Sieber was out of the matinee today. Simard and Sieber are both out of the evening show. Natalie Charle Ellis on as Helen; Bud Weber as Ernest. (Hilty on as scheduled.)
"Fallon’s brief stint in the production – his one-week performance ended February 2 – saw the weekly grosses jump by a huge 46% over the previous week, landing at $2,080,707, easily topping the Hudson’s previous house record for a play of $1,708,653 set by the 2022 Sarah Jessica Parker-Matthew Broderick production Plaza Suite."
"The late-night talk host’s appearance also seems to have driven up ticket prices for the show: The average ticket price was $268.69, twice the price of nearly every other show on Broadway, including big musicals like Gypsy starring Audra McDonald and Disney’s The Lion King, though the latter was surely impacted by Broadway’s two-for-one Broadway Week promotion, which draws families."
"Yet, for all its savvy reinvention of show tunes, the production’s handling of race strikes a discordant note. The TV series knowingly engaged with the way musicals of the ’40s and ’50s marginalized or caricatured characters of color without giving in to what the historian E.P. Thompson called “the enormous condescension of posterity.” And although it’s still engaged with the subject — the songs “Somewhere Love Is Waiting for You,” “He’s a Queer One, That Man of Mine,” and “I Thought I Was the Only One” sidle up to rather than soft-shoe away from prickly topics — the subtle self-awareness has been diminished for the stage. To state the obvious: Casting a white actor as Josh diminishes the opportunities for the show to probe these problems. Lines from the TV series about “color-blind casting” and “miscegenation” have vanished, as has Mildred Layton’s testy observation that Josh and Melissa make an “exotic couple.” Gone, too, is a scene in which Josh trades confidences with Emma Tate, the Black schoolmarm, about the “menace” Mrs. Layton. When Keegan-Michael Key’s character says to Emma, “So she’s got a problem with you, too … Yeah, that lines up,” there’s a flash in her anthracite eyes, as if he’s picked at a scab she never knew she had; no such tête-à-tête transpires in the Kennedy Center version (which, unlike the show, keeps the schoolroom set sparse, with no Abraham Lincoln portrait). On TV, when Josh presents Carson (Ayaan Diop), the lisping toddler town crier and Emma’s ward, with a kazoo he tells the boy: “When I was in school to be a doctor … there wasn’t anybody like me in my whole group. And to tell the truth, it got pretty lonely sometimes.” In the musical, the sentiment is genericized into: “The other kids made fun of me when I was your age too.”"
The show released a brief clip from the onstage version of For the Gaze on its Youtube channel. Interesting timing after the Tonight Show appearance. Wanting to give a sense of how it really plays onstage?
I enjoyed the Tonight Show performance, but Hilty, while showing no signs of giving less than 100%, did seem a bit lower energy than when I've seen her in the show, so it seems like she's still recovering a bit from her illness.
I was worried showing the number on TV would spoil it for people, but honestly, it was such a smaller scale version that I think seeing it in the show, where everything is bigger, will still have an impact.
Also, getting caught up on BlueSky, so apologies if this is been posted before. Ben Brantley gets less attention these days than when he was at the NYT, but I completely agree with his take on this, which was one of my very favorite songs in the show too.
"Condon made a key change from the book and musical where Molina was basically either telling the story of his love for the star, or ruminating on her many different films. Here he has created a single movie musical, Kiss Of The Spider Woman in which Ingrid as her character Aurora is caught in the feathery plot between two men, Kendall Nesbit and Armando before also becoming the title character. In essence the director has shot a gritty prison drama combined with an all glam and grand technicolored MGM musical of the sort we saw play out regularly in the 40’s and 50’s. It’s an inspired change and gives this take even more of a reason to exist as a piece of cinema, not just one transferred from stage to screen. To work, we have to become invested in both, and thanks in no small part to this extraordinarily talented cast we are.
To pull this off Condon had to jettison some of the show’s songs, mostly those in prison, but it is more than made up for , and in fact enhanced, by the dazzling movie musical on view with some 11 production numbers where it is Lopez, Lopez, Lopez who has the whole package – singing, dancing, acting – she has never gotten the opportunity to show on screen in this way. "
‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’ Review: Jennifer Lopez Is an Out-of-this-World Diva in a Musical Movie That Struggles to Land Back on Earth
Sundance: Tonatiuh gives a breakout performance in Bill Condon's musical, but what's a star-making turn with such an un-cosmic production surrounding it?
‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’ Review: Jennifer Lopez Provides Welcome Escape From Grim World of Argentine Prisoners
Director Bill Condon, who adapted Kander and Ebb with 'Chicago,' offers a fresh take on the duo’s 1992 musical, casting Diego Luna and stellar new face Tonatiuh as cell mates of seemingly different minds.
‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’ Review: Bill Condon’s Uneven Adaptation of the Kander and Ebb Musical Shines Brightest in Jennifer Lopez’s Dazzling Star Turn
Diego Luna plays a political prisoner during Argentina’s military dictatorship, with Tonatiuh as the gay cellmate who escapes harsh reality by retreating into movie fantasy.
Hilty definitely did, and presumably Simard did too. BroadwayDirect has been good about listing absences and has last night's notice about Hilty being out on the 24th but nothing for today. They should both be in.
ACL2006 said: "Huss417 said: "tomwsjr said: "Sorry to say but, Megan missing out on so many performances disqualifies her from being nominated for a Tony Award in such a competitive year!"
Just a ridiculous statement. You don't even know what the issue might be that she is missing performances. Sort of reminds me when the Princess Kate speculations of where she was and we know how that turned out."
not at the moment. Kaleigh's been on for a week now plus several performances prior. Nothing crazy. but if Megan misses numerous weeks, it'll disqualify her since Kaleigh performed the role more than Megan."
Unless you have a new rulebook, you're wrong again.
The minimum number of performances in this case is 32 since the show opened before April 15. Hilty is the opening date performer. She has already performed in more than 32 performances. Even if Cronin ultimately performed more, it wouldn't disqualify her. (Whether the voters hold it against her or don't see her is another matter.)
gibsons2 said: "binau said: " Look at this thread, all I’ve tried to do is point out the obvious antisemitism coming from some of the left right now, and trying to get some common sense that Elon musk is not a Nazi and you’re all turning into a pack of vicious wolves. This is madness. You need to all calm down please."
Musk is not a Nazi? In whose universe? You aren't getting a free Tesla by licking his boots on here." <
KJisgroovy said: "Given the most recent response, I'm unsure if Binau is doing it on purpose or is just genuinely unaware that they're reciting American conservative talking points."
I'm leaning toward the former, but the latter would simply indicate why someone who is not American has no business lecturing those who are about American culture and politics. As has been expressed to them multiple times by now.