Rialto Chatter: Will MRS. DOUBTFIRE Musical Land on Broadway Next Year?- Page 3

[OhHiii]

Posted: 10/16/19 at 8:20am

magictodo123 said: "OhHiii said: "magictodo123 said: "CONFIRMED FOR SONHEIM THEATER

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Breaking-MRS-DOUBTFIRE-Will-Open-on-Broadway-in-Spring-2020-at-the-Stephen-Sondheim-Theatre-20191016"

How I wish Kate Baldwin had stuck with this."

I just had a thought...do you think...there's any chance maybe Kate is going to maybe be involved in The Devil Wears Prada? I just thought maybe she could be a contender for Miranda Preistly?

"

Based on Emily Skinner doing the reading, I'm not sure Kate's voice is what they're after for that role...though she'd be brilliant character-wise. She nails dry humor.

[magictodo123]

Posted: 10/16/19 at 8:22am

OhHiii said: "magictodo123 said: "OhHiii said: "magictodo123 said: "CONFIRMED FOR SONHEIM THEATER

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Breaking-MRS-DOUBTFIRE-Will-Open-on-Broadway-in-Spring-2020-at-the-Stephen-Sondheim-Theatre-20191016"

How I wish Kate Baldwin had stuck with this."

I just had a thought...do you think...there's any chance maybe Kate is going to maybe be involved in The Devil Wears Prada? I just thought maybe she could be a contender for Miranda Preistly?

"

Based on Emily Skinner doing the reading, I'm not sure Kate's voice is what they're after for that role...though she'd be brilliant character-wise. She nails dry humor."

That was just the reading though. Those don't tend to have any influence on the out of town casting....I guess you just never know. 

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 10/16/19 at 8:25am

[magictodo123]

Posted: 10/16/19 at 8:43am

disneybroadwayfan22 said: ""

HAHAHA amazing. I think my favorite is when he puts his face in the cake and then says "Hellooo!" but I'm bad at putting these in text. 

[BwayLB]

Posted: 10/16/19 at 9:01am

I’m really anxious to see how it all goes well. I was looking forward to what Alan Menken David Zippel and Harvey Fierstein’s work. But I can do with the Kirkpatrick Brothers since I’m semi obsessed with their music from Smallfoot.

[GreasedLightning]

Posted: 10/16/19 at 9:02am

It’s official! Previews begin March 9, 2020 ahead of an April 9, 2020 opening at the Sondheim Theatre. 
 
https://www.playbill.com/article/mrs-doubtfire-musical-set-broadway-cast-and-dates

ETA: Oops, didn’t see someone already posted it. The hilarious gifs took up most of the page for me 

Updated On: 10/16/19 at 09:02 AM

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 10/16/19 at 9:21am

Someone on here claimed that a multiple-Tony winner was playing Miranda Priestly in Devil Wears Prada.

Wonder what else Baldwin has lined up that would prevent her from doing Doubtfire... Flying Over Sunset? One of the supporting ladies in Company? Marie Dancing Still (which she did a reading of)? 

Brad Oscar will be fun as the Harvey Fierstein character! And a nice Something Rotten reunion.

Updated On: 10/16/19 at 09:21 AM

[VotePeron]

Posted: 10/16/19 at 9:32am

Will be very interested to see how this plays out. I feel like I should be much more excited about this since the creative team is so wonderful, but having not seen or heard anything from it, I’m hesitant.

What a strange lineup of Best Musical contenders we’ll have:

Moulin Rouge
Jagged Little Pill
Six
Girl From The North Country
Diana
Mrs. Doubtfire
Flying Over Sunset
The Lightning Thief


If the Tony voters haven’t showed such disdain for British imports, I actually think Six could win this year. But every major West End Musical that’s transferred over has always lost to an American original. That can’t be North Country either, as that originated in London. I do feel Secret Life of Bees could win, but at this point a transfer for this season isn’t likely. 

Is Moulin Rouge actually going to win best musical? YIKES.

Updated On: 10/16/19 at 09:32 AM

[magictodo123]

Posted: 10/16/19 at 9:39am

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Someone on here claimed that a multiple-Tony winner was playing Miranda Priestly inDevil Wears Prada.

Wonder what else Baldwin has lined up that would prevent her from doing Doubtfire...Flying Over Sunset?One of the supporting ladies inCompany?Marie Dancing Still(which shedid a reading of)?

Brad Oscar will be fun as the Harvey Fierstein character! And a niceSomething Rottenreunion."

First person that came to mind when I read that was Audra McDonald. Which I highly doubt. But that was the first thing. 

[carolinaguy]

Posted: 10/16/19 at 9:49am

Person 1: So there's this show opening on Broadway based on a movie about an out-of-work actor who dresses like a woman to get a job...

Person 2: Yeah, Tootsie. Thought that already opened.

Person 1: No, no. A different out-of-work actor dressing like a woman to get a different job based on a different movie, Mrs. Doubtfire.

Person 2: Oh. [buys tickets to Moulin Rouge!]

