by Mike Haber | Aug 28, 2021 | Blog, Broadway, News, Shows
ON THE MARQUEE: Yesterday, Broadway experienced another DELICIOUS front of house billboard get updated in over a year. We are talking about the limited engagement return of the Tony and Grammy nominated smash
Waitress the Musical. Our hearts are beating with excitement… not a BAD IDEA… to share with you this photo taken outside the revival’s home at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre.
WAITRESS will be RE-OPENING UP starting this upcoming week on September 2nd, 2021. It will run through January 9th, 2021.
PLEASE NOTE: Through October 7th, 2021, the show’s composer Tony nominee and Grammy winner
Sara Bareilles will play the lead role of “Jenna Hunterson”. Announcement for who will take over will be revealed at a later time.
by Mike Haber | Aug 27, 2021 | Antoinette (Tony) Awards, Blog, Broadway, News, Shows
RISE & SHINE BROADWAY FANS!! RISE & SHINE BROADWAY FANS!!! We are only 30 DAYS AWAY till Broadway’s biggest night of the year…. The 74th Annual
Tony Awards. We got more of the greatest musical showstoppers coming your way on our TOP 50 TONY AWARDS COUNTDOWN. This is truly the ultimate celebration as we gear also for the return of Live Theater after a previous rough and sad year. Here comes another big Broadway favorite!!!
At # 30 on our countdown, we go to New York City back in time to the year of 1899 during the historical time of the Newsboys Strike. This is of course Disney’s acclaimed smash hit
Newsies. With a score by
Alan Menken, lyrics by
Jack Feldman, and a book by Harvey Fierstein, it’s based on the 1992 cult Disney film of the same name.
From the 2012 telecast, Tony nominee
Jeremy Jordan as “Jack Kelly”. Kara Lindsay as “Katherine Plumber”, and the original Broadway cast perform 2 of the musical’s toe-tapping anthems ONCE AND FOR ALL and SEIZE THE DAY.
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NEWSIES initially was a huge box office flop when the original 1992 film (starring
Christian Bale) was released. However, following numerous airings on the
Disney Channel, it earned a huge cult following. At the same time with Disney already having worldwide success with acclaimed projects on Broadway, fans petitioned it to be translated into a stage musical. Alan Menken and the Disney team decided to give it a shot.
After a brief set of early development readings and workshops, the show originally premiered at New Jersey’s
Paper Mill Playhouse in 2011 for a complete sold out run. With the overwhelming response, NEWSIES transferred to Broadway the following year in 2012 playing the Nederlander Theatre. The initial run was technically supposed to be a 6 month limited engagement. However, thanks to it selling out and people were dying to see it, the team decided to have the show as an open ended before ending its official run in 2014. The Broadway run lasted for an incredible 1,005 performances. Under the direction of Jeff Calhoun and choreography by Christopher Gattelli, the cast starred…
Kara Lindsay (later
Liana Hunt) as “Katherine Plumber”,
John Dossett as “Joseph Pulitzer”,
Tommy Bracco (later Clay Thompson) as “Spot”,
& more.
The show was nominated for 8 Tony Awards in 2012 winning only 2 for BEST ORIGINAL SCORE (for Alan Menken) and BEST CHOREOGRAPHY (for Christopher Gattelli).
Following its Broadway run, the show embarked on an acclaimed 2 year National Tour traveling all across America. It played 784 performances in 65 cities all across North America. It also featured some additional updated to the production including a new song for the character of “Crutchie” in the 2nd act entitled LETTER FROM THE REFUGE. With its original creative team reunited, the tour cast was led by….
Stephanie Styles (later
Morgan Keene) as “Katherine Plumber”,
Steve Blanchard as “Joseph Pulitzer”,
Zachary Sayle (later Andy Richardson) as “Crutchie”,
Angela Grovey (later Aisha de Haas) as “Medda Larkin”,
Jacob Kemp as “Davey”,
Jeff Heimbrock as “Spot”,
& more.
