Profile for Fred Mason

Not true.  They just don’t have the space for a long running show.  They’ve made the decision to actually be a nonprofit and do a new season of shows.  

OhHiii said: "In 2023 when we were living in a Dune installment under orange skies, Broadway refused to go dark for a night and several shows had to cancel performances because performers called out instead. And GOOD FOR THEM for it too. The fact that the league didn’t take the hazards to actors seriously in that moment is a really egregious recent example of negligence."

The world didn’t stop because of the wildfires.  I had to go to work like every

I’m assuming this is going to the Booth?  I think people are assuming it’s Joe Mantello directing because he’s one of Rudin’s servants.  But like his Virginia Woolf, his Downstate won’t have a leg to stand on against Pam MacKinnon’s production.  Pam >>> Joe

No but I saw it at Paper Mill and know that it’s a first rate musical.  When people see it, I KNOW they will love it.  Nobody believed me when I said Fallen Angels was the show of last season and it was.  And WANTED is the show of 2026-2027 season. 

The Broadhurst restrooms are broken.  Yesterday at Cats, they had us go next door to the Majestic Theater to use the restrooms. There was a line going down 44th street.  They stamped our hands on the way out and checked it on the way back in. 

The orchestrations are mostly the same as the last revival in 2016 which ALW redid from the original production.  Lots of synth to make it sound more modern.   Whatever new beats are in The Jellicle Ball came via the other men credited for orchestrations.  I doubt Lloyd Webber had anything to do with that. 

The people who boycott Scott Rudin shows probably do boycott MJ.  They have certainly been outspoken about boycotting Harry Potter, so I have no reason to believe they are celebrating Michael Jackson either. 

The commercials for Titanique have been endless.  All throughout the day on ABC.  I’ve also seen plenty of Schmigadoon commercials.  There is definitely money for marketing.  Whether it’s being used effectively or not is a different story.  But also you can’t force a horse to drink water.  

Jasmine Amy Rogers was a judge tonight 

The title song is about preserving all the beauty in the world.  It’s about healing the world from global warming and drilling oil.  It was very ahead of its time.  The lyrics don’t make me cringe at all, I’ve definitely heard way worse.  The whole score is first rate.  I’m telling you, the city center production was perfection, everybody said it was a perfect musical.  
 

This show is not really Lloyd Webber’s project.  Yes, I know he’s a producer on it, but the whole production just kinda uses the material as a means to do their own thing.  The show doesn’t even really want you to pay attention to the lyrics, it’s all secondary to the staging.  Cant really blame even a very rich person like him who might feel like, if they want a cast recording, they can pay for it.  He preserved his work as HE intended it

WANTED will be the show of the season. First rate musical, everybody should be excited for it. 

Theatrefanboy1, I would actually argue Broadway needs to focus on getting locals back in the theater.  There has been more and more focus on tourists, but I think producers should be producing new interesting work that on paper might not appeal to the masses.  That doesn’t mean liberal or conservative btw, but just something NEW.  The best work in the last five years has come from new works by Michael R Jackson, Shaina Taub, Bess Wohl, Bruce Norris, Annie B

In the grand scheme of things, this is just going to be another production of Cats for ALW.  There’s literally an entirely new production about to happen at the Open Air Theater in London premiering in 10 days.  He might want there to be a cast recording, maybe he doesn’t.  But probably doesn’t care enough either way and not enough to drop money on it. 

Why wouldn’t they just transfer the same brilliant production?  It makes no sense not too.  I already am not the biggest Joe Mantello fan and I can’t imagine he’d do anything better than Pam MacKinnons direction, which seems like an instant Tony Award win for her brilliant work.

Aimee Lou Wood was in the original cast at Steppenwolf as the young girl who worked at Staple's.  Maybe she’d do it on Broadway. 

Great Gatsby could be trying to find a name to put into the show.  It could be worth staying open if they make a killing during the holidays or if a big name comes in.  The good weeks pay off the bad ones. 

I hope he sticks to cultivating and producing new plays.  It’s what he’s best at.  Besides Book of Mormon, the musicals he’s done have been terrible.  The Music Man currently on tour is a million times better than that recent Broadway production. 

I don’t really have that much of an issue with big musicals needing a couple years to recoup, that’s actually standard for most businesses. There wouldn’t be an issue if you have customers.  That’s the main issue.  How do we get butts in seats?  How do we as an industry get people interested in going to the theater?  
 

I think Broadway also has a brand problem as well as a quality problem.  Probably th

Bruce Norris’s Cottonfield?