 

But seriously, this could be entertaining. The director is solid, the design team is A+, the cast is good. Don't know about the book and score; I thought Something Rotten! fell apart in the second act and lost its emotional thread, but this time they are working from source material. So I hope the Seattle run goes well and we get a solid musical comedy come the spring.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 10/16/19 at 10:08am

Moulin Rouge will remain the frontrunner for Best Musical until something else comes along to challenge it. Its main competition is unclear: Six is probably its biggest threat. Girl From The North Country is the biggest tonal contrast to Moulin, which could help it. Flying Over Sunset seems too weird on paper to win (and it's a non-profit). Jagged might not appeal to old voters. Tina seems more like a performance showcase. Mrs. Doubtfire could be a safe choice. 

We also have to look at what else is winning on Tony night:

– Moulin all 4 design awards + Best Director.
– Six will probably win Score.
– Girl From The North Country could win Book (and possibly Orchestrations).
– Rob McClure for Best Actor? 
– Actress/Supporting Actress claimed by Company and Caroline.
– Supporting Actor = battle of the character actors (Jay O. Sanders, Brad Oscar, Danny Burstein)

Moulin Rouge will probably have the most wins before Best Musical is announced, it was well-reviewed, voters love a hit, and the Road will love it. It wouldn't be my choice for a win, but it has a LOT going for it in the Best Musical race.

Don't put any stock in "British musicals can't win" –– Matilda is the only one that remotely had a chance of winning post-Billy Elliot. Though we'll have 3 contending in Musical (Six, Tina, Girl), 3 in Play (Lehman, Inheritance, Height of the Storm), and 2 in Revival (Company and Caroline).

Updated On: 10/16/19 at 10:08 AM

[Mm882]

Posted: 10/16/19 at 10:16am

Moulin Rouge reviews were not all raves and a lot of people hate the show. I wouldn’t automatically think that it would win. It’s a mess in a lot of ways

[carolinaguy]

Posted: 10/16/19 at 10:19am

I'm sticking with Marianne Elliott as the likeliest director frontrunner for now.

[inception]

Posted: 10/16/19 at 10:54am

Got a ticket to see a Saturday matinee at the beginning of December in Seattle. Hope there's no snow or other travel impediments!

[Kad]

Posted: 10/16/19 at 11:02am

I find this cast to be rather... unexciting. It is not hard for me to imagine this production kind of flopping. 

[Littleshopofcarrie]

Posted: 10/16/19 at 11:20am

Thinking this will go down the same path as Tootsie. 

 

Disappointed Kate Baldwin is no longer attached, hope she has something more exciting lined up.

[Mike Barrett]

Posted: 10/16/19 at 11:20am

Unless its reviews as complete hot garbage, then I'm thinking that this show makes it through Labor Day on name alone. If it does well and gets good reviews, likely a run similar to Tootsie's or Beetlejuice. 

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 10/16/19 at 11:34am

I like the score for Something Rotten. But Zaks? Eh.

[ggersten]

Posted: 10/16/19 at 11:44am

Why are y'all putting Girl from North Country in the "musical" category? I haven't seen it, but my understanding is that it is a play with music, to the extent there is any dividing line. See, e.g. End of the Rainbow and Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill and even One Man, Two Guvnors.   

[Kad]

Posted: 10/16/19 at 11:48am

It was eligible for awards in musical categories at the Oliviers, the Lortels, and the Drama Desks. I have not heard anyone classify it as anything but a musical, albeit one that uses Dylan songs instead of an original score.

[DrowsyKaye]

Posted: 10/16/19 at 11:48am

Girl from the North Country is a musical. It has been classified as a musical on numerous occasions. The songs used in the piece are used as they would be in any other musical, they just happen to be previously written songs. It's a musical.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 10/16/19 at 12:04pm

IMO - the show can be interpreted as either a musical or a play with music depending how you choose to look at it. The songs are more mood-driven and less character-driven than your average musical theatre piece. But the songs are also non-diegetic, and they drive the core of the show - both of which are common traits of musical theatre. 

For my money, the show is a better play with music than it is a musical - as in, the show holds up better under the standards of a play with music than it does under the standards of a musical. But marketing it as a play with music won't sell as many tickets, or win them as many awards. 

The problem is, audiences will go in expecting a traditional piece of musical theatre, and they will judge it as such, and they will be disappointed. This already happened at the Public. People posted on this board complaining about how the songs are so vague, and so on. Because they were judging the song-integration like they would with a traditional musical, but the songs are not supposed to be used in that way. 

[carolinaguy]

Posted: 10/16/19 at 12:18pm

Playbill categorizes it as a Play with Music in their show listings. Most reviews referred to it as a musical. On the official webpage, they refer to themselves as a "show".

[GreasedLightning]

Posted: 10/16/19 at 12:21pm

GFTNC is a musical.

Anyone have any luck with the AmEx presale for Doubtfire this morning ?

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 10/16/19 at 12:40pm

Kad said: "I find this cast to be rather... unexciting. It is not hard for me to imagine this production kind of flopping."

Casting wouldn't make any real difference in the box office performance, unless they hired a legitimate star as Daniel. I think it's nice that the cast includes a lot of "replacement actors" -- Gambatese, J Harrison Ghee, Mark Evans. No question that the cast is less "starry" (by Broadway standards) than Something Rotten, Tootsie, and Zaks' other recent projects.