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Audra McDonald-led GYPSY for 2024-2025 Season? Jan 5
2024, 10:16:34 PM
I'm just wondering if reviving this story with an all-Black cast is productive. I'm so, so, so for "non traditional" and "inclusive" casting. But I think by retelling the story of Gypsy Rose Lee, a real person who was white, with a Black body, we get into erasure territory. Things were so insanely segregated back then. I mean, Black face was a form of entertainment in that period of time. Black performers certainly did break through, but it was far and few in betwe
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Most Prominent Off-Broadway Musical Dec 12
2023, 12:00:04 AM
chrishuyen said: "The discussion in the Here We Are thread got me thinking, what's the most prominent/well-regarded musical that has never been on Broadway? I'm not talking things like Assassins or Little Shop which did eventually make it to Broadway in a revival, but things that have firmly stayed off-Broadway/regional and still manage to be significant today.
For the sake of the question, I'm considering mostly American shows, since there's a whole slew o
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ALMOST FAMOUS On Broadway - P/reviews Thread Oct 18
2023, 04:10:25 PM
ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "macbeth said: "Has this happened before post-Broadway?"
If you scroll up and read the thread you'll see multiple examples cited.
Among the many shows that have been revised after the initial Broadway run:
MERRILY
ADDAMS FAMILY
BIG FISH
FOOTLOOSE
GOLDEN RAINBOW
I CAN GET IT FOR YOU WHOLESALE
COMPANY
FOLLIES
THE S
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Sondheim/Ives HERE WE ARE @ The Shed Oct 18
2023, 04:04:20 PM
Jarethan said: "Saw this tonight and loved it. The cast was great, with special kudos to Jones, Diamond, Hyde Pierce, Ha and O’Hare (the latter more in Act 1, however).
I thought that Ives made a bigger contribution to my pleasure than Sondheim; on first hearing, the music seemed like minor Sondheim, although the lyrics were as always a source of pleasure. I didn’t like the choppiness of some of the early songs.
Highlights for me: Hyde Pierce’s
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Ivo Van Hove to direct stage adaptation of The Shining Mar 22
2022, 02:30:37 PM
Pardon my ignorance, but does Stiller have stage chops? I feel like I could see it, but I would worry about it being a Bruce Willis in MISERY situation. Unlike Paul Sheldon, Jack Torrence requires someone who can really go there--especially live.
Do I think Ivo is the best director for this? No. Do I still want to see the s_it out of it? Yes.
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Encores’ THE LIFE - Performances & Reviews Mar 22
2022, 12:54:26 PM
I saw it. The trump/reagan masks were by far, the lowest point in the evening. The sermons and preachiness of it all...everyone has pretty much nailed it. Some really great performances there, specifically Alexandra Grey, Antwayn Hopper, and Ledisi. Love, Love love Mykal Kilgore but his vocal talents were underused here.
I haven't seen the original, so I have nothing to compare it to, but all I have to say is aside from the change for:
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Rocky Horror Show? The sthe Mar 14
2022, 03:02:06 AM
Can anyone shed some light as to when exactly the feud with Sharman, O Brian, and Thompson went down? On Youtube, two vids of the OG touring production marked from '82 so I imagine it would've had to have been the late 80's/90's.
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Pamela Anderson To Make Broadway Debut In CHICAGO Mar 9
2022, 03:25:40 AM
I'm rooting for Pam hard - she's been treated like sh!t like everyone else has mentioned. However, that Santa Baby panto clip is not promising. Not trying to be disparaging but nothing in that video would indicate that she can do more than breathy Marilyn Monroe like singing and could carry 10 shows a week. But I'm prepared to have my expectations subverted and I seriously hope she kills it. She could use a win.
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Bad Shows vs. Being a Victim of their time? Mar 9
2022, 03:18:30 AM
Insofar as timing - I feel like BALLROOM, while not brilliant, came out at the wrong time. That kind of show just wasn't what people wanted in the late 70's, early 80's. Same with BAKER'S WIFE, THE RINK, HOUSE OF FLOWERS, STEEL PIER, WORKING. Definitely is the case for ASSASSINS and BAT BOY.
