#TheaterMania

[d-criss-news]

Maybe Happy Ending Postpones Broadway Opening Several Weeks

The producers of Maybe Happy Ending, the new musical comedy about robots in South Korea, have announced that preview performances at the Belasco Theatre will be postponed to October 16, with an official opening night November 12. The opening night had previously been announced as October 17, with previews starting September 18.

“Maybe Happy Ending uses specially made video projections, which are a critically important part of its scenic design and unfortunately, there has been a delay in production for these custom theatrical goods from the factory which specializes in these models,” said Allan Williams, Executive Producer. “That supply chain issue has caused the show’s postponement by a few weeks so that we can ensure the show maintains its unique and technologically advanced rendering to tell this story and the world of HelperBots ‘Oliver’ and ‘Claire’.”

The producers have also revealed the complete on stage cast of the show. As previously reported, Maybe Happy Ending stars Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winner Darren Criss (American Buffalo, Little Shop of Horrors) and Helen J Shen (The Lonely Few, Teeth). Dez Duron (NBC’s “The Voice”) and Marcus Choi (Wicked, Flower Drum Song) will join them, completing the four-person cast.

Maybe Happy Ending features music by Will Aronson, lyrics by Hue Park, and book by both Aronson and Park. Direction is by Tony Award-winner Michael Arden (Parade, Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Once on this Island).

The understudies rounding out the final cast will be announced at a later date.

[sillyname30]

Actors get their breaks on Broadway in different ways. Steven Huynh, who has spent the past few years working primarily in regional theater and doing workshops for upcoming musicals such as The Lost Boys and Crazy Rich Asians, got his big break when he became the standby for Darren Criss in the new musical Maybe Happy Ending, now at the Belasco Theatre.

Huynh spoke with TheaterMania about deciding to pursue acting during high school after being nominated for a Dazzle Award, how his first Broadway show affected him, and what it’s like working with Criss, whom he first met on the set of Glee.

The following conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

What was the deciding factor for you in pursuing acting?

I was planning to be a music teacher. I mostly played trumpet in high school, but one year I ended up playing Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors, and I was eventually recognized as one of five Best Actor nominees for the inaugural Dazzle Awards at [Cleveland’s] Playhouse Square, which is the regional version of the Jimmy Awards. While working on that awards show — it was so cool being with 100 other kids — I came to the realization that I could make acting into a career, even though I didn’t win the award. It also was a huge factor that my mom and dad told me I should be doing this. They are Vietnamese immigrants who own a nail salon, so their support has meant so much to me!

Was being on Broadway always your goal?

I would say Broadway has been my dream ever since 2016, when my high school class came to New York and saw Aladdin on Broadway. Seeing the representation onstage of people who looked like me was really inspiring. When my agent called to tell me that I had been chosen for Maybe Happy Ending, I immediately went to write down “At 4:18 on July 10, you found out you are making your Broadway debut.” And then I called my mom and dad to thank them. I still have a sense of disbelief that I’m here. But my biggest feeling is gratitude.

What is Maybe Happy Ending is about?

It is a musical that takes place in this future society that has created humanoid helper-bots whose main purpose is to serve others. But since they are always upgrading to the newest models, these two older robots, Oliver [played by Criss] and Claire [played by Helen J. Shen], are put into this retirement center where they meet and come to terms with mortality, being human, and falling in love. My hope is that, even though the musical deals with advanced AI, audiences will leave the theater with a renewed sense of wonder about the world around us today. I also hope they will sing or hum the score for days to come.

You are not only the standby for Darren Criss, but you’re also an understudy for Marcus Choi, who plays various roles in the show. That sound like a lot of work.

Yes, it is a lot that I have to learn all these parts. But I get to watch and observe this show from the ground up and I get to be part of the conversation, which is so exciting. I learn a lot of the roles simply from osmosis, being in the room every day. Still, when I am home, in Harlem, my script is completely hooked up and I am constantly reviewing lines and music on my commute on the subway.

Are you enjoying working with Darren?

I absolutely admire and adore Darren. It’s so incredible being in the rehearsal room with him — we actually didn’t meet until we got into the rehearsal room — because he takes such an intellectual, in-depth approach to creating his character. I remember watching him in Glee while growing up; I actually used his version of “Someone Only We Know” as my audition song. Luckily, he thought that was hilarious. Anyway, a lot of our camaraderie comes not only from our Asian American heritage, but from our shared love of food. A lot of what we talk about is our experience of eating at our favorite restaurants, and now we try to go out when we can and find the best ramen, pho, or Korean BBQ. It’s so fun!

