by Mike Haber | Nov 2, 2021 | Blog, Broadway, News, Shows
OMIGOD BROADWAY FANS!! Live Theater back along with fans gathering around to experience New York’s MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET is just 23 DAYS AWAY. The 95th Annual
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is almost here. To get us in the mood of how amazing this parade has continued to give the Theater community so much love, we just want to give super SNAPS to our friends at New York Broadway Tours as they continue their TOP 30 TONY AWARDS COUNTDOWN. They got an iconic Broadway number that we can ALL relate to bursting into song and dance.
At # 23 on the countdown, we get to know the life of a certain popular UCLA fashion icon and Sorority President who follows her Harvard Law School boyfriend just to win him back by becoming a fellow lawyer. On the way, she discovers more about herself and learns to be true to the way she is no matter what people think. This is
Legally Blonde. Based on the book by Amanda Brown and the 2001 film of the same name, the musical features a score by husband and wife composing duo Nell Benjamin and Laurence O’Keefe along with a book by
Heather Hach.
From the 2007 NBC Telecast, Tony Award nominee
Laura Bell Bundy as “Elle Woods” and the cast stalk Dean of Harvard Law in Herald Square to show the world that “Elle” is SERIOUS and the right material for the Law School in the show stopping number…. Very appropriate for a parade since there’s a Marching Band and a cheerleading squad in it…… WHAT YOU WANT.
FUN FACT ABOUT THIS PERFORMANCE: As you might notice, the cast are wearing their show T-Shirts instead of their usual costumes they wear in the show 8 times a week. Around that time of the parade, Broadway shows were actually shut down but very briefly due to that year’s Stagehands Union Strike.
LEGALLY BLONDE was developed through early readings and workshops labs around 2004 and 2005. It would have its world premiere out-of-town run in San Francisco, LEGALLY BLONDE arrived at Broadway’s Palace Theatre in 2007 running for 30 previews and 595 regular performances. Under the direction and choreography by
Jerry Mitchell, the cast was led by….
2 time Tony winner Christian Borle as “Emmett Forrest”,
Richard H. Blake as “Warner Huntington III”,
Tony nominee
Orfeh as “Paulette”
Nikki Snelson (later Nicolette Hart) as “Brooke Wyndham”,
future Tony winner
Annaleigh Ashford (later Haven Burton and Kate Rockwell) as “Margot”,
Olivier winner and 2 time Tony nominee
Andy Karl as “Kyle”.
The show earned mixed reviews but still went on to be nominated for 7
Tony Awards in 2007 including BEST LEADING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL (for Laura Bell Bundy) and BEST ORIGINAL SCORE (for Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin). But it lost all it’s categories.
Following its Broadway run, the show went on to become an International hit across North America, London’s West End (where it took home glory at the
Olivier Awards for BEST NEW MUSICAL), Australia, and more.
During its run on Broadway, LEGALLY BLONDE made history as the first Broadway show ever filmed for
MTV. It featured a whole performance of the show filmed in front of an invited audience all dressed in pink and hosted by
Lauren Conrad,
Audrina Patridge, and
Whitney Eve Port from the MTV show
The Hills. It featured an entire performance of the show plus behind the scenes footage.
Following the success of the MTV performance, the channel continued to support the show by presenting a reality casting TV show to help search for a newcomer leading lady to replace Laura Bell Bundy as “Elle Woods”. It was called perfectly enough LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL: THE SEARCH FOR ELLE WOODS. The winner was Bailey Hanks who played the role for the remainder of the run. The series was hosted by Haylie Duff (who also served as mentor of the aspiring “Elle’s”). In addition, they were judged and critiqued by the show’s casting director Bernard Telsey of
Telsey & Company Casting, the show’s book writer Heather Hach, and LEGALLY BLONDE Ensemble member Paul Canaan. Each episode featured the girls in an intense callback boot camp learning material from the show, acting exercises, being mentored, and performing with members of the cast. At the end of each episode, the 3 weakest “Elle Woods” wannabes were sent to the casting office where the panel would determine who would continue and be eliminated. Some of the runner-up’s for the role of “Elle” who were eliminated went on to even better Broadway successes including…
Autumn Hurlbert (who ended up appearing in the Ensemble and understudied “Elle” and recently seen as “Portia” on the tour of
Something Rotten),
Today, LEGALLY BLONDE: THE MUSICAL continues to be performed in schools, regional, and community theaters everywhere.