I'd argue that SIDE SHOW could also be in this category, though, I think there's also an argument to be made that SS is actually a fringe show that just requires a big set a
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History of theatrical licensing Mar 9
2022, 02:55:06 AM
I know I posted this a while ago, and I can't find the thread (I sifted through like 30 pages worth of past threads with the word licensing in it to try and find it) but I wanted to ask again since I couldn't remember the answer--how did theatrical licensing start? I know back in the day licensing companies would physically mail catalogues to people, I remember seeing them, but how far back does licensing for plays and musicals actually go? Does anyone know? I imagine that licensing s
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KIMBERLY AKIMBO to Broadway this Fall! Mar 9
2022, 02:42:37 AM
Synecdoche2 said: "The character does not have progeria. She has "an extremely rare genetic disorder" that they go out of their way not to mention, because it's a magical disease that does not exist. And this magical disease makes Kimberly Akimbo look like Victoria Clark/an old woman. There's no physical disconnect between what Clark looks like and what the character looks like."
In the original play, she does have progeria. I know it quite well. They do mention it by name. So even if they don't name it in the musical, it's still very obviously progeria. If the show wasn't always like that, then maybe that argument would hold up, but the OG does name it, therefore, it has the same affect in my mind.
I'm clearly in the minority here since everyone seems to think it doesn't matter, and all I'll say is that it's privileged to dismiss even the conversation behind this. If Kimberly's disease were something so far from reality and/or so specific, like Aquagenic urticaria which is only visible during flareups, this argument might hold up more--but my point remains. In the original play she has a "form of progeria". Progeria is a form of dwarfism, as I've already mentioned. To me, it seems fairly obvious that the closest thing to casting a person with progeria would be to cast a person with dwarfism.
I'd go so far as to say is that the reason a person with dwarfism isn't being considered it's because producers know that it would be a tough sell for a commercial audiences, since most people are repulsed by people with physical disabilities/abnormalities. For Peter D to be starring in CYRANO is a huge deal, and it took how long for that to happen? And he's only even in that role because he has a handsome face and therefore has a "palatable" version of dwarfism to most people.
I think what's especially insidious about it is that there is no excuse for a Broadway production not to cast someone with a Disability in a role that calls for an obvious physical disability that is part of the plot. You could make a case for a smaller theatre that doesn't have money or resources and wouldn't have the means to accomedate an actor with dwarfism (or two, most likely, since you'd ideally have an understudy). But Atlantic and Broadway have the money and have the resources. They just don't want to even attempt to do the work.
Even if you all completely disagree with me, which, fine, whatever--as JBroadway mentioned, "this would’ve been a great opportunity to write a lead role for a disabled actor." So even if you don't believe it bottom line HAS to be cast by a person who has a disability, it is an opportunity that at the very least, lends itself extremely well to that. And there is plenty of talented disabled people who could use the work.
I think it would be incredibly empowering move to display the version where Kimberly is a teenager who has a disability, because that's what she is. She's NOT an old woman. People with dwarfism and other noticeable physical disabilities deserve to be romantic leads, regardless if their characters are intentionally written that way or not. Ali Stroker and Madison Ferris in OKLAHOMA and GLASS MENAGERIE are proof that it can be done to great success, and at the very least, I think it's insanely disappointing that at no stage of development did they even TRY to see the material this way.
It's disappointing especially considering writers like DLA and Jeanine Tesori, who both have proven in their work that they care about and are sympathetic to people with outsiders, would drop the ball like this. I mean, JT's VIOLET is LITERALLY about a woman with a physical disability (and btw, I have never understood the choice for Violet not to have a visible scar. If the argument is it would be "too distracting", I find that incredibly offensive towards people with facial scars/burn victims/etc. but whatever, other tangent). So this can't have never crossed their minds at all. They just chose not to. But it's also not just them who is disappointing in my view--it's the director, and above all, the producers--who clearly didn't even think to hire a Disability consultant. All of them are guilty.
