Profile for AC126748

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "I've been wondering (baselessly!) if this is a soft-launch for Audra dropping down to 6 or 7 a week and Montego taking 1 or 2. It was always a little surprising that Audra forged ahead with 8 a week but I wonder if that's becoming unsustainable given recent absences...I couldn't imagine doing what she does 8x a week."

The production is touring next season. I assume this is essentially an audition for Montego.

This isn't a production-specific question, but does New World Stages do bag checks? I'm picking up a bottle of wine in Manhattan that's a gift for a friend next week, and I'll have to keep it with me during the performance of HEATHERS that I'm seeing. I don't live in the city, so I won't have the chance to leave it somewhere. 

Surprise, surprise: they’re both out tonight. 

Mandy Gonzalez previously announced that July 1 is her final performance, so theoretically, Nicole should be doing all performances the last few weeks unless she calls out. 

Is Solea going to be Svetlana in CHESS? The timing of her departure makes sense if rehearsals start late summer/early fall.

Simard and Hilty are out of today’s matinee as well. Now that Tony voting has closed, why show up?

I know the show has been workshopped extensively since the first production at George Street Playhouse. That said, the initial reviews were pretty tepid. I found the review from TheaterMania which basically said there was a lot of work to do.

https://www.theatermania.com/news/review-in-joy-the-story-of-the-miracle-mops-creator-is-given-a-little-too-much-shine_94697/

How was Billy's attendance in London? I could imagine them bringing him in for his name recognition and Marisha Wallace for her talent. They could also work the publicity angle that Wallace herself has been selling for years -- a triumphant return to Broadway, where she never felt appreciated, after becoming a West End star.

Anyone know if the current cast is remaining through the extension? To be frank, I didn't love Lennix or Richardson Jackson, so I wouldn't mind the chance to see different actors in those roles.

I saw it last Wednesday. 7pm curtain, which started 7-10 minutes late, as per usual. I was on the street by 8:55. It's a very well paced and engaging production -- I never looked at my watch once.

Simard is now out tonight and for the matinee tomorrow. 

kdogg36 said: "AC126748 said: You don't get to applaud her and scream "Go, diva" when she snatches a cell phone or screams at an old man who can't wear a mask properly, and then vilify her when she shades divas you love."

Of course you can do that. You can admire someone's frankness in addressing baloney and still criticize that same frankness when it's misdirected. I really have no idea what point that person was trying to make.

An interesting comment from Rick Miramontez’s husband on X:

@jamiedumont

You don't get to applaud her and scream "Go, diva" when she snatches a cell phone or screams at an old man who can't wear a mask properly, and then vilify her when she shades divas you love.

You just gotta take her for who she is, or ignore her.

Ragtime begins performances in mid-September, so if there's any window for an extension, it could only be a short one. That said, I doubt there's much demand for an extension. I saw the show last week and it was pretty sparsely attended -- the 100s and 500s section of the orchestra were largely empty and the loge was about half full.

I don't think most people would be bothered by Hilty and Simard being on an abbreviated performance schedule. The problem seems to be the secrecy and obfuscation by the production. It's been months at this point since both leads did a full eight-show week, but the production still acts as though they're appearing at every performance. If they were just transparent and said they don't do Wednesday matinees (or whatever), it would be a much better look.

Bernadette losing for Gypsy wasn't an upset. Marissa Jaret Winouker was heavily favored to win as part of the Hairspray sweep.

The OCC is sort of like the Golden Globes of the theater awards season. I wouldn’t use their results to extrapolate Tony trends in any serious way. 

ACL2006 said: "They better spend a lot of time reworking this. There's no names attached and the reviews and word-of-mouth at Papermill were mixed."

The New York Times review of the Paper Mill production was a rave. So was the review in TheaterMania. Maybe some marginal New Jersey critics were less enthusiastic, but those aren’t the reviews that NYC producers care about.