Profile for Jonathan Cohen

Georgeanddot2 said: "It sounds like you approached Audra's Rose with impenetrable preconceived notions about how that character should be played, instead of engaging with that performance on it's own terms. And yes, people who listened to a bootleg have largely dominated the conversation surrounding this performance. So much so, that the production has told the staff to be really super serious about phones being out during the show. It is IN MY OPINION (apparently we must mak

Georgeanddot2 said: "Jonathan Cohen said: "I thinkAudra McDonald is a better actress in a vacuum, but whatScherzinger is doing is SunsetBlvd. is more interesting and successful."

Respectfully, this isn't even slightly true.

I think Nicole is successful and interesting within that show, but I need us to be so serious here. When those two performances are looked at side by side, it's obvious who is giving the more interesting, layered, c

I think Audra McDonald is a better actress in a vacuum, but what Scherzinger is doing is Sunset Blvd. is more interesting and successful. 

But big picture, I find it kind of interesting so many people assume this is a two woman race when shows like Redwood, Operation Mincemeat, Smash, Boop!, The Last 5 Years, and Real Women Have Curves haven't even begun previews yet. 

In contrast, actors are rarely even considered for Oscar nominations unless they&#

If you focus just on how the essay begins and ends, it's actually pretty funny. 

Matt Wolf, who lives in London thought Tammy Faye was great but American critics thought it was awful. If Matt Wolf was wrong about that show, what else could he be wrong about? 

It turns out when Jesse Green was directing plays in college, Matt Wolf gave Green a mixed review. Green admits that review is a big scar and is still trying to process why critics in England are oft

joevitus said: "raddersons said: "The sashes discussed in the article kinda gave me the ick"

Same."

In the second act, they largely switch to a lapel ribbon with the letter "W" on it instead of the sashes. In the Trocadero scene when Julie quits so Magnolia can take her job, Julie take off her "W". Maybe this is supposed to symbolize Julie has given up trying to pass? 

When Magnoli

I was at, what I believe was the first performance of Show/Boat: A River last night. The first half especially was a tough watch. The people sitting both to the right and left of me left at intermission and didn't come back. I'm glad leave I didn't but did consider it. 

The basic problem was most of the major changes they make takes you out of the story, instead of modernizing it. Except for Joe and Queenie, there's color-blind casting for the ro

Shows I completely loved

1. Stereophonic

2. The Heart of Rock and Roll

3. Maybe Happy Endings 

4. Appropriate

5. The Life and Slimes of Marc Summers 

(A producer for this Tweeted in a barely blind item that getting verbally abused by a washed up kids host for his off-Broadway show flopping was his worst experience of 2024. Seeing the show was a huge amount of fun, even if it wasn't behind-the-scenes.)&

Wick3 said: "I’m also surprised how the critics mention pricing especially when the show is able to sell tickets at tho prices.

Had they sold this at a cheaper price, scalpers would have bought those tix and resell them for $500-$800, keeping the profits."

According to the The Broadway League data for the week ending December 22, the top ticket for the show was $425 with an average of $171.38 per ticket. 

While yeah, on the website t

A stray thought in the context of Gypsy trying to deal with the cast out sick problem: "All In: Comedy About Love" is successfully charging Broadway prices for a staged reading. Yet I'd be far more agreeable to paying Broadway prices for a staged reading where Renée Elise Goldsberry is playing Rose and Richard Kind is playing Herbie. 

Maybe covers doing fully blocked shows doesn't have to be the only contingency plan for flu season.&nbs

I'll use TodayTix occasionally for rush tickets, and have gotten the best deals winning their lotteries. Like I saw the first Off-Broadway performance of Merrily We Roll Along for $30 because I won the lottery. Or more recently I got a front row center lottery seat to the Harry Potter play for $40. 

But other than that, I'll only buy through TodayTix if my wife and I need tickets that aren't last minute, so we can hire a sitter. The ticket prices are reasonable but not

I was at tonight's show, which I guess was the first post initial cancelation performance, and from my vantage point in the mezzanine it looked like a full house. 

There was a lot I liked about the show: John Gallagher's random Delco accent, I was really impressed with Adrian Blake Enscoe singing, the set was really cool if functionally limited, and The Avett Brothers songs generally worked for me. 

But man, John Logan who is a super accomplished writer really

JasonC3 said: "I haven't seen TEETH yet but for me, coherence has been lacking a bit in Jackson's other efforts. I wonder if that just isn't important to him or if he needs creative partners to help him find or hone it."

In theory, working with a creative partner could make Jackson's work more coherent. However, Anna K. Jacobs cowrote the book and wrote the music for Teeth. It's sounds like Teeth was a 50/50 collaboration and it's tonally

I caught today's matinee and definitely felt some disconnect between who Rose is as a character and how Audra McDonald was singing. The world's pushiest stage mom sounding like she's singing Show Boat doesn't really fit. 

But it's not really a problem I can get that worked up over. Hearing McDonald sing beautifully but in a way that takes me out of the story is a luxury problem. And to some extent maybe it did fit the story?

One interesting thi