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Today on Broadway: Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024
00:18:03
‘Just in Time’ Announces Cast, Gilpin to Take Over in ‘Oh, Mary!’, Kilgore and Valdes to Join ‘Hadestown’ 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 Tammini
Welcome to Today on Broadway for Wednesday, December 4, 2024. I'm Broadway Radio's Matt Tammini and I'm.
- [00:07]
Grace Ake
Tell me on a Sunday podcast, Grace Ake.
- [00:10]
Matt Tammini
Grace, we didn't have a ton of news over the past week because of the Thanksgiving holiday, of course, but man, did they unload a bunch of fun stuff on Tuesday. And I gotta tell you, it cost me a pretty penny because I ended up buying tickets to two shows because of the casting announcements that came out on Tuesday. We will dive all into that, but we're going to start off with additional casting announced for the upcoming Broadway premiere of the Bobby Darin musical. Just in time. We already knew that Jonathan Groff was going to be starring in this show when he begins performances at the Circle in the Square Theater on March 28th. Now we know that he will be joined by Joe Barbara, Tony winner, Michelle Paak, Lance Roberts, Cesar Samoya, Kristen Cornish, Julia Grandin, Valeria Yamin, John Tracy Egan, Terry Kelly, Matt Magnuson, Corey Michelle Patinode and Larkin Riley. This is some folks who have been a part of previous versions of this, including like some of the workshops that they've done. But this is a fun cast. I think a lot of people, I know a couple people who actually thought this was a one person show kind of in the vein of Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill where it is just Billie Holiday and maybe her pianist as well. But it is a full show with an entire cast. And to prove that fact, not only did they announce the cast, Grace, but they also put out some of the of the cast album, the songs that are going to be a part of the show. So we will have all of that in the show notes if you want to check this out. But again, Grace, a show that I feel like is kind of under the radar, it doesn't have big splashy ip. I know you loved Bobby Darin stuff growing up, but I don't know that that's necessarily what everybody is like growing up listening to or knowing even from the movie. But you throw Jonathan Groff in and some, some songs that theater people know and I think that this very well could be a pretty hot property come springtime.
- [02:15]
Grace Ake
I. It's so funny that like Jonathan Groff is what makes me care about this. You know what I mean? Like him being attached to it. I mean the whole cast. I feel obviously I know we're talking about the cast announcement, so I don't want to disregard the entire cast. Um, they're really talented people, but I mean in terms of, like, the ip, I wasn't like, you know what we need? I want to see the Bobby Darin story. There's so many famous people in music and film and TV and stuff that I think that do have great vehicles for storytelling on stage. Like, I do strongly believe that. But Bobby Darin's not one of those people that I immediately was like, okay, you. But Jonathan Groff being attached to it is the thing that's driving me to be more interested. I was more fixated on the rest of the cast. I've been excited, so. And now that they've released three songs, I'm gonna go to go listen to those and hear how he sounds. If he's doing, like, an intonation or if he's doing his own spin, like, I'm intrigued. And I think that that's cool. I'm sure that I am not the only one feeling that way.
- [03:11]
Matt Tammini
Yeah, I mean, I think the release of the music is really smart to do now as we head into the holidays where people will start to buy tickets. Because at this point, like, even though we've talked about it, like, it still was just at, like, the back corner of my mind when thinking about this season. It was just like, oh, yeah, there's that Bobby Darin thing with Grof. Now that we have music that you can go and actually listen to online, but then music that they can also use in, like, social media clips and in advertising. I think that this will start to move it a little bit towards the forefront of our mind. I'm not sure that it's going to eclipse new musicals like Smash or Real Women have Curves or Old Friends or anything like that in terms of, like, super excitement for it. But I think it'll certainly help to find an audience moving into the spring. And right now at Circle in the Square, obviously we have a very reconfigured playing space because of Romeo and Juliet and how they have everything set up there. The Circle in the Square theater will again be reconfigured so that you are essentially in a nightclub. So there will be tables and chairs and all of that stuff in addition to the traditional, you know, arena type seating type seating that's in that space. So that'll be fun to see when it happens. All right, Grace, we first heard about this on Monday night. You and I texted about it. And I have to be honest with you, I wasn't 100 sure it was accurate. Like, I kind of thought that I had heard wrong. But it was confirmed on Tuesday that one of my favorite performers I just flat out, period. One of my favorite performers, Betty Gilpin, is going to be taking over the role of Mary Todd Lincoln and O Mary beginning in January. It's interesting because I thought when I heard this that it would anger some people and we can get into that here in a second. I have not. I don't spend a lot of time on social media during the workday, so I haven't seen any of that yet. But I think this is like, I think she's going to kill it. Talked a lot about on this show and on something like it pop about the show. Mrs. Davis, which was one of my top two or three favorite shows of last year, starred Betty Gilpin. She has done a ton of tv, done a ton of theater work. She is going to be taking over that role on January 21st. She is currently scheduled to play eight weeks through March 16th and tickets are on sale through June 28th. So we don't know who's going to be taking over for Betty after that. I had heard some other very exciting names to potentially be taking over as Mary before I heard about Get Betty. So maybe those names are going to be later on in the run. But it does seem that O Mary is officially extending into the summer past the Tonys. And I'm interested about Betty. She's going to be a very different energy than Cole is. Obviously Cole wrote it, so they kind of bring their own thing into the role just organically. But Betty is a very funny, seasoned theatrical performer. In the press release, Cole said, quote, I could not be more excited to see what Betty Gilpin does with the role of Mary. She's a brilliant comedic actress who understands the heart of this character and knows the serious business of being a fool. I promise you won't want to miss Betty as Mary. To me, Grace, like, I was just concerned. I had no concern about her being able to do this role. I think she will be brilliant. But I do wonder if there are people out there online that I just haven't seen it that are upset with the fact that this role was created by a non binary person, originally played by non binary person and now we are bringing in a cisat woman to play this role. If they thought that that might not be appropriate, far be it for me. Cole is the creator of this whole thing. So if they are on board with this, you know, who am I to to contradict that? But I did initially assume that there would be some pushback when this was eventually announced.
