Tag: Broadway

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4th Annual Broadway & Ballet HERO Awards

I’m excited to see my longtime friend Rachelle Rak being honored at this year’s Broadway & Ballet HERO Awards.

I’ve known Rachelle, a force of nature, for 30 years. And the LGBT community could not have a more staunch ally 🙂

Via press release:

HIV Experience Resources Organization (HERO) is proud to present the fourth annual Broadway & Ballet HERO Awards on October 16th at 8pm at Stage 48, 605 West 48th Street. This year’s honorees are Broadway star and legend Rachelle Rak, and ABT principal and international ballet star, James Whiteside. Receiving the John Adams HERO Award for best Broadway debut is the star of Wicked, Michael Campayno, and the 2017 HERO Partner Award will be presented to The Jed Foundation (JED) for protecting the emotional health of teens and young adults, helping them grow into healthy thriving adults.

This spectacular event will feature 15 original performances and a cast of over 30 stars from the worlds of Broadway and ballet including: (honorees) Rachelle Rak (Fosse, Sweet Charity, Broadway Hero Awardee), Michael Campayno (Wicked, John Adams HERO Awardee), ABT Principal and International ballet star, James Whiteside (Ballet Hero Awardee), Casey Trenary (ABT Soloist), Michael-Leon Wooley (Little Shop of Horrors, American Buffalo, The Princess and the Frog), Michael Cusumano (All Shook Up, Chicago, American in Paris), Patrick Boyd (Grease, The Wizard of Oz, Gypsy, Touch: A Love Story), Sean Stewart (American Ballet Theatre), Alina Faye (American Ballet Theatre alumni), Jose Sebastian (American Ballet Theatre), Luis Villabon (A Chorus Line), Morgan Stinnett (soloist with Connecticut Ballet, member of Ajkun Ballet Company), Cristy Candler (Rock of Ages, Chicago), Georgina Pazcoguin (New York City Ballet Soloist), Brandon Leffler (Wicked, On The Town, Cinderella), Chris Messina (Jersey Boys, A Bronx Tale), Jesse JP Johnson (Wicked), Neil Starkenberg (Mamma Mia), Travis Nesbitt (Alter Boys), Seeley Stephens (American Idol Finalist), Evan Lacombe (The Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall), Gabrielle Salvatto (Ballet West Demi Soloist), special performances by principal dancers from Ballet West, Olympic Gold Medalist in Gymnastics, Icaurs-Ioannis Melissananidis, The Boy Band Project, the dance department of Pace University with an opening number choreographed by Madeline Rodrigue, and more!

The show will be hosted by Matty Maggiacomo (Television Journalist and Brand Manager of Barry’s Boot Camp), with technical direction from Tommy Mazza, produced by Stephen Leff. Sponsors include; Logo, NewNowNext.com, Biem- Biemteam.com (mobile phone STD care), DRA (Dancers Responding to AIDS), Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, and Hugh Hysell- TheMenEvent.com. Tickets are $25 for General Admission and $100 for VIP Seated and are available at www.hivhero.org.

Rachelle Rak

“Nicknamed “Sas”, Rachelle began her dance training at the age of 2 under the direction of her mother, Rosalene, at the Rosalene Kenneth Professional Dance Studio in Pittsburgh. She is labeled a Triple Threat on Broadway for her immeasurable talent in dance, singing, and acting. Rachelle was presented with an award by Dance Educators of America for her contribution to the world of dance. She has had a huge impact on the Broadway Community. A few of her impressive credits, include leading roles in: “Fosse”, “Sweet Charity”, “Flashdance”, “The Jack Cole Project”, “Chicago”, “A Chorus Line”, “Catch Me If You Can”,” Cats”,” Starlight Express”, “West Side Story”, “Smokey Joe’s Café”, “Trip of Love”, “Thou Shalt Not”,” Oklahoma!”, “The Look of Love”, “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels”, “Sessions”, and “An Evening at the Carlyle.” Choreography credits include Norwegian Cruise Lines, Off Broadway: “An Evening at the Carlyle” and “Sessions”-Additional Choreography, Lifetime: “Dance Moms”, Fringe Festive “Vote the Musical” Benefits: “Broadway Bares”, Concerts: Staging for Cheyenne Jackson-Carnegie Hall. Her One-woman show “I’m In” Le Poisson Rouge, Nightclub shows “The Love Fest”, “Splash Around The World”, “VaVoom,” and web series on Broadway.com” I Love Rak n Roll”.

