The Broadway show thread where we discuss all things Broadway

[elgerber]

I have major issues with Oklahoma!. The content is dark, it just was never played as such until the recent revival. I do think the revival addressed a lot of the problem areas of the show. That said, I have no desire to ever see Oklahoma! again.

I haven't seen the old version since I was a child, so I didn't remember anything. I wanted to watch the movie version right after we saw this, but never got around to it.

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

I haven't seen the old version since I was a child, so I didn't remember anything. I wanted to watch the movie version right after we saw this, but never got around to it.

The Hugh Jackman filmed version from when he did it in London does delve into some of the dark stuff, but this 2019 revival was the darkest take

 

[Imzadi]

Last night, the Metropolitan Opera House opened it's new season with the Ukrainian national anthem. There is one, 24 year old baritone performer, Vlad Buialskiy, singing center stage, who is from Ukraine. His family is still in Ukraine. The Met Opera asked him to teach them the words so they could sing in solidarity with him and Ukraine and they dedicate the rest of the Met season to Ukraine and it's courage. The audience stood too. Standing up there singing, Vlad said it was one of the most emotional moments of his life.

Video: https://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/us-world-show-solidarity-ukraine-83215195

 

[Imzadi]

Almost all of the NYC mask and proof of vaccination mandates have been lifted in NYC, except for in public transportation: (buses, subway and trains,) in hospitals & nursing homes and when making doctor visits.

Yet, it is highly recommended to mask up when in large crowds.

Every private business has the right to institute whatever mandates they prefer.

As such, the Broadway Theatre League is still keeping their mask and vaccination mandates in effect until April 30. “Our current guidance is through April 30, and we are scheduled to update that guidance on April 1. Discussions are held weekly on our protocols, and at this point, there is no change to our guidance. We will, of course, let you know when it changes,” said Charlotte St. Martin, president of The Broadway League.


https://playbill.com/article/broadw...-place-as-new-york-lifts-its-own-requirements

 

[elgerber]

Almost all of the NYC mask and proof of vaccination mandates have been lifted in NYC, except for in public transportation: (buses, subway and trains,) in hospitals & nursing homes and when making doctor visits.

Yet, it is highly recommended to mask up when in large crowds.

Every private business has the right to institute whatever mandates they prefer.

As such, the Broadway Theatre League is still keeping their mask and vaccination mandates in effect until April 30. “Our current guidance is through April 30, and we are scheduled to update that guidance on April 1. Discussions are held weekly on our protocols, and at this point, there is no change to our guidance. We will, of course, let you know when it changes,” said Charlotte St. Martin, president of The Broadway League.


https://playbill.com/article/broadw...-place-as-new-york-lifts-its-own-requirements

our major theaters have kept theirs as well.

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

If a touring production is equity, you will be masked.
And to be honest, I think and hope the mask mandates for broadway will be in effect through June (Tony Awards) so nominees don’t risk missing the voters and so that if there is another spike it doesn’t cause an issue.

 

[Imzadi]

If a touring production is equity, you will be masked.
And to be honest, I think and hope the mask mandates for broadway will be in effect through June (Tony Awards) so nominees don’t risk missing the voters and so that if there is another spike it doesn’t cause an issue.

Any individual can still remain masked up any time. I have been seeing a good many still masked up in stores, on the streets before even going down to the subway. There will be a 2-3 week lag to see if the infection rate remains lower or hopefully drops further, now that the mandates have been lifted. I know I am waiting to see the numbers before making any changes. I have high risk people I am around and can't afford to get even a weak case of Covid and may accidentally infect them.

 

[Imzadi]

Ari Groover, the understudy on the Tina Turner musical, lost her wig Friday night, yet she didn't miss a beat and just kept on going!

https://twitter.com/x/status/1505026451669725185

 

[Imzadi]

After 104 years, the Drama Book Shop has finally opened an online store to order theatrical scripts, sheet music, etc. What took them so long?

https://shop.dramabookshop.com/

https://twitter.com/x/status/1507055023372611594

 

[WDWJDS]

Saw American Buffalo last night. Love the intimacy of Circle In The Square theater. Seats were front row, within arms reach of the actors. We enjoyed it immensely. Sam Rockwell is a hoot, and soooo good Oh, and Mr. Fishbourne and Mr. Criss were really good as well.

 

[CdnCarrie]

A month today I’m in NYC to see Plaza Suite! Can’t wait!

