Tag: Broadway

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News Round-Up: April 8, 2020

Some news items you might have missed: • Broadway: Broadway choreographer Bob Avian (above), who worked alongside director/choreographer Michael Bennett on his greatest achievements (Follies, Company, A Chorus Line, Dreamgirls) has written a not-to-be-missed autobiography. Click here to find it on Amazon. • Washington Blade: Advocacy groups have sharply criticized a bill that would prevent transgender people in Hungary from legally changing their gender. Without the ability to legally change their gender marker, trans people face harsh workplace and healthcare discrimination can be accused of stealing when they use their credit cards, and questioned whenever they use their ID. • The Gaily Grind: President Trump on Tuesday falsely claimed that his daughter and senior advisor Ivanka Trump had “created 15 million jobs” before the economy imploded as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Trump has repeatedly claimed that Ivanka has created 15 million jobs even though official estimates indicate the country had gained only 6.7 million jobs since 2017 before the recent economic collapse. • CNN: A new SSRS poll shows 43% say Donald Trump is doing everything he could to fight the outbreak, while 55% say he could be doing more. Trump’s overall approval rating in the polling stands at 44% approve to 51% disapprove. • WFSU: The Tallahassee City Council unanimously voted to ban so-called ‘conversion therapy’ for minors in the Florida city today. “The Trevor Project applauds the Tallahassee City Commission for taking bold action to protect LGBTQ young people from conversion therapy,” said The Trevor Project’s Sam Brinton in a statement. “This new ordinance will send a message to the LGBTQ youth of Tallahassee that they should be proud of who they are, and hopefully, it will inspire other localities in Florida to take similar action as well.” • RealClearPolitics: The news today that Sen. Bernie Sanders (VT-I) dropped out of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination comes a day after Wisconsin voters went to the polls. We won’t have tallies until next Monday, but perhaps Sanders got exit polling that mirrored recent polls showing former Vice President Joe Biden leading in the state by 28 points. • Raw Story: Donald Trump on Tuesday boasted about the television ratings that he’s been getting for his daily coronavirus press briefings at a time when deaths from the disease in the United States have surged past 13,000.

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Broadway Theaters To Remain Dark Until June

(photo: Ludovic Bertron/Flickr)
From Playbill:

The show will not go on for some time longer. Due to the spread of the coronavirus in New York City, Broadway shows have extended their shutdown.

While at first scheduled to resume the week of April 13, productions will now remain dark through June 7 (what was supposed to be the day of the 74th Annual Tony Awards).

The initial closure was mandated by Governor Andrew Cuomo March 12, banning all gatherings of 500 or more people and reducing the capacities of smaller events. The restrictions soon escalated, with the surge of confirmed COVID-19 leading to the state-wide “On PAUSE” executive order, effectively closing all in-person non-essential business.

On March 29, Cuomo said he would re-evaluate that stay-at-home order every two weeks; it is currently scheduled to last through April 29, though many industries—Broadway included—are bracing for longer hiatus periods.

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Funny: Broadway Shows Reimagined Under Quarantine

(all images via Jeremy & Jeffrey West)
Creative brothers Jeremy and Jeffrey West tapped into their love of musical theater during the COVID-19 threat to come up with re-imagined Broadway musical titles and posters, a project they dubbed #QuarantineAMusical. “After being under quarantine and maintaining social distancing recommendations for the past three weeks, my brother Jeffrey and I have been brainstorming fun projects to keep our creative juices flowing,” Jeremy West told Playbill. “This project started when I tweeted a joke about John Guare releasing a revised version of his play titled Six Feet of Separation, making changes in light of 2020 social distancing. From there, we made a list of parody musicals re-imagined during a quarantine and dubbed it #QuarantineAMusical.” Check out some of the clever tweaks on these award-winning musicals. You can see more over at Playbill.com.

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Good Night: Ben Platt & Casts Of ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ Sing “You Will Be Found”

Hey, folks. I usually end the day with my News Round-Ups, but this feels a little better tonight. Tonight, The Late Late Show with James Corden closed with Tony Award-winner Ben Platt joined by members of the Broadway and touring companies of the smash musical Dear Even Hansen singing, appropriately, “You Will Be Found.” This feels like a better note to end the night. Thanks for reading TRR folks. Have a great night. (and wash your hands…) …signed, human being, me…

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Terrence McNally, 4-Time Tony Award Winning Playwright, Dead At 81