James Whiteside

James Whiteside joined the corps de ballet of Boston Ballet in 2003 and became a second soloist in 2006. He was promoted to first soloist in 2008 and to principal dancer with Boston Ballet in 2009. Whiteside then joined American Ballet Theatre as a Soloist in September 2012 and was named a Principal Dancer in October 2013. Whiteside’s repertoire with Boston Ballet included Principal roles in George Balanchine’s Theme and Variations, Coppélia, Ballo della Regina, Rubies, The Four Temperaments (Sanguinic), Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, Who Cares?, Serenade, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Symphony in 3, and La Valse; Maina Gielgud’s Giselle; Mikko Nissinen’s The Nutcracker and Swan Lake; John Cranko’s Taming of the Shrew and Romeo and Juliet; Marius Petipa’s The Sleeping Beauty and Raymonda Act III; Antony Tudor’s Dark Elegies; Jirí Kylián’s Bella Figura, Sarabande, Petite Mort and Sechs Tänze; Twyla Tharp’s In the Upper Room; Mark Morris’ Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes. He created roles in Jorma Elo’s Brake the Eyes, Plan to B, Carmen, Slice to Sharper, and In On Blue; Helen Pickett’s Eventide and Etesian; and Mark Morris’ Up & Down. His repertoire with the American Ballet Theatre includes Principal roles in La Bayadere, Cinderella, Le Corsaire, Don Quixote, The Dream, Giselle, The Nutcracker, Raymonda Divertissements, Romeo and Juliet, The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, Sylvia, The Tempest, and Manon, as well as roles in Bach Partita, Gong, Theme and Variations, Duo Concertant, Fancy Free, Chamber Symphony, Sinfonietta, Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes, In the Upper Room, With A Chance of Rain, and Symphony in C.

Michael Campayno

A Pittsburgh native and recent graduate of Carnegie Mellon School of Drama, Michael Campayno made his Broadway debut in Wicked in the role of Fiyero. He debuted on television as Rolf in NBC’s live telecast of The Sound of Music starring Carrie Underwood and can be heard on the cast recording. His stage credits include Carnegie Mellon University productions as well as productions at Pittsburgh CLO; he also played Lancelot opposite Robert Sean Leonard in Camelot. Film: Cheerleader.

About JED

JED is a nonprofit that exists to protect emotional health and prevent suicide for our nation’s teens and young adults. JED partners with high schools and colleges to strengthen their mental health, substance abuse and suicide prevention programs and systems. JED equips teens and young adults with the skills and knowledge to help themselves and each other and encourages community awareness, understanding, and action for young adult mental health. Learn More at jedfoundation.com

About HERO

HIV Experience Resources Organization (HERO) is a completely volunteer-based non-profit 501(3)(c) organization founded in 2009 by Michael Cavnaugh, former vice president of Event Presentation at Madison Square Garden. HERO helps people find the most pressing, up-to-date information available critical to their health, including sharing extensive video coverage from current national and international AIDS conferences. HERO’s websites, HIVhero.org and HEROnews.org, provide local, national, and international resources and interactive tools which provide assistance in finding doctors, getting medication, mental health counseling, housing, financial assistance, medical insurance, and much more. It also serves as a portal site providing free content and video production, promoting the services, activities, and fundraising efforts of many community/partner organizations, including red carpet coverage of high profile events and one-on-one interviews. Seen throughout their video archive and messaging, HERO founded the #condomsarehot movement, with the help of stars such as Angela Lansbury, Matt Bomer, Mary Louise-Parker, Rosie Perez, David Hyde Pierce, Bebe Neuwirth, Blythe Danner, and many more to build more awareness for sexual health and STD prevention.

