by Mike Haber | Sep 10, 2021 | Antoinette (Tony) Awards, Blog, Broadway, News, Shows
GOOD MORNING BROADWAY FANS! It is getting closer to Broadway’s biggest night. The 74th Annual
Tony Awards is just 16 DAYS AWAY!! Truly the ultimate Party of the Fall celebrating the return of Live Theater in New York City. We have more beloved performances from previous telecasts coming up on our TOP 50 TONY AWARDS COUNTDOWN. Are you ready for more favorites?!!!
At # 16 on our countdown, we take you to an unusual neighborhood somewhere in New York City. There, we meet some authentic people, monsters, and even human-looking puppets all within their 20’s and 30’s trying to figure out what they want out of life. Along the way, they learn of so many topics like LGBTQ, Racism, Internet Porn, Unemployment, Sex, Schedenfraude, and more. Nope, it’s not
Sesame Street but……
Avenue Q. It features a notable score by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx along with a book by Jeff Whitty.
From the 2004 telecast, Tony nominees
John Tartaglia as “Princeton” and “Rod”,
Stephanie D’Abruzzo as “Kate Monster”, and members of the original Broadway cast perform the opening fan favorite IT SUCKS TO ME.
AVENUE Q was first conceived in 1999. Composers Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx were originally writing a new project for
The Muppets called KERMIT, PRINCE OF DENMARK (inspired by Shakespeare Hamlet). It was first technically supposed to be a film and then a stage musical (produced by BMI Musical Theatre Workshop). However, the project was turned down by The Jim Henson Company. However, a lightning bulb clicked for Lopez and Marx. Their rejection inspired them to not write for popular characters again and decided to create their own children’s puppet project for Adults. Instead of the puppets teaching children letters, numbers, shapes, colors, and basic things about life, Lopez and Marx came up with the idea of a show featuring adults and puppets in the same room talking about adult themes including racism, pornography, homosexuality, romance relationships, and more. Acclaimed Jim Henson puppeteer Rick Lyon (who Marx and Lopez originally worked on the KERMIT project with) came on board and started designing both the human looking and furry monster puppets. In addition, book writer Jeff Whitty came on board and began the early stages of writing AVENUE Q. They also continued their relationship with BMI Musical Theatre Workshop to work on the project.
AVENUE Q went through many years of readings and workshops. Finally in the Spring of 2003 under the direction of Jason Moore, the show had its official world premiere Off Broadway at the
Vineyard Theatre for 72 performances. The critics and audiences were praising the production, it was transferred to Broadway’s Golden Theatre where it ran for a total of 2,556 performances. Under the direction of Jason Moore, the cast was led by….
Stephanie D’Abruzzo (later Mary Faber, Carey Anderson, Kelli Sawyer,
Christy Carlson Romano, Sarah Stiles, Veronica Kehun, and
Anika Larsen) as “Kate Monster” and “Lucy The Slut”,
Rick Lyon (later Christian Anderson) as “Nicky”, “Trekkie Monster”, “Bad Idea Bear”, and others
Ann Harada (later Ann Sanders and Minglie Chin) as “Christmas Eve”,
Jordan Gelber (later Evan Harrington and Nick Kohn) as “Brian”,
Natalie Ventia Becon (later
Haneefah Wood and Danielle K. Thomas) as “Gary Coleman”,
Jennifer Barnhart (later Aymee Garcia) as “Mrs. Thisletwat”, “Bad Idea Bear”, and others.
The show went on to be nominated for 6 Tony Awards winning 3 including the surprising BEST MUSICAL!!
Following the success of Broadway, the show went on to become a worldwide hit that still makes audiences laugh 8 times a week including productions in Las Vegas, several US National Tours, London’s West End, Australia, and several International productions translated into every major language.
