by Mike Haber | Oct 23, 2021 | Blog, Broadway, News, Shows
BREAKING NEWS: With Broadway’s return all Fall long, it’s continuing to bring back many of our community’s ongoing traditions. One of the most notable is the dimming of all Theater marquees for 1 minute in tribute to those no longer with us. It will all be happening again starting November 3rd, 2021at 6:30pm. to honor the late 5 time-Tony Award winning legendary writer Terrence McNally on what would have been his 83rd Birthday.
Along with the dimming of the lights, the Broadway community will be putting together a special FREE one night only tribute show in honor of McNally’s legacy on Broadway. The program entitled A CELEBRATION OF LIFE is set for November 1st, 2021 at the Gerald Schonefeld Theatre (current home of
Come From Away). It will feature readings, performances, and tributes honoring the immense impact McNally left here in the Big Apple. COVID-19 face masks and proof of vaccination will be required. Doors will open at 3:30pm.
For those who may not know, Terrence McNally passed away on March 24th, 2020 at the start of the pandemic due to COVID-19. He was 81. What an unforgettable legacy he has left on the Great Bright Way and the Theater community. Some of his iconic plays included…
Sweet Eros,
Whiskley,
The Ritz,
Bad Habits,
The Lisbon Traviata,
Lips Together, Teeth Apart,
Love! Valour! Compassion!,
Deuce,
By The Sea, By The Sea, By The
Master Class,
Mother & Sons,
and
In addition to his notable straight plays, McNally was best known for being the book writer for some of our favorite beloved musicals including….
The Rink,
Kiss of the Spiderwoman,
and
Thank you for mesmerizing audiences with your unforgettable words. We love you. Bravo!! RIP Terrence.
Truly gonna be an ultimate celebration of the legacy of one unforgettable man.
Thoughts?
How incredible is this?!
by Mike Haber | Oct 7, 2021 | Blog, Broadway, Gleeks Fan Tour (Times Square), News
BREAKING NEWS: Emmy nominee and Broadway favorite
Lea Michele has officially announced the release date of her upcoming solo album FOREVER. It is set to be available both in stores and digital download starting November 5th, 2021.
FOREVER is considered as Michele’s first album since giving birth to her first child “Ever Leo” who just turned 1 year old this past August. In celebration of being a new mom (and despite this past year of extreme backlash), the
Glee and
Spring Awakening star decided in creating her next album to be mainly covers of popular songs but done in the style of beautiful lullabies. The name is a pun on saying it as “FOR EVER” (dedicating it to her boy). The album feature 8 tracks of songs made famous by Guns N’ Roses,
The Beatles,
Kacey Musgraves,
Judy Garland (a promising unbelievable new rendition of OVER THE RAINBOW), and so much more.
FOREVER marks as Michele’s 4th studio album. Her debut album LOUDER was released in 2014 selling over 62,000 copies. It debut at # 4 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and number 16 on the UK Albums Chart. It was also nominated for a World Music Award for World’s Best Album. In 2017,
Her follow-up Sophomore album PLACES was released in 2017 selling over 16,000 copies in its first week, debuting at # 28 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and # 27 on the UK album charts.
Michele’s 3rd and recent album CHRISTMAS IN THE CITY was released in 2019 prior before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. It topped the US Top Holiday Albums at # 3.
If you want to learn more about Lea Michele and many of your favorite Glee stars who have got their start on Broadway, join us for our GLEEKS ON BROADWAY Walking Tour in Times Square.
by Mike Haber | Sep 25, 2021 | Antoinette (Tony) Awards, Blog, Broadway, News, Shows
BREAKING NEWS: Tomorrow night’s celebration of Broadway’s biggest night is gonna have an unforgettable lineup of promising legendary reunion performances. It has just been announced that The 74th Annual
Tony Awards will also include….
Other performances will include….