- [07:10]
Grace Ake
Yeah, I don't see that. Like the role is for I mean, the role is written from my understanding as like a CIS woman. Like, the role is regardless of whose body is portraying the role. So I don't think it matters. And I think that anybody who's interested in that conversation, like, of the community, like, would see that, you know what I mean? Like, I. And even like, Cole's acknowledgement of like, awards consideration is also not that of like a CIS female binary situation, you know what I mean? So I don't think. I don't think it really applies or matters, like, I think that anybody can go into this role.
- [07:53]
Matt Tammini
Good.
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Grace Ake
You know what I mean? Like, I don't think that that's kind of the intention here. I think when something. I think that the conversation begins when the role is intended to be portrayed in a non binary sense or. You know what I mean? Like, that's the discretion of creators and all that good stuff. But it seemed like the role of this, like, cuckoo wife. And I think it's fine from my, you know, POV that that's meant for anybody. I kind of had like a dream list of who I think could be thrown into this and she was not on my list. I don't. I know that she's very, very funny, but I think of, like, people that I've witnessed be disturbingly strange and like, just the melodrama of it all. And I'm thinking, like, bear with me. But like, Vanessa Bayer, I feel like, could do this tomorrow, you know what I mean? And like, there's just certain people that I would have thought would get that call more quickly now. Maybe they did, but I'm excited because the trust that that team is having in Betty better ensures the likelihood that people are going to really enjoy this performance. And it's going to be a performance we've never seen from her. So I'm really excited to see that. I feel like if John Waters were younger, I would want him to do it if Divine was alive. But yeah, so I don't know. I'm excited by it and I like that there's a possibility for other people to fall into this role. I also just kind of want it to run forever. Like, I want this to be the new vehicle where everybody runs in. And I think it's also the thing that all in is doing where it's kind of like picking from all of these, like, classic New York comedians. Like that to me is like, what this could do. But I'm interested in the progression of it also. Whereas Julia Louis Dreyfus.
- [09:42]
Matt Tammini
I'm just saying, yeah, it Was good. I had heard rumor of a very, very early performer of Hedwig. Okay, like, like, like the early performer.
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Grace Ake
Yeah, yeah, yeah, but that would be.
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Matt Tammini
And I'm just saying, like that's the rumor. That's the rumor that I heard. So if a certain former resident of a secret garden ends up in this role at some point. You heard it here first, but not.
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Grace Ake
Jack of the Beanstalk. But yeah. No, I, I, I also want to throw out that Sarah Sherman after SNL spring. Sarah Squirm. Get, get her in there. You know what I mean? Like, I want somebody.
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Matt Tammini
No, I don't know who that is.
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Grace Ake
Sarah Sherman from snl.
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Matt Tammini
I don't watch Saturday Night Live.
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Grace Ake
Okay, everybody come on to Matt's case and hold on.
- [10:35]
Matt Tammini
No, I know who she is. Do you know why I know who she is?
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Grace Ake
No.
- [10:39]
Matt Tammini
She had, she had like a two or three episode arc on General Hospital as a linguist diction expert. She came in and helped one of the actresses who had a really severe Brooklyn accent get rid of her accent. So I do know who she is. There you go. All right, Venn diagram and everything. This is one of the shows that when this casting came out, I immediately bought tickets because I was going to be in town during her first week. So I will be seeing Betty Gilpin on, I think the Saturday 5pm matinee when I'm in town during her first week. Of course, the other thing that I want to make sure we mention is this was confirmed to be running through June. So it's on sale till June. So that means that the Lyceum is officially off the boards for the spring. So we are now down to only the Palace Theater being available in the spring. Although I believe we probably could be getting an announcement there from the only other show that has been announced to be coming into the spring. It might be going in there. Last I heard, not, not confirmed, nothing signed, but that's what I had been led to believe. Then, Grace, we got some other great casting announcements for a currently running show. I had been a little bit worried that Hadestown was going to close at the Walter Kerr Theater because everybody in the cast pretty much was set to end their runs on January 12th. Jordan Fisher, Maya Refico, Philip Boykin, all of them had announced ending dates as January 12th. I thought, well, we're getting pretty close to January 12th and they haven't announced a new cast. Well, now they have. Starting on January 14th, Tony nominee Haley Kilgore will take over as Eurydice, former once on Broadway performer and one of the stars of the long running TV show the Flash, Carlos Valdez will be stepping into the role of Orpheus and Tom Hewitt will return to the show having previously played the role of Hades on Broadway. They haven't said necessarily who else is going to be joining them. I did hear that Lilias White could be extending as Hermes. Allison Russell has already been said that she is playing Persephone into early February. I have heard that a certain former cast mate of Haley Kilgore's could be the one taking over Persephone Alison Russell after Allison Russell is done. If that is true, it would be an ape of a casting coup right there. So. But this. Is that too obvious? Do people. Is that. Do people. Can people read between the lines?
