HELLO THERE THEATRE GEEKS. It’s time to once again to wake up as we continue our Top 30 Tony Awards countdown. Broadway’s biggest night is only 19 days away.
At #19 on our a countdown is a musical about a dancer who is wanted to be love. We of course are talking about Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields?classic SWEET CHARITY. It was also co-written by Neil Simon.
From the 2005 telecast, Christina Applegate and the cast of that same year’s revival perform a medley of some of the show’s iconic songs including HEY BIG SPENDER, IF MY FRIENDS COULD SEE ME NOW, and I’M A BRASS BAND.
SWEET CHARITY first premiered in Detroit, Michigan at the Fisher’s Theatre in 1966 before heading on to Broadway at the Palace Theatre in 1967 starring Gwen Verdon playing 618 performances. It was nominated for 9 Tony Awards later that year winning only 1 for Best Choreography (for?Bob Fosse). It would later be revived twice in NYC. The first revival happened In 1987 at the Minskoff Theatre starring Debbie Allen which played 384 performances. In addition, the first revival was nominated for 5 Tonys that year winning 4 including Best Revival of a Musical. The most recent revival happened in 2005 at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre starring Christina Applegate running for 279 performances. Plus, it was nominated for 3 Tonys that year including (again) for Best Revival of A Musical but lost all of it’s categories. In addition, pop singer Britney Spears almost decided to replace Applegate in the last revival but decides not to after having just had the baby. THIS ACTUALLY DID HAPPEN! Coming up this fall in honor of the musical’s 50th Anniversary, SWEET CHARITY will return to the New York stage with an OFF BROADWAY revival with The New Group company starring 2 time Tony winner Sutton Foster. Set to begin performances at the Signature Center in November.
Doesn’t this musical make YOU WANNA HAVE FUN, FUN, FUN?!
YEEE HAW BROADWAY FANS!! Broadway’s biggest night of the year is 20 days away and we have more in our Top 30 Tony Awards countdown playing you the best of past performances from the past telecasts over the last 70 years.
Today at #20 is one of the Greatest American Musicals of all time. Better, it’s well known as one of the first few musicals that incorporated song and dance with the storytelling. This is one our personal favorites and what we mention a lot on our tours… We of course are talking about Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II‘s Oklahoma!
From the 2002 telecast, Tony Award winner Andrea Martin, Tony Award nominee Patrick Wilson, Olivier Award nominee Josefina Gabrielle, and cast members from that year’s revival take us to the Box Social for a round-up rendition of the show’s Act 2 opener THE FARMER AND THE COWMEN.
OKLAHOMA first premiered in 1943 at Broadway’s St. James Theatre as a massive box office smash running for 2,212 performances. Ticket sales were so impossible to get when it first came out. The Tony Awards would later be developed a few years later. The show later was revived 4 times starting in 1951 at the Broadway Theatre running for 100 performances, 1953 for brief stint at City Center (in honor of the 10th Anniversary) for 40 performances, 1979 at the Palace Theatre for 293 performances (featuring?Christine Andreas and Christine Ebersole, who received the only 2 Tony nominations that year but lost both in their categories as Best Leading and Featured Actress in a Musical). Finally in 2002, the critically acclaimed 1998 West End production from the National Theatre London (as seen in this video) played Broadway’s Gershwin Theatre receiving 7 Tony nominations and took home only 1 for Best Featured Actor in a Musical (for Shuler Hensley) playing 388 performances. That 1998 West End production (which later hit Broadway in 2002) is actually now available on DVD starring Tony winning Stage and Screen actor Hugh Jackman which made him a big star in the UK before conquering the world of Hollywood. That revival was also well known for having the real actors playing Curly and Laurey to the dance in the show’s iconic Dream Ballet sequence rather than having a professional dancing double do it. Also, Hensley and Josefina Gabrielle were the only 2 actors who reprised their London roles of Jud and Laurey for Broadway.
WAKEY WAKEY BROADWAY FANS. You are rising up each morning with?New York Broadway Tours Top 30 Tony Awards countdown as we celebrate the best of the Theatre world gearing up for Broadway’s biggest night just 21 days away.
