Anyone seeing Montego as Rose?- Page 2

[Bwaygurl2]

Posted: 7/1/25 at 12:46pm

JSquared2 said: "Bwaygurl2 said: "JSquared2 said: "Auggie27 said: "Unfortunately, as a once a weekalternate, she's not likely a box office equivalent of Donna Murphy, who brought her own considerable fan base in for one night a week. So t


Actually, dear, it's a country in the Balkans -- look it up. But sure, it's possible that it's also somebody's surname too.

"

I never said it wasn't also a country. All the more reason to understand how easily that error could be made. 

[Bette's Turban]

Posted: 7/1/25 at 12:47pm

Auggie27 said: "Unfortunately, as a once a weekalternate, she's not likely a box office equivalent of Donna Murphy, who brought her own considerable fan base in for one night a week. So the idea of plugging her into Tuesday nights or Wednesday matinees seems noble yet not a real solution. But who knows? It might be longer-rangeprofitable to give McDonald another night off with an extension thruChristmas. (Yet - another point about Montenegro - how do you really grow in a role playing it once a week? Murphy began early, did the Midler vacations, and there were two.) I'm an advocate of role-sharing, and remember after the shutdown it was much discussed here after two actors did it successfully in Hadestown. But it hasn't caught on."

Didn't they already say they are only selling tickets thru October?  That's only 4 more months.

[witchoftheeast2]

Posted: 7/1/25 at 12:54pm

Thinking of stopping by tonight to see if I can get one of the discounted tickets, if I do I'll write my thoughts tomorrow 

[east side story]

Posted: 7/1/25 at 1:01pm

JSquared2 said: "Montenegro is a surname. The poster mistyped or autocorrect made a boo-boo."

Actually, dear, it's a country in the Balkans -- look it up. But sure, it's possible that it's also somebody's surname too.”

Need a glass of water to wash down that foot? A typo is not necessarily a micro aggression, and two things can be true. Put the pitchfork back in your purse, dear.

 

[east side story]

Posted: 7/1/25 at 1:06pm

witchoftheeast2 said: "Thinking of stopping by tonight to see if I can get one of the discounted tickets, if I do I'll write my thoughts tomorrow"

Cannot imagine there being a single, full-priced ticket on sale this week while McDonald is gone. Definitely give it a shot, and let us know your thoughts!

[Jarethan]

Posted: 7/1/25 at 6:28pm

east side story said: "witchoftheeast2 said: "Thinking of stopping by tonight to see if I can get one of the discounted tickets, if I do I'll write my thoughts tomorrow"

Cannot imagine there being a single, full-priced ticket on sale this week while McDonald is gone. Definitely give it a shot, and let us know your thoughts!"

I'd wouldn't settle for anything less than the price of a rush seat.

[Robbie2]

Posted: 7/1/25 at 11:58pm

Once was enough with Audra and surprised that Montego was the best they could find to cover for her vacation week!

I doubt this will makek it after Labor Day and predict last 4 weeks after her return. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 7/2/25 at 6:06am

Robbie2 said: "I doubt this will makek itafter Labor Day and predict last 4 weeks after her return."

Oh don’t be so doom and gloom.

It has been above $1 mil for all but two weeks in the year 2025.

Now, that still means it could have lost money some weeks (what’s it cost to run, $1.2?) but they’re only on sale through the first week of October anyways. As long as Audra is consistently on 8x a week I doubt we see an early closing.

Whatever happens, investors will not see a dollar. 

Updated On: 7/2/25 at 06:06 AM

[Auggie27]

Posted: 7/2/25 at 11:26am

Sorry, I erred; I originally saw tickets sold through August; didn't realize that window was extended thru October. 

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 7/2/25 at 3:10pm

I have to confess, I left my rear orch aisle seat and snuck out about an hour in this afternoon. Gypsy is my favorite musical. I didn’t need to see anymore of it. I feel for her - it’s not the kind of role you walk into for a week. But she can’t sing it in these keys, “Some People” was truly rough and she is dragging with dialogue cues. I also thought the production, as a whole, was looking quite rough with some inconsistent work on stage than from months ago.

