Profile for halfhourcheckwithmerman

I really love the score of Let 'Em Eat Cake. And a good time to do it, too. Dratch as Patty is very exciting, and Jeff Hiller as Schroeder is all-time great casting.

I wasn't expecting much going in, but this show really delighted me last night. A lot of thought has been put into the structure of this and there are quite a few moments of musical comedy gold. The audience was wild for it, and Gasteyer is a marvel. I really doubted this could stretch to a whole evening, but it kept surprising me... it's almost a one-act book musical that's pretending to be a cabaret act. I'm not quite sure how to categorize it, but I haven't laughed so much in a while. That...

I saw it last week and found it extraordinary. I missed it in its original run. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since I saw it, which is very rare for me. I highly recommend. I went with a friend who it is a very personal topic for (she knew the subject of the play going in). She also loved it and said she was surprised at how deftly and respectfully it handled the topic. Greg Keller is a really wonderful actor. Obviously she's the heart of the show, but he's so quietly great in...

Sorry for a stupid question, but by "infrastructural" do you mean the company infrastructure or the literal infrastructure?

Hard agree with you, Jordan. Yesterday I heard Seth Rogen speak with Lulu Garcia-Navarro on the NYT Interview Podcast (really worth a listen!) about how much the script changed in rehearsals for the film based on THESE specific actors and what THEY think about relationships and love. I really think this wonderful movie is a work unto itself that (beyond being so defined by its onscreen direction) is also just too linked with the actors involved. Seth Rogen's signature laugh is practically a l...

Groff is the only current leading man I want to see take on this role. I think the production rises or falls on its leads. I can't say I was too, too confident in Grande and Bailey, but was hoping to be pleasantly surprised. Groff would be excellent. He has the same excitement in those tenor notes that Mandy Patinkin does, where the general tenor of his voice makes you think he won't be able to hit them, and then he knocks it out of the park.

Oh, duh. How did I forget the plot of THE FANTASTICKS?

I think Rosie has been wonderful on Kimmel. A couple off moments, but understandable when she's been away for a while. I would love to see her return full-time.

Do we have any info on what gender El Gallo will be? I know that the fathers are now mothers and both the lovers sons --- is there further gender-swapping or is that it? Have the creatives said anything?

I am quite the Chekhov fanatic but have never found Ivanov particularly appealing. Very curious about this. But I will admit I am saving my ticket purchase until reviews come out...

Agreed that the sensational Michael Starobin orchestration is the best... or at least so ingrained in my conception of what Guys and Dolls IS that it's hard to hear anything else as exciting. And I think --- whether they are conscious of it or not --- this is true for many, many fans of the show. But it will be great to have this as a historical document, and I'll listen with an open mind.

I also liked this one a lot more than I was expecting to. Maybe my expectations were just on the floor. I found Rabe quite breathtaking.

Sam Davis is really first-rate. I trust that whatever he'll do to the score won't flatten it or remove its charm.

I didn't LOVE the play at the Yale Rep. Was my first experience of Ionesco. Not sure if it was the performances (though I loved Reg Rogers) or the direction (though I can't fault anything specifically) or just the play itself... would be very curious to see this if it transfers, and measure the two against each other to see what it was I didn't love.

I love that he now has 2 Bowie musicals on his resume. (Unless there are more I'm missing.)

MezzA101 said: ""Our Time"https://youtu.be/Iqe3wlQu23M?si=oEl3CFVbBaLTGnHG"That's the hunkiest Charley I've ever seen...

They're not using backing tracks, I don't think --- just a good reduced orchestration and a fair amount of synth patches on the keyboard books.

gibsons2 said: "halfhourcheckwithmerman said: "Oof, they are really trying to get somesubscriptions."To be fair, this upcoming MTC season looks really exciting. Interesting plays in addition to some popular celebs make the subscription worth it."Yes! I just bought a subscription... guess I'm a chump...

Oof, they are really trying to get some subscriptions.

SO excited for a new Ruhl play --- the source material is quite out there... but when is Ruhl not "quite out there"? Thrilled to see what she'll do with it, and Les Waters always gets the best out of her work.