Acclaimed playwright Terrence McNally accepting a Lifetime Achievement Tony Award in 2019
Playwright Terrence McNally, a four-time Tony Award winner, died Tuesday at the age of 81 from complications to the coronavirus. He was a lung cancer survivor who lived with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Throughout his career, he created richly layered stories that often explored the LGBTQ experience: Love! Valour! Compassion!, Kiss of the Spider Woman, The Full Monty, The Ritz, Mothers and Sons. His work validated and humanized our experiences. Other McNally plays and musicals include The Rink, Master Class, Ragtime, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune,The Lisbon Traviata, Lips Together, Teeth Apart, A Perfect Ganesh (Pulitzer Prize nomination), The Visit and Anastasia. For his acclaimed efforts, he was honored by the Tony Awards with Best Book of a Musical for both Kiss of the Spider Woman in 1992 and Ragtime in 1998; and Best Play for both Love! Valour! Compassion in 1995 and Master Class in 1996. He also received 3 Drama Desk Awards for Love! Valour! Compassion, Master Class and Ragtime. In 2019, he received a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement.

While he wasn’t fond of being called a “gay playwright,” since much of his material wasn’t limited to gay material, it is a topic he visited often. In a preface to the published version of Love! Valour! Compassion!, he wrote,  “I think I wanted to write about what it’s like to be a gay man at this particular moment in our history.” “I think I wanted to tell my friends how much they’ve meant to me,” he added. “I think I wanted to tell everyone else who we are when they aren’t around. I think I wanted to reach out and let more people into those places in my heart where I don’t ordinarily welcome strangers.” For even more insight into the personal life of McNally, please make sure to add the recent documentary of his life, Every Act of Life, to your viewing playlist.

In that my time living in New York City as a working actor coincided with McNally’s heyday, it’s with great fondness that I remember seeing nearly all of the NY productions listed above. Funny, life-affirming, and deeply human – that’s how I view the emotional landscapes created by McNally. To this day, I believe Ragtime is easily one of the greatest American musicals to arrive on Broadway. I saw my own life in his plays. I vividly remember having to stifle sobbing when I heard Nathan Lane, during a performance of Love! Valour! Compassion! ask, “Who will be there to hold my hand when I let go?” My husband worked with McNally on several projects over the years. At the end of each, Michael would receive a hand-written ‘thank you’ note that the word gracious can’t begin to describe. Rest in power, Terrence McNally.

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Rosie O’Donnell’s ‘Broadway-Palooza’ Raises $500k For Actor’s Fund

Rosie O’Donnell offered up a heaping helping of Broadway stars (all from the comfort of their own homes) during a 3+ hour streaming revival of her eponymous talk-show on Sunday evening. From her garage/craft room, Rosie welcomed folks like Barry Manilow, Randy Rainbow, Judith Light, Billy Porter, Chita Rivera, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker, and many, many more via Skype.

Billy Porter on The Rosie O’Donnell Show
And yes, there were performances including Patti LuPone (singing a lovely “Smile”), Kelli O’Hara (singing Sondheim’s “Take Me to the World”), Audra McDonald & hubby Will Swenson (also choosing to sing “Smile”), Lea Salonga (singing “Reflection”), Darren Criss (singing “Being Alive” from Company), Shoshana Bean (“Don’t Rain on My Parade”), and Kristin Chenoweth popping off a funfilled “Taylor the Latte Boy” (with her hottie boyfriend making a cameo). The project was the brainchild of Broadway and TV actor Erich Bergen who popped in every now and then to address small sound or tech issues. And Rosie’s former music director John McDaniel was on hand as well.
Kelli O’Hara on The Rosie O’Donnell Show
The event served as a fundraiser for The Actor’s Fund, which helps not only actors but everyone in the theater world during hard times including stagehands, stage managers, and more. At the end of the Broadway-palooza, over $500,000 was raised for the charity. Bravo to everyone involved! Hit the play button below and enjoy 🙂  

