that they did not recommend that they negotiate with Sierra Renee or, or hire her because she, quote, failed to collaborate and was, quote, unwilling to accept feedback from the creative team during the paper mill run. Of course, Sierra Renee contends that that is not the case. And in the lawsuit she cites the fact that her nine month contract for the Broadway run, which as we know is kind of become the standard for principals at least to start off with, she would have earned $486,000 from that run and that is now lost income that she should have been guaranteed by the contract that she signed for the out of town tryout. These court papers have been filed. Everybody is at opposite ends of this. It's very complicated and it seems far more personal than professional, at least in the way that these two sides are digging in their heels. Grace, I don't know that there's a whole lot to expound upon on this other than the fact that we think of Broadway and theater as a business, but so much of it is personal as well. Just the nature of putting yourself out there is personal. And then when you are rejected, whether that's in an audition room or don't get to move forward with it, like that sucks. And I can't imagine when you think you have a legal right to something to then be rejected like that. I, I just, you know, I don't know. Sierra Renee, I love her as a talent. I think she's incredibly talented. But this is hard. I don't know enough about it to have a, an opinion one way or the other. But this is one of those just shitty stories that I just think kind of sucks all the way around.
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Grace Hockey
I think it's always, here's what I can say, right, is that as a person, unfortunately, who has entered any type of legal anything and as a daughter of a lawyer, nobody ever wants to do that usually. I mean, I guess there are a whole host of people that are ambulance chasers or Whatever. But I think what's so challenging here is that when someone is being paraded from. Again, what you and I are seeing, I have no inside information here, but like, when you were being paraded around to investing entities as talent, and then once you are used for said investment, you are discarded. I cannot imagine how that feels. And so I think that that's. It's just a very. Yeah, it's just a very difficult position because as a person who has also been a part of workshops and development of musicals, as a person who is, you know, marrying a person who has developed so many musicals and then right before Broadway has not been kept for those roles or whatever that might mean. I know that that is par for the course of this industry. I think that the challenging component here is the fact that, like, there was, hey, right before we're coming, we are showing you two investing entities, therefore communicating to you clearly that you are a part of the sell of this show and once is kind of like definitive, and then you're discarded. I. I think that you kind of have grounds to say that you. You know what I mean? But. But again, it's so complicated and all of these things are so challenging and messy. And I think it's another part of why this reason is so hard that you really don't know. And sometimes you are quite literally used. But who. Who knows? I mean, I'm. I'm very excited by this show. I loved her in it when I saw her in it at Paper Mill. And I also love, you know, Salea's incredible talent and she's very much in demand often. So I don't know. I guess we'll see. But I can't imagine how this feels because nobody enters this type of discussion because they want attention, because in this industry, that is not the kind of attention that you want. And I just. I feel for all parties involved.
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Matt Tamminini
Yeah. And I think the thing that really confuses me and makes this more complicated, to be completely honest with you. Like, we. I don't know if we talked about it at the time, like, on the show, but like, people were talking about the fact that, like, she missed a lot of shows at Paper Mill. And the reason that I. It kind of clocked for me is because I follow the woman who was like her standby, Giselle Soleil Ayaan, who I saw in the Non Equity Waitress tour and was blown away by how good she was. She went on to do the. To do the Hamilton tour as well. So, like, I followed her and I was like, oh, she's going on a lot. So, like, I would understand if maybe right after paper mail, the producers are like, look, it didn't work out. Your voice couldn't stand up to the show. If I don't know if that's why she was out. But I'm just saying, like, if that's what it was, I can understand them, like, moving on and being like, look, we're going to go in a different direction moving forward. But I think you're right. The thing that makes it so confusing is that, like, they kept her around and kept doing these events. And this is all coming from a report in the New York Post, which we'll link to if you want to get more details there. But, like, it does feel like either they had a sudden change of heart when, like, they just figured out Soleil would be available or they knew that they were going to eventually move on. But because Sierra has a little bit more cachet because of her time on television that, like, they thought that that might help get investors more excited. I don't know. But everything about it just feels uncomfortable. And, you know, I don't have a dog in this fight. But, you know, rumors are rumors and you can only assume so much of it is true. But it seems messy and unfortunate all the way around, especially because a show that, like you said, a lot of people are excited to see it. Like, I, I don't think this is going to necessarily impact the larger audience out there, but, like, it really could have an impact, at least on the reviews or maybe even people in the industry. And I would hate for that to happen to Wanted even before it comes to Broadway. All right, Grace, there's, as we said, there's not a ton going on in the theatrical world this week, mainly because of the fact that we're coming into the Labor Day holiday over the weekend. But I will say that we have a couple of shows beginning previews this week that I wanted to point out. I mean, honestly, two very exciting things happening in this early fall window. Late Summer, early fall window. The first will happen over at the New York Theater workshop on Wednesday, August 27th as we begin previews for Saturday Church. This is the musical based on the independent film of the same name that uses both existing and original songs written by the acclaimed singer songwriter Sia. It features the book and additional lyrics by Damon Cardassis and James I is being directed by Whitney White and choreographed by Darryl Grand Moultrie. And the cast features a number of folks that either you are familiar with from the theater world, like Jay Harrison, G. Gaquina Kolokongo and Kristalyn Lloyd, as well as some up and comers and people from various versions of Queer Performance. One of my favorite Voice finalists from this past season, Bryson Battle is also in the show. But this is one grace that I think people are really looking at as like being one of those potential breakout shows from the Off Broadway season. Yet another really important musical coming from New York Theatre Workshop.
