by Mike Haber | Oct 31, 2021 | Blog, Broadway, News, off broadway, Shows
HAPPY HALLOWEEN BROADWAY FANS! We are only 25 DAYS till we start ringing in the holiday season with The 95th Annual
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. New York’s MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET has continued to be an ongoing support of our Broadway Theater scene. Throughout the years, there have been so many unforgettable critically acclaimed productions that wowed audiences on Thanksgiving morning which got more people to come see Live Theater (especially now that Broadway is back), We have more of this beloved shows coming your way on our TOP 30 BROADWAY AT MACY’S COUNTDOWN. Are you ready for another showstopper?
At #25 on our countdown is a musical that truly is getting us in the mood of Halloween today. You can consider this show as a horror comedy. We are about to take you to a downtown florist shop. We meet a nerdy hapless worker there that who raises a plant which turns out to be a MAD KILLING PLANT that eats human blood and flesh. Welcome to the…..
Little Shop of Horrors. Based on a 1960 black comedy film, the musical features a beloved score by
Alan Menken and lyrics from a book by the late
Howard Ashman.
From the 2003
NBC telecast, Tony nominees Hunter Foster as “Seymour”, Kerry Butler as “Audrey”, that monstrous eating plant himself “ Audrey II”, and The Urchins themselves of that year’s ON Broadway debut production performing a medley of the show’s title song and the beautiful SUDDENLY SEYMOUR.
The show originally began its life OFF-OFF BROADWAY performing at the Workshop of the Players Art Theatre in the Spring of 1982. It was a smash hit that was moved to OFF BROADWAY playing the Orpheum Theatre a few months later where it ran for 5 years and 2,209 performances. A plan for the show for an ON BROADWAY transfer was initially made for the original 1982 production but Ashman decided to keep it where it belongs. Under the direction of Howard Ashman himself, the cast consisted of…
Ellen Greene in her signature role as “Audrey”,
Franc Luz as “Orin Scrivello, DDS” and others.
and
Ron Taylor as the voice of the man-eating plant himself “Audrey II”
The original production received numerous New York Theater Awards including the Drama Desk for OUTSTANDING NEW MUSICAL and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for BEST MUSICAL.
Following the success of the show’s New York Premiere, it made its way to London’s West End and Australia becoming a hit there.
LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS did not officially make its ON Broadway Debut until 2003. Following an out-of-town tryout in Florida that spring, the production made its way into the Virginia Theatre (now the August Wilson Theatre) where it ran for a complete total of 412 performances. Under the direction of
Jerry Zaks and a newly worked puppet from
The Jim Henson Company, this cast consisted of….
Tony nominee
Kerry Butler (later Jessica Snow Wilson) as “Audrey”,
Tony nominee Douglas Sills (later Robert Evan) as “Orin Scrivello, DDS”,
Michael Leon Wooley as the voice of “Audrey II”.
The production was nominated for only 1
Tony Award category in 2004 for BEST LEADING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL (for Hunter Foster) but lost the category.
In addition, LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS was most recently performed as a week long concert production for
New York City Center Encores in 2015 as part of their Off-Series season. Under the direction of Dick Scanlan, this cast featured….
Ellen Greene reprising her iconic role as “Audrey”,
Eddie Cooper as “Audrey II”.
The current revival of
Little Shop of Horrors is back in the Big Apple with a critically acclaimed production OFF BROADWAY playing the Westside Theatre on 43rd Street. With a triumphant debut in the Fall of 2019, the show would be put on halt in March 2020 (like most NY Theater shows) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was halted for 18 months before reopening last month in September 2021 where it continues to play to packed houses every night. Under the direction of Michael Mayer, this cast is led by…..
Emmy winner and Tony nominee Tammy Blanchard as “Audrey”,
Kingsley Leggs (later and currently Aaron Arnell Harrington) as “Audrey II”.