AVENUE Q’s 2009 Broadway closing at the Golden Theatre was to make way for a limited revival of David Mamet’s play
Oleanna. However, the producers kept a huge secret for all the fans. At the closing curtain call, it was announced that the show was going to transfer back to Off Broadway. A few months later, the show transferred to STAGE 3 at
New World Stages. It ran there for an additional 10 years ending its New York City life in 2019 following over 6,400 performances. With the same creative team, the continued cast members included….
Seth Rettberg (later Adam Kantor, Jeff Sears, Darren Bluestone, Matt Dengler, and Ben Durocher) as “Princeton” and “Rod”,
Anika Larsen (later Sarah Stiles, Veronica Kehun, Dana Steingold, Elizabeth Ann Berg, and Gizel Jiménez) as “Kate Monster” and “Lucy The Slut”,
Cullen Titmus (later Rob Morrison and Jason Jacoby) as “Nicky”, “Trekkie Monster”, “Bad Idea Bear”, and others
Sala Iwamatsu (later Grace Choi, Ann Sanders and Hazel Anne Siegel) as “Christmas Eve”,
Danielle K. Thomas (later Haneefah Wood and Lacretta Nicole) as “Gary Coleman”,
Maggie Lakis (later Katie Boren, Jennifer Barnhart, Kerri Bracken, and Jamie Glickman) as “Mrs. Thisletwat”, “Bad Idea Bear”, and others.
Life after New York City, AVENUE Q has gone on to be performed in Community and Regional Theaters. There is even a School edition of the show for those who do not want to perform the show with the Adult Language. Plans for several new companies are in the works including a brand new North American National Touring company.
How hilarious is that show?
by Mike Haber | Sep 9, 2021 | Antoinette (Tony) Awards, Blog, Broadway, News, Shows
GOOD MORNING BROADWAY FANS!! The 74th Annual
Tony Awards is just 17 DAYS AWAY. We have more of your favorite legendary performances from previous telecasts coming up on our TOP 50 TONY AWARDS COUNTDOWN. This is getting us in the mood celebrating the return of Live Theater in the Big Apple.
At # 17 on our countdown, we travel to Israel in the year 1996. There, an Egyptian Police Band arrives there in a small quiet part due to a miscommunication for their initial destination. However the residents, let them stay for the night till they catch the bus the next morning and their lives change. This is
The Band’s Visit. With a score by last year’s Tony winner (and nominee again this year)
David Yazbek and a book by Itamar Moses, the show is based on an acclaimed 2007 Israeli film of the same name.
From the 2019 telecast, Tony winners Tony Shaloub as “Tewfiq”,
Katrina Lenk as “Dina”, and the company are chilling at a small Israeli cafe in Bet Hatikva dreaming of a certain movie star by the name of…. OMAR SHARIFF.
THE BAND’S VISIT was first conceived by producer Orin Wolf after seeing the original movie at a Film Festival in 2008. He was immediately moved by how the story was. A few weeks later, the film started coming back to him so often, he gave himself the courage to reach out to the film’s writer and director Eran Kolirin to adapt it into a musical. However, Kolirin at first refused at the idea. It wasn’t till something inside of him began to have a change of heart, he finally decided YES. From there, the development of the stage musical began going through several years of readings and workshops.
The show had its official world premiere OFF Broadway at the
Atlantic Theater Company in 2016. It received rave reviews and a huge word of mouth following from Theatergoers everywhere, the show officially transferred to Broadway a year later. The ON Broadway run played the Ethel Barrymore Theatre and most recently closed after 38 previews and 589 regular performances. Under the direction of David Cromer, the cast included…
Tony Shaloub (later Dariush Kashani and the film’s leading man
Sasson Gabai) as “Tewfiq”,
George Abud (later Samir Shukry) as “Camal”,
Adam Kantor as “Telephone Guy”,
Jonathan Raviv as “Sammy”,
The show was nominated for 11 Tony Awards winning 10 including BEST MUSICAL.
