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One Year Ago Today: Kicking Up The CATS Kitty Box Once Again

Recently I’ve reflected on the fact that SOME good things have come from the past 18 months. Namely, seeing how many people decided to be part of the solution instead of the problem.

Case in point: it was a year ago today that several of my CATS the Musical cast members reunited for the first time in over 30 years to raise money with Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS for the Broadway community – actors, stage crew, musicians, box office, and more – during these difficult times. Continue reading “One Year Ago Today: Kicking Up The CATS Kitty Box Once Again”

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2020 Tony Awards To Air 9/26 On CBS & Paramount+

The 2019-2020 Tony Awards will take place on September 26, 2021

The 2019-2020 Tony Awards will take place on September 26, 2021

The 2019-2020 Tony Awards – titled THE TONY AWARDS® PRESENT: BROADWAY’S BACK! – will take place on Sunday, September 26 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) with two separate events.

As theater fans know, the annual awards ceremony was originally scheduled for June 7, 2020. But the coronavirus pandemic not only ended the 2019-2020 Broadway season on March 12, 2020, but also postponed the Tonys as well.

The long-awaited celebration will begin with the presentation of the American Theatre Wing’s 74th Annual Tony Awards® at 7:00 PM ET/4:00 PM PT live exclusively on Paramount+. The streaming presentation will honor the outstanding shows, performances and artistry of the 2019-2020 Broadway season, which was brought to a halt by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Immediately following, THE TONY AWARDS PRESENT: BROADWAY’S BACK! will air on the CBS Network, bringing the excitement of Broadway to viewers through a live concert event, featuring superstar Broadway entertainers and Tony Award winners re-uniting on stage to perform beloved classics and celebrate the joy and magic of live theatre.

The re-opening of Broadway will be further celebrated with special performances from the three Tony nominated Best Musical contenders, followed by the live presentation of three Tony Awards, including Best Play, Best Revival of a Play and Best Musical. Other winners will be celebrated throughout the broadcast.

Performances on the Great White Way are set to resume September 2 with the return of Hadestown. September 14 will see the reopening of Broadway blockbusters Wicked, Hamilton and The Lion King, to be followed by more in the following weeks.

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Celebrating Mother’s Day With Broadway Musical Moms

Four moms from the Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen unite for this special rendition of 'Anyone Have A Map?'
Broadway musical moms help me celebrate Mother's Day as four moms from the Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen unite for this special rendition of 'Anyone Have A Map?'
L-R Lisa Brescia, Christiane Noll, Jessica Phillips, and Jennifer Laura Thompson (screen capture)

Broadway musical moms help me celebrate Mother’s Day with some totally appropriate tunes from musicals that mine the gold in all kinds of motherly relationships.

Four Dear Evan Hansen moms from the Broadway and touring companies united for this terrific take on “Anybody Have A Map?” from the blockbuster musical. I’m sure a lot of moms out there relate to this.

Liz Callaway really scored with this Act One closer for the 1983 Broadway musical, Baby. The song takes place after Liz’s ‘pregnant for the first time’ character feels her baby kick for the very first time.

From Stephen Sondheim’s brilliant Into The Woods, Broadway icon Betty Buckley served up a show-stopping “Children Will Listen” backed by the Boys Choir of Harlem at the 1992 Carnegie Hall concert honoring Sondheim.

In the 1996 stage musical adaptation of the Tom Hanks hit film BIG, Barbara Walsh played the mother of the lead character who magically grows up and leaves home on an adventure. At the top of Act Two, the mom reflects on how quickly kids can grow up wishing she could ‘stop time’ for just a while.

Just like in life (I’m thinking my own life here), Broadway musical moms take many forms – aunts, godmothers, neighbors, even god-like forces like Mother Earth – who show up at the right moment to help us on our way.

I loved the creative and oh-so-moving 2017 revival of Once On This Island. Alex Newell and company brought the house down nightly with this jubilant and earthy “Mama Will Provide.”

As I recently reported, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and theater producers have announced Broadway shows will begin reopening this September.