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Bernadette Peters To Succeed Bette Midler In Broadway’s “Hello, Dolly!”

Bernadette Peters

Two-time Tony Award winner Bernadette Peters will succeed Bette Midler as “Dolly Levi” in the blockbuster Broadway revival of Jerry Herman’s Hello, Dolly!

 Additionally, Broadway favorite Victor Garber will replace David Hyde Pierce as “Horace Vandergelder.”

From Variety:

The casting, which had been the subject of persistent rumors in the theater industry, was seemingly confirmed Tuesday morning in a social media post, now removed, that said that Peters and Victor Garber would join the cast early next year. By Tuesday evening, the producers of “Hello, Dolly!,” led by Scott Rudin, had confirmed that Peters would step into the role. Garber, who would presumably replace Midler’s co-star David Hyde Pierce, was not mentioned in the confirmation.

The question of who would replace Bette Midler in “Dolly!,” one of the top-selling shows on Broadway, has been a hot topic of speculation this summer. In the theater-industry rumor mill, a slew of names made the rounds — including Dolly Parton and Sutton Foster — but by August, Peters, last on Broadway in the 2011 production of “Follies,” began to look like the frontrunner. At the time, the comment from Scott Rudin, the show’s lead producer, was the coy, “There’s no replacement for Bette.”

But earlier on Tuesday, Garber’s husband, Rainer Andreesen, mentioned the “Dolly” casting in a comment on an Instagram post. That post has since been removed, but a screenshot remains.

Like Donna Murphy, who currently plays the role of Dolly for one performance a week, Peters and Garber are fan favorites among theater lovers. Peters, who’s won two Tony Awards, has starred in a string of notable productions, including the original stagings of “Sunday in the Park With George” and “Into the Woods,” while Garber, who stars in CW series “Legends of Tomorrow,” has appeared in Broadway shows including “Deathtrap,” “Noises Off” and, most recently, “Present Laughter” in 2010.

In terms of box office impact, Midler, who’s kept sales in the stratosphere since the show began performances in the spring, will be a tough act to follow. It’s uncertain that Peters would keep weekly grosses as high, but at the very least she’d get an initial boost from theater avids anxious to see her in the role. The revival, one of the last season’s biggest buzzmagnets, also seems likely to benefit from the momentum built up for the title itself over the course of its big-money run.

Peters begins her run in “Hello, Dolly!” Jan. 20 prior to an opening night set for Feb. 22. Midler plays her final performance in “Dolly!” Jan. 14; there will be no performances between then and Peters’ start date.

Two-time Tony Award winner Donna Murphy, who performs the role of “Dolly Levi” at select performances including all Tuesdays to rave reviews, will take her last trip down the Harmonia Gardens staircase on January 9, 2018.

Peters will reportedly be performing all 8 performances a week.

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Ariana Grande & Seth MacFarlane Belt Out “Suddenly Seymour” For Carpool Karaoke

I just found out the uber-popular “Carpool Karaoke” segments from The Late Late Show has begun transitioning into an Apple TV series.

Check out pop star Ariana Grande and Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane belt out a terrific “Suddenly Seymour” from the musical Little Shop of Horrors.

Not only are the vocals on point, near the end of the song MacFarlane almost has a mini-crash while driving the vehicle. But no one drops a note!

“We almost died! But the belting was more important!” said Grande after finishing the song. “I like that we didn’t skip a beat. That is what comes from being a theater person. You stay in it!”

Watch the clip, below.

(h/t OUT)

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First Look At The Upcoming Broadway Adaptation Of FROZEN

I know, I know… no one wants to see a behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming Broadway adaptation of FROZEN. But, if you did… 🙂

FROZEN will play its out-of-town tryout at the Buell Theatre in the Denver Center for the Performing Arts August 17 – October 1, 2017.

