Broadway Blog

Raul Esparza To Star In Encores! Anyone Can Whistle

2010-03-17T11:45:00.001-04:00

Raul Esparza (Broadway's revivals of Speed-the-Plow, The Homecoming, and Company) will star in the upcoming Encores! staging of the famous Broadway flop Anyone Can Whistle. He, Donna Murphy (Wonderful Town, Passion), and Sutton Foster (Broadway credits include Young Frankenstein and Thoroughly Modern Millie) will make up the satirical musical's trio of leads, and they will be joined by Edward Hibbert, John Ellison Conlee, and Jeff Blumenkrantz. Anyone Can Whistle, which was written by Arthur Laurents and Stephen Sondheim (whose more notable collaborations include the classic Broadway musicals West Side Story and Gypsy), debuted on Broadway in 1964 in a production starring Harry Guardino, Lee Remick, and Angela Lansbury. The show only played nine performances before closing.

Mel Brooks Working on Blazing Saddles Musical

2010-03-16T11:24:00.005-04:00

Mel Brooks, the comic filmmaker who has gone Broadway the last few years, says he is currently at work penning new songs for a Blazing Saddles musical. The 1974 parody of film Westerns starred Cleavon Little and Madeline Kahn, and it is generally considered to be one of Brooks' best movies. Mel Brooks went from a big screen funnyman to a Tony-winning Broadway sensation when the musical version of his film The Producers became a Broadway hit. But the follow-up, Young Frankenstein, was not as a big of a Broadway success and led some to speculate that Brooks would give up turning more of his movies into stage musicals. So far Blazing Saddles is very much in the early stages, with Brooks having only written two or three new songs, but time will tell if it eventually gallops its way onto Broadway.

Million Dollar Quartet Begins Performances on Broadway

2010-03-14T23:17:00.003-04:00

The Million Dollar Quartet has taken the stage at the Nederlander Theatre. The new Broadway musical, which has already been a hit in Chicago, will have its official opening on April 11 for an open run. Based on a real-life event, Million Dollar Quartet is about a legendary day in rock 'n' roll history (December 4, 1956) when four great musicians - Johnny Cash (played by Lance Guest), Carl Perkins (Rob Lyons), Jerry Lee Lewis (Levi Kreis), and Elvis Presley (Eddie Clendening) - gathered for a jam session at a studio in Memphis. The musical, which features performances of rock hits like "Blue Suede Shoes," "Great Balls of Fire," "Who Do You Love?" "Riders in the Sky," "Sixteen Tons," "I Walk the Line," "Folsom Prison Blues," and "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On," also stars Hunter Foster as record producer Sam Phillips.

Kelsey Grammer To Play Both Leads In La Cage Aux Folles

2010-03-12T22:44:00.002-05:00

It turns out that Kelsey Grammer (Frasier, Cheers), who is now returning to Broadway in the role of Georges in the musical La Cage Aux Folles, will actually be playing both leads in the show. Six months into the musical's run, Grammer will be switching to the role of Albin. These types of switcheroos in Broadway shows are rare, but hardly unheard of. Currently actor Jeff Daniels, starring in the Tony-winning Broadway play God of Carnage, is playing the part previously assayed by James Gandolfini when the show first opened. And several years ago, Philip Seymour Hoffman and John C. Reilly regularly swapped parts in the play True West.

Evan Rachel Wood Exits Forthcoming Spider-Man Musical

2010-03-10T23:43:00.003-05:00

It looks like Peter Parker will need a new Mary Jane. Evan Rachel Wood, who it was previously announced had joined the cast of the forthcoming Broadway musical Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark, has now dropped out of the Julie Taymor-directed show. Spiderman, which was originally scheduled to open at the beginning of this year, has been troubled with numerous delays and as a result Wood has had to drop out due to a scheduling conflict. The musical, which has a score by U2's Bono and The Edge, has still not yet announced when it will finally open on Broadway.