[edtype]

Celebrating a Queen: Betrayal

To prepare for Zawe’s latest notable upcoming event and to manifest her part as conqueror, here’s the first moment of celebrating her as She Who Elevates. Starting with an interview that benefited from her touches of humor. She likes keeping it lightly informative.

Tom Hiddleston, Zawe Ashton and Charlie Cox - Betrayal Broadway / Interview for TheaterMania.

[unproduciblesmackdown]

asia kate dillon as albert cashier in good men wanted at powerhouse theater in 2017

[for-a-longlongtime]

Pedro and Oscar in 2006, Beauty of the Father play

I was googling some of Pedro's old theatre stuff and came across pictures I had never seen before of him and Oscar! This is from the Beauty of the Father play (and I'm also realizing just now that Elizabeth Rodriguez was part of that ensemble - she's the actress who played Aleida Diaz in Orange is the New Black).

This is the play in which Oscar played a ghost (Pedro has spoken about how Oscar would try to make him laugh/break character, I think -- and this is probably also the one he refered to in the Wire interview, where he talks about 'there was no guitar in the play, but all of a sudden there was, because Oscar brought it in').

Here's an article about this play from TheaterMania.

And here are some more pics of Pedro in the play (I did see most of those before, pretty sure these are quite well-known):

Random bonus video:

Pedro being asked for a response about Oscar saying that Moonknight would beat Din Djarin in a fight. What in the ever loving hell is that ridiculous laugh?? LMAO.

Let's see, tagging @legendary-pink-dot @imalrightllama @sin-djarin @magpiepills @morallyinept just to make sure you're seeing all this

[mariacallous]

Here she is, boys! Here she is, world! Here’s Audra!

Six-time Tony Award Winner Audra McDonald will return to Broadway this fall, taking on what is widely regarded as the greatest role in musical theatre, “Rose” in GYPSY.

[swiftzeldas]

That these paragraphs are from TheaterMania’s POSITIVE review of The Great Gatsby, I shudder to think what people who didn’t like the show will have to say????

[pilferingapples]

I got so into the joy of Boops I didn't even check my mail and almost MISSED this Important Announcement yesterday!! Article under cut in case they take it down:

The producer of Willy’s Chocolate Experience has announced that the Roald Dahl rip-off will transfer to Broadway, with an opening-night performance slated for April 25 at 11pm — just in time for Tony Awards consideration.

The interactive show made international headlines in February when it played a warehouse in Glasgow. Lured by AI-generated images of a fantastical candy wonderland, Scottish ticket-buyers plunked down £35 each to enter the workshop of “Willy McDuff,” a whimsical chocolatier assisted by green-haired “Wonkidoodles” and haunted by “The Unknown,” a rival candy-maker who inhabits the walls of the factory.

Derided as “Willy Wonka’s Meth Lab,” the immersive production fell far short of the expectations set by marketing material, with actors struggling to bring coherence to a script that was obviously authored by ChatGPT, on a set that looked like a daycare on Riker’s Island. An audience revolt prematurely ended the run, with several ticket-buyers demanding refunds from the event’s visibly frazzled organizer.

“We learned so much from our out-of-town tryout,” the upbeat producer told TheaterMania, reframing the whole thing as a brilliant publicity stunt.

“I’ve been closely collaborating with our script doctor, Goog LeGemini, and I think we’ve solved the major problem of The Unknown being too…unknown. She is now an unhoused victim of Willy’s gentrification, a socially relevant backstory that I think makes for a much richer narrative. That was all the Glasgow run was missing, really.”

TheaterMania can exclusively reveal that Willy’s Chocolate Experience will play the defunct McDonald’s on 42nd Street next to the New Amsterdam Theatre. “It’s a perfect opportunity to snag tourists unable to get into Aladdin,” the producer enthused. “They might feel a little disappointed at first, but just wait until they get a load of our show.”

While the shuttered 42nd Street McDonald’s has not previously been considered a Broadway house, our investigations revealed that a certain former Broadway League president quietly elevated the venue on February 15 through an obscure administrative procedure that has gone unnoticed by the theatrical press until now.

“Between Here Lies Love and the revival of Cabaret, it’s clear that producers are seeking more versatile venues,” said the ex-prez when reached for comment, “and I can think of no better space for immersive shows than this hamburger palace with a theatrical marquee. You’re welcome, Broadway.”