[east side story]

Posted: 7/2/25 at 3:57pm

Without Audra’s moments of greatness, the entire production falls apart because it is not well done. I too consider Gypsy to be a favorite, but this production never takes off. The material is there, right there for the taking and it never took flight. Audra does what she can, but the role is not a great fit. She works her arse off, but you are never unaware of her effort in doing so. A legendary artist by no accident or fluke, but this production ain’t it, and she deserved better. I blame Wolfe, and casting. 

One nitpicking item that comes to mind is at the end of Act I, Rose literally says “this time I’m not crying” while Audra is already streaming tears. Arthur Laurents, take him or leave him, mentioned that moment in one of his books. Every actress wants to cry at that moment before “Everything…” while in rehearsal, but that choice actively works against the text. Drove me nuts, even if I did somehow find that to be the one number McDonald made work for me as Rose.

I will wait until the show announces their closing, and will happily go to see Audra one last time because she is still that girl, after all. 

 

[AlmostFamous3]

Posted: 7/2/25 at 4:24pm

Well, I paid the $25 rush price to sit in an empty theater and watch a very disappointing performance. And I’m not joking here—the last time I felt secondhand embarrassment over an empty house was at Tammy Faye, with maybe 200 people in the orchestra. Producers—paper the house!!

The energy just wasn’t there because, frankly, there was absolutely no one in the mezzanine, and the orchestra looked sparse as well. I can’t help but wonder if, with a fuller house and better energy in the room, there could have been more back-and-forth between the cast and audience and perhaps stronger performances overall.

Montego is a wonderful performer, and I’d love to see her back on Broadway in a different show. She was the best part about Memphis, and i'm glad her incredible performance in that is forever captured in the pro shot. But this just wasn’t it. As the previous poster mentioned, this is a very hard role to take on for just a week. We saw one of her early performances, and it just wasn’t there—except maybe for “Rose’s Turn.” She was far too subtle for what you’d expect from Mama Rose, and the emotions simply never landed.

This is also just a terrible production of a timeless classic, and without a strong Rose, it’s a complete bore to sit through. We didn’t leave out of respect for the cast—and because, without us, the entire third row of the mezzanine would have been empty.

Updated On: 7/2/25 at 04:24 PM

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 7/2/25 at 4:28pm

I stopped caring about “staying out of respect” A while ago. As long as I am on an aisle seat towards the back, I will sneak out during applause or a blackout. Life’s just too short.

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 7/2/25 at 4:44pm

That’s even worse attendance than I imagined, AlmostFamous3.

I sure hope this won’t be the show-up for our new musicals — the non-revivals — this coming season. 

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 7/2/25 at 5:12pm

Montego is a wonderful performer, and I’d love to see her back on Broadway in a different show. She was the best part about Memphis, and i'm glad her incredible performance in that is forever captured in the pro shot. But this just wasn’t it. As the previous poster mentioned, this is a very hard role to take on for just a week. We saw one of her early performances, and it just wasn’t there—except maybe for “Rose’s Turn.” She was far too subtle for what you’d expect from Mama Rose, and the emotions simply never landed.

I saw it this afternoon as well. I love Montego Glover so much. She is an incredible performer in everything and she's just the sweetest. I enjoyed her performance but it takes time to get comfortable in the role so I don't really understand why they did this. She plays Rose timid and very close to the chest, and she is very youthful looking as well so it didn't quite land. But, she deserves better and so does everyone on the cast and crew. There is a service that gives out free tickets (they gave them out during Heart of Rock and Roll) but the name escapes me, but please producers, utilize this tool and paper the mother f*cking house! 

[DAME]

Posted: 7/2/25 at 5:49pm

iluvtheatertrash said: "I stopped caring about “staying out of respect” A while ago. As long as I am on an aisle seattowards the back, I will sneak out during applause or a blackout. Life’s just too short."

