Brent Barrett at 54 Below – October 29, 2012
The 26th Annual Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction
Great, great event that supports Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
Don’t miss it NYC! Find showbiz treasures, meet the stars and bid on once-in-a-lifetime items and experiences at the 26th Annual Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction.
Make your plans now to spend Sunday, September 23 with Broadway Cares and thousands of other theatre fans in Times Square, Shubert Alley and along West 44th Street searching for those one-of-a-kind keepsakes. This not-to-be-missed event for any serious Broadway theatergoer is free and open to the public and has been called one of the “Best Once-a-Year Markets” in New York City.
From photos with your favorite Broadway star to buying that lost cast recording, signed show posters and Playbills, rare costume sketches or that special gift for a theatre-lover you can’t find anywhere else – this year’s Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction promises to offer something for everyone.
Broadway: Original video press footage from “Chess”
I actually got to see this short lived production.
Great voices and great score. The staging failed a bit, but the show had some thrilling moments.
Snippets of some of the major numbers from the musical:
Someone Else’s Story – Judy Kuhn
One Night In Bangkok – Philip Casnoff
Terrace Duet – Judy Kuhn & David Carroll
Anthem – David Carroll
Pity the Child – Philip Casnoff
Frenchie Davis looking & sounding fierce in new music video
Miss Frenchie Davis is looking and sounding pretty fierce in her new music video “Love’s Got A Hold On Me”
The song is now available on iTunes – click here.
Matt Zarley – “My Great White Way” Broadway medley
Matt performing a medley of shows he did on Broadway and his NYC years. Those shows include A CHORUS LINE, JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT, THE WHO’S TOMMY, CATS, KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN, CHICAGO, and CHESS.
This was part of Matt’s show, MATT ZARLEY: BROADWAY TO BILLBOARD, filmed live @ Rockwell in LA on AUGUST 27, 2012.
New music: Betty Buckley “Ah Men – the Boys of Broadway”
Available today, new music from Tony Award-winning Broadway star Betty Buckley: AH MEN – THE BOYS OF BROADWAY, based on her critically acclaimed concert of the same name.
Like Betty, I’m from Fort Worth, Texas, and we both attended the same high school – although not at the same time. But in the 1970s – with successes on Broadway and TV already – she made a stop by Arlington Heights High School and spoke to our drama class. She spoke about acting and then, in an impromptu moment, sang for us unaccompanied. I was transfixed, and a fan of her voice (and acting) from that moment on.
When I was appearing on Broadway in Hello, Dolly!, Betty was giving her breathtaking performance as “Norma Desmond” in Sunset Boulevard. During the run of Dolly! many stars came backstage to say ‘hello’ to Carol Channing. I’d see them meet her on the stage after the curtain came down after the show as I had to cross the stage from my dressing room to the stage door. The only time I ever stopped and stuttered a ‘hello’ to anyone was when Betty Buckley came backstage. It was my chance and I took it. And she was as gracious then as she is today.
I recently discovered that Tennessee Williams admired Betty’s work. On the blog “Follies of God,” James Grissom shared with his readers that Tennessee had this to say about Betty Buckley:
Her singing voice is a wonderful example of that intercourse that exists only with a singer: When a singer is in possession of a great talent and an honest intensity of purpose, nothing can prevent the relationship between song and singer from taking place, with all of us voyeurs to the consummation.
She owns her material, but she doesn’t grasp it so tightly that we can’t also share in it, love it, feel to it. I find her a radiantly pure singer.
She helps me to the fog. I feel she belongs to me now.
I recently had the chance to interview Betty about her new CD, her current appearances around the country and her upcoming UK premiere of Jerry Herman’s Dear World at Charing Cross Theatre.
You can listen to the interview tomorrow night on The Candi & Randy Show, but here are just a few of Betty’s thoughts on the new CD:
• The inspiration for the new CD goes back to her young crush on Russ Tamblyn in the movie of West Side Story: “When I first saw the movie of West Side Story, I was about 14 and I was just in love with Russ Tamblyn who played “Riff.” Everything about him as “Riff” – I thought he was the coolest guy ever. And it went way beyond a crush. I wanted to dance like him, walk like him, talk like him. I wanted to be a Jet.”
