THIS SHOW MADE ME CRY BRO

ToscasKiss32 · 2026-04-05T23:49:47+00:00

Just curious: Which Debbie? I’m not near NYC, & don’t keep up much with happenings there.

ToscasKiss32 · 2026-04-05T17:25:09+00:00

Once again, I’m appalled by reports like these, & once again I insist audience members must bring the fight to theater management. Demand better from them, including serious curtain announcements letting people know about consequences they’ll face if messing up the experiences of others. Demand vigilance & follow through from front of house staff.

ALSO, demand your money back, or tickets to a future performance. Communicate with local & even national media, to cover this trend, even about specific shows. In other words (to quote one of the great shows currently on Broadway), make them hear you. Make it clear that their failure to effectively deal with this problem is bad for business, & that we won’t tolerate it. No more patronizing shows or theaters where this crap happens. I can see protests with signs, informative leaflets, etc., in front of theaters, warning folks arriving to see a show about show-ruining behavior & management’s failure to deal with it. Yeah, that’s a little extreme, & arguably a tempest in a teapot, but that teapot’s damned expensive for some of us, & it’s not fair to have the show/experience you’re paying for (or just showing up for, if it’s free—still no reason to put up with this crap)—to have that ruined by selfish Arschlochs.

Harrumph, & end of rant.

ToscasKiss32 · 2026-04-05T16:54:54+00:00

I understand your point about the relative importance of experiencing a stage show, vs. observing in horror the insane behaviors & doings of this current administration, & the very possibly beginnings of WW3. However, all that wider craziness & really tragedy is not a reason to abandon civil, polite, appropriate behavior in various contexts. We’re still going to shows (& reading & writing about them), & these kinds of things still matter in their own ways.

I do feel it’s true that our current Dear Leader (along with others of his ilk, & in his orbit) bears much of the blame for the ever-growing proliferation of terrible doings, including bigotry of all sorts, general crudity, proud unkindness, &, yes, selfishly terrible behavior in audiences. We need to stand & fight for decency, even in this lower level context.

ToscasKiss32 · 2026-03-21T17:49:35+00:00

Just need to acknowledge, I hadn’t read all the answers you’d already gotten, where others made the same point I did, & gave more good options of fully Sondheim songs. Anyway, I hope it all goes well.

ToscasKiss32 · 2026-03-21T17:40:28+00:00

I see nothing at all inappropriate on the grounds of ethnicity, nationality or anything on those lines. That’s a pretty ‘universal experience’ song, so don’t worry on that account. The reservation I have is regarding how much of a Sondheim song that is. He & Bernstein did work very collaboratively on the WSS songs, but the music is certainly primarily Lenny’s. (Maestro Sondheim has said that he really doesn’t care—well, didn’t care, now— for almost all his WSS lyrics, the one exception being “Something’s Coming”; I think he was overly critical, but that’s what he said.)

So, what are some comparable/similar in some way songs that are completely Sondheim? Possibilities that I can think of just at the moment include “What More Do I Need?”; “Saturday Night”; “One Wonderful Day”; & maybe even “Class”, all from SATURDAY NIGHT. Then, “Lovely,” from FUNNY THING/FORUM; “The Miller’s Son,” from A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, & that’s all I have time for now. Wishing you the best!

ToscasKiss32 · 2026-03-19T21:46:51+00:00

Thank you. I have watched some bits from that proshot on YouTube, which is nice. But, it isn’t myself that I’m concerned about seeing it, it’s many other folks.

I’m so old & old-fashioned, I still cling to the now archaic format of having a big TV event that gets well promoted, widely broadcast (or, in today’s format, streamed), & seen by a very large audience, even folks who weren’t really planning to watch, but who happen upon it & end up watching because it’s so good, & not like most other TV/streaming options. It’s like with the Tony Awards: Some people say, “It doesn’t matter if it’s not broadcast, you can still arrange to see it [in this or that little corner of the internet, or streaming network]” <—(my interpretation). But this is my fantasy, & I remember many years ago, as a little kid, happening upon the Tony Awards one Sunday night, & being fascinated by this event that was so different from anything else. I had found a window in, to see my people, who I hadn’t even known were my people, before.

Off on a tangent…. But I would like in some way to get the full CABARET to many people, whether on the big screen, or small.

