by Mike Haber | Jul 7, 2021 | Blog, Broadway, Casting, Shows
DELICIOUS NEWS! We are waking up to a delicious piece of “Broadway’s Coming Back Pie” in celebration of just finding out the Tony and Grammy Award nominated smash hit
Waitress the Musical is returning this Fall!! Under the direction of Tony winner Diane Paulus and featuring its full all female creative team, the show’s return will be a strictly limited engagement from September 2nd, 2021 through January 9th, 2022 at Broadway’s Ethel Barrymore Theatre (recent home of
The Inheritance and prior before the debut of the new musical
Paradise Square). It will still be on that same exact street where it originally was on Broadway but across the street this time.
In addition, the show’s creator Grammy winner and Tony nominee
Sara Bareilles will once again show audiences WHAT BAKING CAN DO as she reprises her performance of the musical’s leading role of pregnant pie maker “Jenna Hunterson”. Bareilles will play the role for the first month and a half…… That’s September 2nd, 2021 through October 17th, 2021. From there, a new leading lady will take over for the remainder of the run.
Full casting will be revealed in the next few week!!!
In case anyone may not know or remember, WAITRESS is a musical based on the 2007 film of the same name by the late Adrienne Shelly (which starred Keri Russell). Set at a local diner somewhere in the south, the story follows on “Jenna Hunterson”, a pregnant waitress known for making the most delicious pies. Her life is at a crossroads as she plans to start a new life with her soon-to-be child and break free from her domestic abusive husband. At the same time, things begin to get complicated when she is cared by the town’s doctor. With an original score by Sara Bareilles and a book by Jessie Nelson. Notable songs include OPENING UP, WHAT BAKING CAN DO, IT ONLY TAKES A TASTE, A SOFT PLACE TO LAND, NEVER EVER GETTING RID OF ME, BAD IDEA, YOU MATTER TO ME, and the emotional SHE USED TO BE MINE.
WAITRESS was first conceived around early 2012 by husband and wife Broadway producing duo Barry and Fran Weissler who secured the rights early to the 2014 film of the same name. It went through numerous years of readings and workshops before officially having its world premiere at the
American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, MA in the Summer of 2015.
With the triumphant success of its Cambridge run, the show officially transferred to Broadway’s Brooks Atkinson Theatre where it ran for 33 previews and 1,544 regular performances. By the time of it closed, the show held the record of being the Brooks Atkinson Theatre’s longest running show. Under the direction of Diane Paulus, the cast is led by….
Keala Settle (later Charity Angél Dawson, Maia Nkenge Wilson, and Natasha Yvette Williams) as “Becky”,
Nick Cordero (later William Popp, Will Swenson, Joe Tippett, Matt DeAngelis, Joe Tippett, and Ben Thompson) as “Earl”,
WAITRESS was nominated for Tony Awards in 2016 including BEST MUSICAL but lost all the categories. The cast album was also nominated for a Grammy for BEST MUSICAL THEATRE ALBUM.
With the success of the Broadway company,
Waitress went on to launch numerous tasty companies all around the world. Several productions including 2 North American National Tours (set to return with a Non-Equity company) and London’s West End. Upcoming productions will include Australia, a UK/Ireland Tour, and The Netherlands.
Despite such a rough past year, we get to experience a beautiful SOFT PLACE IN LAND and discover the magic of Live Theater once again.
WELCOME BACK TO BROADWAY WAITRESS!!!
by Mike Haber | Jul 5, 2021 | Blog, Casting, Christmas Caroling (Times Square), Shows
Are you in a performance Ensemble? Have you dreamt of performing in one of the greatest venues of them all with Live Theater making a comeback?!!! Here is your chance!!