Tickets for Broadway performances will go on sale later this year.

Visit http://frozenthemusical.com for more info.

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Trailer: “Hello Again”

Glad to see Michael John LaChiusa’s musical HELLO AGAIN finally coming to the big screen. I remember seeing the original Lincoln Center production on Broadway in 1994 and loved it.

The musical consists of a series of two person scenes. Each actor appears in back to back scenes as a similar character, and as the scenes play out, each actor drops for a new one. So, for example, scene one features actors A and B; scene 2 features actors B and C; scene 3 features actors C and D, and so forth. And each scene changes time periods.

Throughout the characters flip from being the pursuer to the pursued. And the music is terrific.

From the press release:

SPEAKproductions, in association with TBD Productions and Martian Entertainment, have just released a sneak peek at the first trailer for HELLO AGAIN.

The highly anticipated film adaptation of Michael John LaChiusa’s musical. HELLO AGAIN chases 10 fleeting love affairs across 10 periods in New York City history.

The ensemble cast features six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald, Emmy Award-winner and Tony nominee Martha Plimpton, Emmy and Drama Desk nominee T.R. Knight, Rumer Willis, Cheyenne Jackson, SAG Award-winner and Grammy nominee Jenna Ushkowitz, Teen Choice Award-winner Tyler Blackburn, Sam Underwood, Nolan Gerard Funk and Al Calderon. HELLO AGAIN, directed by Tom Gustafson, features a screenplay by Cory Krueckeberg and music and lyrics by Michael John LaChiusa.

Inspired by Arthur Schnitzler’s 1896 controversial play, Der Reigen, and the classic 1950 Max Ophuls film La Ronde, the film HELLO AGAIN is based on the Michael John LaChiusa stage musical of the same name. HELLO AGAIN was first presented on stage by Lincoln Center Theatre in 1994 featuring John Cameron Mitchell, Donna Murphy, Malcolm Gets, Carolee Carmello, Michael Park, Michelle Pawk, John Dossett and Judy Blazer.

The film closed Italy’s Lovers Film Fest last night and will be seen on the film festival circuit throughout the summer.

Watch the trailer below.

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Podcast: A Tale Of Two Theatrical Adventures

Join me for “A Tale of Two Theatrical Adventures” as two longtime out actors have separate, but euphoric experiences with New York Theater on the same weekend.

I followed both simultaneously on social media as they shared the elation of their personal milestones, and the journeys made my Grinchy heart swell.

Up first, Stephen Blackwell.

As his 50th birthday approached, Stephen made the decision to venture forth on his own to the Big Bad Apple for the first time and see his first productions on the Great White Way.

We all know New York City can be expensive for visiting fans of Broadway. As he recounts his big adventure, Stephen also has tips that helped him save money along the way, including:

• The app TodayTix (and the website version todaytix.com) helped Stephen buy discounted tickets to Broadway shows in advance without standing in lines or worrying about what his choices would be.

• Instead of pricey hotels, Stephen stayed in an apartment blocks from the theater district and saved hundreds using AirBNB. If you haven’t tried the popular travel site, Stephen shares his experience.

• And don’t be afraid to reach out to friends you’ve made on social media. Stephen met up with someone he knew from Facebook, and that friend acted as a guide to what to do after an evening in the theater.

The other gentleman in this dual adventure, Ed Dixon, has enjoyed a long, successful career on Broadway, off-Broadway and beyond. He’s an actor, playwright, composer and author.

After more than four decades of great work, Ed was honored by the Drama Desk Awards for his latest project, Georgie: My Adventures with George Rose, on the same weekend Stephen was experiencing NY theater for the first time.

I interviewed Ed weeks before during the aftermath of his grand rave-review opening, but watching him share his big Drama Desk win on Facebook felt like I was there.

You can listen to my previous interview with Ed here.

