RISE AND SHINE BROADWAY FANS! It is 2 DAYS AWAY till the 73rd Annual Tony Awards. We are continuing to wake you up each morning till Broadway?s biggest night playing you the best of the Great White Way on our TOP 40 TONY AWARDS COUNTDOWN. Always love having a new show of the day on our playlist.
At # 2 on our countdown is one of the most unbelievable shows that continues to wow audiences everywhere. We travel deep in the heart of Africa where we meet a brave young lion cub on a journey to find his place in the world and eventually becoming the King of the Jungle. We of course are talking about Disney's longest running show out there?. The Lion King – Musical. With a score by Elton John, Tim Rice, and Lebo M along with a book by Roger Allers and Irene Mecchi, the show is based on the acclaimed 1994 Animated film of the same name.
From the 2008 telecast in celebration of the show's 10th Annviersary, Tshidi Manye as ?Rafiki? and the cast perform the show?s iconic opening and theme song?. THE CIRCLE OF LIFE.
THE LION KING was originally first conceived by former CEO of The Walt Disney Company himself Michael Eisner. At the time, Disney was becoming successful with the Great White Way with their debut musical… Beauty and the Beast which opened in 1994 (the same year the original animated film version of THE LION KING was released). One day, Eisner was sitting in a meeting to talk about some possible new projects for Broadway. He decided one possible idea would be THE LION KING. Everyone in the conference room (including Thomas Schumacher, the President of Disney on Broadway) started to laugh and telling Eisner it was ?the most dumbest idea ever?. He didn?t care about how the show should be put, Michael just wanted THE LION KING as a Broadway Musical. Suddenly. Thomas Schumacher came to his senses and thought of one possible idea? He called acclaimed director and visual artist Julie Taymor (which they both worked on another previous project in the past). With her incredible skills in direction, set design, and breathtaking puppetry (which she?s done in Off Broadway, Films, and Opera), Disney began to work on the production. They hired the creative team from the 1994 film including its Oscar winning composers Elton John and Tim Rice along with the traditional South African choral themed music from Lebo M along with the screenwriters Roger Allers and Irene Mecchi. The show went through many years of readings and workshops. During the time, Taymor began to expand more of the storyline of the characters, hiring African American and South African performers to help bring their traditions as the inspiration for the show. In addition, one of the characters was gender swapped from a male to a female (inspired by a South African healer called a Sangoma)?. ?Rafiki The Baboon?.
The show originally premiered at the Orpheum Theatre (Minneapolis, Minnesota) in 1997 where it became an instant smash. A few months later, the show officially arrived on Broadway playing the beautifully newly renovated, reopened, and restored New Amsterdam Theatre (thanks to the ?Disneyfication?). It later transferred to its current home at the Minskoff Theatre in 2006. So far THE LION KING has played over 9,000 performances on the Great White Way and holds the distinction as the 3rd Longest Running Show in Broadway History. Its grossed over $1 billion in ticket sales. Under the direction of Julie Taymor, the original cast consisted of….
The show continued to have over numerous replacement actors from all over the world including many from South Africa.
THE LION KING was nominated was nominated for 11 Tony Awards in 1998 winning 8 including Best Musical. In addition, Julie Taymor made Broadway History as the first female ever to win for Best Direction of a Musical. .
In addition to its success on Broadway, THE LION KING went on to become a global phenomenon with productions everywhere from London?s West End (winning the Olivier Award for Best New Musical), Germany, Japan, Brazil, South Africa, Japan, and more.
STAY TUNED TOMORROW MORNING FOR THE # 1 BROADWAY SHOW OF OUR COUNT DOWN!!!
Isn't this musical a spectacular like no other or what?
Roundabout Theatre Company's revival of All My Sons (winning 2 including OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A PLAY and OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY for Benjamin Walker),
Roundabout Theatre Company's revival of Kiss Me Kate (winning 1 for OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY),
King Kong on Broadway (winning 2 for OUTSTANDING PROJECTION DESIGN and OUTSTANDING SOUND DESIGN. In addition, the show received a special Award given to The King's Company which is the Ensemble who control the show's 50 foot tall puppet 8 times a week),
For those who may not know, The Outer Critics Circle Award is considered as the Critics Choice Awards for New York Theater honoring the best of On, Off, and Off-Off Broadway. The awards are decided by theatre critics who review for out-of-town newspapers, national publications, and other media outlets outside New York City.
A reception for the winners will be held on Thursday, May 23rd, 2019 at 3PM at Sardi's Restaurant.
The Outer Critics Circle Award winners have been announced! The big winner this year is Hadestown, taking home 6 awards, including Outstanding New Broadway Musical, Outstanding New Score, and Amber Gray for Outstanding Featured Actress!
BRING ON THE AWARDS!! Congratulations to the winners of this year's New York New York Drama Critics Circle Award! The winners consist of the following shows…
Jez Butterworth's The Ferryman on Broadway – BEST PLAY OF THE 2018-2019 SEASON (which carries a cash prize of $2,500),
A private cocktail reception will be presented to the winners next Monday, May 13th, 2019 .
For those who may not know, The New York Drama Critics' Circle is an Award show honoring the best new plays of the season. It's comprises 19 drama critics from daily newspapers, magazines, wire services and websites based in the New York metropolitan area. It's also the 2nd oldest Theater Award alongside the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
The New York Drama Critics' Circle today named The Ferryman by Jez Butterworth best play of the 2018-19 season. The award for best musical went to Tootsie. What the Constitution Means to Me by Heidi Schreck was named best American play. The selections were made at the organization's 84th annual voti…
THE THEATER AWARD FESTIVITIES CONTINUE…. The nominations for the 2019 Outer Critics Circle Awards has been revealed. Rounding up the nominations this year include…
For those who may not know, The Outer Critics Circle Award is considered as the Critics Choice Awards for New York Theater honoring the best of On, Off, and Off-Off Broadway. The awards are decided by theatre critics who review for out-of-town newspapers, national publications, and other media outlets outside New York City.
The ceremony will be held on Thursday, May 23rd, 2019 at 3PM at Sardi's Restaurant.
ON THE MARQUEE: The Circle In the Square Theatre updated its billboards featuring it’s new cast change of the Tony winning revival of Once On This Island Broadway.
The new billboards feature photos of Broadway veteran Darlesia Cearcy (who originally appeared in the Ensemble for this production) as the new “Erzulie The Goddess of Love”.
and Merle Dandridge (the revival’s original cast member) who returns the production for a strictly limited engagement through August 19th, 2018 reprising her role as “Papa Ge: The Goddess of Death”.