 

[Figment of Speech]

Saw American Buffalo last night. Love the intimacy of Circle In The Square theater. Seats were front row, within arms reach of the actors. We enjoyed it immensely. Sam Rockwell is a hoot, and soooo good Oh, and Mr. Fishbourne and Mr. Criss were really good as well.

Back in the early 2000s, I saw The Rocky Horror Show and an adaptation of Ovid's Metamorphoses (not to be confused with Kafka) at the Circle in the Square. It's a great theatre for getting that feeling of intimacy.

 

[Imzadi]

PSA: Keep an eye on your upcoming shows and if there even is a performance that night. Covid is still here. If you haven't heard, the "scottish play" had to be put on hold as Daniel Craig got Covid.

And the other night, Matthew Broderick also was tested to have Covid and his understudy played the role in Plaza Suite instead. SJP does not have Covid so she was still able to go on.

UPDATED: Tonight's performance of Plaza Suite has been cancelled.

 

[Imzadi]

Cross-posting here:

Tootsie Tony award winner, Santino Fontana and Broadway actress, Krysta Rodriguez, are starring in a Hallmark movie. Before you think "Ugh! Hallmark " this one is a good movie (for a Hallmark level movie.) Santino does a lot of incredible singing in the movie. (Krysta does some singing too.) It's NOT a musical. Just has a lot of music in it which showcases Santino really well. It's a cute romance movie.

The Hallmark Channel is re-airing the movie:
Tonight, Apr 7 at 8pm ET
Sun, Apr 10 at 12pm ET
Sat Apr 16 at 4pm ET

(It will probably re-air several more times in the coming weeks.)

 

[Imzadi]

The Broadway show, Aladdin dedicated their show last night to Gilbert Gottfried as he had played the original voice of Iago in the 1992 Disney animated film.

 

[KristiMc]

Saw The Music Man this past Saturday. It was amazing. Hugh Jackman, Sutton Foster and the whole cast had so much energy. Wonderful show.

 

[Imzadi]

The Broadway League has announced that all 41 Broadway theatres in New York City have extended the current mask requirement for audiences through at least May 31. Many Broadway houses, however, will no longer check vaccination status after April 30.

Theatregoers should consult the show website or point of purchase for information about proof of vaccination requirements for the Broadway show (or shows) they will be attending.

Charlotte St. Martin, president of The Broadway League, said in a statement, “Since resuming performances last fall, over five million attendees have seen a Broadway show, and the safety and security of our cast, crew, and audience has been our top priority. Our intention is that by maintaining strict audience masking through at least the month of May, we will continue that track record of safety for all. And, of course, we urge everyone to get vaccinated.”

Audience masking protocols for June and beyond will be announced in May.

Link: https://playbill.com/article/broadway-league-extends-mask-requirement-for-all-broadway-theatres

 

[Imzadi]

The Radio City Rockettes have announced that 2022 auditions will take place on Monday, April 18 at Radio City Music Hall, with callbacks on Tuesday, April 19 and Wednesday, April 20.

Dancers attending the audition could receive a coveted spot on The Rockettes line for the 2022 Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes, or an offer to attend the dance company's invite-only conservatory program, a week-long training intensive presented at no cost to participating dancers. Additionally, to create a more inclusive line by broadening the number of dancers eligible to become Rockettes, the organization is expanding the height requirement. The hieight requirement is lowering by an inch, changing from to 5'5"-5'10½".

Auditions will also be held in April for ensemble dancers in the 2022 Christmas Spectacular. Dancers interested in auditioning for The Rockettes or ensemble must register in advance at www.radiocityauditions.com.

 

[AllisonK]

I’ve seen a quite few shows lately. Back in January I saw Company and it was fantastic. I had never seen the original version of the show so I have nothing to compare it to, but honestly cannot imagine it works nearly as well with a male in the lead role.