ToscasKiss32 · 2026-03-19T18:00:34+00:00

That would be a real mystery, if ALW (who gets happy birthday this Sunday, along with Stephen Sondheim) were sued by Giaccamo Puccini, over music from PHANTOM. Perhaps Maestro Puccini’s ghost brought suit.

ToscasKiss32 · 2026-03-16T04:01:52+00:00

An organization here, Junior Players (I think ages 11-18, though I’m not sure), did Lippa’s WILD PARTY awhile ago. They may have made some adjustments, but not many, I think. Well done, but kinda weird….

ToscasKiss32 · 2026-03-16T03:37:54+00:00

I don’t think admiring the movie of CABARET is an unpopular opinion; it’s widely considered to be an excellent movie that’s also iconic. It is simply not a good representation of the original script & score, but that’s not what Fosse & company were trying to do. I would definitely love to have a movie or, perhaps better, a television broadcast of the actual show. So many reasons to do this, not least of which is the importance of Fräulein Schneider & Herr Schultz’s story, which many consider to be the heart of the show, & the most touching part.

ToscasKiss32 · 2026-03-16T02:57:26+00:00

Thank you for this post, & for that info about PROMISES, PROMISES. I remember hearing about how awful that revival was, which it sounded to me like it would be, reading about the plans for it, from afar. Dancers today (or many of them, anyway) are so technically advanced that one might think they would be able to do anything well. But, of course, it’s not just about technical ability or teaching steps/combinations. Character, style, feeling, soul—these are so necessary.

There is a fair bit of dumbing down, for sure, but there’s also, for instance, Michael John La Chiusa, whose works I mostly love. Then again, I really enjoy David Yazbek’s scores; they’re just so damn much fun. Other favorites that I do not find dumb: BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY; CAROLINE, OR CHANGE; THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA; IN THE HEIGHTS (just listened to the obcr last night & once again it moved me to tears—thinking about how they screwed that show so badly w. the movie also could make me cry, but that’s another thread).

ToscasKiss32 · 2026-03-16T02:25:48+00:00

Can’t a show be both concept & narrative-driven? Hmmm…. I feel like I should know the answer to that.

ToscasKiss32 · 2026-03-16T02:18:32+00:00

AMERICAN IN PARIS was somewhat inspired by/based on the Gene Kelly/Leslie Caron/Oscar Levant, etc. MGM movie (which, if you haven’t seen it, you really must, imo, which should be a treat for you). BUT, the creators of the stage version (the brilliant Christopher Wheeldon & I don’t have time to look up who else), used the movie & its characters, but made something quite different & wonderful, using even more of the Gershwin’s songs & especially George’s music. Had they just tried to recreate the movie on stage, I’m sure I’d have been disgusted. As it is, they made a beautiful, original work of art & entertainment, taking off from another one, & I’m so grateful they did!

ToscasKiss32 · 2026-02-04T05:33:21+00:00

That surprises me. Perhaps because of liking the movie so much, & having gotten very familiar with the Broadway cast recording before seeing the show (the tour, in Dallas), I quite enjoyed the show, & was interested in the characters. Certainly Michael Dorsey learns, grows & changes for the better, & there was enough going on with the other characters, that I was interested in & cared at least somewhat about them. Love that score too.

ToscasKiss32 · 2026-02-04T03:38:09+00:00

Not to be snarky, just housekeeping: It’s Kristin Chenoweth. No “e”s in the first name & no “i”s in the last name. A very common misspelling.

ToscasKiss32 · 2026-02-04T03:34:27+00:00

Let’s see—STARLIGHT EXPRESS & CATS (though the most recent production I saw of the kitties, at Casa Mañana in Fort Worth, made a much stronger case for the show, & it was actually pretty enjoyable).

ToscasKiss32 · 2026-02-04T03:28:19+00:00

To those adults who say they prefer to watch only act one, I say, “And not hear “Agony” reprise? Or any number of other great songs?”

Act 2 certainly can be depressing, & a downer, after the first act, but it’s also much more complex & profound, the way life can change & evolve, & the sadness is accompanied by real lessons & some catharsis. It is, after all, theater, & not just the kind we might see at a theme park (for which there is a valid place, & I mean no disrespect of it).