Me too!   I also don't understand why they are not heavily papering it.  With all the schools and camp groups happening now I would have thought the producers would have taken advantage and bring some of these kids in.  A few years ago they would also bring in retirement homes.  I remember seeing Jersey Boys with a local Hadassah chapter in attendance.  Great audience.  But too much perfume.

[SmokeyLady]

Posted: 7/2/25 at 5:53pm

They still do it.  But even when it is free, you can't force people to come. 

[tacotheatrelover]

Posted: 7/2/25 at 6:58pm

Why are a lot of y’all so ****ing negative all the time?

Good show, Bad show, Good singing, Bad singing, it doesn’t matter. The point is you take time out of your day to see something you enjoy, and if it doesn’t resonate with you, that’s cool too!! But I’m not getting up to leave during applause or a blackout just because something is bad.

The only time I’ve wanted to walk out of a show was the non eq tour of Chicago, but I stayed since I value the time and money I spent and the time and effort put on by those on stage. I value having the chance to see a show once or twice a month, and I’m extremely grateful whenever it’s more than that. That one month period I saw cabaret 18 times in a month was probably the most grateful I’ve ever felt to be in a theatre that many times,

I know I should be the one being told this, but you guys need to be more grateful about having the resources and money to see all this theatre in the theatre capital. The arts are dying and heavily underfunded and over budgeted in today’s world, it should not cost 1.2 million for a revival of Gypsy or 1.16 million for a production of cabaret. The least you can do is buy your ticket, shut the **** up, and watch and support the damn show. 

The negativity is what’s killing shows, it’s putting performers out of jobs, it’s making people say “No, I don’t wanna see this.” When they to form an opinion by their damn selves rather then someone who sees 5 shows a week and complains about most everything they see. It’s that mindset that kills a show and (there’s a lot of other reasons I can admit, but this is a pretty big one.) drives people away from something they might really like.

I’ll probably regret this message later but my sugars crashing in a 100° sushi restaurant parking lot in the middle of Alabama. I’m quite mad atm and need some way to get the anger out while I chug a Mountain Dew.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 7/2/25 at 6:59pm

I just wanna stress that I have always loved Montego, and still do. I think that the keys did not suit her, the production failed her, the producers failed her, and that she did not have adequate preparation for such a monumental role at the scale. “Some people“ was really vocally rough. I thought I would’ve been embarrassed. Had it been me. I know what she’s capable of on what I saw today was certainly not it. I realize I left early but, to be honest, I’m having a really hard time with my health and the effects of the “big beautiful Bill” on my health insurance and I didn’t want to sit through something I wasn’t enjoying any longer. Because I sit through something, I’m not enjoying all day every day right now lol. 

 

so, if montego is out there reading this, hey again, wanna say that I think she is a sensational talent. But I don’t think this served her and I don’t think that she was prepared to serve the material in this production. I hope someday she gets to do it again with proper prep and a more tailored production to her gifts. it also takes a lot of courage to step into a role like this for a performer like that for one week. And I applaud her courage

[n2nbaby]

Posted: 7/2/25 at 7:00pm

So if someone doesn’t like something, they’re not allowed to talk about the opinion? K. 

[east side story]

Posted: 7/2/25 at 7:26pm

n2nbaby said: "So if someone doesn’t like something, they’re not allowed to talk about the opinion? K."

Absolute lunacy.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 7/2/25 at 7:28pm

tacotheatrelover said: "Why are a lot of y’all so ****ing negative all the time?

Good show, Bad show, Good singing, Bad singing, it doesn’t matter. The point is you take time out of your day to see something you enjoy, and if it doesn’t resonate with you, that’s cool too!! But I’m not getting up to leave during applause or a blackout just because something is bad.

