Tag: musicals

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Review: “On Your Feet!”

The new Gloria Estafan stage musical, On Your Feet! premiered in Chicago last night, and Variety likes what it sees.

While not an absolute rave, Variety says the show is what you expect and achieves that well.

Just a few lines from the positive review:

There is something comfortingly familiar and predictable about “On Your Feet!,” the Broadway-bound new bio-musical featuring the story of Gloria Estefan and her music-producer husband Emilio.

Another way to say that might be that it never goes deeper than the superficial and that its narrative follows a TV-movie template.

But the show boasts sufficient sincerity with its schmaltz, and features a fluid, structurally sound story that strings together the Estefans’ pop ballads with a ready dose of the buoyant Cuban-fusion dance numbers that sold kajillions of albums worldwide.

It’s a show sure to please the built-in audience that will find absolutely exactly the entertainment they expect, and even the less fully acquainted will find that the rhythm really is going to get you.

It’s corny, stereotypical, too on-the-nose… and it works, which is true throughout this unsubtle but ever-crafty and unquestionably entertaining show.

Directed by two time Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell, the show plays in Chicago through July 5th, and is then set for a Broadway opening night on November 5th at the Marquis Theater in NYC.

More info at the show’s official website here.

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Dallas “King & I” Producer Agrees To Find Asian Actor For Role Of “The King”

Dallas Summer Musicals recently got some unwanted attention when it came to light that the theater company had plans to produce the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic The King & I with a Caucasian actor in the role of the “King Mongkut,” a practice known as “yellowface.’

The Asian American Performers Action Coalition and others became incensed that one of the few leading roles available to actors of Asian-descent would go to a non-Asian actor.

After many letters, emails and mucho media coverage, the producer Michael Jenkins and director Glenn Casale (a good friend of mine, and a stand-up guy) have decided to begin again and find a proper actor of Asian background to play the role this summer.

Jenkins posted a statement addressing the concerns of the Asian actors community and ended with this:

Mr. Casale and I visited yesterday. We have heard your comments, and we have heard your concerns, and we are now going back to find an actor of Asian descent for the role of the King. WE HAVE HEARD YOU, and we are working to guarantee a positive result for both you and also for a quality production. We have heard you and we take your comments seriously.

Which goes to show, strong grassroots actions can have a powerful impact.

Good for everyone, I say.

Forward.

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How Did Peter Pan Live Do In TV Ratings?

So, for those wondering – how did Peter Pan Live compare in terms of ratings last year’s The Sound of Music Live?

The three-hour stage production averaged a 5.9 rating among households –  just over than half of what Sound Of Music did last year with a 10.9 rating.

Peter Pan Live was the NBC’s second-highest rating for a non-sports Thursday in more than two years.

From The Hollywood Reporter:

NBC Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt offered a statement on the numbers early Friday: “We’re very pleased with the Peter Pan ratings and it was a great night for NBC. We won every hour, which hasn’t happened on Thursday with entertainment programming since a year ago. I’m proud to be part of a company that takes chances and creates big events, and that’s exactly what we’re going to continue to do. We didn’t expect to reach the same rating as The Sound of Music since that was the first live movie event of its kind in over 50 years.”

Greenblatt added that plans are already in the works for next year’s live musical event.

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Theatre: “Cloak and Dagger” at the Signature Theatre

My friend Ed Dixon has written a new musical currently performing at the world class Signature Theatre in  Arlington, VA.  Billed as a “zany, mile-a-minute, musical comedy whodunit” the show has received (no surprise) rave reviews.

ARLINGTON WEEKLY NEWS TV
“Cloak and Dagger is the funniest show I’ve seen in years!”

CULTURESEEN4U.COM
“There is plenty of fun and good music to please the most discerning theatre goer.”

WHERE DC
“It’s entertainment as fit for a Shirlington summer eve as a lime-rubbed gin and tonic.”

MD THEATRE GUIDE
“Cloak and Dagger is the perfect way to spend a summer’s evening in the theatre… highly recommended.”