The legendary
Radio City Christmas Spectacular is set to bring the holiday spirit back to the Big Apple this year. That’s not all,
Madison Square Garden Entertainment and the full team behind the annual holiday show are giving a once in a lifetime opportunity for your Performance Group to….. sing on the grand stage of Radio City Music Hall….. and serve as THE OPENING ACT for the iconic
Rockettes themselves!!! Check out the show’s website now for more information on how you can give your Ensemble the Holiday performance of a lifetime.
The 2021 edition of The Radio City Christmas Spectacular (starring The Rockettes) will be strutting those high kicks again and get us back into the HOLLY JOLLY spirit from November 5th, 2021 through January 2nd, 2022.
How amazing is this chance getting to open up for The Rockettes?!!!
by Mike Haber | Jul 4, 2021 | Blog, Casting, Shows
Happy Birthday America!!! It’s the 4th of July. What an exciting day it is celebrating our country,,,,, many of us will be having BBQ’s and watching / lighting fireworks. However, one special event that comes every year on this time is the annual
A Capitol Fourth concert on
PBS. This annual Independence Day Concert celebrates its 41st Anniversary.
Instead of the concert being a live annual event on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C., all performances will be pre-recorded around the D.C. area along with several via satellite from your favorite performers home. Hosted by Tony and Emmy nominee
Vanessa Williams, this year’s lineup will feature performances from….
2 time Tony nominee and Broadway sweetheart
Laura Osnes,
and more.
With the world beginning to wake up, let’s celebrate America!!!!
A CAPITOL FOURTH airs tonight at 8pm EST on your local PBS station.
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, Casting, Shows
BREAKING NEWS: After over a year of being shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the sounds of the Big Apple are back!!! In celebration,
Mayor Bill de Blasio is helping put together a full star-studded concert event as we celebrate the reopening of New York City!!!!
Expecting to be set for August 21st, 2021 at New York’s famed
Central Park on the Great Lawn, the concert is expecting to be fully large scaled with eight “iconic” stars, multiple acts, and so much more…..3 HOUR PARTY LIKE NO OTHER!! We are so excited to share with you the first 3 headliners taking part. Ironically these 3 Award winning superstars are all no strangers to being part of the Broadway Theater scene. They are…..
THE BOSS himself
Bruce Springsteen – currently back on the Broadway stage reopening the Theaters with an encore engagement of his acoustic solo concert at the St. James Theatre,
The legendary
Paul Simon – who had a short lived stint on Broadway with his cult and controversial hit musical The Capeman.
More details on this NYC HOMECOMING CONCERT will be revealed soon.
by Mike Haber | Jun 30, 2021 | Antoinette (Tony) Awards, Broadway, Casting, NYBT NEWS, Shows
Every performer out there dreams of that once in a lifetime opportunity to star on Broadway. It all takes that special spark, uniqueness, and talent to get there. Little throwback to 12 years ago, the Broadway company of
Shrek the Musical teamed up with
Nickelodeon for their NOT YOUR ORDINARY PRINCESS contest.
For those who may not know, this contest was a once in a lifetime opportunity for 2 lucky hopefuls to win the chance to star as both the “Young” and “Teenage” versions of “Princess Fiona” (sharing the stage with Tony winner
Sutton Foster) in a future performance of SHREK THE MUSICAL on Broadway for ONE NIGHT ONLY. To enter, these aspiring young leading ladies had to self-tape a video of themselves singing I KNOW IT’S TODAY (the big I WANT song for “Princess Fiona”) and upload it onto a special website. From there, fans and viewers would vote for their favorites. There would be a continuous process of elimination till the very end.
The winning Broadway newcomers consisted of….
Hannah Beatt from Sarasota, FL as “Young Fiona”
and
Both talents got the full royal makeover getting to spent quality time with Sutton Foster, work with the full company of SHREK THE MUSICAL on Broadway, and more.
SHREK THE MUSICAL ran on the Great Bright Way at the Broadway Theatre for 37 previews and 441 regular performances.
Truly shows that hard work pays off and you can achieve your Broadway dreams if you put your mind to it.
