Profile for FranklinDickson2018

spicemonkey said: "Highland Guy said: "At age 79, I am the youngest of five brothers, and the only one still living. We all served in the United States Military (Navy and Army) dating back to WWII. We offered up our lives in defense of a country we all loved,because this is a country worth fighting for. Recognizing that the United States has its faults, as is true for any country, I remain proud of my United States citizenship.STAY STRONG AMERICA !!HAPPY 250th !!"Ah, a boomertime to learn som...

I am a huge fan of Julie Benko. But I find it kind of interesting that she would leave one successful engagement (Guys and Dolls) 10 days earlier, to replace a role in "Ragtime" for two months and thus completely give up "Marcel on the Train" - which was a world premiere at Classic Stage. Years ago some friends of mine in opera and theater --- said they were always reluctant to cancel one engagement to go another like that. Not being aware of current trends---maybe this is totally the norm? Y...

Snips from recent postings about Andrew and MHE:1) "But I predict this will end with ABF stepping down, perhaps with a gentle nudge from producers. But he won't be "removed." or2) "How lovely would it be for the production to recast him bc him being white does nothing but hurt the optics. He will find work elsewhere." or3) "What the producers can do is remove him from the role for the integrity of the show. "Seriously people I would love all you arm chair advocates to really look at what some...

Gotta love Ms. Diep Tran and her Playbill article! Isn't she the same one a few years ago with the poorly worded (and interpreted as Anti-Semitic) tweet about Leopoldstadt that got the producers of that show justifiably riled up? Tweets were quickly deleted and apologies made, but even so. Her "I was careless. I will be better" reply didn't do it for me. One original comment to her post (very early on in her tenure at Playbill) - "it's appalling to hear this enforcement of antisemitic stereot...

dan94 said: "On Audra's absences - yes, she probably should have done only 7 a week. Yet her absences were not because she was ill fit to the role, or could not sustain. The role is beyond a beast, and this rolearguably flapped the unflappable Merman. Several months in Mermanmoved the keys to her songs down a step, a move Sondheim was not too pleased with. Beyond that;NYT February 21, 1961: Jane Romano went on last night for Ethel Merman, star of "Gypsy". Miss Romano is familiar with the part...

Things are happening in smaller cities as well. A friend sent me an ad from New Orleans Opera promoting the opera "Samson and Delilah" To be "funny" they put a gif of none other than Hulk Hogan saying "get your tickets." Seriously? Hulk is wearing what he always wears to the MAGA rallys. (Red hat and everything.) My friend told me someone did complain about it in the comments and the Opera Company deleted the comment. To have this on the eve of the election is mind boggling. Certainly it wasn...

TotallyEffed said: "Where can I see Kate Shindle’s comments?Audra commented on the video with two hearts and clapping emojis…"I wonder if Audra really knew what this was all about before offering her support? I was surprised she would comment on it. Unless she and the other actress are perhaps good friends or former colleagues and because of that she felt it concerned her as well?

Violet was the worst show for me. I thought the music was terrible. I remember thinking "please no more songs" or I will leave!

I was so glad to read this. I adored the show and truly love the score. The OBC is a delight. I thought that Andy Karl gave one of the finest performances I have ever seen. Iconic. Perfect match of actor to role.

Then they have to cast a standby for the Tuesday nights LOL"lol - savage but accurate!"No. Just savage. Can you please give Benanti a break? Her health problems dating back to Into the Woods are well documented, and they include a broken neck. I have heard her in every Broadway role since 2001 --- and guess what she has NEVER cancelled and never disappointed. Am I the only one? I think these barbs against Benanti need to be given a rest. They truly aren't LOL.

In terms of sheer vocal quality and timbre the "Rose's Turn" sounded completely wrong to me. Both vocally and interpretively. But this may have been the first time she had performed it? Has Audra recorded any of the ballads from the show? Are they better? But of course she could rework her vocal technique and dramatic approach as part of the rehearsal period of the show. After Angela's revival, has a revival of "Gypsy" ever actually made money?

Great question. I like to go back a number of years to singers such as John Raitt (a true BariTenor - from baritone to dramatic tenor), Alfred Drake (true baritone), Howard Keel (more a bass-baritone) and others. It is interesting that to me, in the 1940s and 50s, I think men's voices were lower for the Broadway stage. Larry Kert of who started in the 1950s, sang higher than a lot of the men who came before him. I do like the singing style of the earlier singers and today's singers that reall...

hearthemsing22 said: "I would love to see any of you do a Broadway contract without calling out." Whatever you do please don't ask that question of an Ethel Merman or Mary Martin or scores of others who did not call out throughout their long careers. Different era I know but still. ...

ardiem said: "Saw this last night and I mostly agree with BoringBoredBoard40 & bwayphreak234. There's a great story here, but as presented it wasn't done justice. One song's melody stuck with me, though, for the wrong reason - the duet between the wives seemed to be lifted verbatim from Chopin's Prelude Op.28 No.4."Julie mentioned on social media that the duet was based on Chopin. It was discussed back in May on Playbill.com as well. It is a lovely melody.

Thrilled by the recoup. I wish that the otherwise informative NYT had mentioned the transfer as Beanie to Julie to Lea. Julie did keep the show open until Lea could so triumphantly take over. And Julie established her own fan base as well for the Thursday crowd. Glad for such a happy ending.

I haven't seen discussions of this event which is in a few days. I have attended in the past, twice, as a guest of a presenter and it was less interesting the second time. The lineup this year is a bit meh to me. Not so much star power? Lots of emphasis on Wicked. And surprisingly at least 10 unfilled slots at least as of last night. Curious to hear back from folks attending.

Finally get to post my thoughts! Caught the show mid April, and absolutely loved it. The new book didn't bother me, and in fact while trying to think what I liked about it, I thought that the concept was a bit "Downton Abbey" Especially Phillipa Soo who reminded me more than once of Lady Mary --- in her character arc. From appearing to be uncaring to finally showing her warmth as a person -- she did remind me of Lady Mary. I found Soo to be quite the tragedienne. I will not soon forget her no...

I caught Julie Benko last month with mainly the "standby" cast: eg both standbys were on for Nicky and Mrs. Brice.Just now posting my thoughts. To me it was a textbook example of how to keep a broadway show tight and fresh. The energy level was incredibly high, the audience extremely enthusiastic. Julie was superb, and she had great chemistry with Jeremiah James. The show was polished and an example (to me) of how to maintain quality during a Broadway run. So glad I got to see this cast. They...

I keep seeing this thread as "working" out at Intermission I think I need to go more often to the gym. My walkouts are few. "King David" at the New Amsterdam. It was past midnight and the show didn't appear to be ending anytime soon. "Barnum" on tour with Stacy Keach. After he fell off the tightrope 3 times, and then started singing off key I left. And "Falsettos" - local production. The actors had all gotten sick and were singing (croaking) the music down an octave. I left after the first ac...

Was the spelling of the song changed for the revival? I have always known it as "Shipoopi"There was a thread on another group some years ago, and 4 people spelled it differently. I guess the title lends itself to that?