Readers interested in a deeper dive should return to TheaterMania on Friday, when our desperate Story of the Week columnist will have banged out 2,000 words about why this is happening and how it will have absolutely no impact on this year’s Tony Awards.

Until then, we wish you a very happy April Fools’ Day.

[jgroffdaily]

Another video from Krystal Joy Brown as part of her Merrily takeover on Theatermania with Jonathan and Daniel.

[christotokos]

the outsiders musical review round up

these are for reviews for the broadway version. i will compile the ones for the la jolla previews from a year go at a later date. i will add my opinions on these in a reblog.

[TheaterMania] Review: The Outsiders Becomes a Soggy Broadway Musical

The deluge arrives during the climactic rumble scene, perversely transforming this coming-of-age story about brotherhood and the gravitational pull of class into an Abercrombie & Fitch photoshoot. It adds nothing to the story and gives several of these tough (tuff?) boys the Sharon Stone wet look just in time for the show’s heartfelt conclusion. This may seem like a petty thing to highlight at the top of a review, but this expensive and superfluous scenic effect exemplifies everything that is wrong with The Outsiders.

[The Guardian] The Outsiders review – ’60s-set classic makes for a solid, if unspectacular, Broadway musical

SE Hinton’s novel, which was adapted by Francis Ford Coppola for film, makes for a competent yet forgettable stage show.

In musical form, The Outsiders is at times overly, achingly sad, sometimes curiously staid, and always feeling in debt to something bigger. 

[The New York Times, archive link] Review: In ‘The Outsiders,’ a New Song for the Young Misfits

The classic coming-of-age novel has become a compelling, if imperfect, musical about have-not teenagers in a have-it-all world.

It’s a strange paradox of Broadway that its bigness, when used humbly, can honor quite delicate ideas. Whether it can sustain them is another story. In “The Outsiders,” they are not sustained; the structural problems mean its achievements don’t stick. But they’re still achievements, and a show need not be for the ages to be for the moment. In that sense it’s fair, citing Frost, to call it golden — nature’s “hardest hue to hold.”

[NY Daily News] BROADWAY REVIEW: S.E. Hinton’s gang classic ‘The Outsiders’ doesn’t cut it as stage show

This new Broadway musical is not all I had hoped. The show loses its narrative thread in a second act where the requisite narrative tension dissipates instead of intensifying, and the show, which lacks the humor of the structurally similar “Newsies,” gets stuck in an overly introspective and melancholic loop. It’s understandable why — the source novel is proudly reflective and ruminative, but musicals invariably have to be fueled by action, emotional change and resolvable determination.

[The Washington Post] Like many musical adaptations, ‘The Outsiders’ overexplains itself The new Broadway show adapted from S. E. Hinton’s novel and Francis Ford Coppola’s movie has great visual touches but falters when the characters open their mouths.

And therein lies the problem: The show overexplains everything, all the time. Hinton knew exactly how much to say and when — the paperback edition of “The Outsiders” is just 180 concise, evocative pages that let us discover things along with Ponyboy. Here, both the book and the songs tend to underestimate the audience’s intelligence. (This is surprising coming from Rapp, who is usually not afraid of ambiguity.)

[Variety] ‘The Outsiders’ Review: Broadway Musical Packs Heart and Soul but Little Punch

But a puttering feeling pervades even these climactic moments. The infatuation between Ponyboy and Cherry (Emma Pittman), which produces a couple of serviceable duets, feels perfunctory and fades into a melange of other conflicts. Hinton’s novel gallops with the muscular first-person voice of a tortured narrator, grabbing readers by the collar. “The Outsiders” musical takes a milder approach, peering under the hood of masculinity to the tune and pace of indie emo.

there are other reviews than these, but these are the major ones. some of them i don't include because, well, even in agreement that the show is bad, they have really bad conclusions in other spaces. broadwayworld features more but i'd exercise caution as some of the reviews they mark positive are actually middling at best.

[d-criss-news]

The 5 Best Broadway Shows of 2024

1. Maybe Happy Ending

Of all the shows on this list, the only one that succeeded in getting me to tear up was Will Aronson and Hue Park’s charming little musical about two obsolete robots who fall in love and go on a great adventure. Helen J Shen plays Claire and Darren Criss plays Oliver, who is convinced his owner will one day come back for him, and who studiously listens to his favorite jazz records in preparation. This little detail allows Aronson and Park to write some truly beautiful jazz numbers, which are performed by lost member of the Rat Pack Dez Duron in a thrilling Broadway debut. Director Michael Arden, who helmed last year’s revival of Parade, shows his mastery of the musical form in a show that marries cutting-edge technology (Dane Laffrey’s ever expanding and contracting set is remarkable) with good old-fashioned emotional storytelling. Expect this to be a major contender for the Best Musical Tony next spring.