SHOWBIZRADIO
“Up for something with amusement, silliness, and banter propelled by a lively score and excellent voices? Then head off to Cloak and Dagger at Signature Theatre.”

DCMETROTHEATERARTS
“This is the stuff that (Broadway) dreams are made of.”

DC THEATRE SCENE
“Those expecting a bit of dessert at the end of their 2013-2014 subscription should have fun, and there were certainly plenty of laughs from the crowd around me.”

If you’re in the DC area, go see “Cloak and Dagger” at the Signature Theatre before July 6.

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Trailer: New “Annie” movie with Jamie Foxx and Quvenzhané Wallis

New, updated version of the 1970s musical hit in theaters December 19th.

Starring Jamie Foxx and Quvenzhané Wallis (youngest-ever recipient of an Best Actress Oscar nomination for Beasts Of The Southern Wild).

Plus Bobby Cannevale and Cameron Diaz as “Mrs. Hannigan.”

Produced by Jay-Z and Will Smith.

More info at www.Annie-Movie.com

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Chris Pine sings on Jimmy Kimmel Live

Chris Pine croons a  bit on the Jimmy Kimmel Show

Handsome and hunky Chris Pine dropped by the Jimmy Kimmel show to promote his new movie “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit.”

While chatting, Kimmel brought up the fact that Pine has shot the upcoming film version of the Broadway musical “Into The Woods,” and that his co-star Meryl Streep had oohed and ahhed over Pine’s voice.

Soooo – Kimmel persuades Mr. Pine to show off his pipes a bit. And the result is very nice. Take a look.

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NBC announces PETER PAN will be next live broadcast musical

BroadwayWorld has the details:

“We’re very pleased to be underway on ‘Peter Pan’ as our next live holiday musical for the whole family,” said NBC Entertainment Chairman Robert Greenblatt. “We were all delighted to see how ‘The Sound of Music Live!’ struck such a chord in December and brought nearly 19 million people to the live telecast plus another several million viewers over the weekend. In the hopes that lightning strikes twice, we think we’ve landed on another great Broadway musical – which ironically also starred Mary Martin – that is a timeless classic for all audiences, young and old, who just never want to grow up.”

“We’re thrilled to be reteaming with NBC and Bob Greenblatt in bringing ‘Peter Pan’ back to its roots as a live television event,” said Zadan and Meron. “We hope to create the joy that has made this musical so beloved. We would like a whole new generation to experience ‘Peter Pan’ and for families across the country to share the magic.”

Featuring the iconic songs “I’m Flying,” “I’ve Gotta Crow,” “I Won’t Grow Up,” and “Never Never Land,” and a book full of magic, warmth, and adventure, PETER PAN is the perfect show for the child in all of us who dreamed of soaring high and never growing up.

The broadcast is scheduled for December 4, 2014.

Casting is currently underway although no names have been attached yet.

Post your opinions here – who would you cast in the leading roles?  Good choice for the next “live” TV musical?

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PBS to air OKLAHOMA starring Hugh Jackman on November 19th

Hugh Jackman as “Curley” in OKLAHOMA!

If you weren’t among the lucky few to catch Hugh Jackman in his star-making role in OKLAHOMA in London, PBS wants you to relive the fun. The network will re-air the 1999 filmed version of the production in high definition on Nov. 15 at 9 p.m. ET as part of the network’s Great Performances series.

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Video: “Rambo, But Gay”

A funny gay, musical version of the uber-macho Stallone film “Rambo.”

From the creators: Sure there’s blood in guts in this Rambo from Michael Serrato and Mark Byers, but in this musical version the audience is asked to reexamine what it is to be a man and what it is to be manly. This post DOMA tinkering of war veteran, John Rambo is hopefully just the first exploration of “Manly, But Gay” that Serrato and Byers get to tell.

I thought the music and lyrics were pretty clever. I hope to see more from Michael and Mark.

This may be the new way to workshop musicals. Who knows?