Profile for Mike Costa

The witch is warning the survivors in Into The Woods, when she sings It's The Last Midnight.Don Quijote sings" Hear me now oh thy bleak and unbearable world" in I am I from Man of La ManchaLittle Chap warns "Stand well back I'm coming through," in Nothing Can Stop Me Now from The Roar of the Greasepaint...And, of course, Mary Rogers rhymes warning with morning in Once Upon a Mattress. Yesterday I Loved you.

I have only seen a video of the full London production online. Do you think what they do live is different than the video?

Newsies, I cry foul! Matt Cole just won an Olivier Award for dances and ideas that look A LOT like the Broadway originals created by Christopher Gattelli.

You are so right, Cameron is a smart producer. Why would anyone go to the expense of producing the enormous Phantom of the Opera with sets costumes and an orchestra when you can charge the same ticket price for SIX? The gullible audience will pay the full price even though there are only six actor salaries and costumes on the stage. The public has proven they do not know the difference and that is what producers are banking on. The current Funny Girl has half the chorus and orchestra as the o...

It is just greed. Once producers found out with Hamilton that audience members had $400 to spend on a ticket all of the prices increased. Obviously, if the enormous Phantom of the Opera can run for 20 years with $79 balcony tickets (sometimes $39) there is no reason Back The Future needs to charge $175 for the last row at the Broadway. Remember to factor in the reduction in cast and orchestra size as well as bonuses given to producers of not-for-profits which used to be sometimes $1 million i...

I am sure you are all theater savvy enough to know that all sound balance work is done during previews sInce one cannot balance the sound until an audience is in the house. That is why, along with waiting for cuts and rewrites, professionals wait until a show has opened to enjoy it. Or they do not mention sound problems.

We no longer have orchestras to play these overtures . These overtures were written for orchestras 26 to 28 people, unfortunately they now sound like a wedding band. The original Funny Girl orchestra had 25 musicians, the current production uses an embarrassing 14 . The original cast numbered 43 while the current production employs 22 . Producers get away with this since the public does not know any better. Huge ticket price increases, half the employees, quadruple profits. Very smart.

The production stage manager along with the dance captain decide who will fill any spots on a given night since they know who has had the most rehearsal time and who is prepared to go on that moment. Also, Beanie was not cast in the role-the show was produced FOR her. No producer would option the rights to a revival without already having a star in mind. One would not option the show and just HOPE someone would show up at auditions. This show, like The Music Man and Dolly exist because it was...

No need to send flowers.Leave a card or handwritten note in envelope at the stage door sometime between 10 AM and curtain. The doorman will give it to your friend upon arrival or at least during the performance. You may want to include your cell number with the suggestion that they call you at intermission or before the performance to make plans for a greeting afterwards if they feels up to it.Flowers are a little over-the-top.

You know the part and the show so well just sing from the show. Everyone is asked to sing from the show at the callback anyway so just get the role at the first audition. How does it possibly makes sense to do it any other way?

Take a look at The Andrew Lloyd Webber Love Trio on You Tube but only perform it if all have the vocal skill since there are much easier things mentioned which would be effective and fulfilling,

Theater3232 said: "So sad, and also surprising to hear from a nonprofit theater. What is the economics of running these nonprofit shows? I imagine they are all in a similar boat with minimal revenue, but do they "keep it going" with the Government grants and donations they get, even if paid attendance is virtually nil?"There is big money in not-for-profit. Until 2015 the National Football League was a not-for-profit . The Metropolitan Opera with tickets over $600 is currently a not-for-profit...

Flying Over Sunset is a big misfire a big misfire but that does not mean you should not see it. You already have a good idea of what all those other shows are-even without seeing them. It is similar to missing the original production of Merrily We Roll Along without the great score. The show does not work, it is emotionally unsatisfying, but that does not mean you should not see it.

What a nasty thing to say.I saw it at the Alvin Theatre.It starred Michael York, whom you seemed to like in Cabaret , and Anthony Rapp whom you seemed to like in Rent. It was written by George Furth , whose A Little Night Music and Sweeney Todd seem to agree with you . The music was by FIVE time Academy Award winner John Barry who scored ELEVEN James Bond films which seemed quite popular. An entire airplane miraculously appeared on stage .Things close for many reasons. A lot more respect shou...

This is a show you want to see from the Loge.The best part of the show are the projections onto the set . This is a show with no laughs or tears. Unlike Mr. Lapine's previous works this show has no point which to ponder afterwards.The songs are completely forgettable and the orchestra feels relentlessly thin. Those of you complaining about sound issues should not attend performances during previews. This is what the preview is for, to balance the sound. Hopefully the plot is already establish...

This is a beautiful tribute to Jonathan, no one could've done it better . With this Linn proves he not a two hit wonder but probably one of the greats.

The Metropolitan Opera does offer $35 discount tickets to full-time students, there also is a weekly rush line. The rules are explained on their website. There is not a TKTS equivalent. You may not need this because this season performances begin at $25.If you are a first-time opera goer you will be enthralled by the Franco Zeffirelli jaw-dropping productions of La Bohème and Turandot that have been the backbone of this opera house for decades.

Curious Disney would release the characters and the Sherman Brothers songs without a class A Broadway production. Anyone know why that happened?

Keep in mind how voting works. Unless there is a sure fire blockbuster like My Fair Lady or The Producers voters are going to spread the wealth around in order to keep shows open. All of the voters have worked on Broadway and have friends producing or creating all of these shows. It is much easier to vote for Elton John or Cyndi Lauper regardless of the score they wrote then it is to vote for the unknown London composers whom no one has worked with. The American shows simply garner more votes...

Terrible subject here,. This should be deleted since it is actually WRONG. James Dolan was chosen and is mentioned in the article itself, He owns Madison Square Garden and Radio City Music Hall and well as The Beacon Theater. None are technically Broadway but if Broadway is part of The Entertainment World then it was represented.The quote Cuomo said about Broadway was taken out of context. It is an exact quote but it was in answering a reporters question about health concerns stating that Bro...