by Mike Haber | Jul 6, 2021 | Blog, Broadway, Shows
WE’LL DRINK TO THAT: Broadway is inviting us to COME ON OVER FOR DINNER a little early!! It has just been announced that Marianne Elliot’s critically acclaim gender-swap revival of
Company will relaunch its Broadway run a month early than expected. Led by Tony Award winners
Katrina Lenk and the legendary
Patti LuPone, the production will resume its Broadway previews on November 15th, 2021 and Opening Night is now set for December 9th, 2021 at Broadway’s Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre.
Originally this new revival (which was a smash in London) began previews on March 2nd, 2020 and was initially slated to have its official Opening Night on March 22nd, 2020 (at the time was Stephen Sondheim’s 90th Birthday). However only after a week and a half of previews, it was abruptly shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The relaunch was initially aimed for December 20th, 2021 and open on January 9th, 2022.
Along with Katrina Lenk playing “Bobbi” (formerly the male lead as “Bobby”) and Patti LuPone as “Joanne” (a role she previously played in a 2011 concert production with the
New York Philharmonic and won an Olivier Award for her performance in the London company of this revival), majority of the principal cast is expecting to be the same as it was before the shutdown. That consisted of….
Broadway favorite
Matt Doyle as “Jamie” (formerly the featured female role of “Amy”),
Tony nominee Christopher Sieber as “Harry”,
Tony nominee Christopher Fitzgerald as “David”,
Terence Archie as “Larry”,
Broadway favorite Greg Hildreth as “Peter”,
Broadway favorite Claybourne Elder as “Andy” (formerly the featured female role of “April”),
Bobby Conte Thornton as “P.J.” (formerly the featured female role of “Martha”.
Casting for the role of “Theo” (formerly known as “Kathy”) will be announced soon. As previously announced Broadway favorite Kyle Dean Massey dropped out of the production due to expecting his first child later this year.
Who is ready to once again experience the wonder of BEING ALIVE?!!!
by Mike Haber | Jul 5, 2021 | Blog, Broadway, Shows
ON THE MARQUEE: Next month, Antoinette Chinonye Nwandu’s critically groundbreaking new play
Pass Over will make history as the first BROADWAY PLAY to reopen after 17 MONTHS of being shutdown.
Shout out to our wonderful new friend Justin (of @StageDoorGuru via Social Media) who was so awesome to let us at New York Broadway Tours share with all of you the updated front-of-house billboards outside the show’s soon-to-be home at Broadway’s August Wilson Theatre. Thank you so much Justin.
For the 52nd Street Broadway house, we sadly have said goodbye to the THE PLASTICS & the FETCH residents of Northshore High from
Mean Girls all graduated. However, we’re now about to welcome a powerful and inspirational play like no other.
The show (a unique mashup of WAITING FOR GODOT and THE EXEDOUS STORY) transfers ON Broadway after a sucessful run OFF Broadway via
Lincoln Center Theater /
LCT3 back in 2018. It will reunite its full cast and creative team from that engagement. Under the direction of Obie Award winner Danya Taymor, the 3-person cast is led by…..
Jeff Award nominee Namir Smallwood in his Broadway Debut as “Kitch”,
Tony Award winner
Gabriel Ebert in the dual roles of “Mister” and “Ossifer”.
PASS OVER will run for a strictly limited 9 week engagement at the August Wilson Theatre. Previews begin August 4th, 2021. The official Opening Night is set for September 20th, 2021 and will run through October 10th, 2021.
We are so happy to be celebrating the Great Bright Way’s triumphant comeback this year after over 17 months of hell. We are strong. We are inspiring. We are starting to see the light once again.
by Mike Haber | Jul 5, 2021 | Blog, Broadway, News
1 year ago…. the Theater world lost an unforgettable rock star powerhouse from this horrible spread of the coronavirus….
Nick Cordero. He was 41 years old. A few days ago, his wife Amanda Kloots (now a co-host on
The Talk) recently released her first memoir celebrating Nick’s unforgettable life and legacy entitled LIVE YOUR LIFE. The book is now available online and in a bookstore near you topping the charts as an acclaimed best-seller.
LIVE YOUR LIFE has been the mantra of the late Nick Cordero that stills live on in Amanda, the full family, all the friends, and his fans. It’s also the name of an original song Nick recorded and last year was the title of his debut and live album from
Feinstein’s/54 Below which topped the charts at # 1.
