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Today on Broadway: Wednesday, March 26, 2025
‘Old Friends’ Extends on Broadway, Atlantic Theatre to Resume Season, JLo’s ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’ Film Gets Fall Release Since 2016, “Today on Broadway” has been the first and only daily podcast recapping the top theatre headlines every Monday thr...
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- [00:02]
Matt Tammini
Welcome to Today on Broadway for Wednesday, March 26, 2025. I'm Broadway Radio's Matt Tammini and I'm.
- [00:07]
Grace Aki
Tell me on the Sunday podcast, Grace Aki.
- [00:09]
Matt Tammini
Grace, I'm going to have a couple of interviews in the podcast feeds. One of them is already out by the time you hear this. It'll already be out in the feeds. But on Tuesday afternoon, I spoke with friend of the show Jasmine Forsberg just hours before the first preview of Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends on Broadway. She talked about working with so many legends in that show, what the process was like for her to even be involved with it, which was kind of crazy and much, much more. So check out that interview. And then I've also got one that I did with three Broadway favorites, Dan DeLuca, Jen Cody and Kyle Taylor Parker about their production of Guys and Dolls at the Malt's Jupiter Theater. So that'll be coming out later today. So make sure you listen to those and check out both of those shows whether you're in New York or South Florida. There are definitely good things to see. But speaking of old friends, Grace, just literally like an hour or so after I got off with Jasmine, the Manhattan Theater Club announced that they were extending the show for two extra weeks as of now. So it is currently scheduled to run through June 15th. When we talked about it earlier this week, we said it's scheduled to close on June 1, which seemed a little weird considering that was a week before the Tonys. But it is now scheduled to play at least for two extra weeks. When I spoke with Jasmine, she said that it is at most a 16 week run. So I guess that's four months from today. So I guess that could be, you know, another month to five weeks of available extensions for this show if that ends up happening. But Grace, this is not one you're working on because it's Manhattan Theater Club show. So where does this one fall on your in terms of your excitement level for spring things? It's a review, but it's also like legends upon legends upon Legends, I think.
- [02:04]
Grace Aki
Well, here's the thing. This has nothing to do with this show in particular, by the way, but I am not, I'm not like a concert goer. I am not somebody who generally goes to these like, oh, you'll never get to see so and so again. I think that one of the only times I was like, oh my God, I have to go was like Bernadette and Mandy did this like tour once, like years ago that I was wanting.
- [02:28]
Matt Tammini
To go that's different than the Patty and Mandy one. Because I saw the Patty.
- [02:31]
Grace Aki
No, I for sure would never go to that. But I think that, like, no, no, it's just not on my list. But I think that, like, so. So I know that there is a massive audience for things like this. Like, things that, like, Kennedy center has done in the past or those types of things I enjoy watching from my home. Like. Like Carnegie Hall. Like, those things are not, like, on my general, like, priority list. Like, generally, you know, like, I'm a playgoer. I'm, like, seeing the storytelling people in. In. In gorgeous outfits and standing at a microphone, exciting for some people. It's just not one of those things that I hierarchy prioritize. However, I'm excited for this. I like that. I like the. The cast that they've assembled. I'm interested to see what they are doing. I think more so than anything, I'm curious, and I already have plans to see it. I'm very excited about that. But, yeah, so I just think that these types of kind of, like, special events shows and also, like, kind of similar to what City center does. There is a huge, massive, very excited audience for this. I am not implying that I am not, you know, but I just know that I am more in the minority excitement in that space. But I'm curious to see what they're doing in general. So I'm. I'm. I'm happy that I will be sat and I will have thoughts on this.