I want to take this time to say to that the only reason I'm so riled up about this is because I truly love the original play. I directed it many years ago (with a teenager in old age makeup, a choice I wouldn't make now, but I was young and was not plugged into this conversation--but even still, with that choice, it still feels like what I was aiming at was to portray an actual teenage girl with a physical disability, which again, Kimberly is!) and I've found it to be heartbreaking, hilarious, and deeply moving.
I will also say that I've developed an autoimmune disease over the past year that's made me see these kinds of things in a different light, and I think it's a difficult conversation as to where to draw the line with disability (for obvious reasons it would be logisitically difficult to say the least to say only AIDS patients/people living with HIV can play those roles, same with people with cancer, etc. as per my point above with Aquagenic urticaria) -- but I'm not a disability consultant. I'm just a person with an autoimmune disability and an opinion who works in the biz. So if anything, my speculation proves that there should've been at the very least, a disability consultant from the start. I've spent a lot of time online trying to see if there ever was one, and it seems there wasn't even an attempt in early workshops.
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KIMBERLY AKIMBO to Broadway this Fall! Mar 1
2022, 04:52:05 PM
Does it though? Progeria is a form of dwarfism. If the show were about someone with dwarfism, the powers that be wouldn't dream of casting someone who didn't have dwarfism. Since progeria IS a form of dwarfism, there's wiggle room, but I can't help but feel that excluding Disabled people from the casting in a story ABOUT DISABILITY where disability is such an integral part of the plot and character is um, not great to say the least. I find it profoundly annoying that people with disabilities are left out of DEIs. I'm just saying, a Disabled person could use that paycheck that Victoria Clark gets more than Victoria Clark probably does. Even if a Disabled person understudied the role, I think the effort would go a long way.
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KIMBERLY AKIMBO to Broadway this Fall! Mar 1
2022, 11:02:40 AM
I think this show fundamentally has a problem with an older woman playing a girl with a disability. I am honestly surprised there isn't more discussion about this.
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Question: Were There Major Changes Made to IN MY LIFE (2005) During Previews? Feb 10
2022, 03:50:47 AM
Does anyone know of a way one could see this? I have the audio but it's hard to figure out much of whats going on -- not that i'm sure the visuals help much. It's just out of pure curiousity.
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What is your favorite recording of a never produced musical? Jan 3
2022, 04:25:39 PM
The only thing that comes to mind I can speak to with certainty is the demo recording for MISERY: THE MUSICAL which got shut down pretty quickly. I'm sure there are others I've heard that have never been staged...but I'm coming up short. I believe songs from KICKS have been professionally recorded--and of course I've heard the live reading recording, but it's never been staged. Also while I don't have access to the recordings, from what I've heard of SUBURBIA, I ab
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NBC Live Questions Dec 28
2021, 10:39:28 PM
Are the NBC live recordings ever edited? Is it for a private audience or is it something you could buy tickets for? I've always wondered this.
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Britney Kissinger Dec 17
2021, 08:32:33 PM
What ever happened to her? especially after the whole mess of what happened with her and Joanna Pacitti, I'm kind of surprised her career didn't get bigger.
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Avengers Musical on Hawkeye Series Dec 6
2021, 08:54:19 PM
I've thought about this often. Here's a pretty good article on it.
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What makes something Off Broadway? Dec 6
2021, 08:46:30 PM
Ok, I have a question.
My understanding is that Off Broadway means that your show is performing in a theatre in Manhattan that's 99 seats or more (but not necessarily an Equity production). I don't want to name names, but I've been seeing a few shows offered on TodayTix that are listed at Off-Broadway theatres (there is one particular one that has been getting a lot of press that I know for a fact is in a theatre with around 60 seats) that I know for a fact are under 99 sea
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Licensing question Oct 23
2021, 10:10:15 PM
This is specific, I know -- but I'm wondering, as a playwright, if I license my play out to Concord Theatricals (aka Samuel French), are those licensing agreements binding or do they expire? Part of the reason I ask this is that I notice some titles that I swear to god SF used to license are no longer available to license at all -- not to be confused with restricted, but straight up not on the company's website. Would love to hear this from any playwrights with current licensing agree
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