by Mike Haber | Sep 23, 2021 | Blog, Broadway, Casting, News, Shows
DELICIOUS NEWS! Grammy Award winning country singing sensation
Jennifer Nettles (last seen on Broadway as “Roxie” in
Chicago) will return to the Great Bright Way to join the cast of the limited engagement revival of the Tony and Grammy nominated smash hit
Waitress.
The
Sugarland singer will replace the show’s composer and revival’s original leading lady
Sara Bareilles in the role of pregnant pie maker “Jenna Hunterson” for a strictly limited month long run. That run will last from October 19th-November 24th, 2021 at Broadway’s Ethel Barrymore Theatre.
An announcement for the next “Jenna” after Nettles will be revealed soon.
Meanwhile, Bareilles (who is set to start filming Season 2 of
Girls5Eva and will be starring as “The Baker’s Wife” in
New York City Center Encores production of
Into The Woods next) will bake her last set of pies at the diner on October 17th, 2021.
That’s not all, “Jenna” is getting a new set of best friends who co-work at the diner with her next month. It has just been announced that Maiesha McQueen (who appeared on the 1st National Tour of WAITRESS) and Ashley Blanchet (Broadway’s
Frozen) will take over the roles of the sassy “Becky” and quirky “Dawn” starting October 5th, 2021.
Charity Angél Dawson and Caitlin Houlahan will BOTH take their final bows on October 3rd, 2021. Both performers are set to resume performances at their most previous Broadway projects before COVID. Dawson will be heading back to reopen Mrs.
Doubtfire: The Musical and Houlahan will reopen
Girl From The North Country.
WAITRESS will continue to run on Broadway through January 9th, 2022.
by Mike Haber | Sep 23, 2021 | Blog, Broadway, Casting, News, Shows
Under the direction of Michael Longhurst, the cast is still expecting to be led by….
West End star
Sharon D. Clarke reprising her Olivier Award winning performance of the titular role of housemaid “Caroline Thibodeaux”,
Broadway legend
Chip Zien as socialist ideology man himself “Mr. Stopnick”,
Alexander Bello (Broadway’s The Rose Tattoo and
All My Sons) as the son of “Caroline” himself “Joe Thibodeaux”,
and
New to the cast will include….
Broadway newcomers Jaden Myles Waldman, Gabriel Amorso (Broadway’s
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), and Adam Makké all TRIPPLE alternating the role of the curious, sympathetic, and neurotic “Noah Gellman”
CAROLINE OR CHANGE will run at the legendary Studio 54 for a strictly limited engagement. Long awaited preview performances will begin on October 8th, 2021, the official Opening Night is set for October 27th, 2021, and will run till February 13th, 2022. An extension may be possible if the show does well.
This revival of
Jeanine Tesori and Tony Kushner’s powerful and inspirational musical was originally slated to begin previews on March 13th, 2020 and open on April 7th, 2020. However, the plug got pulled on the whole production as Live Theater was forced to abruptly shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The company did NOT even reach their invited industrial dress rehearsal. Now, they’re getting a 2nd chance.
by Mike Haber | Sep 23, 2021 | Blog, Broadway, Casting, News, Shows
BREAKING NEWS: Michael R. Jackson’s Pulitzer Prize winning smash hit musical A STRANGE LOOP is heading to move ON Broadway. But first, it will have an out-of-town tryout in our nation’s Capitol of Washington D.C. Casting has been announced. Under the direction of Stephen Brackett and choreography by Raja Feather Kelly, it features a 7 person cast led by…
newcomer Jaquel Spivey as “Usher the Usher
along with all 6 of the original Ensemble members playing “The Thoughts” returning consisting of….
L Morgan Lee,
James Jackson, Jr.
John-Michael Lyles,
John-Andrew Morrison ,
Jason Veasey,
and
Antwayn Harper.