Nick Cordero as the Broadway star was known for playing some of the hottest bad boys on the Great Bright Way including…..
“Cheech” in
Bullets Over Broadway (which he both earned him a 2014
Tony Award nomination for BEST FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL and where he met his wife Amanda),
We miss you Nick!
What a life.
What a legacy.
Gone too soon.
We love you.
RIP
by Mike Haber | Jul 2, 2021 | Blog, Broadway, Casting, Shows
Over the years, Broadway has kept the legacy alive with shows that may have not run that long but still earned a huge cult following. One of those notable shows celebrated its 20th Anniversary last year….. a musical adaptation of the legendary classic novel
Jane Eyre.
In case any may not know, JANE EYRE is based on the 1947 novella by
Charlotte Brontë. Set in Gateshead, it tells the story of an orphaned English girl who takes a governess job at the home of a mysterious man. Along the way, the girl discovers secrets about the man and eventually falls in love. This musical adaptation features a score by
Paul Gordan and a book by
John Caird. Notable songs include FORGIVENESS, SWEET LIBERTY, SECRECT SOUL, THE PLEDGE, SIRENS, FAREWELL GOOD ANGEL, and BRAVE ENOUGH FOR LOVE.
JANE EYRE THE MUSICAL was originally developed through an early workshop back in 1995 at the
Manhattan Theatre Club. A few months later, a full work-in-progress workshop production was put up at the Centre Theatre in Wichita, Kansas. During the workshop, minor roles and the large ensemble of schoolgirls for the scenes at Brocklehurst’s school were cast by Kansas locals. Meanwhile the main New York workshop continued on headlining. It was well received, a full concept cast album was recorded allowing to help bring the show to Broadway.
The show had its world premiere full scale production in Toronto, Canada playing the Royal Alexandra Theatre the following year of 1996. The creative team continued working on the show along with fundraising continuing to support the show’s future. A 2nd production which would go on to become the show’s Pre-Broadway tryout happened in 1999 at the
La Jolla Playhouse in La Jolla, California.
Finally in December of 2000, JANE EYRE made its Broadway Debut playing the Brooks Atkinson Theatre for 36 previews and 209 regular performances. Under the direction of John Caird and Scott Schwartz, the cast was led by….
Mary Stout in the dual roles of “Mrs. Fairfax” and “Marigold”,
Elizabeth DeGrazia as “Blanche Ingram”,
Lisa Musser as “Young Jane Eyre”,
Andrea Bowen as “Adèle Varens”,
Stephen R. Buntrock as “St. John Rivers”,
and more.
The musical earned mixed reviews. However, it was closed due to extreme low ticket sales after the Tony nominations were revealed. Initially set to close on May 20th, 2001,
Alanis Morissette herself (who also is a friend of Paul Gordon) purchased bought $150,000 worth of tickets to the musical and donated them to various charity groups….. it would go on to keep the show running a little longer just in time for the Tonys. It would eventually close a week afterwards.
JANE EYRE was nominated for 5
Tony Awards including BEST MUSICAL and BEST SCORE (for Paul Gordan). However, it lost all the categories. However, Marla Schaffel (who was Tony nominated as BEST LEADING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL) went on to win its only
Drama Desk category as OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL.
Today, JANE EYRE has been performed in schools, community, and regional theaters everywhere.
How beautiful is this musical?
Any fans of JANE EYRE?!!!
by Mike Haber | Jul 2, 2021 | Blog, Broadway, Shows
BREAKING NEWS: Live Theater is making its slow & steady approach of making a triumphant comeback this Fall. Currently, the official Theater union Actors’ Equity Association have released a full lineup of new ongoing COVID-19 safety protocols to still keep everyone healthy in fighting against this virus. Thoughts?!!!
Actors’ Equity Association Releases New COVID-Safety Protocols | Broadway Buzz | Broadway.com
by Mike Haber | Jul 1, 2021 | Blog, Broadway, Shows
I SEE STARS!!!! It has just been announced today that
Mean Girls on Broadway‘s original powerhouse couple
Erika Henningsen and
Kyle Selig are officially engaged. The celebrated performers who played “Cady Heron” and “Aaron Samuels” 8 times a week to social media to announce it.
Congrats Erika and Kyle.
Wishing you both many years of happiness, success, and love!!!
