Profile for LarryD2

I'm seeing reports on social media that the actor Jeffrey Carlson has died, including the linked tweet from Time Out New York theater critic Adam Feldman. He was 48.

Carlson made his Broadway debut in the original cast of Edward Albee's The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? He also appeared in Taboo and the Roundabout revival of Tartuffe. A Juilliard graduate, he appeared frequently in regional theater, usually in classical roles: Hamlet and Mercutio at Shakespeare Theatre Company (Washington, DC); Richard II at Yale Rep; Prince Hal and Edward II at Chicago Shakespeare; Algernon in The Importance of Being Earnest at Paper Mill Playhouse; and others.

Outside of theater, Carlson is probably best known for his stint on All My Children (2006-2007), where he is generally considered to have played the first openly trans character in daytime television. Although he wasn't trans himself, and likely would not be cast in such a role today, it was definitely a cultural milestone in its moment.

It seems that he was living in Chicago in recent years and primarily teaching. The most recent stage acting credit I can find is from 2016; it looks like he was scheduled to do a play in Philadelphia in 2020 that was canceled by the pandemic. A sad loss.

https://twitter.com/FeldmanAdam/status/1677862081545003009?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

Aaron is a professional who's done the show hundred of times. In the opera world, it's common for a singer who's never even performed in a particular production to jump in with little/no rehearsal beyond a basic pre-curtain walk-through. 

Dollypop said: "Her name was Marie. The restaurant still is open"

Actually, it closed last year. It's been replaced by an Irish pub.

A friend of mine who's a longtime Philly-based stagehand told me that among other reasons already mentioned in this thread, use of the Forrest is limited because it is difficult to load and unload into the space. That largely disqualifies shows that have massive, intricate sets. When you look at the tours that have played there in recent years (1776, Soldier's Play, Color Purple revival, the Daniel Fish Oklahoma), they're all shows that basically use a unit set.

Lea Michele is almost 40. In what universe would she be in the conversation to play Juliet?

Gypsy_Mamma said: "Pacing is all over the place and it needs significant work. 1/4th of the audience left at intermisson."

What is the running time at the moment?

MSG827 said: "Yes E is excellent but K is 5 rows further back?"

It's a 200-seat theater. You're never more than 30 feet from the stage.

 

Ruthie Ann is out all of this week and next. Jeanna and Mia are sharing the role, with Jeanna doing the majority of performances.

I would take Row K. The stage at the Atlantic is eye-level, but it's long and wide, so you sometimes don't get to appreciate the full stage picture if you're sitting very close. I was Row E for DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES and found the distance was ideal.

Williams was excellent in the '80s television remake of A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE. He was also a highlight of the rather drab Broadway revival of FOLLIES, including that he danced quite well. Sorry to learn of his untimely demise.

I'm expecting rave reviews for Metcalf and more mixed appraisals of the play itself. Chris Jones will write a love letter because the show originated in Chicago and that's his M.O.

Matt Cavanaugh in the 2009 revival of WEST SIDE STORY: https://nypost.com/2009/11/06/west-side-whack/

And more recently, Beanie Feldstein in FUNNY GIRL: “The producers decided to take the show in a different direction and end Beanie’s contract on September 25th, 6 months earlier than anticipated,” they said in the statement.  Source: https://www.vulture.com/2022/07/lea-michele-beanie-feldstein-funny-girl-rumors.html

We do live in a Broadway bubble. Not everyone who visits NYC once or twice a year (if that) keeps up with Broadway openings and closings. The last time I waited on the TKTS line, around 2007, the couple in front of me said they were hoping to see James Earl Jones in ON GOLDEN POND. I had to burst their bubble and inform them that it had closed two years earlier.

McDonald as Amanda...sure. Do it at the Goodman, ART, Kennedy Center, Geffen, some first-tier regional theater. But Broadway? Why?

I thought Hicks was the major disappointment of this production -- no sparkle or star quality in a role that really needs it -- so maybe it's worth revisiting with her cover.

Run-of-show contracts used to be a lot more common. I remember in the early '90s, when I was new to working in theater, there was a dustup because Jodi Benson and Harry Groener had both signed run-of-show contracts with CRAZY FOR YOU -- never expecting it would run for years -- and were desperate to get out of them. (They both did, eventually.) Nowadays it's more common for performers to sign shorter-term contracts (e.g., 6-12 months) with the option to extend.