Towards the end of the tour, the final show in LA was captured on film for a theatrical release from
Disney and
Fathom Events release and available now on Amazon. The filmed performance was at the
Hollywood Pantages Theatre. With Jeff Calhoun and Christopher Gattelli on board, the filmed performance featured the majority of the original cast from Broadway reprising their roles joined on stage with several of the tour cast members including…
Jeremy Jordan as “Jack Kelly”,
Kara Lindsay as “Katherine Plumber”,
Steve Blanchard as “Joseph Pulitzer”,
Andrew-Keenan Bolger,
Aisha de Haas as “Medda Larkin”,
Ben Fankhauser as “Davy”,
Tommy Bracco as “Spot”,
and more.
Currently, the licensing is now available for all FANSIES to put on their own productions of NEWSIES worldwide. Productions are being played everywhere from Schools, Community, and Regional Theaters all over.
Doesn’t this show make you wanna join in the fight?!!
by Mike Haber | Aug 26, 2021 | Blog, Broadway, News
BREAKING NEWS: Broadway’s Palace Theatre is preparing to FINALLY be raised up later this year.
TSX Broadway took to social media today sharing a photo of the renovation and construction still in works. They also shared a post of everything is starting to get into place at the legendary Broadway house will be raised 29 feet above street level.
With the Palace being raised, it’s also making way for BOTH more retail shops and a brand new 470-foot hotel here in Manhattan.
The actual Theater will include a brand new entrance on 47th Street, an 80-foot-long marquee, plenty of space for upcoming big elaborate productions, a newly expanded lobby with twice as many restrooms, and more. In addition, all the notable historical pieces from the Theater’s legendary design including its chandelier and decorative plaster balcony fascia will BOTH be restored.
More announcements and details will be shared soon.
by Mike Haber | Aug 26, 2021 | Blog, Broadway, Casting, News, Shows
SPECTACULAR, SPECTACULAR NEWS! A few days ago, the Broadway company of the Tony Award nominated smash hit
Moulin Rouge have all reunited for the first time in 18 months since the shutdown. Currently, the cast is the midst of rehearsals for relaunching its Broadway run next month.
Making us want to CAN CAN with excitement seeing all the incredibly talented faces from the original cast back together consisting of…..
Tony nominee Aaron Tviet as “Christian”,
Tony & Olivier nominee Sahr Ngaujah as “Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec”,
Broadway and West End favorite
Tam Mutu as “The Duke of Monroth”,
Ricky Rojas as “Santiago” aka “The Narcoleptic Argentinean”,
Tony nominee Robyn Hurder as “Nini Legs-in-the-Air”,
and members of its Ensemble.
The show also welcomes some incredible new cast members joining the Ensemble and most importantly….. the show’s new leading lady
Natalie Mendoza who replaces original cast member Tony winner (and nominee for this show)
Karen Olivo as “Satine”.
MOULIN ROUGE was one of the first Broadway shows to have been effected by the spread of the coronavirus. Following just an incredible 6+ months into its triumphant run of SPECTACULAR, SPECTACULAR rave reviews & sold out crowds every night, the news was revealed to the company about an extreme virus spreading the world. Many people thought it was just the usual flu season with still following safety precautions. However, things began to take a horrific turn for the worse in February 2020 as the BOHEMIANS themselves one by one began to feel ill. Company members began to call out non-stop….. a crazy record which included several performances getting cancelled along with low ticket sales. With safety precautions of this new illness, the show preventing the cast from doing post-show backstage tours and the popular stage door (signing autographs & taking photos). Eventually on March 12th, 2020, the show was shutdown like all Broadway shows on March 12th, 2020. Several months into Quarantining, cast members did not know that they caught COVID-19 including Tviet and Burnstein. Luckily despite Delta Variant cases rising and people being vaccinated, things are starting to make their way back to normal.
MOULIN ROUGE will once again make audiences COME WHAT MAY starting September 24th, 2021 at Broadway’s Al Hirschfeld Theatre.
Along with the Broadway production, MOULIN ROUGE is also set to launch long awaited new companies around the world including….
London’s West End at the Piccadilly Theatre,
a North American National Tour,
an Australian company (where it all began) playing Melbourne’s Regent Theatre.
