Tag: Broadway

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The Music Man is next musical on NBC’s list to tackle

A live presentation of Meredith Willson’s Tony Award-winning musical The Music Man will be seen in the near future on NBC, the network’s chairman Bob Greenblatt revealed Monday morning.

No timetable or casting has been set for the production, which will likely follow the previously announced live broadcast of Peter Pan on December 4.

Both come on the heels of NBC’s massively successful telecast of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music, starring Carrie Underwood, last December.

The Music Man tells the story of con man Harold Hill, who arrives in a small Iowa town and attempts to sell the community on the creation of a boys’ band. He suddenly falls for Marian, the local librarian, and his conscience gets in the way of his ill deeds.

(source)

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Audra McDonald sings “God Bless the Child” on The Colbert Report

Five-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald dropped by The Colbert Report to sing “God Bless the Child” from her Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Award-nominated performance in Broadway’s Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill.

Entertainment Weekly said Audra gives “One of the most exquisite and haunting performances of the year.”

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NY Times: Tyne Daly in a scene from “Mothers and Sons”

Tony Award winner Tyne Daly in “Mothers and Sons”

Just days after the announcement of her Tony nomination for her performance in Terrence McNally’s new AIDS memory play, “Mothers and Sons,” actress Tyne Daly shares an excerpt from the play exclusively for The New York Times.

If you haven’t seen Tyne Daly onstage, you are missing out.  If you find yourself in NYC, get a ticket to this play – between Daly and the rich tapestry of McNally’s words, you’ll be very glad you did.

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Broadway: Highlights from this year’s Annual Easter Bonnet Competition

The 28th Annual Easter Bonnet Competition returned to the Minskoff Theatre on April 21 and 22, with the companies of Broadway, Off-Broadway and national touring productions offering skits, songs and dances, as well as elaborately designed bonnets created especially for the event.

This year’s event raised a record $4,532,129 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Broadway veterans shared the stage with celebrated newcomers, as more than 200 of Broadway and Off-Broadway’s most talented performers came together for this year’s Easter Bonnet Competition.

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Trailer: “Jersey Boys”

The Broadway mega-hit becomes a major movie this summer.

Starring Tony Award-winner John Lloyd Young.  Opens June 20th.

From the clip description:

A musical biography of the Four Seasons-the rise, the tough times and personal clashes, and the ultimate triumph of a group of friends whose music became symbolic of a generation.

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Carole King surprises Broadway cast of “Beautiful” to raise $30K for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS

The legendary Carole King made her first visit to see “Beautiful” – the new Broadway show that tells the story of her amazing rise to stardom.

Back in December, it was reported in Playbill that King walked out of a rehearsal half-way through the reading. She told her daughter, ‘Tell them it’s great. I can tell it’s great. But I can’t watch my life played out before me.’

But last night, during the show’s appeal for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, King walked out on stage, surprising the cast. “They had no idea,” she told the audience.

Jessie Mueller, who received rave reviews for her portrayal of Ms. King when the show opened in January, was clearly emotional, as were several other members of the cast. King and the cast of the show then auctioned off a performance of “You’ve Got A Friend” to the tune of $30,000 for BC/EFA.

For show information and tickets, visit:
http://www.beautifulonbroadway.com

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Ramin Karimloo – “Losing” featuring Katie Birtill

In advance of his new EP on Tuesday, Broadway’s newest “Jean Valjean” in Les Miserables, Ramin Karimloo, has released the first video “Losing.”

Karimloo’s  EP ‘The Road To Find Out: East’ features “broadgrass music,” a cross between Broadway and Bluegrass to be released on 7 April via Big Hand Recordings. 

In the world of theatrical performers, Ramin is known as one of the most formidable talents in the industry and for his leading roles in international theatre productions such as Jean Valjean in Les Misérables and Raoul and Phantom in the Phantom in Phantom of the Opera.

The tracks on ‘East’ include “Oh What A Beautiful Morning” from Oklahoma, a brand new song called “Losing” which Ramin wrote with Hadley Fraser (an English stage actor, who played Javert in Les Misérables) and features Katie Birtill on vocals, “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” from Les Miserables, and “Broken”, another original track co-written with Hadley.

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Behind the scenes with Billy Porter recording “Billy’s Back On Broadway”

Tony Award-winner Billy Porter

Via press release:

It’s been almost a decade since the Pittsburgh-born Billy Porter released a solo album, and since then much has changed for the award-winning artist, who grew up singing in the Pentecostal church. Perhaps best known for his Tony® Award-winning role as ‘Lola’ in the hit Broadway musical Kinky Boots, Porter’s musical background is based in gospel, soul and R&B.

On April 15, 2014, Porter releases his debut on Concord Records, Billy’s Back on Broadway.

Featuring ten classics made famous on the Great White Way that focus on inspiration, empowerment and hope, the album’s title is a nod to Sammy Davis, Jr.’s recording Sammy’s Back on Broadway.

Cyndi Lauper, the Grammy®, Emmy® & Tony® Award-winning rock icon who penned the score for Kinky Boots, makes a special guest appearance on Billy’s Back on Broadway, dueting with Porter on “Happy Days/Get Happy,” a tune made famous by Streisand and Judy Garland.

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Cyndi is one of the godmothers of individuality,” Porter explains. “She forged a path for so many of us that didn’t fit into the status quo. I learned so much and have felt so inspired by her journey as an artist and human being before I even knew her. She’s a blessing and a gift, and I’m so thrilled she said ‘yes’ when I asked her to sing on this album.”

Check out the behind-the-scenes footage and interviews below.  

Cyndi Lauper