At a time when it feels there’s so much doom, gloom and grousing on social media, I loved watching these stories play out in front of me in real time on the Book of Face.

Hit play below to listen to the two men’s simultaneous journeys.

Sometimes, it’s great to savor the good times 🙂

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Glenn Close Stops SUNSET BOULEVARD Over Audience Member Taking Photos

My good friend, T. Oliver Reid, currently in the Broadway revival of Sunset Boulevard, reports today that the divine Miss Glenn Close stopped the show when an audience member kept taking photos.

“And then Glenn…Miss Close if you’re nasty, stops her show-stopping song and says to the person taking photos, “That is very invasive…we can either have a show or a photo shoot.” #Scene

 #Boom

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Tony Award Preview: “War Paint” Starring Patti LuPone & Christine Ebersole

Tony Award winners Christine Ebersole (L) and Patti LuPone (R)

Via BroadwayWorld:

War Paint, the new Broadway musical about cosmetic doyennes Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein, earned four Tony nominations, including for its stars, Christine Ebersole and Patti LuPone.

Today, CBS SUNDAY MORNING’s Richard Schlesinger sat down with the actresses, along with author Lindy Woodhead, in a behind-the-scenes story.

War Paint tells the remarkable story of cosmetics titans Helena Rubinstein (Patti LuPone) and Elizabeth Arden (Christine Ebersole), who defined beauty standards for the first half of the 20th Century.

Brilliant innovators with humble roots, both women were masters of self-invention who sacrificed everything to become the country’s first major female entrepreneurs. They were also fierce competitors, whose 50-year tug-of-war would give birth to an industry that would forever change the face of America.

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Podcast: Tony & Grammy Award Winner Billy Porter Talks “The Soul Of Richard Rodgers”

On the latest The Randy Report podcast, Tony and Grammy Award winner Billy Porter talks about his new album – Billy Porter presents The Soul of Richard Rodgers.

The collection features new, soulful takes on classic Richard Rodgers songs from Broadway musicals including Oklahoma!, The Sound of Music, Babes in Arms, South Pacific, and The King and I, with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and Lorenz Hart.

Billy is the very picture of a passionate Renaissance man – actor, recording artist, director, playwright and activist.

Broadway credits include Miss Saigon, Five Guys Named Moe, Grease, and Smokey Joe’s Cafe. He won the Tony Award, as well as the Grammy, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for his groundbreaking performance of “Lola” in Kinky Boots. That was followed by joining the all-star line up for Shuffle Along.

Film and television credits include Barry Levinson’s “The Humbling” opposite Al Pacino, Sundance Film Festival features “The Broken Hearts Club” and “Intern,” “Noel” (with Susan Sarandon and Robin Williams), “Shake Rattle & Roll” as Little Richard, “Another World,” “Twisted,” “Law & Order,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “The Tonight Show” and more.

In 2014, Primary Stages presented the highly successful World Premiere of While I Yet Live, Porter’s autobiographical play at off Broadway’s Duke Theater.

Hit play below to listen as Billy explains the inspiration for the new album and much, much more 🙂

Billy Porter presents The Soul of Richard Rodgers is available now at all digital download outlets.

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Flashback Friday: Shaun And David Cassidy Sing “Tell Me It’s Not True”

I just discovered this clip of brothers David and Shaun Cassidy from the 90s when they were starring (as brothers) in the Broadway production of Blood Brothers with Petula Clark.

As folks know, the song is usually performed by the role of the mother and joined by the full company at the end of Act Two. It’s a big, moving company number that brings down the house.

Interestingly, Shaun and David’s characters are the only folks who don’t sing the song since they are lying dead on the ground at the time.

It makes me wonder why it’s the brothers Cassidy singing here and not Petula. Maybe she didn’t want to get up and sing that early?

In any case, it’s the only time I’ve ever seen the song performed by the two “brother” characters, and I think it’s quite lovely.

Sadly, the world recently found out David is suffering from dementia.