THE BAND’S VISIT is set to relaunch its ongoing North American National Tour. It initially launched in the Summer of 2019 before getting abruptly shutdown by the COVID-19 pandemic. It will continue to play across North America for a year.
Isn’t this musical so beautiful, laid back, relaxing, and intimate?
The Band’s Visit perform “Omar Sharif” at the 2018 Tony Awards – YouTube
by Mike Haber | Sep 8, 2021 | Antoinette (Tony) Awards, Blog, Broadway, News, Shows
WHAT’S HAPPENING BROADWAY FANS?!!! The celebration is on for Broadway’s biggest night just 18 DAYS AWAY. Our hearts are booming with excitement for The 74th Annual
Tony Awards. We at New York Broadway Tours continue to play our favorite showstopping performances from previous telecasts coming your way on our TOP 50 TONY AWARDS COUNTDOWN. Live Theater is back, people!!! Are you ready for another powerhouse act?!!!
At # 18 on our countdown, we travel to Chicago in the 1960’s through the 1970’s. There, we meet an aspiring girl group that goes through the ultimate transformation into superstars. Along the way, they discover the drama that goes on when you’re dealing with the price of fame and how it affects their friendship and relationships. This is the legendary smash hit
Dreamgirls. With music by Henry Krieger and lyrics and book by
Tom Eyen, the show is loosely inspired by the story of
Diana Ross and
The Supremes and from the history of Motown and R&B.
From the 1982 telecast, the iconic
Jennifer Holiday in her legendary performance as “Effie White” along with Ben Harney as “Curtis Taylor Jr.”, Obba Babatundé as “C.C. White”
Sheryl Lee Ralph as “Deena Jones”,
Loretta Devine as “Lorell Robinson”,
Cleavant Derricks as “James “Thunder” Early”, and Deborah Brunell as “Michelle Morris” perform the big ACT 1 FINALE CLIMACTIC showdown confrontation scene. It consists of IT’S ALL OVER and the musical’s signature anthe, AND I AM TELLING YOU I’M NOT GOING.
DREAMGIRLS was first conceived in the 1970’s as a project for actress Nell Carter. The show’s creators Harry Krieger and Tom Eyen previously worked together on a musical adaptation of Eyen’s play THE DIRTIEST SHOW IN TOWN. During that show, they were inspired by Carter in that. Their aim was to create a show all about black backup singers. The original title for the show was called ONE NIGHT ONLY (named after the song in the musical). It was workshopped for Joseph Papp but then was dropped when Nell Carter began working on the soap opera RYAN’S HOPE. A year later, the musical was put back on the table when it got the attention of acclaimed director and choreographer Michael Bennett (the genius behind the Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning
A Chorus Line). From there, the show continued with 3 additional workshops entitled BIG DREAMS and then eventually what we know today as DREAMGIRLS. During those workshops, so much of the storyline, songs, dialogue, and casting for the role of “Effie White” kept changing. One of the biggest early versions was that the role of “Effie ” initially dies at the end of Act 1 which did not impress Carter’s replacement Jennifer Holiday causing her to initially drop from the show. Carter later returned to the labs for the roles and then left again for her starring role on the
NBC TV show GIMMIE A BREAK. With some of the changes improving in Act 1 and the expansion of “Effie”, Holiday returned to the labs but still focused on the role of “Deena Jones” (played by Sheryl Lee Ralph) causing her to quit again. Meanwhile the creative team continued working the script and after acquiring funding from music industry mogul David Geffen and fellow co-financiers
ABC Entertainment, Metromedia, and
The Shubert Organization, Michael Bennett brought Jennifer Holiday back in and made sure the 2nd act was rewritten and continued to build up the role of “Effie”.