This current revival was nominated for various Awards including the
Drama Desk (winning 2 for OUTSTANDING MUSICAL REVIVAL and OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL (for Christian Borle), a Lucille Lortel Awards (winning 1 for OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL (for Christian Borle), the Drama League Award (winning the top honor for OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL – ON OR OFF BROADWAY), and being an honoree for all 5 of its categories at the
Outer Critics Circle Award (including OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL). The cast album would also be nominated for a Grammy Award for BEST MUSICAL THEATRE ALBUM earlier this year.
Along with its success on stage, the show was an iconic cult-film classic in 1986 from
Warner Bros. Pictures. Under the direction of Frank Oz, the cast consisted of…
Ellen Greene reprising her stage role as “Audrey”,
Levi Stubbs as the voice of “Audrey II”.
The film was nominated for 2 Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects and Best Original Song (for one of the new songs Menken and Ashman wrote specifically for the film entitled MEAN GREEN MOTHER FROM OUTER SPACE). It lost both the categories.
FUN FACT: The new film song MEAN GREEN made history as the first Oscar-nominated song to contain profanity in the lyrics and thus had to be slightly censored for the telecast.
Doesn’t this musical make you feel SCARED SILLY?!!
by Mike Haber | Oct 30, 2021 | Blog, Broadway, News, Shows
The curtain just went down on the 18th Anniversary performance of
WICKED on Broadway. We have footage below from the WICKED DAY curtain call below from the stage of the Gershwin Theatre.
Following the cast taking their bows, it features the show’s current witched
Jennifer DiNoia and
Ginna Claire Mason giving a post-show curtain call speech saying Thank You and spreading the love via social media.
After 18 months dark, WICKED is back home FOR GOOD!!!
How THRILLIFYING was that?!!!
by Mike Haber | Oct 30, 2021 | Blog, Broadway, Casting, News, Shows
ABC IS EASY AS 123!!! The legend of THE KING OF POP is heading his way to the Great Bright Way this holiday season. We are talking about the long awaited debut of
MJ: the musical. An additional final casting lineup has been revealed for 3 talented kids who will MOONDANCE their way onto the stage of the Neil Simon Theatre. They are…
newcomers Water Russell and Christian Wilson who will BOTH make their Broadway debuts playing the younger version of “
Michael Jackson“
Russell, Wilson, and Campell join the already previously announced adult Ensemble consisting of….
Newcomer
Myles Frost who will play the Adult version of “Michael Jackson”,
Quentin Earl Darrington (returning to the Neil Simon Theatre after having performed there with the Broadway’s recent revivals of
RAGTIME, and
Cats. Plus, last seen in the revival of
Once On This Island) as the no-nonsense father “Joseph Jackson”, Rob, and others,
Gabriel Ruiz (Off Broadway’s Blood and Gifts) in his Broadway debut as “Alejandro”,
Joey Sorge (Broadway’s The Drowsy Chaperone, the 2011 revival of How to Succeed, Nick Work If You Can Get It, and
A Bronx Tale plus last seen Off Broadway in Carmelina) as “Dave”,
Ayana George in her Broadway debut as mother “Katherine Jackson”,
Apollo Levine in his Broadway debut as celebrated musician “Quincy Jones”, Tito Jackson, and more,
Lamont Walker II in his Broadway debut as “Jermaine Jackson”,
Zelig Williams (Broadway’s
Hamilton) as the Adult version of “Marlon Jackson”.
MJ promises to be an evening of THRILLER NIGHTS, SMOOTH CRIMINALS, MOONWALKING, and so much more. The show will be coming to Broadway’s Neil Simon Theatre. Previews begins December 6th, 2021 and will open on February 1st, 2022.
Congrats to this incredible cast lineup!!!!
by Mike Haber | Oct 30, 2021 | Blog, Broadway, News, Shows
OH, WHAT A CELEBRATION WE’LL HAVE TODAY!!! Today is a THRILLIFYING day for all of our New York Theater scene as the Award winning smash hit
WICKED celebrates its 18th BEWITCHING Anniversary on Broadway. The
Stephen Schwartz is back FOR GOOD after a rough 18 months dark due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Broadway production is continuing to play to packed houses at the Gershwin Theatre along with its various companies still playing around the world including its ongoing North American National Tour and London production.