The Addams Family Set Up House On Broadway

2010-03-08T10:53:00.005-05:00

The Addams Family, a new musical based on the famed cartoons by Charles Addams, starts performances at the Lunt-Fontanne Theater on Broadway today. The show had a try-out in Chicago in late 2009 and brought in director Jerry Zaks to sharpen up the production. Is The Addams Family now ready to face Broadway? Audiences will decide tonight, and critics will decide on April 8, when the creepy and kooky musical has its official Broadway opening. The Addams Family stars Nathan Lane (The Producers) and Bebe Neuwirth (Chicago) as Gomez and Morticia Addams, Kevin Chamberlin as Uncle Fester, and Jackie Hoffman as Grandma, all members of a ghoulish but loving family of misfits who live in a haunted mansion. The musical has a book by Jersey Boys writers Rick Elice and Marshall Brickman and an original score by Andrew Lippa (Off-Broadway's The Wild Party).

Original Hair Cast Says Goodbye NYC, Hello London

2010-03-07T14:29:00.004-05:00

The energetic original cast of the current Tony Award-winning Broadway revival of the classic '60s counter-culture musical Hair has its final performance at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre today, and then the merry band of hippies will head off to England (London, not Manchester) to open the West End production of the hit show. The London Hair, featuring most of Broadway's original cast, will begin performances on April 1 at the Gielgud Theatre with an official opening set for April 14. The new Broadway cast of Hair, which will debut at the Hirschfeld on March 9, includes American Idol finalists Ace Young (who was also a replacement in the recent Broadway revival of Grease) as Berger and Diana DeGarmo (a replacement in the Broadway production of Hairspray) as Sheila.

Frank Wildhorn's Bonnie & Clyde Musical Bound For Broadway

2010-03-04T22:27:00.000-05:00

Prolific composer Frank Wildhorn (Broadway's Jekyll & Hyde, The Civil War, and The Scarlet Pimpernel) has plans to bring his new musical Bonnie & Clyde to Broadway. Although no specific plans for the show's Broadway berth have been announced yet, Bonnie & Clyde will be produced at the Asolo Repertory Theatre in November, presumably to get the show in shape before coming to New York. The musical, which has lyrics by Don Black and a book by Ivan Menchell, is about the famed outlaws of the Depression-era and the score includes flavors of that time period.

Alec Baldwin To Star In New York Equus

2010-03-02T23:21:00.003-05:00

Television, film star, and soon-to-be Oscar host Alec Baldwin (30 Rock) will hit the stage this summer in a production of Peter Shaffer's drama Equus. Baldwin will play the role of psychiatrist Martin Dysart in the production, which will play at Guild Hall in East Hampton, New York from June 8 to July 3. Baldwin is no stranger to the stage, having been on Broadway in A Streetcar Named Desire, and Off-Broadway in productions of Entertaining Mr. Sloane, Macbeth, and Prelude to a Kiss.

Come Fly Away Begins Performances on Broadway

2010-03-01T09:23:00.002-05:00

The new Twyla Tharp show Come Fly Away begins performances at Broadway's Marquis Theatre (located in the Times Square Marriott Marquis Hotel) today. Hot off its run at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, the production features Keith Roberts and John Selya (both Tony Award nominees for their performances in Tharp's Broadway hit based on the songs of Billy Joel, Movin' Out). This dance musical, directed and choreographed by Twyla Tharp, is set to the music of legendary crooner Frank Sinatra (there are both new musical arrangements and original arrangements by Nelson Riddle, Billy May, and Quincy Jones). The show has a 19-piece live band, which plays along with recordings of Sinatra's vocals on such classics as "My Way," "That's Life," and "Fly Me To the Moon". Come Fly Away has its official Broadway opening on March 25.

New Screen Version of The 39 Steps On PBS Tonight

2010-02-28T20:06:00.004-05:00

For those who enjoyed the long-running Broadway (and now Off-Broadway) play The 39 Steps, you may want to tune into your local PBS station tonight to check out a new movie version. This is an update of the original Alfred Hitchcock film on which the play was based. The big difference between the movie versions and the stage version is that the 39 Steps play took a far more wacky and comedic approach to the story of a man who unwittingly gets caught up in murder and international intrigue.