For anyone that may not know of A STRANGE LOOP, the musical is written by Michael R. Jackson inspired by his own personal experiences. It tells the story of a young average overweight, gay, black artist named “Usher” (working as an Usher) at war with a host of demons—not least of which are the punishing thoughts in his own head—in an attempt to capture and understand his own strange loop.
The show had a triumphant sold out World Premiere Off-Broadway run at
Playwrights Horizons in the Spring of 2019. It was well praised by critics and Theatergoers everywhere.
In addition, the show is already getting a lot of Theater Glory early during the time of Quarantine winning various Awards including the
Lucille Lortel, the
Drama Desk, the Obies, and the Outer Critics Circle Award.
No word has been said on when the show will hit the Big Apple. Stay tuned.
by Mike Haber | Sep 23, 2021 | Blog, Broadway, News, Shows
Tonight, something exciting is cooking here on the Great Bright Way….. We are talking about
Chicken and Biscuits. Following an abruptly cut-short but successful run in Queens, Douglas Lyons’ raucous family comedy (led by Stage and screen favorite Michael Urie and Tony nominee
Norm Lewis in his first straight play / non musical role) begins previews this evening at Circle in the Square Theatre.
Under the direction of
Zhailon Levingston making history as the youngest Black director in Broadway History at age 27, the show will officially open on October 27th, 2021 and will run for a strictly limited engagement.
Break a leg to the cast, crew, and creative team of CHICKEN AND BUSCUITS.
by Mike Haber | Sep 23, 2021 | Antoinette (Tony) Awards, Blog, Broadway, Casting, News, Shows
EVERYTHING’S GONNA BE FINE, FINE, FINE! It has just been announced that Broadway favorite
Heidi Blickenstaff and newcomer Morgan Dudley have been tapped join the cast of
Alanis Morissette‘s groundbreaking Tony nominated and Grammy winning hottest ticket
Jagged Little Pill when it returns next month.
Blickenstaff (Broadway’s
Title of show,
Something Rotten,
The Addams Family,
The Little Mermaid, and both the world premiere and TV movie musical versions of Freaky Friday) will take on the role of struggling suburban mother “Mary Jane Healy”. The show’s original leading lady Tony nominee Elizabeth Stanley is on a hiatus to spend quality time with her new baby daughter and will return to the production in November. When Stanley returns, she and Blickenstaff will alternate the role of “Mary Jane”.
Meanwhile, Dudley will make her Broadway debut taking over for original cast member Tony nominee Celia Gooding in the role of the rebellious, bisexual, and adopted African American teenage daughter “Frankie Healy”. Gooding departed the show (playing her last performance in March 2020) due to now to set to appear in the brand new
Star Trek film.
YOU OUGHTA KNOW that there are still original cast members set to return as well. That lineup will include its Tony nominated stars….
the show’s legendary standout showstopper
Lauren Patten as humorous, vulnerable, and easily hurt lesbian “Jo Taylor”.
The cast will also welcome back….
JAGGED LITTLE PILL is about to WAKE UP and raise their middle fingers and fists up high at the Broadhurst Theatre starting October 21st, 2021.
by Mike Haber | Sep 23, 2021 | Antoinette (Tony) Awards, Blog, Broadway, News, Shows
GOOD MORNING BROADWAY FANS!! We are only 3 DAYS AWAY till Broadway’s biggest night of the year…. The 74th Annual
Tony Awards. We at New York Broadway Tours are already at the final 3 shows of our TOP 50 TONY AWARDS COUNTDOWN. This has been the way for us to pay tribute to the best of our Theater community as we celebrate its triumphant comeback after a rough 18 1/2 months. Here comes another legendary performance.