HAPPY 18TH BIRTHDAY WICKED!!!
BECAUSE WE KNEW YOU, WE HAVE BEEN CHANGED FOR GOOD!!!
Who has seen WICKED?!!
Favorite song?!!!
by Mike Haber | Oct 30, 2021 | Blog, Broadway, News, Shows
HELLO THERE BROADWAY FANS!! The 95th Annual
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is just 26 DAYS from now. Because this legendary MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET has continued to be so supportive of our Theater scene, we at New York Broadway Tours continue to entertain you each day with more iconic performances from previous telecasts on our TOP 30 BROADWAY AT MACY’S COUNTDOWN. There are more legendary performances coming your way. Here we go.
At # 26 on our countdown, we take you deep into the streets of Dublin, Ireland. There, we meet a struggling Irish musician and a Czech immigrant who meet, collaborate, write a song together, and fall in love. This is
Once. Based on the 2007 Oscar winning film of the same name, the show features the score from the film (plus new tunes) written by its creators
Glen Hansard and
Markéta Irglová along with a book by Enda Walsh.
From the 2012
CBS telecast coming to you on the stage of it’s then home at Broadway’s Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, here is Tony winner
Steve Kazee as “Guy” (the Irish musician), Tony nominee
Cristin Milioti as “Girl (the Czech musician), and the original Broadway cast performing the musical’s Oscar winning theme FALLING SLOWLY.
ONCE was developed as a stage musical just a few years after the original 2007 film became a huge smash.. Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová began work on adapting what they delivered on screen to the stage.
It was fully developed through a workshop lab at the
American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, MA. Following the success of that, the first full scale production would make its way to the Big Apple in the Fall of that same year of 2011 playing Off Broadway’s
New York Theatre Workshop. The run was a huge success and SOLD OUT, it officially made the move uptown.
ONCE officially arrived on Broadway in the Spring of 2012. It played the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre for a 2 1/2 year run of 22 previews and 1,167 performances. Yup, 2022 will mark the 10TH ANNIVERSARY of the show’s ON Broadway debut.
Under the direction of John Tiffany and choreography by Steven Hoggett, the cast of actor-musicians starred….
Tony winner Steve Kazee (later Ben Hope, Arthur Darvill, and Paul Alexander Nolan) as “Guy”,
Tony nominee Cristin Milioti (later
Laura Dreyfuss, Joanna Christie, and Jessie Fisher) as “Girl”,
Tony nominee Elizabeth A. Davis (later Claire Wellin and Tony winner
Katrina Lenk) as “Reza”,
Will Connolly (later Carlos Valdes) as “Andrej”,
Erikka Walsh as “Ex-Girlfriend”,
Anne L Nathan as “Baruska”,
David Patrick Kelly as “Da”,
Lucas Papaelias as “Svec”,
Andy Taylor as “The Bank Manager”,
J Michael Zygo as “The Emcee”,
a rotating set of young girls as “Ivanka”.
ONCE earned rave reviews by critics and Theatergoers alike. It would go on to be nominated for 11
Tony Awards that year winning 8 including BEST MUSICAL. It also won various other Awards including 4
Drama Desk Awards (including OUTSTANDING MUSICAL). Also, the show’s original Broadway cast recording would go on to top the charts and win the 2013
Grammy Award for BEST MUSICAL THEATRE ALBUM.
Following the success of its Broadway run, the show went on to wow audiences around the world. It had its UK premiere in Dublin, Ireland (where the show takes place) which later London’s West End also for a 2 year run at the Phoenix Theatre. That company would go on to be nominated for 6 and win 2
Olivier Awards in 2014.
Other productions included 3 North American National Touring companies, Australia, Seoul, and was expecting to launch a UK/Ireland Touring company.
Currently, Music Theatre International holds the rights for all productions of ONCE being performed at a local Theater near you….. we’re talking schools, community, and regional theaters everywhere.
Isn’t this show so beautifully laid back and intimate?!!