The only time I’ve wanted to walk out of a show was the non eq tour of Chicago, but I stayed since I value the time and money I spent and the time and effort put on by those on stage. I value having the chance to see a show once or twice a month, and I’m extremely grateful whenever it’s more than that. That one month period Isaw cabaret 18 times in a month was probably the most grateful I’ve ever felt to be in a theatre that many times,

I know I should be the one being told this, but you guys need to be more grateful about having the resources and money to see all this theatre in the theatre capital. The arts are dying and heavily underfunded and over budgeted in today’s world, it should not cost 1.2 million for a revival of Gypsy or 1.16 million for a production of cabaret. The least you can do is buy your ticket, shut the **** up, and watch and support the damn show.

The negativity is what’s killing shows, it’s putting performers out of jobs, it’s making people say “No, I don’t wanna see this.” When they to form an opinion by their damn selves rather then someone who sees 5 shows a week and complains about most everything they see. It’s that mindset that kills a show and (there’sa lot of other reasons I can admit, but this is a pretty big one.) drives people away from something they might really like.

I’ll probably regret this message later but my sugars crashing in a 100° sushi restaurant parking lot in the middle of Alabama. I’m quite mad atm and need some way to get theanger out while I chug a Mountain Dew."

Frankly, you don’t know my life. You don’t know the health battles I’ve been dealing with you don’t know the fact that I deal with constant issues regarding needed a bathroom because of the treatment for my brain tumor. I don’t wanna sit through a show if I’m uncomfortable and not enjoying it. I’d rather be uncomfortable at home. I’d rather be uncomfortable at home than sitting in a theater where every time I move or need the bathroom, I disturb people.

 

I spent $25 on my ticket via Rush. I am lucky to live in New York, but I constantly struggle and I don’t go to the theater anywhere near as often as I used to because the majority of my finances go to treating my brain tumor and covering any medical debt.

 

I understand that your post does not mean harm and I get where you’re coming from to an extent, truly, I do. But at the same time, you don’t know everybody’s story. For me, if I’m not enjoying it, I’d rather go home because at home are my pets and my comfort and a private bathroom and my bed if I’m exhausted. If that makes me a negative or toxic person, I’m sorry, but I’m doing my best

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 7/2/25 at 7:32pm

I also want to add that there is a lot of really gushing fandom in the theater community. It’s not negative reactions to shows that solely close them. The industry is suffering right now because people are suffering. People don’t have money to just toss away. So the folks who spend a fortune to go to the theater, like a legitimate fortune, like the ones who spend full price and really support these shows, have every right to be vocal when they’re spending that much money. When I get a complementary ticket, I keep my thoughts to myself or my immediate friends in person only. But if I’m paying anything, Anything above a fee, I have a right to express myself. That’s part of business. And theater is a business. Whether you like it or not, this is capitalism. And theater as a business is a capitalist enterprise. I do understand where you’re coming from but I think as I’ve gotten older and poor And battled more, I’ve realized that I couldn’t be so rose tinted about it all. 
 

and sorry for any weird syntax or typos, I am dictating because it’s just easier for me these days

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 7/2/25 at 7:40pm

tacotheatrelover said: "Why are a lot of y’all so ****ing negative all the time?

I know I should be the one being told this, but you guys need to be more grateful about having the resources and money to see all this theatre in the theatre capital. The arts are dying and heavily underfunded and over budgeted in today’s world, it should not cost 1.2 million for a revival of Gypsy or 1.16 million for a production of cabaret. The least you can do is buy your ticket, shut the **** up, and watch and support the damn show."

Diva, you have no information about how much how many people are just scrapping by to live here. Don't try and tell people that they should just put up and shut up when they put down money to see something. This production in particular is not some tiny small production being put up in a tiny little theatre, it's a vanity project financed to put Audra on stage by rich producers. Save the dramatics. 

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 7/2/25 at 8:55pm

Sutton Ross said: "There is a service that gives out free tickets (they gave them out during Heart of Rock and Roll) but the name escapes me, but please producers, utilize this tool andpaper the mother f*cking house!"

I thought papering services were geared toward Student Unions of the several colleges in and around NYC. Since school is out for the summer there isn’t that much of a use for comped tickets.