Profile for Jonathan Cohen

It's strange that the Times, even in an internal memo, announced these changes before locking down the four's new roles or if they'd accept them. 

I wonder if the massive amount of comments supporting bootlegs on the Instagram post are coming from actual Heathers fans? The reason I'm suspicious is because so much of the argument is about the inaccessibility of theater and the lack of pro-shots, like they're unaware the Heathers: The Musical pro-shot has been available for free on Roku since 2022.

That was exactly the situation. Great Comet was toast on Broadway no matter what, casting Patinkin was just a short-term fix. I think the reason some people are still fixated on it 8 years later is because getting to see Patinkin in the role during those 3 weeks would have been really cool. There's no version of events where the show was going to survive long-term.

I don't necessarily need George and Dot talking to me, but staging Sunday in the Park outdoors in an actual public park would be really cool. I loved it with Sweeney Todd, and this would make more thematic sense.

PipingHotPiccolo said: "this made me laugh out loud. i pointed out that as miserable a person Rudin is, he is not a criminal, an important distinction that seems to get lost--he was never accused of anything that crossed a line into something actionable in either criminal or even civil court."

Rudin is not a convicted criminal but it's not accurate to say he never did anything that crossed the line legally. He threw a stapler at an assistant. In 2017, a man in Long Island was charged with assault for throwing a stapler at a restaurant employee. Rudin threw a baked potato at an assistant's head. Earlier this year, a man in Pennsylvania plead guilty to assault for throwing a potato at a boy. 

The vast majority of things that are legally actionable, aren't brought to court for any number of reasons, and I don't have a clue if Rudin could have been convicted of assault. But 100% he crossed the line beyond just being a mean boss. 

Kad said: "Headley would likely have had a much easier time selling tickets for a week. She is far better known and more exciting to people than Glover. That's no shade on Glover as a performer- but she simply does not have the same reach. They're not comparable in terms of draw."

If history is a precedent, Headley, Glover, and Patina Miller should have just shared the role.

Call_me_jorge said: "BJR said: "Y’all is this the same industry that didn’t ask anyone involved in MJ about, well, MJ? Who would be asking Metcalf about Rudin?"

Michael Jackson is dead and the money goes to his estate, i.e. his children."

The press did ask people involved in MJ about it, at least to some extent. Playwright Lynn Nottage said she thought Wade Robson and James Safechuck were telling the truth about being abused by Jackson, but she has no way of 100% knowing, and she's not judge and jury. 

Personally, I think that answer is morally flawed and self-serving. There's a different burden of proof for criminal charges and choosing to make a musical aggrandizing an alleged pedophile. But the question was asked and answered. 

Regarding Rudin being a totally different situation from MJ because Jackson is dead, that's true in someways but not others. Jackson's kids, who did nothing wrong might be beneficiaries of Jackson's estate, but the estate is also in active litigation around the alleged child abuse. For example, Wade Robson and James Safechuck have civil suits against the estate set to go to trial in 2026. 

The biggest reason I personally won't see MJ is because the profits can be used to fight sexual abuse victims in court.

Scott Rudin's return to Broadway will be Samuel D. Hunter’s Little Bear Ridge Road this October, with Laurie Metcalf and Joe Mantello directing. 

It's a Steppenwolf transfer, but Steppenwolf has opted not to participate in the Broadway version. No clue if that's related to Rudin or another reason.  

The most interesting thing about Cher is Cher, as opposed to say Neil Diamond, Donna Summer, and Carole King, who have a better catalogue of songs, but less dynamic personalities. A Cher jukebox musical with an original story sounds like a very self-defeating idea.

smallvillefan16 said: "Anyone else think Ariana DeBrose will be offered Broadway if she's now available? Rachel is a very talented singer but I can't imagine American audiences clamoring to see her. She's one of the least liked actors in America--- Ariana is loved by the public and broadway."

Zegler was in one Broadway show, Romeo + Juliet, and it recouped. The only evidence that exists is that she's a draw on Broadway.