How fabulous was that performance?
by Mike Haber | Nov 1, 2021 | Blog, Broadway, News, Shows
THRILLIFYING NEWS: For the first time in 14 YEARS, Tony and Emmy Award winner
Kristin Chenoweth will return to
The Metropolitan Opera just in time for the holiday season. The 4’11 favorite is set to take the stage at the legendary venue on December 13th, 2021 with a brand new ONE NIGHT ONLY solo show
CHRISTMAS AT THE MET. It comes in support of her brand new holiday album HAPPINESS IS….. CHRISTMAS which came out last month from
Concord Records.
This new program will reunite Chenoweth with her beloved longtime concert team consisting of THE BROADWAY MAN himself
Richard Jay-Alexander directing and Mary-Mitchell Campbell serving as Musical Director. The duo have done various of Chenoweth’s ongoing concerts together around the world including her 2 limited Broadway concert residencies 2016’s MY LOVE LETTER TO BROADWAY and 2019’s FOR THE GIRLS.
In this new holiday concert, fans can expect the 4’11 favorite to perform mainly a selection of notable holiday favorites on both the new HAPPINESS IS…. CHRISTMAS album along with 2008’s A LOVELY WAY TO SPEND CHRISTMAS. You can also expect some of her notable tunes including hits from WICKED, her previous solo albums, Opera surprises, and more.
Chenoweth returns to The Met following her previous triumphant solo concert there back in 2007. That concert was previously directed and choreographed by Tony winner Kathleen Marshall along with Musical Direction by
Andrew Lippa accompanying a 13 piece orchestra. She also shared the stage with the
Julliard Choral Union (under the direction Judith Clurman). That setlist featured a lineup of Broadway favorites, Opera, and even a little Country. Chenoweth is only the 2nd Musical Theatre star EVER to have given a concert at the iconic
Lincoln Center Opera house following the late
Barbara Cook.
Along with doing the concert, Chenoweth also originally received a scholarship after having taken part in the Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions back in the 90’s. However, she turned it down due to landing more Musical Theater stuff. At the same time, Chenoweth also was scheduled to make her Opera debut there starring as “Samira” in The Met’s 2010 revival production of John Corigliano’s THE GHOSTS OF VERSAILLES. However, that production got effected by the 2008 Great Economic Recession and was cancelled.
WE COULDN’T BE HAPPIER to welcome Kristin Chenoweth back to the Met!!!
by Mike Haber | Nov 1, 2021 | Blog, Broadway, Casting, News, Shows
ALL SHALL KNOW THE WONDER! 2021 marks the 15th Anniversary of one of the most powerful, groundbreaking, and high energetic Tony winning musicals
Spring Awakening. It has just been announced that the full original Broadway cast will all be reuniting for a ONE NIGHT ONLY benefit concert this month for
The Actors Fund.
Under the direction of Tony winner Michael Mayer, it will reunite EVERYONE consisting of….
Tony winner John Gallagher Jr. (“Moritz”),
Recording star Lauren “
LOLO” Pritchard (“Ilse”),
Jonathan B. Wright (“Hanschen”)
Brian Charles Johnson (“Otto”),
Pheobe Strole (“Anna”),
Tony winner Stephen Spinella (“The Adult Man”),
Plus, you can expect to see all 4 of its original CHAIR OF ROCK Ensemble members / understudies consisting of….
