SCREECH IN!!! Congrats to the Broadway company of the Award winning smash hit Come From Away which tomorrow will play its 1,000th performance at the Gerald Schonefeld Theatre. We know it's going to be a fun day of festivities for the Broadway company and celebrating like a Newfoundlander. We know they're going to be kissing the cod tomorrow. How exciting is this show? Isn't this show so inspiring?!!
For over two years, fans have been flocking to the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre for a chance to experience Broadway's bonafide hit, Come From Away. Audiences? need not come all the way to New York City to celebrate the epic tale of humanity at its best, however. Since the musical took Broadway by stor…
This past Wednesday, the Theater community lost a true landmark and icon who made a huge impact on the world. At the age of 91, we tragically and sadly lost a SWELL of a genius director and producer of some of the most iconic shows that we Broadway fans learned to love…. the 21 time Tony winning legend Hal Prince. He passed away after a very brief illness.
This sad news sent a shock wave to the entire Theater community especially here on Broadway. In honor of his legacy, all Theaters dimmed their marquees for one minute of honor of him.
Another tribute happened at Broadway's Majestic Theatre (currently the still long running home of Hal's most famous show he directed… Broadway's longest running show The Phantom of the Opera). Prior to the start of that Wedesday evening performance of PHANTOM, the show's original and long running conductor Maestro David Caddick stepped out of the pit and walked onto the stage of the Majestic for a pre-show speech and tribute to Hal. That evening's performance was dedicated to him.
Our hearts are broken and Broadway will never be the same without the ultimate Prince of Broadway himself…. We will miss you Hal. Bravo and thank you for an incredible legacy.
How beautiful is this tribute? Thoughts on Hal's passing?
TUNE IN: Check your local PBS stations and tune in tonight as Great Performances l PBS will present a special encore presentation on the documentary of Hal's incredible legacy HAL PRINCE: THE DIRECTOR'S LIFE. This documentary takes you behind the scenes at Hal as he brought some of the most daring, iconic, and incredible shows that made a huge mark on Broadway and the Theater world (including The Pajama Game, West Side Story, Company, Merrily We Roll Along, Damn Yankees, Fiddler on the Roof, Cabaret the Musical, Sweeney Todd NYC, Evita – The Musical, Kiss of the Spider-Woman, The Phantom of the Opera, and many more hits).
FIRST LOOK: We at New York Broadway Tours are going crazy over the hottest show right now that celebrates girls taking control…. the greatest British Royal pop band of all time SIX. As previously announced, the Olivier nominated smash GIRL POWER UK hit is coming to Broadway this season. To get everyone hyped, check out this B-Roll montage of the North American Premiere cast currently in Chicago at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater through this Sunday. The cast in this lineup features….
From there, SIX will be coming to rock out Broadway's Brooks Atkinson Theatre (the current home of Waitress the Musical now through January 5th, 2020). Broadway previews will begin on February 13th, 2020 and Opening Night scheduled for March 12th, 2020.
No word if anyone in the Chicago / Cambridge cast will also be doing the show for Toronto, St. Paul, and Broadway.
In addition to its exciting word of mouth here in North America, SIX continues to play to where it all began in the UK. It's still playing in London's Arts Theatre OFF-West End now through January 5th, 2020. In addition, a new UK Tour will officially kick off this Fall 2019 starting in Guildford before traveling to Malvern, Glasgow, Kingston, Oxford, Leicester, Southampton, and more.
WHAT HAVE WE GOT?!!! It has just been announced that Sting's cult hit musical The Last Ship will be embarking on an International Tour beginning in 2020 with the acclaimed singer-songwriter himself reprising his performance as ship foreman "Jackie White" doing at every single performance.
Under the direction and a newly updated book by Lorne Campbell, the new tour of THE LAST SHIP will hit North America this January in Los Angeles at the Ahmanson Theatre before traveling to San Francisco, Washington D.C., St. Paul, and Detroit. More cities will be announced soon.
For those who may not know, THE LAST SHIP is an original musical inspired by Sting's personal childhood and the shipbuilding industry in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear. It centers on a community facing the demise of the shipbuilding industry alongside a poignant and moving romantic tale of childhood sweethearts and the adults they grew up to become. With an original score by Sting and an original book by John Logan and Brian Yorkey, it features songs including the title song, ALL THIS TIME, WE'VE GOT NOW'T ELSE, and SHOW SOME RESPECT.
The show was first conceived by Sting around 2009-2010 as he was creating an original show inspired by his personal childhood. The show had its first industrial reading in 2011 in New York City before heading overseas to Newcastle for a 2nd reading and a full development lab in 2013. It had its official world premiere out of town tryout in Chicago at the Bank of America Theatre in the early summer of 2014.
THE LAST SHIP officially made its Broadway debut in the Fall of 2014 playing the Neil Simon Theatre for only 29 previews and 105 regular performances. The show received negative reviews and failed to fill in the seats. Under the original direction of Tony winner Joe Mantello and original choreography by Steven Hoggett, the cast starred….
Michael Esper as "Gideon Fletcher", Jimmy Nail (later Sting) as "Jackie White", Sally Ann Triplett as "Peggy White", Rachel Tucker as "Meg Dawson", Jamie Jackson as "Joe Fletcher", and more.
Following its short-lived time on Broadway, THE LAST SHIP began a 2nd chance life on the stage including productions in Salt Lake City, Utah, Turku, Finland, Toronto, and a UK/Ireland Tour.
As BroadwayWorld first reported last week, Sting's acclaimed musical, THE LAST SHIP, starring and featuring original music and lyrics by multiple Grammy Award-winner Sting, will add three new cities as part of its international tour. After premiering in Los Angeles at Center Theatre Group's Ahmanson…
ON THE MARQUEE: Earlier this week, Boston Conservatory at Berklee graduate Gabrielle Carrubba made her Broadway Debut as the new fulltime "Zoe Murphy" in the Broadway company of the Tony and Grammy winning smash hit Dear Evan Hansen. Get a look at the updated front of house billboard of Gabrielle outside the Music Box Theatre. Congrats Gabrielle. How exciting is this?