- [03:43]
Matt Tammini
Yeah, I don't think that this is necessarily like a. A Park and Bark concert. I do think there's costumes and they're doing performances, so it's not just like a. A 54 sings Stephen Sondheim kind of thing. But I definitely understand what you're saying, that there's. There's different levels that you know, and when you think of a review, it's much different than a review is probably a little bit different than a concert, but it's also, you know, different than a song cycle and different than an actual show. So I definitely understand where you're coming from with trying to prioritize more of the larger storytelling than you would maybe get in this. But still looking forward to it. I'll be seeing this as the very last show on my upcoming trip, and I could not possibly go with anybody other than our favorite Sondheim obsessive Ashley Steves. So we'll be seeing that one together in a little over a week. One thing, Grace, that I know that you are probably just as excited about As I am. Yesterday, the Atlantic Theater Company announced its plans to resume its 2024, 2025 season. We've talked about this a number of times. We remember back in January, they had two shows that were actually in previews, Grief Camp. And I'm assuming you know David Greenspan, when IATSI instituted a strike against the Atlantic Theater Company as they were working on a contract agreement, as we talked about before, a few weeks ago, they have come to an agreement. Everybody is back to work, and now we know when their entire season is going to be seen. The two shows that were in performances when the strike started will begin here very shortly. I'm assuming you knew. David Greenspan will kick off on March 29 and is currently scheduled to run through April 30. Then grief camp will begin on April 5 and is currently slated to run through May 11. Two other shows that are part of this season that have had to have their schedules kind of changed will be a freaky introduction that'll begin performances on May 16th and is slated to play through June 22nd. And then Low country will play from June 4th through July 13th. So this is one of those things. Race. We talk so much about the dichotomy of how organized labor standing up for their workers can do incredibly good things for those workers, but can also have incredibly large ripples and then waves into the rest of. Of. Of the community that they work with. So I'm very excited to see that we are now going to have the opportunity to not only continue the Atlantic season, but I was. I was really, you know, kind of heartbroken for the two shows that had to stop their runs. But I'm very glad that the Atlantic is committed to bringing those artists back and giving them an opportunity to tell their stories.
- [06:17]
Grace Aki
You know, what's funny is that, like, I. I feel like we are now in a place where we are talking more than ever about these kind of unionized regulations and commitments and things like that. I think that, you know, with the Here lies love, music, union, etc. Commotion, and news of it all, I think genuinely, and I know that there have been things in the past, but this feels like more of a movement that people are being more vocal and honest, whereas these things, I think in the past would have been swept under the rug. So I really commend everybody a part of it for being very transparent and supportive in this time.
- [06:51]
Matt Tammini
All right, let's go. From one Off Broadway theater company that we love to another. And yesterday, the New York Theater Workshop announced the complete cast for its Upcoming New York premiere of Lights Out, Nat King Cole. This is a show that has played multiple cities around the country for a while now, but it is finally coming to New York, where to begin performances on April 13, and it's currently slated to run through June 15. We already knew that Patricia McGregor is directing. She co wrote the show with Colman Domingo playing Nat King Cole will be the great star of stage and screen, Dulay Hill, along with Daniel J. Watts as Sammy Davis Jr. They're going to be joined by some incredible performers including Crystal Joy Brown, Kathy Fitzgerald, Ruby Lewis, Kanetta Miller, Elliot Maddox, Christopher Ryan, Grant Makai Richardson, and Walter Russell iii. The show is going to have choreography by Edgar Gatineau and tap choreography by Jared Grimes, which is always something exciting. I've loved Dule Hill forever, you know, going from the West Wing to Psych and all of the theater stuff that he's done and then a ton of other TV shows that I know he's been on. Wonder Years suits, all of that. So I don't have a trip planned to see this one, but I kind of feel like the Dulet Daniel Watts, Colman Domingo combination of all of those things makes it something that might be worth coming up and seeing.
- [08:18]
Grace Aki
Grace, oh, my God, my heart stopped when I heard about this, like, legitimately. I don't know. I know I've told this story on Broadway radio before, but I'm going to do it again. Famously, when I was, like, 11 years old, maybe, I was watching an episode of Smart Guy, which was on the Disney Channel, and it was about Taj Maury, who was. Or Maury. I think it's actually Maury. I just watched an episode where he was talking about it. That clip.