Mammia Mia Offers Big Discount On Tickets Tonight

2010-02-26T12:21:00.003-05:00

Mamma mia, what a savings! Because of the snowy weather, which is undoubtedly sending both potential and current Broadway show ticketholders into hiding tonight, Mamma Mia is offering a great deal to entice audiences to make the trip to the show's appropriately named Winter Garden Theatre. For tonight, the February 26 at 8pm performance, Mamma Mia is offering a snow day special. These tickets are just $31.50 a piece. To buy them, go to the box office at 1634 Broadway (between 50th and 51st streets). Even if you're not interested in this particular show, brave Broadway fans might want to venture out to the theater district tonight and see if any other Broadway shows are offering bargains. During New York City's last snowstorm, attendance was way down and many shows are probably anxious to fill those seats. And for those wondering if their Broadway show is canceled tonight, the answer is no. The show must go on! But continue checking www.broadwayleague.com for any updates on how the weather might be affecting Broadway shows.

Avenue Q Poster Too Racy For Colorado Springs

2010-02-24T19:01:00.003-05:00

Lucy T. Slut, that troublemaker of a puppet in the musical Avenue Q, has been causing problems in Colorado Springs as well. Not wishing to create a fuzz, er, fuss, Lamar Advertising rejected promotional posters showing her likeness (and, more to the point, her cleavage) for the Avenue Q tour that will be visiting the town March 16-17. Instead, the denizens of Colorado Springs will be seeing the face of another less seductive Avenue Q puppet on bus shelter posters advertising the show. A Lamar exec said the reason for the change was that Colorado City is rather conservative, so it made sense to adjust the advertising accordingly. Whether or not locals enjoy the production itself remains to be seen next month.

Florence Henderson Hosts Broadway Backwards

2010-02-22T15:15:00.003-05:00

Broadway Backwards, the popular annual event now in its fifth year, is being held at Lincoln Center's Vivian Beaumont Theatre (current home to the hit South Pacific revival) tonight. Florence Henderson (The Brady Bunch) hosts this year's concert, which, as in previous years, will feature a slew of Broadway performers singing reversed gender songs. The event gives actors the chance to sing songs that they have always loved, but never actually get the chance to perform onstage because they were written for someone of the opposite gender. The starry cast of Broadway Backwards will include Raul Esparza, Mario Cantone, Len Cariou, Lea Salonga, Douglas Sills, Becki Newton, Bruce Vilanch, Dan Butler, Tony Goldwyn, Robert Cuccioli, Ann Harada, Lee Roy Reams, and many more.

Phantom Sequel Love Never Dies Released on CD March 9

2010-02-21T16:30:00.004-05:00

The Phantom of the Opera fans who can't make it to London for opening night of the musical's new "sequel," Love Never Dies, will still be able to hear the new Andrew Lloyd Webber (music) and Glenn Slater (lyrics) score for the show, which will be released on CD on March 9. The Decca Broadway cast recording (featuring The Little Mermaid's Sierra Boggess as Christine and Ramin Karimloo as The Phantom) will be released in both regular and deluxe editions. Both versions are full two-disc sets, but the deluxe will also include a bonus DVD with behind-the-scenes footage and interviews, as well as a 40-page booklet. Love Never Dies is expected to open on Broadway in November 2010.

South Pacific To Close On Broadway This Summer

2010-02-20T03:59:00.000-05:00

Lincoln Center Theatre has announced that it will be closing its much-acclaimed Broadway revival of the classic Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II musical South Pacific on August 22nd. The Tony Award-winning production, which will have played more than 1,000 performances when it ends its run at the Vivian Beaumont Theater, was a tremendous hit for LCT and will live on as the national tour continues through 2011 (London and Australian productions are also in the works). South Pacific, which originally appeared on Broadway in 1949 and is based on James Michener's stories "Tales From the South Pacific," is about a Navy nurse who finds love with a French plantation owner during World War II. The current cast of the show features Laura Osnes (Broadway's Grease) as nurse Nellie Forbush and David Pittsinger as her love interest Emile de Becque.

