LGBTQ news and entertainment
Me as ‘Mark’ in the national touring company of A Chorus Line“Who have you been with my son?” Funny you should ask… Continue reading “Celebrating The 50th Anniversary Of ‘A Chorus Line’”
Broadway Cares shares the good news:
Broadway’s best spread messages of unity, hope and resilience through satire, song and dance December 5 and 6, 2016, at the 28th annual Gypsy of the Year competition.
Gypsy of the Year , which celebrated six weeks of dedicated fundraising from 55 Broadway, Off-Broadway and national touring companies, raised $4,492,636 for Broadway Cares. The grand total was announced Tuesday by Tony Award winners Cynthia Erivo and Jessie Mueller and Hamilton star Javier Muñoz following two incredible days of performances. Erivo, Mueller and Muñoz also presented the awards to the top fundraisers and best performances across the two afternoons.
The company of Hamilton took top honors for best onstage presentation. In “America,” the cast mashed up the music and lyrics of Bob Marley and Lin-Manuel Miranda and the poetry of Langston Hughes into a call for peace and equality in our country. Javier Muñoz and Syndee Winters led the integration of song and word, with the cast channeling the duo’s sentiments into a powerful, striking dance.
The company of The Lion King was runner-up with a moving spoken-word piece giving voice to those marginalized by the current political climate. The piece, written by cast member L. Steven Taylor and choreographed by Ray Mercer, found four isolated actors, and a dancer expressing their words through movement, finding common ground in fighting for each other’s plight. The piece concluded with the performers declaring in unison, “I will never leave you alone.”
This year’s edition of Gypsy of the Year opened with a energetic dance featuring the return of Broadway legends Baayork Lee, Donna McKechnie and Margo Sappington. The dynamic trio recreated their unforgettable “Turkey Lurkey Time,” which they originated in 1968’s Promises, Promises.
My dear wonderful friend Baayork Lee – Asian American actor, dancer, singer, choreographer, director and author – has received the 2014 Paul Robeson Citation Award presented by the Actors’ Equity Foundation.
I first met Baayork in 1989 when she cast me in the first of two National Touring companies of A Chorus Line. Since then we’ve remained friends; and last year she asked me to choreograph a gala production of Hello, Dolly! for her National Asian Artists Project which was a beautiful experience.
From Broadway World:
Created in 1971, the Paul Robeson award honors individuals or organizations that best exemplify and practice the principles of universal brotherhood of all humankind, commitment to the freedom of conscience and of expression, belief in the artist’s responsibility to society, respect for the dignity of the individual and concern for and service to all humans of any race or nationality.
Throughout her career, Baayork Lee has been committed to promoting a diverse society on American stages and dedicated to fostering opportunities for Asian American performers to play roles for which they might otherwise not be considered.
In 2009, Lee founded (with Steven Eng and Nina Zoie) the National Asian Artists Project, which focuses on providing opportunities for the Asian American artistic community. NAAP’s “Discover New Musicals” program allows writers of all races and ethnicities to have new works showcased annually, utilizing Asian American casts, and its educational programs enable artists to hone their craft and to stay competitive in the workplace.
A member of the 1951 original production of The King and I, Baayork returned to Broadway in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Flower Drum Song, Bravo Giovanni, Mr. President, Here’s Love, Golden Boy, A Joyful Noise, Henry, Sweet Henry, Promises, Promises, Seesaw and Michael Bennett’s groundbreaking production of A Chorus Line, in which she originated the role of “Connie.”
She worked with Bennett in several productions and over the years went from being his dance partner, to being his assistant. She would later supervise all major productions of A Chorus Line, choreographing 35 international productions as well as the 2006 Broadway revival. She is the co-author of the book, On the Line: The Creation of A Chorus Line, published in 1990.
Lee also has choreographed and directed scores of national and international tours of, among others, The King and I; Bombay Dreams; Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella; Porgy and Bess; Jesus Christ Superstar and Carmen Jones.
I’m very excited to be asked by Baayork Lee to be part of an upcoming staging of HELLO, DOLLY! in New York City with my partner in DOLLY crime, Lee Roy Reams. As we always say at the beginning of each production “It’s an adventure, Barnaby!”
Plus, I’ll be working with my former CATS cast mate, Christine Toy Johnson, AND my fab Production Stage Manager from two national tours of A CHORUS LINE.
Here’s a little more info on the production:
National Asian Artists Project presents a Rediscover Series production of the Broadway classic, HELLO, DOLLY!, by Jerry Herman (music/lyrics) and Michael Stewart (book). This fully-staged fully-costumed presentation is directed by Lee Roy Reams, director of Carol Channing’s last Broadway revival in 1995, when it was last seen in New York (which was my Broadway debut).
This limited two-nights-only event will take place at the brand new Frank Gehry-designed Pershing Square Signature Center on 42nd Street in the heart of New York City’s theatre district.
The evening is a benefit fundraiser for National Asian Artists Project (NAAP), whose mission is to bridge the work of professional theatre artists of Asian descent with the many communities they can serve, from minority communities and primary schools to seasoned arts patrons, as well as providing opportunities for professional theatre artists to grow. Founded by theatre artists Baayork Lee, Steven Eng, and Nina Zoie Lam, NAAP strives to be a leader in this often unheard community. For more info on NAAP, go to: www.NAAProject.org