by Mike Haber | Jun 21, 2021 | Antoinette (Tony) Awards, Broadway, Gleeks Fan Tour (Times Square), Inspiration of Rent Tour
2021 marks a huge year for Tony Award winning powerhouse
Idina Menzel. Last month, she celebrated her 50th Birthday & the 25th Anniversary of the professional gig that started it all….. her Broadway debut in
Rent. What an unforgettable legacy she has left within those past 25 years. We all love her success on stage and on screen. However, Menzel’s also had an amazing career as a Pop star releasing 8 solo albums. Get ready for a THRILLIFYING rare seen performance like no other…. during the early era before her career even skyrocketed as a global phenomenon with
WICKED,
Glee, and of course
Frozen. Here is the music video of her debut single MINUET from her 1998 cult smash hit album STILL I CAN’T BE STILL.
The music video itself for MINUET is soooooooo hot!!!! It features Menzel in an old Volkswagen van driving through an automatic car wash. It also features an appearance by her fellow RENT co-star and now ex-husband Taye Diggs.
In case anyone may not know the story, Menzel’s journey to becoming a solo artist began back while she was performing in her Tony nominated breakout Broadway debut as the original “Maureen” in
Rent. While doing the show 8 times a week, she got offered a record deal with
Hollywood Records. After departing RENT in 1997, Menzel went straight to work on the album. Recorded in upstate New York, she worked with some incredible musical talents, geniuses, and creators. It was produced by Milton Davis. All the songs together were written by Menzel and Davis.
STILL I CAN’T BE STILL was released on September 13th, 1998. MINUET became the only single from the album reaching #48 on Radio & Records’ CHR/Pop tracks chart. To promote the album, Idina did various performances including in-store events, singing at the
Lilith Fair Music Festival, and went on tour serving as the Opening Act for
Francis Dunnery. The album sadly failed to top the charts, sold less than 10,000 copies, and Menzel was dropped from Hollywood Records. The label put the album out of print.
For Menzel, she went to a moment of obscurity but still had the courage, passion, and drive to write music. She and Milton Davis continued working together for a 2nd album done independently.
However, when Idina’s career took off with her Tony winning performance as “Elphaba” in WICKED, her expanded fanbase (known as THE FANZELS) began demanding to re-release STILL I CAN’T BE STILL. Thanks to them, it was re-released in September 2005.
Today, STILL I CAN’T BE STILL is still available to download digitally. There are also physical copies on
Amazon.com as well.
Today, Menzel has continued to perform songs from that debut album in her ongoing solo concerts around the world.
As of March 2018, STILL I CAN’T BE STILL has sold over 18,000 copies.
How amazing is this video?
Anyone have that original debut album of Idina’s?!!!
by Mike Haber | Jun 16, 2021 | Antoinette (Tony) Awards, Blog, Broadway, Shows
For every Broadway fan out, we all grow up belting out our favorite showtunes thanks to the legacy of cast albums. However, most people do NOT know how much hard work and dedication it takes for all those involved with your favorite musicals in bringing the magic of 8 times a week onto a CD. Right now, we’re about to take you on the ultimate throwback journey.
Back in 2001,
PBS‘ Award winning series
Great Performances teamed up with the cast, crew, musicians, and creative team of
Mel Brooks‘ Award winning musical comedy
The Producers following their journey as they head into the recording studio to make their Original Broadway Cast Recording. The 90 minute documentary entitled RECORDING THE PRODUCERS was captured at New York City’s
Edison Recording Studio. You will be front row center watch showstopping performances from its Award winning stars Nathan Lane,
Matthew Broderick, Cady Huffman, Brad Oscar,
Roger Bart, the late Gary Beach, and more laying down tracks of your favorite songs from the musical adaptation of Brooks’ 1967 film of the same name including….
KING OF BROADWAY,
WE CAN DO IT,
I WANNA BE A PRODUCER,
WHEN YOU GOT IT, FLAUNT IT,
ALONG CAME BAILEY,
and
of course…… SPRINGTIME FOR HITLER.
It will also feature interviews with both the cast and creative team (including Brooks and director/choreographer Susan Stroman).
The Original Broadway Cast Recording of THE PRODUCERS was recorded on March 11th, 2001…. just a week and a half before they actually began preview performances on Broadway. The company had a full day off from tech rehearsals. and went straight into the studio.
The cast album was released a month after it was recorded and just 2 days before THE PRODUCERS actually had its official Opening Night. It went on to become a successful BOTH show and cast album.
Along with winning its recording breaking 12
Tony Awards, the cast album won a 2002
Grammy Award for BEST MUSICAL SHOW ALBUM.
The original Broadway production of THE PRODUCERS ran for 6 years playing 2,502 performances at the St. James Theatre.
How amazing was this documentary?
Any THE PRODUCERS fans?