At #21 on our countdown today is one of the most iconic and beloved Musicals of all time which later came into our hearts as a film. A tale of 2 dangerous gangs and a young couple from both rival sides that fall in love. We are talking about Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim‘s legendary musical masterpiece West Side Story on Broadway. The show was also co-written by Arthur Laurents and is set as a modern day version of William Shakespeare‘s classic Romeo and Juliet.
From the 2009 telecast, Tony nominees Matt Cavanaugh and Josefina Scaglione, Tony winner Karen Olivo, and cast members of that same year’s revival perform the iconic DANCE AT THE GYM scene (aka MAMBO).
WEST SIDE STORY first premiered in Washington D.C and Philadelphia before moving to Broadway’s Winter Garden Theatre for 732 performances, took a break from Broadway to tour the world, and then returned to that same Theatre in 1960 for an additional 253 performances. The original production was nominated for 6 Tony Awards in 1958 where it won 2 including Best Choreography (for Jerome Robbins). A year later, the iconic 1961 film version starring Natalie Wood and Rita Moreno came out to Theatres everywhere earning critical acclaim nominated for 11 Academy Awards in 1962 winning 10 including Best Picture. WEST SIDE STORY would later be revived twice. In 1980, it played Broadway’s Minskoff Theatre for 333 performances and got nominated for 3 Tony Awards that year including Best Revival of a Musical but it lost all of it’s categories. The most recent revival in 2009 played Broadway’s Palace Theatre running for a total of 775 performance. This revival was well known to have include several songs and dialogue in the show translated into Spanish by one of this year’s Tony nominees… our very own Lin-Manuel Miranda. The revival was nominated for 4 Tony Awards that year including (again) for Best Revival of A Musical. It took home only 1 award for Best Performance By A Featured Actress in A Musical for Karen Olivo.
FUN FACT: Did you know the film version of WEST SIDE STORY was shot on location of what is now Lincoln Center before it was even built?
Isn’t WEST SIDE STORY one of the greatest musicals of all time?!
HOWDY THEATRE GEEKS! It’s time for another wake up call as we at New York Broadway Tours continue our Top 30 Tony Awards playing you the best of the Theatre scene. Broadway’s biggest night is just around the corner and only 23 days away,
At #23 on our countdown, LET’S GO ON WITH THE SHOW as we take a visit to one of the most famous shows played in the Wild Wild West starring one of the most famous sharp shooters in American History…. Annie Oakley?(1860-1926). It’s a fictional story but the basis of her story of joining Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show and winning the romance of fellow sharp shooter Frank Butler (1847-1926) is true. We are talking of course of Irving Berlin‘s classic musical that hits the entertainment bullseye…. ANNIE GET YOUR GUN. It was also written by Dorothy and Herbert Fields.
From the 1999 telecast. the legendary Bernadette Peters, Tom Wopat, and the company of that year’s revival perform a medley of I GOT THE SUN IN THE MORNING & AN OLD FASHION WEDDING.
ANNIE GET YOUR GUN first premiered at Broadway’s Imperial Theatre in 1946 starring the phenomenal “first lady of Musical Theatre belt” Ethel Merman and Ray Middleton running for a total of 1,147 performances. The Tony Awards would be created and given for the first time ever the very next year of 1947. Following the Broadway production came the classic Oscar winning 1950 version of the musical starring Betty Hutton and?Howard Keel. In 1966, it was revived again at Lincoln Center Theater for a limited engagement of 76 performances featuring Merman reprising her performance. It was nominated for 2 Tonys that year loosing both it’s categories (for Best Choreography and Best Direction of A Musical). The most recent revival came in 1999 to Broadway’s Marquis Theatre following an acclaimed out of town tryout at the The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts with Bernadette Peters and Tom Wopat. It played a total of 1,080 performances and featured a revamped book by Peter Stone. The revival was nominated for 3 Tony Awards winning 2 including Best Musical and Best Performance By A Leading Actress in A Musical (for Peters).