[greaterstokesawareness]

Collection: Brian Stokes Mitchell joins all-star lineup performing at Everybody Rise! A Sondheim Celebration at Hollywood Bowl July 30, 2023

[Brian Stokes Mitchell joins all-star lineup including Patti LuPone, Norm Lewis, Sutton Foster, Skylar Astin, and Sierra Boggess performing at Everybody Rise! A Sondheim Celebration at Hollywood Bowl July 30, 2023].

LA Times review (x)

Broadway World recap (x)

JustJared review with setlist (x)

weliveentertainment.com review with photos (x)

TheaterMania review (x)

Stokes interview with 94.7 The Wave ahead of the concert (x)

Hollywood Bowl event page (x)

Audience videos of the performances:

"A Little Priest" with Patti LuPone (x) (x) (x) (x)

"Epiphany" (x) (x)

"Pretty Women" with Norm Lewis (x) (x)

"Getting Married Today" (x) (x) (x)

"The Flag Song" (x)

"Sunday" with everyone (x) (x)

[cavernfullofexistentialdread]

My thoughts on FIVE

LONG POST AHEAD

I found it promising, I’ll tell you that much. I do have to acknowledge my bias towards to this piece of art. It’s WONDERFUL that a musical like SIX has sparked so much creativity and is even getting a parody!! WE’VE MADE IT INTO THE HALL OF FAME QUEENDOM!!

ALSO FUCKING JAIME??? STARKID FANS RISE UP!!

I’m was giving this thing the benefit of the doubt. I was sort of confused when I first learned about it, and I had this gut feeling that I’d hate it. I honestly thought it was kind of weird that we’re using this to make a parody of… TRUMP of all people??? Like these women are still ALIVE to my knowledge.

My only wish is that they acknowledge and give their opinion on this musical in some way because say it with me now; THEIR STILL ALIVE AND HAVE THE RIGHT TO AN OPINION ON HOW THEIR VIEWED!

However I have not seen it yet and I am excited to see what my favorite musical has inspired! …Is what I’d be saying if I hadn’t read some reviews. It seems the general consensus is that while it is funny it’s not as innovative in its humor as it could be. And it may not have done what it wanted

As this TheaterMania review states

“A musical send-up of the women in Trump’s orbit, Five: The Parody Musical, would seem to be just what the doctor ordered as we face the prospect of yet another Trump administration. So why wasn’t I laughing?“

I thought this article was being a little harsh on this musical, until I read THIS.

“The few genuinely funny moments in Five spring entirely from Jen Wineman’s adequate production — her choreography is both simplistic and sloppily executed, which is funny in its own way — and the ingenuity of the actors.”

I was surprised by this, the advertising leaned heavily into the humor of it all. The fact that it was a parody—“LOOK OUT SIX!” And “MAKE AMERICA LAUGH AGAIN!” made me excited to see how they’d creatively dunk on Trump. Like how SIX had done with Henry VIII

Then I remembered what else this article had said in regards to the humor

“The jokes generally hit three points: Donald Trump is orange, he has a small penis, and he likes getting peed on. This is territory that our overpopulated heard of late-night hosts have already stomped to death — without asking audiences to fork over the price of an off-Broadway ticket.””

And I was getting suspicious, so I looked at some more reviews. This article spends a lot of time dogging on FIVE and I was still trying to hold out hope.

This review from StageandCinema is a lot more kind! I was excited to find out what went RIGHT! About this musical!

“Five is much more sexual and crude in its descriptions of being fucked by Donald Trump. Hearing about his small prick and his sexual escapades (especially from pornstar Stormy), I struggled to immediately delete such images from my mind’s eye. The thought of Donald in any sexual act turned my stomach, which may have kept me from laughing. Perhaps nausea and comedy cancel each other out?”

OH… UHM…

Of course in the end they do have the same acknowledgment at the end of SIX, “Just because we were fucked by Donald Trump doesn’t mean we need to fuck each other over.” (A direct quote from the end of the paragraph containing the previous quote)

Through this article I also found out that this is actually a jukebox parody! (Which is when you parody existing songs in order to use it in the plot of a musical story telling medium). Which honestly was a welcome surprise. They’re not ashamed that is a BLATANT parody.

