BREAKING NEWS: Acclaimed Israeli singing sensation and actress Shiri Maimon – ???? ????? has officially set the run of her Broadway Debut in the long running revival of Chicago The Musical this Fall. She will step into the role of “Roxie Hart” at the Ambassador Theatre for a limited 2 week engagement from September 21st – October 5th, 2018.
For those who may not know, Maimon is a well known star in Theatre, Film, TV, and the music scene in Israel. She was first discovered in 2003 as the runner-up on the first season of KOCHAV NOLAND (translated as A STAR IS BORN which was the Israeli version of American Idol. She then went on taking on 4th place in the 2005 Eurovision Song Contest with the song HASHAKET SHENISHAR earning rave reviews. In addition, she recorded four albums. She also went on to be a judge on the Israeli version of The X Factor.
Maimon’s Israeli Theater stage work have been a lot of shows at the Habima Theatre (????? ???????? ??????) which is known as the National Theatre of Israel. Several roles include “Noa” in a musical adaptation of a well known 1978 Israeli film called THE TROUPE (?????) and most recently played “Eva Peron” in a recent production of Evita – The Musical there. For CHICAGO, the show not only marks as Maimon’s Broadway Debut but its also her debut in America!!!
GOOD MORNING BROADWAY FANS! We are just 4 days away from The 72nd Annual Tony Awards. We have more performances coming your way on our TOP 40 TONY AWARDS COUNTDOWN.
At # 4 on our countdown, things are about to get hot. This unique show tells a story about MUDER, GREED, CORRUPTION, VIOLENT, EXPLOTIATION, ADULTERY, & TREACHERY?. ALL THE THINGS WE HOLD NEAR AND DEAR TO OUR HEARTS.. That of course is the opening line from our selection of the day?. The RAZZLE DAZZLE hit Chicago The Musical. Based on Maurine Dallas Watkins? 1926 play of the same name, the musical features a score by John Kander and Fred Ebb along with a book by Kander and Bob Fosse.
From the 1997 telecast. Tony winners Bebe Neuwirth as ?Velma Kelly?, Ann Reinking as ?Roxie Hart?, and members of the original cast of the current long revival perform a medley of the show?s opening number ALL THAT JAZZ and the HOT HONEY RAG.
CHICAGO was first conceived as a musical in the 1960?s. Acclaimed performer Gwen Verdon asked her then husband director and choreographer Bob Fosse to read Maurine Dallas Watkins? 1926 Celebrity Crime themed play of the same name. He was inspired and asked Watkins several times to get permission in adapting the story into a musical. She flatly refused. Later on, Watkin realized (as a born-again Christian) believe her play glamorized a scandalous way of living. Following her death, Fosse and Verdon finally got the go-ahead and received the rights from Watkins? estate as well as to producer Richard Fryer.
CHICAGO first premiered on Broadway in 1975 at the 46th Street Theatre (now the Richard Rodgers Theatre) running for 936 performances. The reviews were mixed and audiences were uncomfortble with several moments of the show with the actors breaking the fourth wall in several numbers (including THE CELL BLOCK TANGO). The original cast starred?.
Gwen Verdon as ?Roxie Hart?,
Tony winner Chita Rivera as ?Velma Kelly?,
The late Jerry Orbach as ?Billy Flynn?,
Barney Martin as ?Amos Hart?,
and Mary McCarthy as ?Matron Mama Morton.
During the original run, tragedy struck with the show on the verge of the closing. Gwen Verdon apparently had to have have surgery on nodes in her throat after inhaling a feather during the show’s finale (THIS DID HAPPEN). With the show also on the verge of closing, Fosse and the creative team tried to find a great name to fill in the role of ?Roxie Hart?. At the time, Liza Minnelli (who at the time just finished shooting the film version of Cabaret the Musical which she won the Oscar for) offered and stepped into the role for several weeks. She had to learn the role very fast and no one in the audience knew what was going on till the announced was made?. ?Ladies and Gentlemen, Due to the indisposition of Gwen Verdon, the role of ?Roxie Hart? will be played by Liza Minnelli?. The audience went bananas with excitement (especially seeing the beloved daughter of Judy Garland take center stage). .
The original production of CHICAGO was nominated for 10 Tony Awards in 1975 including Best Musical but lost all of it’s categories.
The show was performed in several regional theaters but it really got more attention when it returned to New York City in the 90?s.
