Posted: 6/24/19 at 9:39am
Hugh Jackman has always done 8 shows a week. I don't see why Music Man would be any different. The role actually isn't all that strenuous, compared to Boy From Oz or Evan Hansen or Evita or Bobby in Company... Bette was 70 and hadn't done a musical in 50 years.
Updated On: 6/24/19 at 09:39 AM
Posted: 7/17/19 at 10:09am
This isn't "news," but worth noting: an EPA notice went up last week and basically all the principal roles except Charlie Cowell are listed as being cast. (in addition to Harold & Marian, Marcellus, Mrs. Paroo, Mayor Shinn, and Eulalie Shinn are all cast, presumably with offer-only types or people Zaks & Rudin wanted to work with)
http://www.playbill.com/job/the-music-man-nyc-epa-070819/0000016b-7561-d00f-a97b-776b0c720000
Posted: 7/17/19 at 9:27pm
Robbie2 said: "at the WInter Garden next season
"
That is perfect Robbie. I do hope your wrong about SIX going into NWS. But your usually right on.
Posted: 7/18/19 at 6:34am
Sutton herself said after Anything Goes that almost every scene for which she was remembered featured her tap-dancing. One of the main reasons she took on Violet was to test herself in a serious role in which she was not always grinning ear-to-ear. I guess she succeeded, given the Tony nomination and strong reviews.
I guess that she will have to prove herself again in Music Man. Which of these Marians is not like the others?
Barbara Cook, Shirley Jones, Rebecca Luker, Kristin Chenoweth and the 44 year old Foster? I wouldn't bet against Sutton. She is one of those who succeeds at just about everything she tries. And it doesn't hurt that she's so likeable.
No one, however, has every gift at the same level. Looking over the many songs that she has recorded, I think that I see a pretty small portion of them representing the the typical romantic ballads that so many others have covered. No "Someone to Watch Over Me," "All the Things You Are," "Just the Way You Look Tonight," "I'll Be Seeing You," "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," etc. etc. Or bluesy songs like "The Man That Got Away," or "One For My Baby."
It does bother me a little that there are many talented young actresses around in their prime who are doing voice-overs for animated films instead of being cast in great roles from shows new and revived. But that's not Sutton's fault.
Posted: 7/20/19 at 2:37am
Posted: 7/20/19 at 5:44am
Does it mean anything that her name is below the title of the show though? They are very much not presented as equals there, but it's nice that it is the same size.
Posted: 7/20/19 at 9:12am
qolbinau said: "Does it mean anything that her name is below the title of the show though? They are very much not presented as equals there, but it's nice that it is the same size."
How many Tonys does one have to win to have their name above title? This is bs.
Posted: 7/20/19 at 1:15pm
Valentina3 said: "qolbinau said: "Does it mean anything that her name is below the title of the show though? They are very much not presented as equals there, but it's nice that it is the same size."
How many Tonys does one have to win to have their name above title? This is bs."
This is a reach. It's aesthetically pleasing from a graphic design standpoint and makes geometrical sense and nothing more. Even still realistically, a word on the street poll would reveal a great deal of general public would recognize the name of Hugh Jackman much more easily than the name of Sutton Foster.
Posted: 7/20/19 at 1:18pm
qolbinau said: "Does it mean anything that her name is below the title of the show though? They are very much not presented as equals there, but it's nice that it is the same size."
Wasn’t David Hyde Pierce below the title for Hello, Dolly?
Posted: 7/20/19 at 2:06pm
qolbinau said: "Does it mean anything that her name is below the title of the show though? They are very much not presented as equals there, but it's nice that it is the same size."
It's a little demeaning to have her below the title, but it works from a stylistic standpoint...and clearly, he's selling a lot more tickets than she is. It may just be for ad purposes, and she's above the title in the Playbill?
"Wasn’t David Hyde Pierce below the title for Hello, Dolly?"
Yes, and he was rarely advertised. Tho I think nearly every Horace Vandegelder in history has been below the title...Music Man is much more of a two-hander. (Barbara Cook was also below the title.)
Posted: 7/20/19 at 2:59pm
Joshua Kilimnik said: "Valentina3 said: "qolbinau said: "Does it mean anything that her name is below the title of the show though? They are very much not presented as equals there, but it's nice that it is the same size."
How many Tonys does one have to win to have their name above title? This is bs."
This is a reach. It's aesthetically pleasing from a graphic design standpoint and makes geometrical sense and nothing more. Even still realistically, a word on the street poll would reveal a great deal of general public would recognize the name of Hugh Jackman much more easily than the name of Sutton Foster."