At # 3 on our countdown is another one of Broadway’s most beloved hot tickets. We’re gonna take a little trip OVER THE RAINBOW to a magical land. If you think you know the story of The Wizard Of Oz so well, think again. Get ready to experience the story from the perspective of 2 girls…. one blonde and the other one with beautiful green skin. This is all long before a little farmgirl (and her LITTLE DOG TOO) crashed into the scene. You guessed it, this is
WICKED. Based on Gregory Maguire’s novel of the same name, the show features a now iconic score by
Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman.
From the 2004 telecast, here is the girls who started it all… Tony winners
Kristin Chenoweth as the POPULAR “Glinda The Good Witch”,
Idina Menzel as “Elphaba The not-so Wicked Witch of the West”, and members of the original Broadway cast performing the musical’s legendary and spectacular Act 1 finale anthem DEFYING GRAVITY.
WICKED was first conceived by top Hollywood producer Marc Platt who was adapting Gregory Maguire’s acclaimed novel WICKED: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST as a film for Universal Pictures. At the time, composer Stephen Schwartz was reading the novel and knew that the story would be a unique musical. However after finding out the rights were given already, Schwartz thought of an “impassioned plea” to Marc Platt to collaborate together on the production. Fell in love with it being a stage musical adaptation instead, Platt signed on as joint producer of the project with
Universal Studios and David Stone. In addition, Schwartz collaborated with book writer Emmy winner Winnie Holzman expanding the flow of the story about the political, social and ethical commentary on the nature of good and evil in the Land of Oz. They took inspiration from both the L. Frank Baum books and the beloved 1939 film version of
The Wizard of Oz. With director Joe Mantello and Choreographer Wayne Cilento on board, the show went into many stages of readings and workshops.
The show originally had its world premiere in San Francisco at the Curran Theatre in the Spring of 2003 earning initial mixed reviews (due to technical problems and several moments that confused the audiences). Following the world premiere out of town tryout as the company headed back to New York City, they spent 8 weeks updating the scripts with scenes being cut, new dialogue and songs written, and 4 parts being recast including the role of “The Wizard of Oz” himself.
WICKED officially opened on Broadway in the Fall of 2003 (opening the day before Halloween) at the Gershwin Theatre earning rave reviews and it broke its box office records. The Broadway production continues to run at the Gershwin and has continued to sell out every single night until COVID hit. It’s made over $1 billion ever since. The show will be celebrating its 18th BEWITCHING Year on Broadway and currently holds the record as THE 5TH LONGEST RUNNING SHOW IN BROADWAY HISTORY.
The Broadway production most recently reopened at the Gershwin Theatre on September 14th, 2021 where once it again its playing to sold out crowds.
Under the direction of Joe Mantello and choreography by Wayne Cileno, the original cast consisted of…
Tony winner Idina Menzel as “Elphaba”,
Tony and Emmy winner Kristin Chenoweth as “Glinda”,
Tony and Oscar winner Joel Grey as “The Wizard of Oz”,
The late Carole Shelley as “Madame Morrible”,
Tony nominee Christopher Fitzgerald as “Boq”,
Michelle Federer as “Nessarose”,
and
William Youmans as “Dr. Dillamond”.
With the Broadway production still open, there have been a huge lineup of numerous replacements on Broadway.
WICKED was nominated for 10 Tony Awards in 2004 winning 3 including BEST LEADING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL (for Idina Menzel). It went to receive many more Awards as well. Most notable, the show’s iconic original cast album went on to top the charts and win a
Grammy Award for BEST MUSICAL THEATRE ALBUM.
In addition to its Broadway success,
Wicked went on to become a worldwide Blockbuster hit with productions everywhere from Chicago, 2 National Tours, London’s West End, Los Angeles, a return engagement to San Francisco, Japan, Germany, Holland, Mexico City, Korea and much more.
Along with Broadway, the show recently reopened its ongoing National Tour and London companies. There is also a sit-down production in Korea..
Truly one of the most powerful shows that celebrates female empowerment, friendship, and learning to never judge a book by its cover.
Isn’t this show so THRILLIFYING?
How iconic was that performance?!!