FUN FACT: Originally Judy Garland was cast in the role of Annie Oakley for the film version of ANNIE GET YOUR GUN. MGM producer Arthur Freed?purchased the rights to the film version with Garland starring. However, there was a whole lot of drama. Garland was originally supposed to take 6 months off to recover from going back nonstop on the drugs again. However, the studio forced and threw her right into the movie causing her to feel exhausted, get more sick and a little grumpy. In addition, the original director and choreographed Busby Berkeley gave her the most roughest time making her feel even worst. Garland previously had worked with Berkeley a few times including Girl Crazy (1943 film) which he previously got fired from after causing her to faint. Garland had enough of him trying to get him fired and even not showing up to set. From there, MGM fired her both from the film and ended her contract forever with the studio. Heartbroken, Garland made a few suicide attempts which included breaking a glass and slashing her throat in the bathroom. Also Frank Morgan (who we all know as the title role from The Wizard of Oz) was originally tapped to play Buffalo Bill but unexpectedly died.
The song THERE’S NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOW BUSINESS would become Ethel Merman’s signature song and overall the theme song of being in this World of Entertainment.
WAKE UP BROADWAY FANS. We are your alarm clock getting you out of bed with New York Broadway Tours‘ Top 30 Tony Awards Countdown playing you the best toe-tapping performances from the past telecasts with Broadway’s biggest night only 24 days away.
At #24 today on our countdown, we take a trip to River City, Iowa where a superstitious salesman is playing a game of hit and run trying to organize an all boys marching band leader and selling instruments until he meets the woman that turns his world upside down. The superstitious man I am talking about Harold Hill, better known as THE MUSIC MAN, written by the incredible Meredith Wilson.
From the 2000 telecast, Tony nominees Craig Berko, Rebecca Luker, and the company of that same year’s revival perform the show’s toe-tapping marching number and the show’s signature song 76 TROMBONES.
THE MUSIC MAN first premiered in 1975 at Broadway’s Majestic Theatre starring Tony winners Robert Preston and Barbara Cook Official running for a total of 1,375 performances. It was nominated for 9 Tony Awards that same year winning 5 including Best Musical. In 1962, Preston went on to reprise his role in the Warner Brothers film adaptation (which he co-starred?Shirley Jones). In 1965, the show was brought back for a 2 week engagement revival at New York City Center starring Stage and Screen legend Dick Van Dyke and Meg Bussert. The most recent revival happened in 2000 at Broadway’s Neil Simon Theatre starring Craig Berko and Rebecca Luker running for a total of 721 performances. That musical would later be remade on screen in the 2003 TV Movie for Disney and ABC Television Network starring Tony winners and Broadway favorites Matthew Broderick and Kristin Chenoweth
Doesn’t this show make you want to get up and join the parade?!
HELLO THEATRE GEEKS! You are once again waking up to New York Broadway Tours Top 30 Countdown to the Tony Awards playing some of our favorite performances from the past telecasts over the last 70 years. Broadway’s biggest night is only 25 Days away.
Continuing our countdown at #25 is one of the most enduring classics ever in Musical Theatre History… the story of an iconic widowed matchmaker starting her life over. We are talking about Hello, Dolly on Broadway. In her breakout performance as the title character during the 1971 telecast (that year in honor of the 25th Anniversary of the Tonys which they brought back some of the most iconic stars of Broadway reprising their breakout roles), the legendary Carol Channing performs the show’s signature song BEFORE THE PARADE PASSES BY.
HELLO DOLLY premiered in Washington D.C and Detroit in 1963 earning mixed reviews but went through an entire revamp before heading to Broadway’s St. James Theatre in 1964 running for 2,844 performances. It was nominated for 14 Tony Awards that year winning 10 including Best Musical and Best Leading Actress in a Musical (for Channing). The show would later be revived 3 (soon to be 4) times on Broadway. The first revival happened In 1975 starring Pearl Bailey (featuring an entire all African American cast) at the Minskoff Theatre running for 47 performances and then again in 1978 for 147 performances and 1995 for 116 performances with Channing reprising her Tony Award winning performance for both engagements at the Lunt Fontanne Theatre. The 1978 engagement was only nominated for 1 Tony that year for Best Performance By A Leading Actor in A Musical (for Eddie Bracken) and again only 1 Tony nomination 1995 for Best Revival of A Musical. Both those years, the show lost the category. Now coming up, HELLO DOLLY will be revived once again with the legendary Bette Midler and Tony winner David Hyde Pierce at the Shubert Theatre. Previews are set to begin March 15th, 2017 and open April 20th, 2017.
