PAL JOEY Broadway Revival Planned/City Center Production- Page 3

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 3/4/23 at 12:46pm

LOLZ. 

[inception]

Posted: 3/6/23 at 9:05pm

Looking at the casting notice, I see it says it is for a tier 3 development agreement. On the Equity website it defines that as:

"The Development Agreement is used for the development of new works, usually prior to an intended Production Agreement engagement. The agreement includes three contract tiers: Tiers 1 and 2 are limited to two weeks, with Tier 3 covering two to eight weeks. "

So while they are casting for development, would it still be somewhat up in the air whether they might actually open next season, or even this Fall?

Updated On: 3/7/23 at 09:05 PM

[RippedMan]

Posted: 3/6/23 at 10:23pm

Saw the last revival and it was just so ho-hum and forgettable. 

And I can't imagine they'd go with an unknown for this. This seems like a commercial production. They'll need a somewhat name. Pal Joey is not a Michael Jackson musical. 

Updated On: 3/6/23 at 10:23 PM

[perfectpenguin]

Posted: 6/8/23 at 7:49pm

On Instagram, Aisha Jackson shared a Pal Joey binder for Linda in her stories today. Workshop?

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 6/8/23 at 7:54pm

perfectpenguin said: "On Instagram, Aisha Jackson shared a Pal Joey binder for Linda in her stories today. Workshop?"

Jackson is playing Linda in the New York City Center Pal Joey in November. (Evidently they're starting rehearsals this month.)

[jkcohen626]

Posted: 6/8/23 at 8:22pm

MemorableUserName said: "perfectpenguin said: "On Instagram, Aisha Jackson shared a Pal Joey binder for Linda in her stories today. Workshop?"

Jackson is playing Linda in the New York City Center Pal Joey in November. (Evidently they're starting rehearsals this month.)"

Why would a 1-week November production be starting rehearsals in June? It's most likely a workshop to figure and test  out all of the changes they're making. 

[DJD4]

Posted: 6/8/23 at 8:38pm

Hannah Waddingham would be perfect for Vera, just sayin..

[jkcohen626]

Posted: 6/8/23 at 8:51pm

DJD4 said: "Hannah Waddingham would be perfect for Vera, just sayin.."

Hannah Waddingham needs to come back to New York!!!

However, Elizabeth Stanley is playing Vera in this production!

[DJD4]

Posted: 6/8/23 at 8:57pm

jkcohen626 said: "DJD4 said: "Hannah Waddingham would be perfect for Vera, just sayin.."

Hannah Waddingham needs to come back to New York!!!

However, Elizabeth Stanley is playing Vera in this production!"

Oh shoot I didn't see that. She is gonna be great.

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 6/8/23 at 9:05pm

jkcohen626 said: "MemorableUserName said: "perfectpenguin said: "On Instagram, Aisha Jackson shared a Pal Joey binder for Linda in her stories today. Workshop?"

Jackson is playing Linda in the New York City Center Pal Joey in November. (Evidently they're starting rehearsals this month.)"

Why would a 1-week November production be starting rehearsals in June? It's most likely a workshop to figure and test out all of the changes they're making."

I have no idea, and agree it makes no sense, but when the cast was announced, Stanley, who was originally announced as playing the Witch in Into the Woods at Pittsburgh CLO at the end of June, posted on Instagram that she was no longer doing ITW because she would be in rehearsals for Pal Joey at that time. Maybe she meant a workshop, but given that rehearsals is the word she used and she's actually in the show, that's the one I used.

 

[Demitri2]

Posted: 6/8/23 at 11:02pm

The one and only time I saw a production of PAL JOEY was back in 1978 at the Music Center in Los Angeles. In fact the producers changed the title to "PAL JOEY '78" thinking it would let the audience know it was a newer, updated version of the original 1940's musical. The show (and hype) was built around the Vera Simpson character for good reason. It was being played by the legendary Lena Horne who hadn't appeared on the Broadway stage in a show since JAMAICA back in the fifties (though in 1974 she did play the Minskoff with Tony Bennett in a concert setting for about three weeks).

Back to PAL JOEY. The part of Joey was played by Clifton Davis, whose character was changed from being a dancer as played by Gene Kelly and Bob Fosse on stage to that of a singer as Frank Sinatra portrayed him in the film. That disappointed me at the time because I would have ideally preferred the role to be that of a singer/dancer with the stress on dancer. Someone at the time like Ben Vereen or Gregory  Hines would've been ideal..