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Grace Hockey
I couldn't agree with you more. This is one that I do have the fortunate privilege to work on. So I am very excited about it and I cannot wait to see the product at New York Theatre Workshop. I really cannot explain it because you've.
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Matt Tamminini
Said on the show before like I don't remember, it was like you heard tracks or maybe you got to sit in on some sort of rehearsal or presentation. Like you do have a little bit of an idea as to what at least the bare bones of this is going to look and sound like, right.
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Grace Hockey
When I got to hear the COVID that they've re kind of like contextualized of Sunday by Sia, which is one of my favorite songs growing up. This is going to be spectacular. Like that's all I can say. I'm really and I love the film. Like I'm just so excited this even exists. So the fact that it's through New York Theatre Workshop development is going to be very special.
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Matt Tamminini
They have released a concept recording for this so I'll put a link into the show notes if you want to hear a little bit about what this musical is going to sound like. The other show that is beginning performances this week is happening on Broadway over the Music Box Theater where we will have the first Broadway revival of Yasmina Reza's play Art. Of course, anything French that comes to an English speaking theatrical audience. Christopher Hampton did the translation, Scott Ellis is directing and it features an absolutely dynamite cast of Bobby Cannavale, James Corden and Neil Patrick Harris. It is currently scheduled to run through December 21st. This is obviously like I said, a limited run, bunch of stars, but it had stars originally and was one of those shows that continued to replace cast. So I don't know if there's any possibility of that actually happening here. But with three stars of both stage and screen in this one, I'm interested to see what this play is like because I don't know that I see Neil Patrick Harris, James Corden and Bobby Cannavale living in the same universe, let alone being like three best friends. So I'm interested to see what this is Like, I love the play. I enjoy all three of these gentlemen's work, but I guess we'll find out starting later this week.
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Grace Hockey
Grace, I'm really excited about this. I don't get to see it for another week, but I am really looking forward to it again. I love this play. Like, I love that we're reviving the first play that was ever, that ever won, written by a woman, the Tony Award for best play.
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Matt Tamminini
Is that true?
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Grace Hockey
Yes, yes. I'm. Well, I hope I'm not wrong, Jesus. But Yasmina Reza is the first woman to ever win the Tony Award for best play and she won twice. So I just think it's very special. Yeah, exactly. So I think this is very special.
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Matt Tamminini
Yeah. And it's a great show. So if you haven't seen it, it's one of those shows that, like, not only had a great life on Broadway during its original run with all of those replacements that I mentioned, but like, I saw it regionally here in Orlando. And I think it's one that gets done a lot because it is a pretty simple show with three actors, but it's brilliant. It is. It is a truly brilliant show. All right, let's do some real quick show and casting stuff. The new solo show written and performed by Josh Sharp Tada has gotten a second and final extension at the Greenwich House Theater. It was originally scheduled to close this past weekend on Saturday the 23rd. It has already been extended through September 11th. It will now continue through September 27th. It is directed by Sam Pinkleton. So if you know and like Omari, you can kind of get a little bit of an idea as to the absurdity that goes along with that, this show. And then there's a great story by Ruthie Fireberg from Broadway News that gives some details about the tax credit that's going on with the theater community. The New York City musical and theatrical production tax credit. We talked about this previously about how it had pretty much dried up. She has some updates on that. I will have that link in the show notes. And then, Grace, this is something that I did not know existed. But if you're going to put Jesse Mueller singing anything, I'm going to listen. Apparently there's going to be a new world premiere musical happening in London next year called Beautiful Little Fool. And if you say, hey, I know that title, I know what that's from. That's a Great Gatsby reference, you would be right. Not only do we have the Great Gatsby on Broadway, we also are going to have Gatsby in London. Apparently in London next year, we're also going to have a musical about the writer of the Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda, told through the eyes of their adult daughter Scotty, as she rediscovers the lives and writings of her parents. This is a track from a recording that Jesse Mueller did. The concept recording also features such familiar Broadway names as Ryan Vasquez, who is in apparently every musical, it's a requirement now, and Hannah Corneau. And it is going to be released on all streaming platforms on October 24th. I don't know that we need more Fitzgerald's or Gatsby stuff at this point in the world, but again, like I said, Jesse Mueller singing it. Grace, I'm going to listen, which is fine.
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Grace Hockey
That's. That's the correct thing to do.
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Matt Tamminini
All right, everybody, thanks for listening to Today on Broadway. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram rodrigue. And if you want more BroadwayRadio, head over to patreon.com broadwayradiograce where 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 Tuesday. Great. Safe travels. We'll talk to you again tomorrow.