The show officially arrived on Broadway in 1981 playing the Imperial Theatre running for 1,531 performances. Under the direction and choreography of Michael Bennett, the cast consisted of…
Tony winner Jennifer Holliday (later Julia McGirt,
Roz Ryan, and Vanessa Townsell) as “Effie White”,
Tony nominee
Sheryl Lee Ralph (later Linda Leilani Brown, and Susan Beaubian) as “Deena Jones”,
Loretta Devine (later Teresa Burnell) as “Lorell Robinson”,
Ben Harney (later Weyman Thompson) as “Curtis Taylor Jr.”,
Obba Babatunde (later Lawrence Clayton and Tony Franklin) as “C.C. White”,
Tony winner Cleavant Derricks (later David Alan Grier and Hinton Battle) as “James “Thunder” Early”, 4
Deborah Brunell as “Michelle Morris”.
It was nominated for 13 Tony Awards in 1982 winning 6 including BEST LEADING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL (for Jennifer Holiday).
DREAMGIRLS went on to tour all across America on and off. One of the most notable touring productions included a stop in New York’s
Apollo Théâtre in Harlem back in 2009. Under the direction of Robert Longbottom, the cast featured…
American Idol’s Syesha Mercado as “Deena Jones”,
Tony nominee this year Adrienne Warren as “Lorell Robinson”,
Chaz Lamar Shepherd as “Curtis Taylor Jr.”,
Trevon Davis as “C.C. White”
and
Margaret Hoffman as “Michelle Morris”.
The musical is eyeing plans for its highly anticipated overdue return to Broadway. This new production is based on the show’s recent overdue premiere in London’s West End back in 207. Under the direction and choreography of Tony Award winner (and nominee again this year) Casey Nicholaw, Dreamgirls West End ran at London’s Savoy Theatre for 2 ½ years. Talks were also being made for Glee favorite
Amber Riley (who made her West End debut with the production) to reprise her Olivier Award winning performance as “Effie White”. No word has been announced for the official start date or what Broadway house it will be performed in.
In addition to its success on stage, DREAMGIRLS was a worldwide smash hit on the big screen. The film adaptation from
Dreamworks Pictures was released in 2006. Under the direction of Bill Condon, the filmed featured an all star cast consisting of….
Grammy winner and Oscar nominee
Beyoncé as “Deena Jones”,
Keith Robinson as “C.C. White”
Emmy and Golden Globe winner
Eddie Murphy as “James “Thunder” Early”,
Sharon Leal as “Michelle Morris”
The film was nominated for 8 Oscars in 2007 winning 2 including BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS (for Jennifer Hudson for her iconic portrayal of Effie). The film also was nominated for 5
Golden Globes that same year winning 3 (including BEST MOTION PICTURE – MUSICAL OR COMEDY).
Today, there are still productions of
Dreamgirls around the world.
Isn’t this the ultimate musical for standout powerhouse divas?
by Mike Haber | Sep 7, 2021 | Antoinette (Tony) Awards, Blog, Broadway, News, Shows
GOOD MORNING BROADWAY FANS?!! Are you ready for The 74th Annual
Tony Awards just 19 DAYS AWAY?!! We at New York Broadway Tours are continuing our celebration of Live Theater’s return with our TOP 50 TONY AWARDS COUNTDOWN. We got so many showstopping performances coming your way from previous telecasts. Get ready to BELT IT OUT!!!
At # 19 on our countdown, we pay a visit to a shoe factory in England on the verge of trouble. However, it is saved when the factory owner’s son and a cabaret drag queen form a unique partnership. Time to purchase a pair of……
Kinky Boots!!! Based on the 2005 film of the same name (and inspired by a true story), the show features a score by Tony and Grammy Award winner
Cyndi Lauper and a book by Harvey Fierstein.
From the 2013 telecast, Tony nominee Stark Sands as “Charlie Price” along with Tony winners
Billy Porter as “Lola”,
Annaleigh Ashford as “Lauren”, and members of the original Broadway cast strut their stuff and make the shoes of their dreams a reality with a performance of the show’s ACT 1 finale anthem where all you gotta do…… EVERYBODY SAY YEAH!!!