If you want to jump to a particular perf0rmer, here at the time marks for each (in chronological order): John McDaniel – 2:42 Jesse Tyler Ferguson – 4:56 Tituss Burgess – 8:09 Gloria Estefan – 12:57 Lin-Manuel Miranda – 19:40 Cynthia Erivo – 23:55 Patti LuPone – 28:50 Ben Platt – 36:07 Laura Benanti – 41:50 Idina Menzel – 48:10 Aaron Tveit – 53:35 Rob McClure – 54:03 Jordin Sparks – 54:31 Bernadette Peters – 55:01 Chita Rivera – 56:13 Alan Menken – 1:02:15 Neil Patrick Harris – 1:09:40 Brian Stokes Mitchell – 1:15:43 Audra McDonald and Will Swenson – 1:23:30 Andrew Lloyd Webber – 1:29:52 Stephen Sondheim – 1:30:23 Jeremy Jordan – 1:32:33 Jane Krakowski – 1:33:05 Uzo Aduba – 1:33:36 Andrew Rannells – 1:33:49 Annette Bening – 1:34:20 Judith Light – 1:37:02 Darren Criss – 1:41:23 Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker – 1:47:37 Kelli O’Hara – 1:54:16 Jeremy Pope – 2:03:20 Nate Berkus – 2:08:01 Adrienne Warren – 2:11:40 Kristin Chenoweth – 2:18:16 Harvey Firestein – 2:25:25 Katharine McPhee and David Foster – 2:29:12 Billy Porter – 2:33:40 Shoshana Bean – 2:40:17 Gavin Creel – 2:43:54 Miranda Sings / Colleen Ballinger – 2:48:19 Lauren Patten- 2:54:43 Skylar Astin – 2:59:25 Michael Gladis and Beth Behrs – 2:59:53 Ben Vereen – 3:00:21 Sutton Foster – 3:00:41 Frankie Valli – 3:01:09 Matthew Morrison – 3:01:42 Jordan Fisher – 3:04:47 Maria Tomei – 3:11:32 Lorna Luft – 3:12:02 Miguel Cervantes – 3:12:33 Andy Karl and Orfeh – 3:12:55 Elizabeth Stanley – 3:13:26 James Wesley and Seth Rudetsky – 3:13:54 Lea Salonga – 3:13:34 Randy Rainbow: 3:20:59 Barry Manilow: 3:23:59

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Broadway Goes Dark Amid Coronavirus Concerns

(photo: Ludovic Bertron/Flickr – CC License)
The New York Post reports concerns about the coronavirus has brought the curtain down on all Broadway shows as producers have announced a 4-6 week shut down. The shut down is expected to last from four to six weeks. Actor’s Equity Association, the union which represents actors and stage managers, has apparently pushed for the shut down out of concern for its members. “Equity is driving this,” said one producer to the Post. “If actors don’t feel safe, they don’t have to perform.”  

The pause in performances could have a long-lasting effect on several productions past the temporary shut down. “The Minutes,” a new play by award-winning playwright Tracy Letts, was scheduled to open this Sunday night. The Post’s Michael Riedel reports it’s possible the production will close permanently without ever officially opening. UPDATE: A spokesperson for “The Minutes” has since reached out to confirm the production “was always going to return and is confirmed to reopen the week of April 13.” The Post has updated its reporting as well. Two productions scheduled to open this spring – Martin McDonagh’s “Hangman,” and the new “Sing Street” – may try to postpone until the fall. Even long-running Broadway stalwarts could shutter due to the shutdown. “The Phantom of the Opera,” the longest-running production on the Great White Way, is supported in great part by ticket sales to foreign tourists. Depending on the recently-announced travel bans, Michael Reidel at the Post suggests the show may shut down for good. It’s estimated that the shutdown will cost more than $100m in ticket sales, reports The Guardian. Several major events have also announced shutting down. The NCAA announced on Wednesday the upcoming college basketball March Madness tournament will have very severely attendance at games. Only essential coaching staff, players, and limited family members will be allowed to attend. The NBA has canceled all games after Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz tested positive for coronavirus this week. Since that announcement, two more Utah Jazz players have been diagnosed with the virus as well. And music festivals Coachella and Stagecoach have been postponed until October amid coronavirus concerns, festival officials said. Both events were scheduled to take place in California’s Coachella Valley in April. (source: NY Post)  

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Sunday Showtunes: Liz Callaway ‘On & Off Broadway’

Liz Callaway (image via official website)
So, a few months ago, hubby Michael and I caught Broadway/cabaret performers Liz Callaway and sister Ann Hampton Callaway in concert here in Las Vegas and I was reminded how much I love their awesome talents. We’ve known the two artists for over 20 years going back to the time Michael handled publicity duties for Liz’s album The Story Goes On – Liz Callaway On & Off-Broadway.
L-R me, Alex Rybeck, Ann Hampton Callaway, Liz Callaway, Michael Caprio
A few days later, I fell into a YouTube hole listening to that entire album. I can’t recall the last time I listened to an entire album in one sitting. So, I wanted to share some of the tracks from the collection that have been playing in my head constantly for weeks now. But first, a little bit about the luminous Liz:

Liz Callaway is a Tony nominee and Emmy Award-winning actress, singer and recording artist. She made her Broadway debut in Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along, received a Tony Award nomination for her performance in Baby, and for five years, won acclaim as Grizabella in Cats. She has also starred in the original casts of Miss Saigon, The Three Musketeers, and The Look of Love.

