Profile for Rakesh Natarajan

Wick3 said: "Bill Snibson said: "I'm actually amazed by the numbers for Peter Pan Goes Wrong. Kudos to them for finding their audience."

Remember for most of April, Neil Patrick Harris was part of the cast of Peter Pan Goes Wrong. His last performance was this past Sunday so we'll see with next week's grosses if Peter Pan Goes Wrong has found its audience or not.

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Unless I'm mistaken, I thought his run was extended to the end of this week

https://playbill.com/article/neil-patrick-harris-extends-limited-run-in-peter-pan-goes-wrong

Fordham2015 said: "Patti LuPone FANatic said: "It's odd not seeing grosses for Phantom."

The Thanksgiving Play is also missing"

The Thanksgiving Play is now listed... and BroadwayWorld says that it had a weekly gross of $167. Either that's a mistake or 2nd Stage's marketing is truly that bad (jk... being sarcastic).

https://www.wsj.com/articles/white-girl-in-danger-review-michael-r-jacksons-soap-spoof-cea63a96?mod=opinion_reviews_pos2

https://nystagereview.com/2023/04/10/white-girl-in-danger-michael-r-jackson-musical-in-danger/

It seems like most reviews are mixed (leaning slightly more positive than negative)

Dollypop said: "Voter said: "Are there any loud noises or startling noises (gunshots, cannons) in the new Camelot on Broadway? I am going on April 15 and would love to know."



How many guns were around in the time period CAMELOT is set in?

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Sorkin talked about how he wanted this production to take place in England during the late 15th century. At that point, at least some firearms were present across Europe. For example, the earliest (extremely crude) matchlock guns in Europe have been dated to the early 15th century and by around 1470, Western Europe had what many would consider among the first modern European guns. IDK if these weapons were common or if they were even in England specifically. I'm definitely not an expert in firearms (and have never even fired a gun personally), so I can't really comment on any specifics of early European firearms. With that being said, to answer your question, there were definitely at least a handful of guns present in Europe during the time period when this production of Camelot takes place. 

But to answer the original question, as other people have said, there aren't any guns in the show. From what I can remember, the loudest noises are probably during a sword fight... but those noises aren't super loud or unexpected.

Does anyone know where the lottery seats are located or how difficult the lottery is to win? I know that one person (a few pages back in this thread) won the lottery, but was curious to see if anyone else on here had entered or won it since then.

Did a strange loop have any signed window cards or was it just playbills?

In the Hadestown Facebook group, the tour’s stage manager said that Lana is supposed to be with the tour until around November 20th. I’m assuming that this date probably isn’t set in stone and could change depending on Lana’s availability and how quickly Maria-Christina Oliveras recovers from her injury. 

It looks like Ain't No Mo is making its regional premiere at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre in DC this September/October. The DC production is also going to be transferring to Baltimore Center Stage (Oct 27 - Nov 20). The two regional productions list Lili-Anne Brown as the director, so it will probably be a completely different production than Broadway (and not just an out-of-town tryout). The Broadway production is directed by Stevie Walker-Webb, who also directed the show at the Public a few years ago.

It just seems a little unusual for a show to be debuting regionally (with a different director) a few months before it debuts on Broadway... especially since the Baltimore Center Stage and Broadway previews overlap a bit. Aren't performance rights usually restricted when a show is about to make its broadway debut?

I’m seeing the show at 3pm and can try to grab a couple of extras. I’ll let you know if I can get extras (from either people who left their playbills behind or from the ushers).

It seems like the tour has been canceled or, at the very least, postponed/rescheduled. Tickets are no longer available at the Bushnell (Hartford, their second stop) or the Kimmel Center (Philadelphia, their fourth stop). The Boch Center (Boston, their third stop) posted this message on their website: "Please be advised that all  performances of Emojiland - The Musical, originally scheduled for the Shubert Theatre on June 14-19, have been cancelled." 

YvanEhtNioj said: "I definitely think that these reviews paired with the word of mouth that it’s getting around the gay community will definitely help.

Re: Best Musical.
It’s been so long but didn’t Six get just as good reviews? I’m trying to imagine, based on reviews hypothetically , who will take the Tony.


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Six definitely had near the same number of positive reviews. However, I feel like the positive reviews for A Strange Loop are probably more vocal/overwhelmingly positive, giving it the edge. When reading the reviews for Six, I didn't really remember seeing any phrases like: 

"And yet, it seems as if there is no measure of praise that could be too much"

"May “A Strange Loop” run as long as “The Lion King.”"

"Not only does “Loop” belong on Broadway, it is by far the best new musical to open during this very strange theater season."

"But I’ll end with this: his stated aim in “A Strange Loop” is to amplify, with music and ideas, what it feels like to be a young, Black gay man in the creative melee of New York City, ever more removed from much of the rest of America. In that, he succeeds as no one has before."

"The saying “You’ve never seen anything like this before” is often overused in reviews. But when it comes to A Strange Loop, the shattering, electrifying debut musical from Michael E. Jackson that opened Tuesday at New York’s Lyceum Theatre, the phrase would be an understatement."

"The result is a triumphant assertion of individuality in a world that increasingly defines us by demography, largely for the purpose of selling us products and politicians. That makes A Strange Loop the best new musical of the Broadway season."

“WOW!” I thought to myself as my body leapt to its feet on its own volition to applaud A Strange Loop. “This must be how people who saw the first performances of Show Boat, Oklahoma!, Company, Rent, or Hamilton felt.” Though I’ve witnessed and studied the innovations in each of those musicals, none of them are as revolutionary as what Michael R. Jackson has accomplished with his Pulitzer Prize-winning musical, now making its Broadway debut."

 

However, I think the thing about this show... is that it is completely right about needing to appeal to white audiences. That's what (unfortunately) happens in commercial theater and the Tony voting audience is likely no exception to this. I still think the Tony race is undetermined, but I'd say A Strange Loop definitely has the edge on reviews.