» This Week on Broadway for February 9, 2025: Urinetown @ Encores! BroadwayRadio

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02/9/25

James Marino,Michael Portantiere,Peter Filichia

This Week on Broadway for February 9, 2025: Urinetown @ Encores!

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Peter Filichia, James Marino, and Michael Portantiere talk about Urinetown @ Encores!, The Kleban Prize for Musical Theatre, 121 Project, Schmigadoon! @ The Kennedy Center, and National Symphony Orchestra (NSO): Opera in Concert: Noseda conducts Barber’s Vanessa.

Schmigadoon! Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman.

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Panel:

Peter Filichia | [email protected] | Facebook
PETER FILICHIA is a playwright, journalist, and historian with a number of books. Peter’s new day-by-day wall calendar – A SHOW TUNE FOR TODAY – 366 Songs to Brighten Your Year – has been released! Peter also has columns at Masterworks Broadway, Broadway Select, and many other places.

February 9 – Song of the Day: Heart and Soul from Forever Plaid

Michael Portantiere | [email protected] | Facebook
MICHAEL PORTANTIERE is a theater reviewer and essayist. He is the founder and editor of CastAlbumReviews.com. He is also a theatrical photographer whose photos have appeared in The New York Times and other major publications. You can see his photography work at FollowSpotPhoto.com.

Facebook Stephen Sondheim group — favorite musical — top 5 sondheim shows

finishing the chat

James Marino | [email protected] | Facebook
BroadwayStars

Note: This week we had listeners join us while recording. These listeners are Patreon members who support BroadwayRadio. If you would like to join us in the future, become a supporter at Patreon.com/BroadwayRadio.

Pre:

All the Drama: The Old Maid, 1935 Winner, Pulitzer Prize for Drama

Reviews:

MP: Urinetown @ City Center Encores! through February 16, 2025

PF: The Kleban Prize for Musical Theatre
2025 ceremony @ ASCAP
An invitation-only event February 3, 2025

Madeline Myers, Benjamin Velez Win 2025 Kleban Prize by Logan Culwell-Block
Velez will make his Broadway debut this season with Real Women Have Curves.

MP: 121 Project, an invitation-only event February 3, 2025
For one-night-only, the Lortel will showcase excerpts from 5 new musicals in development, all recipients of support from the inaugural year of our 121 Project, a tailored artistic development program to help writers take their musicals to the next level. Featuring a 6-piece live band, join us to hear selections from Barnstormer by Cheryl L. Davis & Douglas J. Cohen, Coal by Nicholas Connors, Hart Island by Michelle Elliot & Danny Haengil Larsen, Little Duende by Georgina Escobar & Robi Hagar, and The Break by Christopher Dimond & Michael Kooman.

121 Project 2025 Recipients Announced!
Built for This
Lauren Gunderson – Book
Kira Stone – Music & Lyrics

King of Harlem
David Gomez – Book, Music & Lyrics
John-Michael Lyles – Book

Legendary
Cheeyang Ng – Book, Music & Lyrics

Lighthouse
Abs Wilson – Book & Lyrics
Veronica Mansour – Music & Lyrics

Alex Brightman and Ayaan Diop. Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman.

MP: Schmigadoon! @ The Kennedy Center, January 31 – February 9, 2025

Introducing Schmigadoon!, the world-premiere musical of the Emmy Award®–winning hit show. New York doctors Josh and Melissa go backpacking in a last-ditch attempt to save their failing relationship, but instead get lost in the woods and end up trapped in Schmigadoon, a magical town that’s a classic Golden Age musical come to life! Featuring hits from the Grammy Award®–nominated score—including the Emmy®-winning “Corn Puddin’ ”—plus exciting new songs!

The Apple TV show Schmigadoon! was executive produced by Saturday Night Live creator, executive producer, and 2021 Kennedy Center Honoree Lorne Michaels. Tony Award® winner Christopher Gattelli (Death Becomes Her, Newsies) will direct and choreograph the new musical with book, music, and lyrics by Emmy® winner and Grammy® nominee Cinco Paul. Schmigadoon! is produced by special arrangement with Broadway Video.

The show will star two-time Tony® nominee Alex Brightman (Beetlejuice, Broadway Center Stage: Spamalot) as Josh Skinner, Sara Chase (The Great Gatsby, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) as Melissa Gimble, Emmy® winner and Tony® nominee Kevin Del Aguila (Yellow Face, Some Like It Hot) as the Reverend Layton, Ann Harada (Cinderella, Avenue Q) reprising her role from the Apple Original series as Florence Menlove, McKenzie Kurtz (The Heart of Rock and Roll, Wicked) as Betsy McDonough, Isabelle McCalla (Water for Elephants, Broadway Center Stage: Footloose) as Emma Tate, Javier Muñoz (Hamilton, In the Heights) as Doc Lopez, Tony® nominee Brad Oscar (Something Rotten!, Mrs. Doubtfire) as Mayor Menlove, Tony ® nominee Emily Skinner (Suffs, The Cher Show) as Mildred Layton, and Ryan Vasquez (The Notebook, Hamilton) as Danny Bailey.