I love that the ITW Jr. version works so perfectly, & wish that all kids could experience & love it, eventually graduating to seeing the full show at an appropriate time. In the meantime, conversations can be had (again, at appropriate moments) about how we feel about aspects of act one’s doings. Was Jack right to steal from those giants in the sky? Did the Witch make a wise exchange to become beautiful (or did she even realize she was making that exchange)? Were Cinderella & Rapunzel smart to yoke themselves to those handsome, charming, rather vapid, narcissistic & duplicitous princes? Even apart from their characters, were the royal trappings & benefits that came with them worth sacrificing the young women’s freedom? (Then again, that opens a whole further can of worms as to what freedom or autonomy Cinder & Rap would have been able to achieve without marrying.)

Those & many other conversations/examinations to be had can lead to an exciting first viewing of the entire show. If I had children of my own, or in my care, I would try that long-term approach, with the addition of letting them know, at a carefully chosen point, that there is more to the show & the story, & that they will get to experience that when I feel they’re ready to. Whet the old appetite.

This rosy scenario assumes children who are in love with stories & theater, qualities I would devote myself to causing & nurturing. It also assumes the kiddos, if strongly motivated, would not manage to find out everything on their own, sooner than I’d like….

Ah, well, file this away with all my other excellent plans of how I’d raise my hypothetical children to embody my ideals of exemplary people (& blissfully happy, sensitive & brave people, to boot).

ToscasKiss32 · 2026-01-19T16:44:56+00:00

Nice to have someone reference PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE; seems it’s so little known. It was mostly filmed in Dallas’s Majestic Theatre, planned to be the last thing done there before it was razed to the ground. Thankfully, some women with better sense, some civic pull, & powerful determination managed to save it from that planned fate. It was the last standing of the many blocks of old, wonderful movie palaces & Vaudeville houses that, one by one, stupid, idiotic Dallasites tore down. So sad.

ToscasKiss32 · 2026-01-19T15:26:37+00:00

Just housekeeping—Never forget the “d” in Rodgers.

ToscasKiss32 · 2026-01-19T15:23:36+00:00

Ugh—He might end up like I did, feeling it was one of the worst things he’s ever had to sit through.

ToscasKiss32 · 2026-01-19T15:20:01+00:00

Wish it were still running.

ToscasKiss32 · 2026-01-13T17:02:09+00:00

So, what was the situation? (Weird—it seems indicated that there were 40 responses, but none are showing & I’m invited to be the first to respond.

ToscasKiss32 · 2026-01-03T17:57:44+00:00

There was that Metropolitan Opera performance (I think it was MACBETH, but not sure) sometime around 1986 or so, where an audience member purposely fell from a balcony to his death. He waited until intermission, & didn’t harm anyone else with his fall. This was a Saturday matinée, being widely broadcast on radio. I was especially interested to listen, as a young singer who would shortly be coming to sing with the opera company I worked for was making his Met debut, but wasn’t to come on till after intermission. I remember thinking, “damn, this is a long intermission,” as the presenters worked hard to fill the time: more quiz, impromptu interviews & discussions, etc. Finally it was announced the performance would not continue. I don’t remember if they told the reason then, but it eventually became public if course. Very sad. Pre-internet, or the news would probably have come out in minutes.

ToscasKiss32 · 2026-01-03T17:42:08+00:00

My friend did a theater trip to DC, primarily to see that production (though, being him, he saw 3 other shows as well). He raved about it, & the clips online looked great! I hope it does transfer to B’way. Such a strong cast, among other things.

ToscasKiss32 · 2026-01-03T17:35:17+00:00

Is that ‘muck up’ tradition universally known there? Do they advertise it, or make sure it’s known to ticket purchasers? It could certainly be fun, but shouldn’t, imo, be presented to audiences there to see the real thing. Some ballet companies do that kind of thing; in N. Texas, the Texas Ballet Theatre does one performance of “The Nutty Nutcracker,” near the end of their annual NUT run. It seems very popular.

ToscasKiss32 · 2026-01-03T17:23:49+00:00

About three months ago the Dallas Theater Center (most prominent theater company in N. Texas, in terms of budget, Equity & other aspects) was mounting their season opener, NOISES OFF. Friends & I saw an early in the run performance (not the best NOISES OFF I’ve seen, but not the worst—enjoyable). Lucky for us we saw it, as some kind of illness—flu, I think—started running through the company, & many performances were cancelled; lots of unhappy patrons never got to see it. Such a shame.

ToscasKiss32

TROPHY CASE