- [08:40]
Matt Tammini
Right, I saw that too. Yeah, him and Sarah Snook.
- [08:43]
Grace Aki
Yes. Listen, we're learning a lot, but so he was, you know, he's the smart guy. And then one episode, he, like, took tap lessons with Dulay Hill, and Dulay Hill, like, played this, like, cool, like, teenager that was like, a tap dancer. It changed my brain. I literally immediately asked my mom to put me in tap classes. She did. I was terrible. It was expensive. And I stopped until I was, you know, in high school. But all this to say, like, he literally inspired young people from this little episode of TV onward and in everything he does after midnight, all those things. So I'm a massive fan of what he has done as a performer, as an artist, as an actor, as a comedian, and as a dancer. So this was very exciting. Also, Colman Domingo, man, if you weren't gay anyways, but like I'm obsessed with him top to bottom. So this is very exciting and I hope that we can all see this.
- [09:35]
Matt Tammini
Okay, let's stick off Broadway. And this is one that I've been excited about for a while but wasn't able to share. But yesterday they announced a new extension and new stars of Joy Behar's show, My First Ex Husband that is playing at the newly rente MMAC Theater on West 60th Street. We already know that the show has had this big group of fantastic stars that have been coming in and out. The new group that is actually starting today is going to be Vann Cox, Jackie Hoffman, Caroline McCormick and Andrea Nevado, who is one of my favorites from Jane the Virgin. We already knew about them. But the new group that is announced with this extension that'll be taking over on April 23rd includes two time Oscar nominee Marcia Mason, Benja K. Thomas, who is most recently seen on Broadway in Fathom, Saturday Night Live alum Julia Sweeney and friend of the show Mary Lou Henner. They are going to run from April 23rd through May 18th. So if you want more information about that, you can head over to the Show Notes. All right, let's dive into last week's Broadway grosses. Grace, the main stem, picked up two new shows last week to come in at 33 total shows on the boards. That helped GROSSES Increase by 10%, again helped by Spring break and all of that kind of stuff. But they did gross over $41 million, coming at 41,111,958 bucks. There were 298,176 people who saw Broadway shows last week. But despite a 10% increase in grosses, a 7% increase in attendance, the average ticket price only increased 2% to come in at $137.88. But as I talked, I've been talking about a lot here lately. We are seeing more and more shows north of $2 million. Good night and Good Luck is lapping the field at this point because they did $3,305,240 in just seven performances. So we will see what happens when they I'm assuming I haven't looked at their schedule, to be honest with you though, I'm assuming they're going to get up to eight. Maybe they're not, but either way they're doing incredibly well. Wicked was second at 2.5 million. Othello was in third just a little under at 2.5. But of course they have all of the opening night stuff and whatever comps they did ahead of time, although they didn't invite a ton of people, but that probably made an impact at least a little bit. That is followed by Glengarry glen Ross at 2.2 million and then Hamilton at 2 million. And then the Lion King just under it a little bit less at 2.06 million. The rest of the shows, north of a million dollars in descending order are the Outsiders, Gypsy, Aladdin, Cabaret, mj, the Great Gatsby. Death becomes her cursed child. Picture of Dorian Gray in just seven performances. Oh Mary, Hell's Kitchen, Sunset Boulevard, Moulin Rouge and Ann Juliet. The Book of Mormon was like two tickets away. I will throughout the last five years, only did five performances, but they did bring in $731,535. So if you extrapolate that to eight shows, that will come in at 1.17 million. John Proctor is the villain, only did three shows. It pulled in just a little under $191,000. So not a ton, but that would extrapolate to 509,000 over an eight show week. In total though, this is a great number. 27 of Broadway's 33 shows played to 90% capacity or more. Oh Mary, Operation Mincemeat, OThello, the last five years and Wicked were all at 100%. In between 100% and 101% were the picture of Dorian Gray, Hadestown, Glengarry Glen Ross. John Proctor is the villain and Hamilton. Then Goodnight and Good luck was at 101.17%. And the outsiders, I don't know how they keep doing it. They gotta be cooking the books or cramming people into places that they normal probably shouldn't. And maybe the fire marshal needs to get out there, but they were in at 102.34%. All right, Greece, let's go from the stage to the screen. And we've been hearing a lot about this one, especially since it made its world premiere at the Sunset Film Festival. But it now appears that the big screen adaptation of Kiss of the Spider Woman has inked a distribution deal with Roadside Attractions, Lionsgate and LD Entertainment and that they will officially release the film probably later this year. They have not said exactly when, but all of the signs are saying that it will get a wide release later this year, presumably for some sort of awards pushes. The last time JLO did a did a movie, at least a big movie, was Hustlers. And many, many people, myself included, thought that she was robbed of an Oscar Nomination. So this very well could be, especially with the success of Wicked this past year, another one where she could be in the conversation for an Oscar. Grace, I mean, do you think. Do you think that having this and Wicked will hurt either of them? They're both musicals, but they're so different in terms of the style and the context of the shows. I don't necessarily see these two shows, these two movies or performances with her and Cynthia, like, canceling each other out at all. Do you?