Kinky Boots The Musical was first conceived by Tony winning Broadway producer Daryl Roth. She first saw the original 2005 film before sharing it with producer Hal Luftig which they both fell in love with the “heart and soul” of the story. Within a year, the rights were secured to adapt the film into a stage musical. Roth and Luftig teamed up with Tony winning director and choreographer
Jerry Mitchell along with Tony winning book writer and actor Harvey Fierstein. For creating the score, Mitchell knew of the perfect person that Fierstein was longtime friends with…. Acclaimed Grammy winning singing sensation Cyndi Lauper (which marked her debut as a Musical Theater songwriter). From there, the show began a full 2 ½ year journey of numerous readings and workshops.
Following a successful out of town tryout in Chicago in 2012, KINKY BOOTS officially arrived at Broadway’s Al Hirschfeld Theatre. It waas a smash hit running for an incredible 5 1/2 year run of 34 previews and 2,507 regular performances. Under the direction and choreography by Jerry Mitchell, the cast consisted of…
Tony winner Annaleigh Ashford (later Jeanna de Waal, Haven Burton, Tony nominee
Taylor Louderman, DeLaney Westfall, Kirstin Maldonado, and
Carrie St. Louis) as “Lauren”,
Tony winner Lena Hall (later
Cortney Wolfson, Shannon O’Boyle, and Caroline Bowman) as “Nicola”,
KINKY BOOTS was nominated for 13
Tony Awards in 2013 winning 6 including BEST MUSICAL. It also won the
Grammy for BEST MUSICAL THEATRE ALBUM.
Along with its success on Broadway, KINKY BOOTS went on to wow audiences in London’s West End (winning the
Olivier Award for BEST NEW MUSICAL), several North American National Tours, Australia, and launching various International companies.
During the show’s London run, KINKY BOOTS was captured on a film. It was released in Theaters before later appearing on
BroadwayHD,
PBS Award winning
Great Performances, and now on DVD today. From the stage of the Adelphi Theatre and featuring its original creative team, that filmed cast was led by….
Killian Donnelly as “Charlie Price”,
Natalie McQueen as “Lauren”,
Cordelia Farnworth as “Nicola”,
and more.
Today, KINKY BOOTS is available for Licensing by
Music Theatre International. It has been performed both in schools, community, and regional theaters everywhere.
Doesn’t this show make you want to strut?
by Mike Haber | Sep 6, 2021 | Antoinette (Tony) Awards, Blog, Broadway, News, Shows
HELLO, BROADWAY FANS! We are just 20 DAYS AWAY till we get to celebrate the return of Broadway’s biggest night and Live Theater. We are talking about The 74th Annual
Tony Awards. We have more legendary performances from previous telecasts coming your way on our TOP 50 TONY AWARDS COUNTDOWN. Bring on the showstoppers
At # 20 on our countdown, we experience a classic TALE AS OLD AS TIME like no other. Set in a kingdom right in the heart of France, we meet an arrogant prince cursed and trapped inside the body of a monstrous creature unless he can win the heart of a beautiful girl and earn her love in return. The possibility happens when a smart and intelligent young girl shows up at the castle. We of course are talking about the great classic story of
Beauty and the Beast. Based on the 1991 Oscar winning Disney animated film of the same name, the show features a score by
Alan Menken, Sir Tim Rice, and the late Howard Ashman and a book by Linda Woolverton. It was the inaugural show that started everything for
Disney on Broadway.
From the 1994 telecast, here is the full cast performing a montage / medley of notable scenes and songs from the show consisting of PROLOGUE, ME, BE OUR GUEST, IF I CAN’T LOVE HER, and the Finale reprise of the musical’s titular song.