I subscribe at Providence Performing Arts Center and we have had quite a few shows since January. First up was the tour of Jesus Christ Superstar (rescheduled from 2020). This isn’t one of my favorite shows but I really liked this new production. After Superstar was The Prom. I went in knowing nothing about it but I definitely enjoyed it! Two weeks after The Prom was Oklahoma. This got lots of negative reviews in Providence and almost everyone I know walked out at intermission. I actually do not like the original production at all (I find it slow and dragged out) and I really liked this new staging/reimagining. Was it for everyone? Nope. Was it thought provoking and entertaining? Yup. Following Oklahoma was Dear Evan Hansen, also rescheduled from 2020. I ended up skipping this one as my cat had been at the emergency vet the night before and I didn’t want to leave her home alone. My parents went and they enjoyed it - I had seen it in Boston about three years ago and enjoyed it then. Last week was Ain’t Too Proud, and this show was just so much fun. I had seen it when it first opened on Broadway a few years back and it really is good for a jukebox musical! Our next show is My Fair Lady in a few weeks.

This week I’m on school vacation so I took a solo trip to New York today. I ended up grabbing a mobile rush ticket for Mrs. Doubtfire this morning through TodayTix. I love the movie (I was in early elementary school when it came out, so I grew up with it!) and have seen several of the cast members in other shows, so I was looking forward to seeing it. I was not disappointed in the least. Rob McClure plays a heartfelt Daniel/Mrs. Doubtfire without copying Robin Williams. He works his tail off for two and a half hours. I’m so glad this show was able to come back from not only the Covid shutdown but also from their recent three-month hiatus.

This was my fourth trip to NYC since Broadway reopened, so since September I’ve seen Waitress (with Sara Bareilles), Wicked, Six, Little Shop of Horrors (off-Broadway), Company, and Mrs. Doubtfire. After My Fair Lady at PPAC in a few weeks I have tickets to see The Music Man in July! Definitely looking forward to that one!

 

[Araminta18]

Popping back in -- this has been my month for shows! Starting with the big one first - we got to see Music Man with Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster! I love the Music Man, as well as Hugh and Sutton, and had a great time. Sutton's voice isn't quite right for the songs, but she acted it so well. And Hugh is just Hugh - so charismatic and just doing a bangup job. I feel like the reviews were a bit harsh, but then I had a front row seat for $270, which is crazy bonkers but not $600. There is so much great dancing, but it never seemed to slow or bog the show down -- I really liked it. And since this is fundraising month for BC/EFA, they auctioned off Hugh and Sutton's gloves from the curtain call to raise money, and were selling signed poster cards.

Also got to see Six the Musical and Moulin Rouge back in the beginning of March. Six is a fantastic show - highly recommend it! Funny and very catchy songs. Moulin Rouge I mainly saw because I wanted to see Aaron Tveit, and because I figured the spectacle would be huge. Aaron Tveit was great, and the show was indeed a spectacle -- there were freaking fireworks coming out of the stage at the end of the opening number. The show itself kind of left me cold, but it was definitely a fun spectacle.

I also saw the recent touring production of Oklahoma last month -- I'm really glad I saw it but I have no desire to see it again. Kind of like the posters above -- Oklahoma is actually dealing with some pretty dark stuff, so it was nice to see a production actually grapple with that a bit.

We saw the national tour of Oklahoma today. My DH was in his high school production and while I know most of the music, I don’t recall seeing anything more than bits and pieces of the film. It’s one if DH’s favorites. We are almost speechless, glad we read about before we saw it, I would not have been prepared for the intensity of the show. it was dark and profound and I’m not sure how I’d feel now seeing the original. It would be hard to see it as uplifting and entertainment.

The cast was talented and the dance scene at the beginning of the second act was extremely athletic and captured your attention. the ending was shocking and we are still digesting it and the commentary it makes on societal issues of our times.

Have any of you seen it and what were your thoughts? On a side note, theater was only about 25% sold, very sad. Lady sitting next to us said she went to What the Constitution Means to Me here recently and there were 6 people on the Main Floor.

I swear answered this yesterday. We saw it a few months ago. Totally agree, it was VERY dark. It kept my attention, and I'm glad I saw it, but I can't say it totally enjoyed it. I wouldn't want to see it again. We were rather speechless when it was over, it sure wasn't a show where you feel happy and cheerful when the show is over, and the curtain call was very muted after that ending.

100% agree with both of these!

And on a side note - have you guys heard of the app Mezzanine? I found out about it a few months ago on one of the broadway message boards and fell in love. It's only for ios, but it's basically an app to keep track of the shows and concerts you're seeing. For someone like me, I LOVE being able to keep track and jot down my reviews and even add pictures. It's free and there are no ads (if you want to add pictures, you do have to become a patron, but everything else is free). Figured other theatre peeps might want to check it out: https://www.theaterdiary.com/