SOME LIKE IT HOT- Starts at the Shubert November 1 — Page 2

I don’t think it’s going to do any good to bend over backwards to try to appeal to the ultra-woke with this or any show. Those are a tiny minority of ticket buyers. Twitter chatter will not make or break this show. That’s not saying to disrespect or alienate your audience — but this show’s target audience is going to be affluent New Yorkers, tourists, and musical comedy fans. And Tony voters.

No show is for everyone, and that is okay. If you try to be hypercautious, it will leave a narrative that’s lifeless and oversanitized (one of the problems with Mrs. Doubtfire).

JSquared2 said: "BritCrit said: "I love the old-fashioned poster that has just been revealed, but it's interesting that it seems to hide the "Drag" aspects of the story entirely.

P.S. With the exception of J.Harrison Ghee, which other members of the ensemble or creative team are queer, trans or non-binary?"



Unless they choose to make that information public, what business is it of yours?

"

Because it would be a wise decision to emphasize the gender diversity in order to win over everyone who has already expressed displeasure at the premise. I also feel like highlighting the diversity of gender-fluid/trans/non-binary creatives on Broadway is helpful in a variety of ways. With all due respect, Christian Lewis should not be treated as the only non-binary figure whose opinions on the topic matter...

The show has top flight creative team. I like it's chances of being a fun and popular show. It looks like the fall openings have real potential.

RippedMan said: "Considering none of the "men in drag" shows have been successful we shall see.

And they've not written a great score since Hairspray.

And with Casey at the helm how much tap dancing will we get? Will the gay/queer character be the sole tape dancer?"

True, but Shaiman and Wittman have written some good songs since (albeit in flawed scores). Who can ever forget “A Big Black Lady Stops the Show”? I somehow have hope the duo can write another solid score.

As for Nicholaw, there was no tapping in sight for his previous Broadway show The Prom, so I’m sure he’ll make up for that big-time right here.

Casey's work is hit and miss, but he hits more than he misses (especially in terms of box office). Of the book musicals he's directed on Broadway:

The Prom –– good work by him hurt by a low budget.

Mean Girls –– awful writing, awful design. Really needed a Jerry Mitchell type instead. Recouped.

Tuck Everlasting –– stellar work from him on a bad piece of writing.

Something Rotten –– this feels like the ideal Casey show. Recouped on tour.

Aladdin –– Not his best work, but he figured out how to make it work as a stage property. Recouped.

Mormon –– His showmanship saved the show. Recouped.

(never saw Elf)

Drowsy –– perfection. Recouped.

Also stellar ENCORES productions of Follies and Most Happy Fella (MHF being especially impressive because it opened just weeks after Aladdin). And according to the Mark Harris book, he directed more of Spamalot than Mike Nichols did. The direction & choreo made that show work.

He's got a $17.5 mil budget for this, which aside from Aladdin is the most expensive show he's directed.

Updated On: 4/20/22 at 04:10 PM

Doubtfire and Tootsie triggering backlash is a case of correlation but not causation. As Ermengarde mentioned, the backlash to both was confined to a niche segment of theater people on social media. Tootsie was flailing from the get-go; its score was Yazbek cashing a check and Santino Fontana was never able to gather momentum as a star, must-see performance. Doubtfire is pretty much in the same place- mixed reviews, humdrum material, and no "must see" chatter around Rob McClure. Both of those properties are based on films with beloved star turns from recent memory- the musical adaptations lacked them entirely, and lived in the shadows of their source material. If anything, the two shows demonstrate that the "put a recognizable title onstage" school of producing is the failure here, not the content of the material.

No one knows a thing until they've seen the damn show. Maybe they're handling these issues with great care.

Every single person on the SLIH creative team has been a part of at least one show that I found transcendent. Let's see what they come up with.

UncleCharlie said: "CarlosAlberto said: "BrodyFosse123 said: "I guess Anita is now headlining the Tropicana in Havana, Cuba circa 1958? I guess it’s safe to assume part of the reinterpretation is moving the timeline from the late 1920s to tropical late 1950s:

"

LMAO!!! Ugh @ that artwork. I had no idea that Microsoft Paint was back!"

LOL. Totally agree. Was amazed at how generic and uncreative this art is. Tells you absolutely nothing about the show other than apparently there will be musicians involved which I gathered from the words "A New Musical Comedy". Anyone who thinks this artwork is amazing and creative has never put together a powerpoint presentation that incorporates pictures and graphics."

I personally feel it does a good job of establishing tone and style (plus I personally like that sort of "Roaring Twenties" vibe), but why do a poster that completely omits the drag element? It's like Doubtfire dropping the Mrs. from the title - anyone with even the vaguest knowledge of either film can tell you these are stories about men disguising themselves as women, so it doesn't do a lick of good to pretend otherwise...

Updated On: 4/20/22 at 05:31 PM

Two other things:

1) Anyone complaining about the artwork obviously hasn't seen the "art" for Funny Girl or 2nd Stage or American Buffalo or Mr. Saturday Night... Seems like this is trying to evoke an old travel ad, which makes sense for the show.

2) Glad to see the very talented Charlie Rosen continuing to get high-profile work as an orchestrator.

I am not Trans

I am friends with and love a lot of Trans people

They say there should not be a show about: a man dressing as a woman to trick people.

We should believe Trans people.

Broadway should be about the best of us.

Personally, I am excited to see what Adrianna Hicks does with that iconic role. I think she shines in Six and can’t wait to see her have more to do.

inception said: "Without a charismatic cast, the dumb plot becomes the focus.

It could be like when I saw Mrs. Doubtfire in Seattle in 2019 and the audience all turned to each other at intermission and said, "This isn't as awful as I was expecting.""

Part A sums up the problem with these adaptations - why are we adapting Tootsie, Doubtfire or SLIH? Because of their status as popular American comedies and why do they have that status? Because of the excellent casts - casual viewers are willing to forgive the issues with the "Cishet in Drag" plot device in order to see Dustin Hoffman and Robin Williams at the peak of their comedic powers (And that's just focusing on the grand lead roles, ignoring the numerous icons in the supporting casts of Tootsie and Doubtfire - people like Jessica Lange, Bill Murray, Sally Field and Pierce Brosnan) But Santino Fontana is no Dustin Hoffman, and Rob McClure is no Robin Williams.

The "This Isn't as Awful as I Was Expecting" comment is a big reason why the backlash to SLIH is so aggressive and so dismissive of the nuances to that particular story. At the very least, adapting all three of the most notable "cishet in drag" comedies in a five year period is a sign of some sort of lazinesss. I believe it's problematic to dismiss a work on premise alone, but maybe musicals of all genres can do more than try to climb a little bit over low expectations?