The first and current revival of CHICAGO originally started out as a concert production for the New York City Center ENCORES series in 1996 under the direction of Walter Bobbie and choreography (honoring Bob Fosse?s work) by Ann Reinking. Due to the critical success of the Encores engagement, producers Barry Weissler and Fran Weissler transferred the production to Broadway a few months later. It first started out at the Shubert Theatre till 2003 before transferring it to it’s “still up & running” current home at the Ambassador Theatre. In 2014, it surpassed the original production of Cats the Musical (which played 7,485 performance) and currently holds the distinction as the 2nd Longest Running Show in Broadway History and the first Longest Running American Musical in Broadway History.
The revival is well known for having a huge lineup of celebrities having their attempts on doing Broadway and Musical Theatre. It continues to play to packed houses (On Broadway, on Tour across America, London’s West End, and Around The World) every night. So far on Broadway, it has played over 10,000 performances. The original cast of this revival consisted of?
Ann Reinking as ?Roxie Hart?,
Bebe Neuwirth as ?Velma Kelly?,
Tony winner James Naughton as ?Billy Flynn?,
Tony and Oscar winner Joel Grey as ?Amos Hart?,
and Marcia Lewis as ?Matron Mama Morton?.
The revival was nominated for 8 Tony Awards in 1997 winning 6 including Best Revival Of A Musical.
In addition to its success on the stage, CHICAGO was a big hit on the big screen. In 2002, Miramax pictures released the legendary film version that brought the Movie Musicals back on the map. Under the direction and choreography by Rob Marshall. The film featured an all star cast consisting of?
Renee Zellweger as ?Roxie Hart?,
Catherine Zeta-Jones as ?Velma Kelly?,
Richard Gere as ?Billy Flynn?,
John C. Riley as ?Amos Hart?,
and Queen Latifah as ?Matron Mama Morton?.
The film went on to receive numerous Awards including BOTH the Golden Globe and the Oscar for Best Picture in 2003.
BREAKING NEWS: A musical adaptation of the 1982 comedy film Tootsie is coming to Broadway in 2019.
The musical will star Tony Award nominee Santino Fontana (Broadway’s original charming “Prince Topher” Cinderella the Musical, Act One, and known for providing the voice of the jerkoff “Prince Hans” in Frozen) in the leading role of “Michael Dorsey” (as previously played on screen by Dustin Hoffman).
TOOTSIE THE MUSICAL will feature an exciting creative team led by…
direction by Scott Ellis (Roundabout Theatre Company’s recent revival of She Loves Me),
choreography by Denis Jones (Broadway’s Holiday Inn),
a score by Tony nominee and Drama Desk Award David Yazbek (Broadway’s The Full Monty, The Band’s Visit),
a book by Robert Horn,
sets by Tony winner David Rockwell,
costumes by Tony winner William Ivey Long,
lighting designed by Donald Holder
and sound designed by Brian Ronan.
Before heading to NYC in 2019, TOOTSIE will have it’s World Premiere out of town tryout this Fall 2018 in Chicago. It will play the Oriental Theatre from September 11 through October 14, 2018. No word on the Theater or start date when the show comes to Broadway.
TOOTSIE tells the hilarious story of struggling actor “Michael Dorsey” (Fontana) who has a horrible reputation and can’t book any gigs. However to get cast on a soap opera, he disguises himself as a woman and creates an alter ego “Dorothy Michaels” which he inspires women everywhere. While being a role model to ladies, Dorsey’s world is turned upside down where he (as a woman) falls in love with his female co-star “Julie Nichols”.
Broadway’s longest running revival of Chicago The Musical has been a hit and for the past 20 years AND ALL THAT JAZZ.
Check out when happens when correspondent Amber Milt (Lifetime’s hit talk show The Balancing Act) takes us on a Behind the Scenes look into the show backstage at the Ambassador Theatre plus also makes a one night only cameo appearance at a recent performance.
BREAKING NEWS: The full and final casting has been announced for the Broadway stage musical adaptation of Pretty Woman.
Pretty Woman The Musical will have it’s world premiere out of town pre-Broadway tryout this Spring 2018 in Chicago. It will play the Oriental Theatre for a 5 week engagement from March 13th, 2018 through April 15th, 2018. From there, the show will make it’s way to Broadway this Summer 2018 playing the Nederlander Theatre where previews will begin July 20th, 2018 and Opening Night set for August 16th, 2018.
