Profile for halfhourcheckwithmerman

And am I crazy or do many of these "verified" user reviews look written by AI?

I look forward to these all month.

I had no idea about John Cullum... just extraordinary!

And of course, as far as I know, Cynthia Nixon holds the record as the only PERFORMER to be principally cast in two shows simultaneously... doing Acts I and III of HURLYBURLY and act II of THE REAL THING every night.

Jerry Herman also held this record --- for the brief 4-and-a-half months that DEAR WORLD was on Broadway, he also had HELLO, DOLLY! and MAME running. His estate often says he was the "first composer-lyricist to achieve 3 simultaneous shows," which I've always found slightly misleading --- yes, he was the first sole composer AND lyricist to hold it, but Rodgers and Hammerstein (as the original poster noted) had done it 26 years earlier. They just had the unfortunate misfortune to be two people...

I know this is a bad take, and I know everything in this article is based in fact, but I'm just SO tired of Michael Paulson. He writes the same gloomy article every six months. (And I know... it's because of the state of the industry... but give me a break...)

These prices are really quite ridiculous. A friend wanted to see the show and I recommended a partial view seat I had sat in (for $65). Now it's suddenly "not partial view" and is $399.

I saw this a week ago and it was my favorite production of the play I've ever seen, and I've seen many. Surprised nobody's mentioned this profile of Laurie Metcalf by Michael Schulman yet. As is Schulman's wont, he "goes there," asking about Rudin. (And, as is also Schulman's wont, he loves to psychoanalyze his subjects a bit and overreach, but ah, well. He gave us the infamous Patti piece, and the infamous Jeremy Strong piece, and now he's given us this.)

I have tickets to Proof: A New Musical about Love, Loss, Math, and Mental Illness: A Revival next week in Wolf's Neck. Anybody know when they'll resume performances?

Helen Shaw is brilliant as always --- the Trump connection is fascinating.

I saw this last night and had some major quibbles with the direction, and a couple medium-size quibbles with the structure and writing of the show itself, but for the most part found it a sensational evening, and an astonishing performance of an astonishing score. Rogers and Donica knocked me sideways. As many have said --- if you are on the fence, go!Surprising that a show I have so many quibbles with is probably the show that I'm most glad to have seen this year.

(also, of note, Eddie’s “Golden Boy” has been cut. I understand why it would be, but I always kind of liked it as a peek into the racism that’s shaped his life and relationship. It seems to be the only cut to the score) This makes complete sense to me. But I do mourn losing the little bit of the Brothers D'Armano in that number --- them singing "A Little Mmm" but instead of an easy jazz 4 it's somehow a swing waltz (without rewriting the vocal!). My personal favorite musical "trick" of the ev...

NYT review --- Helen Shaw (gift link)Critic's pick. Many notes of admiration, and a couple really interesting caveats... so well-written, and what a reminder that Shaw is just the best critic working today. What a gift to have her at the NYT. SO excited to see this!

Any reports?

Going Sat. It's a long time since I've been so excited for a show... very happy at that early report. It's quite a piece of material... hope this cast and team can do it justice!

Curious if anybody was at the show tonight. I went last week and Emily N. Rudolph was on for Olive... I was disappointed not to see Rogers but thought Rudolph was honestly quite astounding and was gobsmacked by her performance. Definitely one to watch. I saw that tonight she made her debut as Marcy. I wish I wasn't half across the country because I would have made a return trip to see that... anybody see it?

malcs98 said: "I'm just gonna put this out there: Diego Andres Rodriguez"What a terrific idea.

As an accredited vocal coach: Some performers find it helpful to breath through their noses. Some performers find it helpful to breath through their mouths. Neither makes a huge long-term difference re: sustainability, agility, or stamina. Neither makes a huge difference for the average audience member (but that is of course just my opinion). What is more comfortable and workable for the singer is usually the better option. My two cents.

As a non-defender of this show (I found it pretty dreadful, which is not a revolutionary opinion on this board), I am also very interested to hear the score on its own. I am quite curious whether some of these songs, which I didn't love in the theater, might present themselves better when unconnected to the shaky book and weak direction. Hoping to be pleasantly surprised!

Me as well!! How wonderful!