• Betty had a short list of songs she knew she wanted to sing in this show/CD: “I knew I wanted to sing “I Can See It” from The Fantasticks, I knew I wanted to sing “Hey There” from The Pajama Game, “Corner of the Sky” from Pippin… I knew I wanted to sing “Venice” from Elegies and “Maria” from West Side Story, and I knew I wanted to sing “I Won’t Dance.”
• When asked if there’s a male role in the music theatre catalog she’d like to do, she doesn’t hesitate: “I think I could be a really dangerous Sweeney Todd.”
• On heading to London to star in the UK premiere of Dear World: “I’m really excited about it. I’ve known about this for about a year and a half. It will be a revised/new version of the show. It’s going to be really beautiful, I think. I’m really excited.”
I reached out to Broadway legend Jerry Herman for his thoughts on Betty starring in the new production and Jerry had this to say:
“Dear World requires a superb singer; Dear World requires a superb actor; and Betty Buckley is both. I so look forward to the London premiere with Gillian Lynne at the helm.”
Betty has been appearing across the country singing songs from the new CD. Find the nearest concert date on her website – www.BettyBuckley.com.
Lucky for me, she’ll be performing at The Smith Center here in Las Vegas November 15-18. Can’t wait to see her sing these great songs.
You can hear the full interview and several of the songs from the new CD by listening tomorrow night on The Candi & Randy Show – 9pmEST/6pmPST.
Cute video: Nat’l tour of “Addams Family” wants to be in “Newsies” on Bway
Congrats on a very funny and creative video.
And yeah, I’ve been there guys… Out on the road while your friends on Broadway go to work then get to head HOME. Sigh.
Ah, life on the road.
From Broadway performers – “One Term More”
I saw this two days ago, but the video wasn’t embeddable at the time.
Clever lyrics and great voices on a parody of One Day More from “Les Miserables” in support of President Obama.
Broadway and musical theatre performers Sean Smith, David Burnham, Kim Huber, Christina Saffran Ashford, Damon Kirsche, David Engel, Jennifer Shelton, Emma Ashford, Matthew Ashford, Ali B. Olmo, Johnny Pastor, Bubba Dean Rambo, William Martinez, Flora Rubenhold, Takako Gregg, Teri Yates, Mason Keane, and Paula Keane sing from their heart with the lyrics of Don DeMesquita.
For more info and facts, go to www.OneTermMore.com
Sheryl Lee Ralph to join NBC’s ‘SMASH’
Sheryl Lee Ralph (via Instagram)Jennifer Hudson is following in Megan Hilty’s Smash footsteps in getting a Broadway veteran to play her mother.
I couldn’t be happier to hear the news. I worked with Sheryl Lee in a production of Applause in Los Angeles where she played the iconic “Margo Channing” and was fantastic. This is a real talent. Sheryl Lee Ralph, who played Dreamgirls‘ Deena Jones on Broadway in 1981, has been tapped to guest star on the second season of NBC’s Broadway drama, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. As first reported by Vulture, Ralph will guest star as Cynthia, the mother to Hudson’s Veronica Moore. Hudson’s Veronica is described as a Tony-winning Broadway star who impacts the lives of Karen (Katharine McPhee) and Ivy (Hilty). The former Dreamgirls Oscar winner will appear in multiple episodes of Smash’s second season, which is set to return midseason. Broadway legend Bernadette Peters played mother to Hilty’s Ivy on the first season of Smash, appearing in a pair of episodes to support her daughter as she struggled with the demands of Bombshell, the play at the center of Season 1. In addition to Dreamgirls, Ralph’s stage credits also include 2002’s Thoroughly Modern Millie and features Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit. On the small screen, her résumé includes “Hunter,” “Designing Women” and “Moesha.”