The 74th Annual Tony Awards will be a 4 hour extravaganza from Broadway’s Winter Garden Theatre. It all begins at 7pm on
Paramount+ with the actual ceremony hosted by Audra McDonald. From there, the Tonys will then continue onto
CBS as
Leslie Odom Jr. hosts the BROADWAY’S BACK concert portion of the show.
by Mike Haber | Sep 11, 2021 | Antoinette (Tony) Awards, Blog, Broadway, News, Shows
WHAT’S GOING ON BROADWAY FANS?! It’s only 15 DAYS till we celebrate Broadway’s triumphant comeback with a BANG…. We are talking about The 74th Annual
Tony Awards. We got more iconic legendary performances from previous telecasts coming your way on our TOP 50 TONY AWARDS COUNTDOWN.
Today, our selection day was a last minute change in support of 20 years of that horrific we’ll NEVER FORGET. At # 15 today on our countdown, we celebrate America at the turn of the century. It’s a personal favorite of NYBT’s founder and head guide
Amada Anderson……. This is
RAGTIME. Based on E. L. Doctorow’s best selling 1975 novel of the same name, it features an iconic score by Lynn Ahrens & Stephen Flaherty along with a book by Terrence McNally.
From the 1998 telecast, here is the show’s legendary breakout original cast performing the show’s opening title song.
RAGTIME originally premiered in Toronto back in 1996 at the Toronto Centre for the Arts before moving on a month later to Broadway which opened the newly built Ford Center for the Performing Arts (now the Lyric Theatre) for 861 performances. Members of the original production included….
Alex Strange (later Anthony Blair Hall) as “Edgar, The Little Boy”,
Peter Friedman (later John Rubenstein) as “Tateh”,
Lea Michele (later Elizabeth Lundberg) as “The Little Girl”,
The original production of RAGTIME was nominated for 13 Tony Awards in 1998. It took home 4 for BEST SCORE (for Flaherty & Ahrens), BEST BOOK OF A MUSICAL (for McNally), BEST FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL (for Audra McDonald), and BEST ORCHESTRATIONS (for William David Brohn).
Following the success of the original production, the show went on to become a worldwide hit musical from Regional productions, London’s West End, and several concert productions (including a concert production on Ellis Island back in 2016).
The 1st and most recent Broadway revival of RAGTIME happened in 2009 at the Neil Simon Theatre playing for only 93 performances. Members of that 2009 cast included…
Christopher Cox as “Edgar, The Little Boy”,
Ron Bohmer as “Father”,
Robert Petkoff as “Tateh”,
Quentin Earl Darrington as “Coalhouse Walker, Jr”,
Stephanie Jean Umoh as “Sarah”,
Sarah Rosenthal as “The Little Girl”,
and
Donna Migliaccio as “Emma Goldman”.
The revival was nominated for 6 Tony Awards in 2010 including BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL. However, it lost all of it’s categories.
How beautiful is this iconic musical?
by Mike Haber | Jul 26, 2021 | Blog, Broadway, Gleeks Fan Tour (Times Square), News
BREAKING NEWS: Stage and Screen favorite
Lea Michele has been taking so much personal time to reflect both herself & raising her almost 1 year old baby boy Ever Leo. Now, the
Glee and
Spring Awakening star has made it back to the recording studio and set to release a new solo album out this Fall.
The album entitled FOREVER is very different vs. her previous records. Celebrating now being a new mommy, it will be a full lullaby album. You can expect the acclaimed performer performing beautiful new renditions familiar Pop/Rock songs from
Guns N’ Roses,
Kacey Musgraves, and more with a twist….. done in the style of a beautiful, quiet, soft, and intimate lullaby. The album title is also play on words as its dedicated to her son, Ever…… FOREVER.
FOREVER marks as Michele’s 4th studio album. Her debut album LOUDER was released in 2014 selling over 62,000 copies. It debut at # 4 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and number 16 on the UK Albums Chart. It was also nominated for a World Music Award for World’s Best Album.
In 2017, her follow-up Sophomore album PLACES was released in 2017 selling over 16,000 copies in its first week, debuting at # 28 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and # 27 on the UK album charts.
Michele’s 3rd and recent album CHRISTMAS IN THE CITY was released in 2019 prior before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. It topped the US Top Holiday Albums at # 3.
We cannot wait to hear this angelic voice bring popular tunes in a whole new directions.