Gerard Canonico (who also later took over the role of “Moritz” full time till its Broadway closing),
Tony nominee Jennifer Damiano,
SPRING AWAKENING’s reunion concert is set for November 15th, 2021 at 7pm ONLY at Broadway’s Imperial Theatre (current home of
Ain’t Too Proud).
You can expect a full evening of the cast reuniting, reflecting, and belting out those beloved Tony winning songs by
Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater including MAMA WHO BORE ME, THE B**** OF LIVING, MY JUNK, TOUCH ME, DON’T DO SADNESS, SONG OF PURPLE SUMMER, and of course the rebelling TOTALLY F****D.
For those who may not know or remember the story, SPRING AWAKENING is a musical based on a 100 year abandoned German play by Frank Wedekind. Set in 19th Century Germany during a time when Adults never told you all the dirty details, it tells the coming-of-age story of a group of teenagers going through body changes at the time of their sexual awakenings.
It was originally conceived by
Duncan Sheik in 2002 having numerous readings, workshops, and concert presentations at Lincoln Center.
The show had it’s official world premiere production in 2006 Off Broadway at the
Atlantic Theater Company. Following it’s limited engagement success and 3 sold out extensions, the show transferred to Broadway’s Eugene O’Neill Theatre that same year where it ran for a complete total of 888 performances. It went on to win multiple Awards including 8 Tony Awards with the top honor of BEST MUSICAL.
Following its life after the original Broadway production closed, the show embarked on several National Tours across America along with launching a company in London’s West End. International companies immediately followed.
The most recent revival of SPRING AWAKENING happened in 2015 which came off the success of a triumphant production that was performed by Deaf West Theatre in California for 2 sold out runs. It played Broadway’s Brooks Atkinson Theatre for a strictly limited engagement of 152 performances. Directed by Michael Arden, it was well known for having deaf actors and hearing actors come together which went with the whole theme of the show of young people letting their voices be heard.
Original Cast of SPRING AWAKENING to Reunite for One-Night-Only Benefit Concert (broadwayworld.com)
by Mike Haber | Nov 1, 2021 | Blog, Broadway, Casting, News, Shows
Under the direction of Tony winner and Emmy nominee
Kenny Leon, this play will also mark the long awaited overdue ON Broadway debut of Adrienne Kennedy. She’s had so many successful works that have been performed in our OFF Broadway Theater scene. Many of her works all deal with the themes of racism, kinship, and violence in American society. Her previous works including the Award winning FUNNYHOUSE OF A NEGRO, THE OWL ANSWERS, ELECTRA & ORSETES, THE FILM CLUB, and more. Now at age 90…. her work is going out full out. 65 YEARS people. It shows you that it’s NEVER TOO LATE to make it ON Broadway.
OHIO STATE MURDERS was part of a series of plays Kennedy wrote in 1992 called THE ALEXANDER SERIES. The play itself tells the story of
Ohio State University alumn and writer “Suzanne Alexander” who returns there years later to talk about the violence in her work, and a dark mystery unravels. The play is described as “an unusual and chilling look at the destructiveness of racism in the United States.”
Announcements for additional casting, the theater, and start time will be revealed later on.
by Mike Haber | Nov 1, 2021 | Blog, Broadway, News, Shows
THEY HAD IT COMIN’ for 25 YEARS!! This month marks the 25th Anniversary of a legendary musical that has continued to give audiences the ultimate RAZZLE DAZZLE…. AND ALL THAT JAZZ. We of course are talking about the long running revival of
Chicago. It has just been announced that November 16th, 2021, the company will be presenting a special performance commemorating this huge milestone.
Not only you can expect this beloved show back in action at Broadway’s Ambassador Theatre, the performance is expecting to include special appearances from many of the company’s original cast and alumni company members. No word has been revealed on who is set to appear.
Happy 25 Years CHICAGO!!
Keep on REACHING FOR THE GUN!!!