WELCOME BACK TO THE MOULIN ROUGE!!!
by Mike Haber | Aug 26, 2021 | Blog, Broadway, News, Shows
FIRST LOOK: Get ready to feel like an ISLANDER as you experience the Award winning groundbreaking smash hit
Come From Away coming to
Apple TV+ next month. We are so happy to share with you another trailer that has just been released of this filmed proshot.
Filmed in front of a live audience consisting of Frontline Workers at Broadway’s Gerald Schonefeld Theatre, it features scenes from the production along with the cast performing 2 of its highlighted songs WELCOME TO THE ROCK and SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE.
As previously announced, this filmed cast of the 9/11 musical features a combination of both original and replacement cast members from the Broadway production including….
Jenn Colella who returned for this filmed production still in the midst of this pandemic reprising her 2017 Tony nominated portrayal as “Captain Beverly Bass” (the first female pilot of
American Airlines), “Annette”, and others,
Petrina Bromley as “Bonnie,” and others,
Joel Hatch as “Claude” and others,
Caesar Samayoa as “Kevin J.”, “Ali”, and others,
Q. Smith as “Hannah” and others,
Astrid Van Wieren as “Beulah” and others,
Sharon Donaldson-Wheatley as “Diane” and others
Tony LePage as “Kevin T” and others,
Emily Walton as “Janice” and others
Jim Walton as “Nick”, “Doug”, and others.
COME FROM AWAY’s filmed Broadway proshot will be available on AppleTv+ starting September 10th, 2021….. just 1 day before the 20th Anniversary of the September 11th, 2001 terror attacks.
Meanwhile for those who plan to see the show LIVE, the Broadway production will reopen at the Gerald Schonefeld Theatre starting starting September 21st, 2021. Currently,
Come From Away is playing right now in London’s West End and on hold right now in Australia. The US National Tour and sit-down Toronto companies will reopen later this year.
Also on that very same day of the September 10th, 2021 AppleTV+ proshot release, COME FROM AWAY will also be presenting a free ONE NIGHT ONLY concert production in Washington D.C. in front of the
Lincoln Memorial.
Get your tissues out before watching!! We’re a mess already.
Come From Away — Official Trailer | Apple TV+ – YouTube
by Mike Haber | Aug 26, 2021 | Blog, Broadway, Casting, News, Shows
IS EVERYBODY HERE?! IS EVERYBODY READY?!!! It has just been announced that Celebrated Opera star and Tony Award winner
Paulo Szot (Broadway’s
Lincoln Center Theater revival of
South Pacific) is set to return to the long running revival of
Chicago when Broadway returns next month. The acclaimed Brazilian Baritone will once again take on the iconic role of THE SILVER TOUNGED PRINCE OF THE COURTROOM himself, “Billy Flynn”.
Szot previously played the role for a 4 week limited engagement back in 2019. He initially was scheduled to return for a full limited Spring engagement back in 2020. However, CHICAGO like most Broadway shows got abruptly shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic,
He joins the full previously announced casting of….
Bianca Marroquin who will now graduate from playing “Roxie Hart” after over 20 YEARS and 4,000 performances to now playing the role of Queen MERRY MURDERESS herself “Velma Kelly”,
Ana Villafañe (Broadway’s ON YOUR FEET and TV’s
New Amsterdam and the upcoming Night Court) will step into the role of aspiring vaudeville star turned killer “Roxie Hart”,
Tony winning legend Lillias White (Broadway’s Barnum,
Dreamgirls,
Cats,
Carrie, The Life,
Once On This Island, Fela along with various films and TV shows) will return to the long-running production playing THE KEEPER OF THE KEYS, THE COUNTESS OF THE CLINK, and the MISTRESS OF MURDEROUS ROW herself “Matron “Mama” Morton”,
longtime cast member Ray Bokhour will return as MR. CELLOPHANE himself “Amos Hart”,
longtime cast member Ryan Lowe returns as gullible and optimistic operatic reporter “Mary Sunshine”,
CHICAGO will once again have Broadway audience REACH FOR THE GUN….. AND ALL THAT JAZZ starting September 14th, 2021 at the Ambassador Theatre.