- [14:35]
Grace Aki
No. I mean, it's weird to put, like, these women in, like, these roles, like, against each other because I don't think that we had the same idea for like, Emilia Perez and Wicked. You know what I mean? So I think that they can all coexist. I really. I think that they're totally different audiences, to your point. I think they're totally different pieces. One is a mammoth of an enterprise. It's like one of. It's the most financially successful musical of all time. Like, worldwide. Kissing the Spider Woman is so much more from. From today's terms. Is so much more intimate and boutique and like vintage. Like, it's not. It's like, you know, even if they did Sweet Charity today in a film version, I still think it would garner the same thing. It's not the same as Wicked in terms of, like, notoriety for modern audiences, even though it was big at one time. Right. So I think that this is totally different. I'm interested. Listen, I think JLO is amazing in Hustlers. I think she's a good actor. People can fight me in the streets on that. I don't care. She's. I mean, listen, I don't know how, as an actor, how do you get through all those marriages? You have to be a good actor. She's amazing. And I think that. I think this is going to be good. I actually think it's going to be good. And if I'm wrong. Yeah.
- [15:54]
Matt Tammini
That you. You will turn in your film girly credentials if that is the case. Okay. Staying on screen. Apparently it has been of confirmed by the Hollywood Reporter. There have been rumblings of this. I think we talked about it at one point too, but it sounds like Kenny Leon and Denzel Washington are discussing at least, if not effectively working towards doing a film adaptation of Othello. And they are hoping that Jake Gyllenhaal will come along for the ride. Nothing official yet. Of course, Kenny Leon said in there that film and theater are two different art forms, but they would be focusing on the story as it tells the same truth. Whether, you know, on stage or on screen. So while the reviews for the stage version weren't great, obviously if you take that story, he said it would still be set in the near future, but if they told it a different way, maybe it would have a little bit better response. I loved Denzel in Macbeth, so I know that he can handle a filmed version of Shakespeare. So we will see what happens if this potentially ends up coming to a screen in the future. And then finally, Grace, this is a little bit of a different of a recommendation, but we talked previously about the fact that the Todd Haynes Theater is going to close down for eight months as they undergo renovations. Well, Broadway News has some more details about what those renovations are going to include. They dive into, like, all the different upgrades, the accessibility features they're going to do, including like an electromagnetic signal that is going to help deaf and hard of hearing patrons get the direct sound from the theater into their hearing aids. So if you want to check out all of those details, we will have the show notes for you to take a look at. All right, everybody, that's all that we have for today. Thanks for listening to Today on Broadway. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Broadwayrading. Follow me on Instagram @BW. Matt Grace, where can people find you?
- [17:45]
Grace Aki
You can find me at. It's Grace Hockey.
- [17:47]
Matt Tammini
All right, everybody, have a wonderful Wednesday. Check out those interviews in the feeds and we will be back to talk to you tomorrow.