Okay! Let’s see what else we can find!

“It did seem like a clever idea, for at least five seconds”

WOW okay…

This article then goes on to discuss some political and legal matters that has come up surrounding the Sex worker that Trump is going against in court. He IS the first president with a criminal record (he went to court for sexual abuse, and also was impeached)

The article puts it perfectly

“Given such news of late, it’s increasingly difficult for me to appreciate, or even tolerate, a trivial show like “Five.” The creative team hasn’t read the room.”

This isn’t a fuck you to Trump supporters, this isn’t seriously discussing Trump’s effect on these women in ANY sort of fashion, this isn’t even ABOUT discussing Trump’s political status. It’s about parodying SIX and making fun of these women. The main selling point is “WHAT IF SIX BUT TRUMP!?”

“But even those who still view political humor as political armor will be disappointed, because “Five” seems little interested in Trump’s treatment of women, much less his threat to American democracy; instead, its main target is “Six.”  As political commentary, “Five” is near witless, tasteless, and toothless. But even just as a parody of “Six,” it’s too on the nose. If some theatergoers will find “Five” entertaining, I suspect it’ll largely be because its talented six-member cast makes the most of the moments in the show that add up to a stealth, second-rate “Forbidden Broadway.”

This review is BRUTAL it points out the flaws it see’s in FIVE with wit full words. This article was my turning point. It made me genuinely start to be dissatisfied with a show I HAVEN’T EVEN SEEN YET.

““Five” is not an exercise in female empowerment; the women in Trump’s lives are most often mocked.  Nor is it a takedown of a would-be tyrant; zingers against Trump rarely get more sophisticated than commenting on the size of his penis or calling him the orange bitch or orange troll.”

This is an insult to the very FABRIC of my opinions. THIS WAS A PARODY OF SIX. OF SIX. INCLUDE STUFF FROM SIX. JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE THE MORAL DOES NOT MEAN YOU TAUGHT IT. TRUMP IS NOT A GOOD PERSON.

THIS IS A PARODY OF SIX. BE CREATIVE WITH YOUR INSULTS! IF YOU’RE MAKING A PARODY ABOUT TRUMP THAT HAS TO DO WITH THE SUFFARAGE OF WOMEN AND WHAT WE DO WITH TRAGEDY; FUCKING SHOW IT!

This is so obviously anti-Trump. But it does’t FEEL that way. It feels against these women as well. Which is strange, considering it’s supposed to be like SIX.

Don’t get me wrong I fucking HATE TRUMP CAN’T WAIT FOR HIS ACTIONS TO CATCH UP TO HIM. But HOLY SHIT this is NOT where I thought this musical was going!

I plan on looking more into this musical, but these are my thoughts for now. I was initially a hater, turned skeptic, turned confused and insulted.

Look—I don’t WANT to be so hateful about something I haven’t seen. But if THIS is what reviews are saying (and there’s barely any of them) then WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON WITH IT???

I WANT THESE ACTRESSES TO HAVE AMAZING CAREERS! But if THIS is the show their put on, a show that is INSULTING women… then what???

[unproduciblesmackdown]

from aaron clark burstein / aaroncburstein

yeah this weekend was BANANAS spending the weekend with Iconis and Family was easily the best bookend to 2024 I could’ve asked for!! sharing the stage with some of the most talented and hysterical folks on the planet was so affirming and wholesome and flat-out *fun* I love this city!! I love theatre!! I LOVE CHRISTMAAAAAAAAAS

[unlikelyfanhairdoalmond]

Tim Daly keeps trying to kick his theater habit. “I don’t seem to be able to do it,” he says, laughing, when considering his role in La Femme Theatre Productions’s mounting of Tennessee Williams’ The Night of the Iguana, opening December 17th at the Pershing Square Signature Center.

Though he is most well-known for his screen work (Wings, Madam Secretary), Daly is a veteran of the stage, and has appeared both on and off-Broadway (The Caine Mutiny Court Martial, Downstairs). In the new production of Iguana, directed by Emily Mann, Daly plays Rev. Shannon, a defrocked clergyman who finds himself in the throes of a stormy night at a hotel in Acapulco amid a world war. He takes on the challenging piece opposite Daphne Rubin-Vega, Lea DeLaria, and Austin Pendleton, among others. Daly spoke with TheaterMania about Iguana, what drew him to the role, and his work with the Creative Coalition.

[bjfinn]

Never mind -- I found it!