Other cast members include Ayaan Diop as Carson Tate, Phillip Attmore as Freddy, Brandon Block as Buford Riggs, Holly Ann Butler as Helen Pritt, Max Clayton as Larry the Fireman, Kimberly Immanuel as Zaneeta, Eloise Kropp as Nancy, Jess LeProtto as Pete, Nathan Lucrezio as Farmer McDonough, Lauralyn McClelland as Ruth O’Reilly, Shina Ann Morris as Norma Nelson, Angel Reda as the Countess Gabrielle Von Blerkom, and Richard Riaz Yoder as Harvey the Innkeeper.

Book, music, and lyrics by Cinco Paul

Directed and choreographed by Christopher Gattelli

Scenic design by Scott Pask

Costume design by Linda Cho

Lighting design by Jen Schriever

Sound design by Haley Parcher

Wig design by Tom Watson

Music direction by Steven Malone

Orchestrations by Doug Besterman and Mike Morris

Music supervision and arrangements by David Chase

Casting by The Telsey Office

This production will feature the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra

Jeffrey Finn is the Artistic Director and Executive Producer of Broadway Center Stage

MP: National Symphony Orchestra (NSO): Opera in Concert: Noseda conducts Barber’s Vanessa

Trump Says He Will Dismiss Kennedy Center Board Members and Install Himself as Chair By Shawn McCreesh, Maggie Haberman and Javier C. Hernández
The move by the president, whose authority to make the changes was not clear, is the latest attempt to bring a Washington institution under his control.

Playbill: Kennedy Center Responds to Trump’s Intentions to Take Control

Discussion:

Tony Roberts, a Nonchalant Pal in Woody Allen’s Films, Dies at 85 By Anita Gates
He had an acclaimed Broadway career in musicals and comedies, but moviegoers knew him mostly as the self-assured, easygoing friend of Mr. Allen’s insecure heroes.

Tony Roberts IBDB | IMDB

Long-Delayed Long Day’s Journey Into Night Film, Starring Jessica Lange, Sets Premiere
The long-awaited film adaptation of Long Day’s Journey Into Night starring Jessica Lange, reprising her Tony-winning performance as Mary Tyrone, will have its world premiere at the Dublin International Film Festival (DIFF) on February 27.
https://www.broadway.com/buzz/205191/long-delayed-long-days-journey-into-night-film-starring-jessica-lange-sets-premiere

Broadway-bound ‘Big Fish’ revisal to receive industry reading starring Patrick Wilson by Michael Abourizk
Jordan Donica will also be featured.
https://www.broadwaynews.com/broadway-bound-big-fish-revisal-to-receive-industry-reading-starring-patrick-wilson

Broadway Poster Artist David Edward Byrd Passes Away at 83
Byrd created the poster art for Godspell, Follies, Little Shop of Horrors, and more.
https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Broadway-Poster-Artist-David-Edward-Byrd-Passes-Away-at-83-20250204

Tituss Burgess to star as Mary Todd Lincoln in ‘Oh, Mary!’ on Broadway by Hayley Levitt / BROADWAY.COM
For three weeks only, from March 18 through April 6, Burgess will take on the title role at the Lyceum Theatre.
https://www.broadwaynews.com/tituss-burgess-to-star-as-mary-todd-lincoln-in-oh-mary-on-broadway-2

Next Week:

Peter’s Brainteaser:

I’m looking for the names of four different musicals – two pairs, really.

Each pair consists of one very famous musical, and one not-so-famous musical.

The first pair tied as winners of a very prestigious award.

That happened approximately five months before the other pair tied as winners of a different prestigious award.

What are the four musicals, and what are the awards that the four won?

Michael’s Musical Moments

BOBBY DARIN
Bobby Darin (born Walden Robert Cassotto; May 14, 1936 – December 20, 1973)[1] was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He performed jazz, pop, rock and roll, folk, swing, and country music.

Just In Time @ Circle in the Square Theatre, beginning March 28, 2025
Jonathan Groff returns to Broadway this spring as Bobby Darin, the legendary singer whose short but remarkable life took him from teen idol to global sensation.

Music Opener

OPENER: “Just in Time”