- [13:06]
Grace Ake
I think that was good. No, I think that was good.
- [13:07]
Matt Tammini
You think that was good? Okay, good. But this is the other one I had. I mean, first off, Haley Kilgore's voice is amazing and she's been out doing tv, so I'm so glad that she's back on Broadway. But as a longtime watcher of the Flash, Carlos Valdez was like the secondary lead on that show behind Grant Gustin and he is fantastic. So I am so much looking forward to Carlos Valdez's return to Broadway. So again, I had to buy tickets to see that one. And speaking of returns, Grace, this one is 17 years in the making, but it was confirmed that erstwhile Obi wan Kenobi Ewan McGregor will be returning to the London stage this coming spring. He will be doing a production of Lila Race, My Master Builder, which I think is inspired by Henrik Ibsen's the Master Builder, but it is not the same story. It's not like an adaptation or anything, but this is being directed by Michael Grandege, who had previously directed Ewan McGregor in the West End in both Othello and that famous Guys and Dolls that he did with Jane Krakowski back in the day. Those had both happened at the Donmar Warehouse where Grandage was the artistic director at the time. But this show will play Wyndham's Theater in London beginning on April 17, and it is currently scheduled to run through July 12. No other casting has been announced. It is inspired by Ibsen and it is set in the Hamptons as Elena Solness, a publishing magnate, is preparing to throw a party to celebrate her architect husband, played by McGregor, as he unveils his latest masterpiece. Their vulnerable union is shattered by the unexpected arrival of Matilda, a former student of Henry's with whom he shared an intimate connection. Grace, what do we gotta do to get Ewan McGregor on Broadway? Like, why can he play Christian in Moulin Rouge? Just let him play Christian in Moulin Rouge.
- [15:00]
Grace Ake
Let him come see it first. No, I think that the closest thing we would get is a good night in good luck scenario, you know what I mean? Where he's adapting a film of some kind for the stage in a Shakespeare. I have told you the story of when I encountered him at my place of work when I was working in Soho and I was like, God, that man is so gorgeous. He looks so familiar. But what a weird accent. Could not place it, did not realize until it was far too late. And I had been helping him and his girlfriend at the time. Didn't know that was going on. But yeah, it was. It was really, really. He was so nice. But yeah, just get him into the Scottish player something. Do train spotting live. I don't care, just do something.
- [15:45]
Matt Tammini
Trains spotting live. Remember that thing from a few years ago? Yeah, he is Scottish, so that accent can be a little thick at times. I mean, look, I know it's not going to happen, but let him play Ziddler. Let him play Ziddler and Moulin Rouge. He would do it. He seems fun. Like, he seems like a fun guy. I think he'd be up for it. One night. One night only, I guess. Oh, well. The last little bit of news, Grace, that I want to mention is the Broadway League has announced its new president and it is its current president, actually, if you'll remember, Charlotte St. Martin retired from the organization in February. Since then, Jason Lax has been running the Broadway League as the interim president. He will now officially take on the role as president full time. He has been a part of the Broadway League on and off since 2012. He rejoined in 2021 as General Counsel and executive vice president for labor relations. He had previously been the senior vice president at NBC Universal. So he comes to the Broadway League with a lot of entertainment experience. He is generally going to be the person who I complain about the most, probably going forward, unless he can actually do things competently, unlike Charlotte St. Martin. All right, Grace, that's all I have. I don't have a recommendation, but like you always say, go see a show. There's so much out there. So many of these things are of these shows, especially the ones that don't have huge advances, don't have huge marquee value, don't have huge IP attached huge stars. They count on huge holiday months to be able to sustain them throughout the dark and cold. January, February and into March month. So if you have the opportunity, go see shows, whether it's on Broadway, go see shows off Broadway from theaters that you might not normally visit, the ones that don't have these huge endowments, go see shows that need butts in seats the most. So there are certainly plenty of those. If you have questions on what we would recommend, feel free to send us an email at either Matt or Grace at Broadway Radio. And we would love to send that information out. All right. That's all that we have for today. Thanks for listening to TODAY on Broadway. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Audrey Radian, you can follow me on Instagram @ww Matt, Grace, where can people find you?
- [17:49]
Grace Ake
You can find me at its Grace Hockey.
- [17:51]
Matt Tammini
All right, everybody, have a wonderful Wednesday. We'll be back to talk to you tomorrow.