Off-Broadway she received a Drama Desk nomination for her performance in The Spitfire Grill (Playwrights Horizons), and also appeared in Brownstone (Roundabout), No Way to Treat a Lady, Marry Me a Little, and Godspell. Other New York appearances include the legendary Follies in Concert at Lincoln Center, A Stephen Sondheim Evening, Fiorello!(Encores!), and Hair in Concert.

If you’re a musical theater fan, you probably know many of the songs I’m about to share, but even if you don’t – these are songs that are easy to digest on their own. First, the winsome “You There in the Back Row” from the Cy Coleman musical 13 Days to Broadway, which was heard about in gossip circles for years, but unfortunately never made it to the Great White Way. The show told the backstage story of a musical in trouble on the road to Broadway. Truly a loss to theater audiences if the score was full of songs like this.

Next up, “Since You Stayed Here” from the 1986 off-Broadway musical Brownstone, a musical by Josh Rubins (book and lyrics), Andrew Cadiff (book) and Peter Larson (music). The productions focused on a group of five people living in a brownstone apartment in New York City. A member of the original cast, Liz played Claudia, a young woman getting over a breakup.

As you might have guessed by now, Liz thrives in her story-telling. And this is one of the great story songs of the musical theater canon, “The Meadowlark” from Stephen Schwartz’s 1976 musical, The Baker’s Wife, which closed out of town before making it to Broadway. Talk about a song that capitalizes on all of Liz’s gifts…just hit play. Trust me. I also want to give a tip of the hat to Liz’s long-time music director and arranger, Alex Rybeck, who is one of the VERY BEST in the business.

Just one more (then go listen to the whole album): “The Story Goes On” from the 1983 Broadway musical Baby wherein Liz played the youngest of three expectant mothers. This song closed Act One, most probably because the audience needed time to pull themselves together. In the bridge, Liz’s character feels her baby kick for the first time which provides the dramatic device to send her soaring into the finale of the song. Just check out the sweep of those strings underneath her at the 3:31 mark. “All that was is part of me / As I am part of what’s to be / And thus it is / Our story goes on…”

If you like, click here to listen to a YouTube playlist where the full album is curated and will play in order for your listening pleasure. You can find more about Liz and her concert dates at her official website – what else? – LizCallaway.com. And I always encourage folks to actually BUY the great music I share with you. You can check out most of Liz’s music on Amazon here. And no, I didn’t leave sister Ann out. I plan a post in the near future on her solo music as well 🙂 Happy Sunday everyone!

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Gavin Creel Turns ‘Something Wonderful’ Into Pulsing Pop Goodness

Tony Award winner Gavin Creel turns ‘Something Wonderful’ into pulsing pop goodness
Everything old is new again as hottie actor/singer Gavin Creel reinvents the classic “Something Wonderful” from The King & I into a fresh, modern pop song that celebrates gay love. The richly-layered arrangement, by Nadia DiGiallonardo, shifts the tune effortlessly from classic King & I mode to a contemporary Coldplay vibe. The track opens simply, but at the 2:00 mark begins a slow, churning build to pulsing pop goodness. Creel wisely trusts not only the material but his own considerable vocal prowess never overreaching to wild, sky-high screaming that some try to pass off as singing today. “This project excited me because it was really about honoring beautiful songwriting but also reimagining it to create a new way in which we might listen to and enjoy this brilliant material,” the openly gay singer told The Advocate.

Creel made his Broadway debut in 2002 as “Jimmy Smith” in the hit musical Thoroughly Modern Millie. That was followed by acclaimed performances in Hair, The Book of Mormon, She Loves Me, Waitress and finally his Tony-winning turn as “Cornelius Hackl” in the Bette Midler revival of Hello, Dolly! Later this month he heads to London to reprise his role as the hunky Dr. Pomatter in Waitress with pop star Sara Bareilles. This track is the latest from the R&H Goes Pop! series which puts contemporary twists on timeless classics from the Rodgers & Hammerstein catalogue. The series began with a rocking “Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin” by Jeremy Jordan (Supergirl, SMASH), and has since featured a same-sex take on “We Kiss In A Shadow” by Jelani Alladin (Frozen) and Matt Doyle (The Book of Mormon).

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Remembering The Genius Of Jerry Herman

L-R Leslie Uggams, Lee Roy Reams, George Hearn
Thinking of dear Jerry Herman this evening and fell into a YouTube wormhole of his awesome music. This is just a tiny sample of the depth, range, and power of Jerry’s music. All of these performers need no introduction. Just listen to them bring Tony Award winner Jerry Herman’s music to life in first-class form.