Who has that original cast album of THE PRODUCERS?!!!
by Mike Haber | Jun 16, 2021 | Antoinette (Tony) Awards, Blog, Broadway, Shows
HELLO!! We at New York Broadway Tours are waking up on CLOUD 9 on more news on some of the long running hottest tickets returning later this year. This Fall is going to be the ultimate LATTER DAY celebration in over a year and a half as the Award winning smash hit musical comedy The Book of Mormon is set to relaunch ALL its ongoing companies this Fall!!! It comes at a very exciting timing for the show for 2021. Those LATTER DAY Missionaries and residents of UGANDA will be saying THANK YOU EBOWAI has they say HASA DIGA to COVID-19 and celebrate its 10th Anniversary!!
Under the direction and choreography of Tony winner
Casey Nicholaw, the inaugural Broadway company will relaunch performances on November 5th, 2021 at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre.
In addition,
The Book of Mormon will also relaunch its West End and UK companies in the same month. The West End production will have its re-opening night on November 15th, 2021 at London’s Prince of Wales Theatre. Meanwhile, the UK Tour will relaunch this October 2021 in Cardiff before traveling across the UK.
No word has been revealed for casting on all 3 companies returning or who will become the new head producer taking over from
Scott Rudin.
So excited to MAN UP, BAPTIZE Broadway, and be together again TWO BY TWO after a year and a half of being isolated from one another.
WELCOME BACK THE BOOK OF MORMON!!!
by Mike Haber | Jun 13, 2021 | Antoinette (Tony) Awards, Blog, Broadway, Casting, In The Heights Walking Tour, NYBT NEWS, Shows, Washington Heights
This past week alone has been so much rave for the film adaptation of the Tony and Grammy winning smash hit
In The Heights out now in Theaters and on
HBO Max. For
Lin-Manuel Miranda‘s breakout debut musical, we all first fell in love with the show as a smash on the Great Bright Way. Everyone can relate to all of the powerful characters from THE BARRIO from its main leads like “Usnavi” to even some of the small featured roles like…… “The Piragua Guy”.
Little throwback to the show’s time on the Great Bright Way in 2008 where Miranda and the full HEIGHTS company came together to parody the
MTV reality show for
Legally Blonde that same year. This hilarious web series parody takes Broadway auditioning to the next level as the HEIGHTS company searches for a new actor to take on the featured role of…… you guessed it…… “The Piragua Guy”. This is LEGALLY BROWN: THE SEARCH FOR THE NEXT PIRAGUA GUY.
Eliseo Romano originated the role in the Broadway production. Most recently, Lin-Manuel Miranda portrayed him in the new film.
It’s done just like for the LEGALLY BLONDE: THE SEARCH FOR ELLE WOODS show for 6 weeks with ongoing Broadway veterans and favorites battle it out in attempt to replace Eliseo as “The Piragua Guy” in the Broadway production of IN THE HEIGHTS. They go through various audition challenges and critiqued by a panel of judges consisting of….
Quiara Alegria Hudes (the show’s book writer),
and
Rickey Tripp (HEIGHTS Ensemble cast member).
The aspiring “Piragua Guys” in this consist of….
Hunter Bell,
Noah Weisberg,
and
Eliseo Roman (THE OG himself) fighting to stay in the game,
There is a twist at the end of the series!!
The series is hosted by Broadway & West End star Asmeret Ghebremichael (HEIGHTS original OFF-Broadway cast member).
There’s also appearances by HEIGHTS company members….
Tony winner Andy Blankenbeuhler (the show’s choreographer),
Janet Dacal (original “Carla” and later replacement “Nina”),
Andréa Burns (original “Daniella”),
Lin-Manuel Miranda,
and
This web series promises is a delicious HIT!!!! Can one of these amazing talents give “Mr. Softee” a run for his money?!!!!
How funny is this?
Who remembers this?!!
by Mike Haber | Jun 10, 2021 | Antoinette (Tony) Awards, Blog, Broadway, Broadway Audience, Gilbert and Sullivan to Hamilton Tour (Downtown), In The Heights Walking Tour
We at New York Broadway Tours want to wish the Drama Book Shop a HAPPY RE-OPENING at its brand new location on West 39th Street. We cannot wait to step inside and continue on with our NON-STOP Theater reading!!!!
by Mike Haber | Jun 10, 2021 | Antoinette (Tony) Awards, Broadway, In The Heights Walking Tour, NYBT NEWS, Shows, Washington Heights
LIGHTS UP on a very exciting celebration today!!! Get ready to HANG YOUR FLAG UP ON DISPLAY as the wait is finally over. We are talking about the highly anticipated film adaptation of
Lin-Manuel Miranda‘s breakout Tony and Grammy winning debut smash hit
In The Heights out in Theaters and on
HBO Max today. The film’s soundtrack is also released as well.
This film is the ultimate CARNAVAL DEL BARRIO celebrating life, love, community, and home during the great and the most difficult times. Very relevant to the time we’re living in today and as we slowly continue to make our way back to normal.
This film is sooooooooo powerful. We know that it will be getting more people exciting about Broadway’s return and even more people to go visit THE BARRIO of Washington Heights.
Break legs to the cast, crew, and creators of this amazing film!!
GO SEE IT!! You will feel all the feels!!!