There's more than one aesthetically pleasing graphic design. Having the name above the title has a very clear and distinct meaning in the theater, and I'm not asking her to be given a larger font/type than Hugh, who's an accomplished stage performer. Her name should be alongside Hugh's, above the title. Sutton getting that well deserved honor doesn't take anything away from audiences being able to read Hugh's name.
Posted: 7/20/19 at 3:30pm
Posted: 7/20/19 at 3:35pm
I’m on mobile so I can’t upload the photo, but the banner on their Twitter account has their names on opposite horizontal sides, same height and size, font as large as the title.
http://twitter.com/musicmanbway
Updated On: 7/20/19 at 03:35 PM
Posted: 7/20/19 at 7:23pm
kade.ivy said: "I’m on mobile so I can’t upload the photo, but the banner on their Twitter account has their names on opposite horizontal sides, same height and size, font as large asthe title.
http://twitter.com/musicmanbway"
And their picture says “Hugh Sutton”. People get riled up over the weirdest things on here
Posted: 7/21/19 at 11:26am
schubox said: "kade.ivy said: "I’m on mobile so I can’t upload the photo, but the banner on their Twitter account has their names on opposite horizontal sides, same height and size, font as large asthe title.
http://twitter.com/musicmanbway"
And their picture says “Hugh Sutton”. People get riled up over the weirdest things on here"
Hmm. I'll put a pin on my online outrage. For now. :)
Posted: 7/25/19 at 12:09am
Interesting perspective from Sutton on how she will approach the role of Marian Paroo --
" But “Younger,” now in its sixth season, and Emily have kept Foster from Broadway since “Violet” in 2014. Concert appearances and short runs of a couple of shows away from Broadway have kept her connected to live performance while she awaits the beginning of rehearsals a year from now for a Broadway revival of “The Music Man” opposite Hugh Jackman...
Posted: 7/25/19 at 1:42am
Very interesting interview. Sutton does stand apart from the other Marians and could put her stamp on the role. We really know very little about her past: relationships with men, death of her father, interactions with Winthrop.
But there is also risk. The Music Man is an unabashedly sentimental show, and one of the best. Audiences want to hear “My White Knight” and “Til There Was You” sung beautifully and Marian’s defense of Harold to bring up the tears.
Posted: 7/25/19 at 8:54am
Wasn't there supposed to be a pre-sale this last month or this current month?
Posted: 7/25/19 at 10:32am
Younger was just renewed for a seventh season - I wonder if they will be changing their filming schedule as I believe they film in the spring.
Edit: Never mind. I keep forgetting this is more than a year away. This would only be a problem if they were renewed for an eighth season.
Updated On: 7/25/19 at 10:32 AM
Posted: 7/27/19 at 2:23am
Posted: 7/27/19 at 3:04am
scampsweep said: "Just to verify :,when does The Music Man actually open (or begin previewing) and at which theatre? Just wondering whether it will be possible to arrange a trip to see both this and ‘Company’? Is Company an open or limited run?
Will both shows be running at the same time? And if so, does anyone know when tickets go on sale?
Sorry, lots of questions there, but any help would be appreciated. Thanks. "
Previews start September 9, 2020. Opening night is set for October 22. As far as I know it’s going in a, yet unknown, Shubert Theater
Posted: 7/27/19 at 3:22am
Posted: 7/28/19 at 1:56am
Why this passion for middle-aged actresses in ingenue roles? Julie Andrews was 20 or 21 when cast in My Fair Lady. Bernadette Peters was 20 when she starred opposite Joel Grey in George M. Barbara Cook was arguably pushing the age limit when she was Marian at 30. Consider that she was the brother of Winthrop and that in turn-of-the-century rural America a woman un-married at age 21 raised eyebrows.
And people are fine with Sutton and Baldwin, at 44, in the role? Well, I myself said that Sutton succeeded in everything she tried.
After the disastrous six month run of Carousel, I wonder if the casting directors are focusing in more on who will please their peers than who will please the audiences.
Laura Benanti is beloved by the theater community. I get that. Even her act with her mother is a gem. But I thought she was too old for the role. The audiences that stayed away did not disagree. Kelli O’Hara, practically Bartlett Sher’s muse, in an interview conducted before casting, said she would adore the role but was afraid “that ship had sailed.” She then mumbled something about Mary Martin in her 40s. If you were going to pick a 40 year old Eliza, would you pick Laura over Kelli? Interesting question. Probably quite a few would.
In contrast I give you the non-theater community favorite Laura Osnes, who at age 23 took over the lead in the prestigious and expensive production of South Pacific during Kelli’s seven month maternity leave (generous leave time) and again after Kelli left for good. Osnes was in the role for a good seven months more before closing. South Pacific ran about eight months longer than My Fair Lady. I think audiences appreciate the fresh face.
