Profile for AC126748

Embarrassing to have a group of demonstrators who all appear to be cis white women protesting one of the most diverse shows on Broadway.

The show is doing pretty well at the box office. I don't know if that's directly related to Gustin, but he got a huge round of entrance applause the night I saw the show. (No other principal did.) I thought he was fine -- nothing special -- but as others have said, it's admirable he decided to headline a new musical for his Broadway debut. I wish him well.

This feels like a play designed for regional theaters. I saw it earlier this week - Taylor is good, Villafañe less so (although she bears a striking physical resemblance to AOC), the production itself is sleek but a bit tiresome, even at just 80 minutes. The script couldn't be more slight. Even in a small theater, there were lots of empty seats (and it was a critics' preview, so heavily comped). The reviews are about what I expected.

I was there last night (second time). Tyrone Reese was on for Rachel Lockhart as Morgan; otherwise, full cast. The show is as wonderful as ever. Ricky Ubeda should have gotten a Tony nomination.

I'm very sensitive to smoking smell. I was sitting third row and honestly don't recall it being aggressive at all.

I'll reserve judgment until I see it, of course, but the fact that Jackie and David Siegel are intimately involved gives me great pause on how the material will ultimately be portrayed. Schwartz also doesn't strike me as the ideal composer.

TheaterMania has a more mixed appraisal:

Florence Welch and Martyna Majok’s New Gatsby Musical Sizzles as It Fizzles

I loved it too. Acting as finely calibrated across a large cast as you see here is extremely rare nowadays. Kudos to director Sarah Benson. It's a true ensemble piece, although Sandra Oh, in what is arguably the central performance, is remarkable in her return to the New York stage. The play will not be to all tastes, and it's certainly not an easy night at the theater, but I haven't stopped thinking about it for days. That, to me, is the mark of a great work.

I haven't seen any discussion of this. It was announced earlier in the week that the Wilma Theater in Philadelphia will receive this year's Regional Tony Award. Surprisingly, it is the first Pennsylvania theater to receive the honor in the award's 45-year history.

The American Theatre Wing presents the award based on the recommendation of the American Theatre Critics Association.

The Wilma is probably best known these days as the company that premiered FAT HAM in 2021, leading to its Pulitzer Prize win. They have also had a long association with Tom Stoppard, having offered the American premieres of several of his plays, including THE INVENTION OF LOVE and THE HARD PROBLEM.

https://whyy.org/articles/wilma-theater-philadelphia-tony-award-2024/

I thought Anika Noni Rose was superb in Caroline, or Change (justly deserving of her Tony) and in A Raisin in the Sun. On the other hand, I thought she was a weak link in the Cat on a Hot Tin Roof revival and really couldn't command the stage in a non-singing, leading role. I'm seeing this next weekend so am curious to hear the early reports.

Is the Rachel McAdams's first professional stage appearance ever? If so, it's gutsy for her to do a play like this that's a real acting tour de force. Wishing her the best.

Per a press release issued by the production:

Michael Stuhlbarg will perform at tonight’s first preview performance of Patriots on Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, as scheduled. As media outlets have reported, the actor was randomly attacked near Central Park last night. The entire Patriots company fully supports Mr. Stuhlbarg, who feels fine and is looking forward to performing on stage tonight.

How about we take a chunk of the NYPD's astronomical budget and put it toward getting the people who commit these acts off the street? The person who attacked Stuhlbarg has a history of violent aggression and probably untreated mental illness/addiction. I would not be surprised if that was the case for Cardoza's assailant too. These were absolutely preventable situations if the city actually cared about deterrence.

 

The tour closes in May. I guess there's a possibility that he won't be allowed to return before it wraps up.

TheaterMania has a rave review for the production and leads:
 

https://www.theatermania.com/news/review-a-fresh-sunday-in-the-park-with-george-brims-with-color-and-light-in-new-jersey_1734364/

It was a full 3 hours at Williamstown.