The show wasn't working for me from the very beginning. Plus the first Act closer which built up to Lena singing "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered" was a disaster. Lena was fine but her body mike kept cutting out constantly. And when it did, it seemed to do it on all her big money notes. It was so bad that I actually thought they were going to redo the number when they got the equipment working correctly. But...they didn't. Of course, Lena looked great in her costumes and did the best she could with the role but by the second act it dragged. Once again, had she played against a really exciting and impressive dancer instead of a lounge singer I feel it would've helped immensely. The show also played San Francisco but the reviews were not good and plans of going straight to NY were jettisoned, I have nothing but good thoughts towards a future reworked production with added R & H songs. TBH, I only like a handful of songs from their original score. 

Updated On: 7/13/23 at 11:02 PM

[OuttaTowner]

Posted: 6/9/23 at 10:21am

Glover is not appearing in the show. 

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 6/13/23 at 9:12pm

FYI, tickets went on sale today for the City Center run, November 1-5.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 7/13/23 at 12:12pm

I love Jennifer but I’ve waited my whole life to see Loretta Devine on stage. This is so exciting!

Article

Updated On: 7/13/23 at 12:12 PM

[Sauja]

Posted: 7/13/23 at 12:19pm

I’m hugely excited to see Loretta Devine. I’ve had the chance to see the phenomenal Ms. Holliday live, but agreed—this is a special chance that doesn’t come around often!

 

can anyone speak to the orchestra seating in City Center? Are there aisles on the far sides? My claustrophobia demands I have an aisle seat, and I can’t seem to remember the layout of the orchestra or find a definitive photo online.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 7/13/23 at 12:23pm

Any discount codes yet? 

[JSquared2]

Posted: 7/13/23 at 1:26pm

Sauja said: "I’m hugely excited to see Loretta Devine. I’ve had the chance to see the phenomenal Ms. Holliday live, but agreed—this is a special chance that doesn’t come around often!



can anyone speak to the orchestra seating in City Center? Are there aisles on the far sides? My claustrophobia demands I have an aisle seat, and I can’t seem to remember the layout of the orchestra or find a definitive photo online."

 

Yes -- both far sides in the orchestra have aisles --- also the far house right aisle door is right next to the men's restroom and the house left aisle door is right next to the women's restroom (for added convenience).

[JSquared2]

Posted: 7/13/23 at 1:27pm

Which character in this version sings "Zip"?

 

[JasonC3]

Posted: 10/5/23 at 12:56pm

Some convo over on All that Chat about rumors Encores has ditched the Pal Joey book and is using some (all?) of the songs with a different story being told.

https://www.talkinbroadway.com/allthatchat_new/d.php?id=2581504 Updated On: 10/5/23 at 12:56 PM

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 10/5/23 at 1:27pm

Joey being a nightclub singer who has an affair with an older, wealthier woman still sounds like PAL JOEY to me.

If he is a charismatic heel, what makes him that way; could it be the treatment of Black artists in the 1940s? I don't know, I haven't read this new draft. But I doubt things haven't been sanded down completely.

I think there's a nuanced conversation to be had about what constitutes a book being "ditched" vs substantially rewritten, even if it means changing some storylines. I've seen similar complaints from people in FB groups comprised of older, white musical "purists" desperately clinging to the past.

[Aik1099]

Posted: 10/6/23 at 6:16pm

Do you think this will be up on TDF eventually?

[Melissa25]

Posted: 10/7/23 at 7:18pm

Yes. 

[George in DC]

Posted: 10/8/23 at 3:47am

Sorry, this all sounds like politically correct bull**** to me.

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 10/8/23 at 8:14am

JasonC3 said: "Some convo over on All that Chat about rumors Encores has ditched the Pal Joey book and is using some (all?) of the songs with a different story being told.

https://www.talkinbroadway.com/allthatchat_new/d.php?id=2581504"

The most interesting thing in that thread is how the one commenter who actually attended a reading says it's very much an adaptation and not a different story, with all the same characters and basic shape of the plot, and the other posters who didn't attend any readings dismiss him/her/them and say that can't possibly be true "based on what [they]'ve read"/"from [their] understanding". Like...someone who actually saw it should have a better idea than internet commenters speculating based on what they've read?

Updated On: 10/8/23 at 08:14 AM