Beauty and the Beast was first conceived as a Broadway show in 1991 when the original animated film was released. The movie was praised by critics which audiences compared it as if they were seeing a classic Broadway Musical. Even the press itself called it THE GREATEST BROADWAY SHOW IN A MOVIE THEATER! With the response being overwhelming, the Disney team encouraged their former CEO Michael Eisner to give it a try. Even though he did Theater, Eisner was nervous but gave it a try. Transforming the 90 minute cartoon into a full 2 ½ stage musical wasn’t easy. Many questions were asked like…..
How would they make an actor back and forth from a Prince into a Beast?
How do you transform real humans into household objects such as candlesticks, clocks, and teapots?
Luckily by Disney magic, the team came across director Robert Jess Roth, who is a genius at doing spectacular concerts for rock stars. With his previous experiences, he immediately got more inspiration to expand the story. The team found their answers. For the Enchanted objects, Roth and the team came up with an idea that when The Enchantress places the spell on the castle, the humans who get cursed are actually slowly turned into objects as the petals keep falling off the rose. They also came across Jim Steinmeyer and John Gaughan, who is best known for creating unbelievable illusions for David Coperfield in creating many of the show’s special effects.
For the musical, they kept the beloved score by Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman (who passed away right before the film was released). New to the team included acclaimed lyricist Tim Rice, who helped co-write some new songs in helping expand the story and characters. It took 2 years to develop but the hard work paid off.
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST had its out-of-town world premiere tryout in Houston, TX at the
Theatre Under The Stars in the Fall of 1993. It was well received, the production immediately transferred to Broadway in the Spring 1994 where it ran for 46 previews and 5,462 performances. It opened at the Palace Theater before later transferring to the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. It’s now the 10th Longest Running Show in Broadway History. Under Robert Jess Roth’s direction and choreography by Matt West, the cast was led by….
Tony nominee
Susan Egan (later Sarah Uriarte Berry, Kim Huber,
Kerry Butler, Christianne Tisdale,
Debbie Gibson,
Toni Braxton,
Andrea McArdle,
Sarah Litzsinger,
Jamie-Lynn Sigler,
Megan McGinnis,
Christy Carlson Romano, Brooke Tansley,
Ashley Brown, Deborah Lew, and Anneliese van der Pol) as “Belle”,
Burke Moses (later Steve Blanchard, Chris Hoch, Christopher Sieber, Patrick Ryan Sullivan, Stephen Buntrock, Grant Norman, and
Donny Osmond) as “Gaston”,
Tony winner and the late Gary Beach (later Bryan Batt, Patrick Page, David DeVries, Jacob Young, and
John Tartaglia) as “Lumiere”,
Tony nominee Beth Fowler (later Beth McVey, Cass Morgan, Jeanne Lehman, and Alma Cuervo) as “Mrs. Potts”,
The show went on to be nominated for 9 Tony Awards that year winning only 1 for BEST COSTUME DESIGN (for Ann Hould-Ward).
FUN FACT: One of the musical’s notable songs A CHANGE IN ME (which is the big 11:00 number sung by “Belle” talking about what her life has been since she and “The Beast” became close) was added later into the Broadway run in 1998 when Toni Braxton joined the cast (and made history being the first African American Actress to play “Belle”). It fit so well in the production, it became a favorite of the musical ever since. Later on during the Broadway run the coda was changed to grand higher belt and orchestrations for when Ashley Brown made her Broadway Debut with the show as the 15th Actress ever to play “Belle”, In most productions today, they use the high coda.
Following the success of the Broadway company, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST went on to become a worldwide spectacular family musical. It has played on 6 continents and translated into every major language. For many children, it was their first Broadway show. There were productions everywhere from London’s West End, Australia, Tokyo, Korea, multiple touring companies around the world,
Currently, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST recently launched a brand new company touring in the UK featuring the majority of the original creative team. It includes full updates to the sets, costumes, staging, and a full diverse cast.
Today, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is still performed in Schools. Community, and Regional Theaters everywhere.
How timeless is this show?!!