Valerie Harper Throws Broadway For a Looped

2010-02-19T11:37:00.004-05:00

Emmy Award-winning actress Valerie Harper takes on the role of the notorious, outrageous, and hard-drinking performer Tallulah Bankhead in the new play Looped, beginning performances on Broadway today at the Lyceum Theatre. Looped takes place in a sound recording studio in 1965, where Bankhead has gone to "loop" (i.e. re-record) a single line of dialogue from her latest movie, Die! Die! My Darling. Having arrived inebriated, she can't get the line right, frustrating her film editor (played by Brian Hutchison, recently on Broadway in Exit the King) and forcing the studio sound technician (Michael Mulheren, whose Broadway credits include Kiss Me, Kate and The Farnsworth Invention) to play referee. Written by Matthew Lombardo and directed by Rob Ruggiero, Looped will have its official Broadway opening on March 14.

There's a New Dame In Town

2010-02-17T20:10:00.000-05:00

Dame Edna Everage has her Honorary Understudy, and his name is Scott Mason. The honor was bestowed upon Mason on Wednesday morning when he won a contest being held at Henry Miller's Theatre, where Dame Edna's new show All About Me is soon opening. Among the contest's judges, which scored the participants on criteria such as make-up, costume, and accent, were Michael Musto and New York Post columnist Michael Riedel. Dame Edna herself (aka Barry Humphries) and All About Me co-star Michael Feinstein had their say as well, of course. Although he will receive a credit in the show's Playbill, Scott Mason's role as official understudy will be purely honorary (after all, there is only one Dame Edna Everage). However, Mason is no stranger to playing the good Dame - he has worked extensively as a professional Dame Edna impersonator.

A Behanding in Spokane Begins on Broadway Tonight

2010-02-15T21:08:00.003-05:00

The world premiere production of Martin McDonagh's new play A Behanding in Spokane begins on Broadway tonight at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre. This is the first time that one of McDonagh's works, which usually take place in Ireland, is set in the United States, and it is also the first McDonagh play to premiere on Broadway. Directed by John Crowley, the intermission-less comedy stars Christopher Walken, Sam Rockwell, Anthony Mackie, and Zoe Kazan. A Behanding in Spokane, which is sure to include its author's signature mix of black humor and violence, is about a man looking for his missing hand, a couple of con artists out to make a score, and a curious hotel clerk. The play is set for a limited run of 16 weeks and will have its official Broadway opening on March 4.

13th Edition of Broadway Bears Roars Into Town

2010-02-14T14:07:00.003-05:00

It's going to be a very cuddly Valentine's Day for those attending "Broadway Bears VIII" today at the B.B. King Blues Club & Grill in the theater district. The annual event, which serves as a fundraiser for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA), features a myriad of teddy bears which have been fashioned and costumed to resemble characters from Broadway shows. Most of the bears that will be up for auction at the event represent current or recent Broadway shows, such as 9 to 5, 33 Variations, A Little Night Music, A Steady Rain, Billy Elliot, Exit the King, Hair, Liza's at the Palace, Rock of Ages, and Wishful Drinking. But there are also bears representing older Broadway shows, such as M. Butterfly and Victor/Victoria. Most bears are actually autographed by the original person who played their character, and many also feature autographs from other people involved with the show as well. Tickets for "Broadway Bears", which is hosted by John Bolton (Spamalot) and Sotheby's auctioneer Lorna Kelly (and featuring a musical performance by Felicia Finley), are $35 or $150 for VIP tickets. If you want to bid on a bear, though, prepare to fork over a lot more cash. Last year's top bear, a Spamalot bear signed by Clay Aiken, went for $16,000.

The Miracle Worker Begins Performances on Broadway

2010-02-12T14:04:00.003-05:00

The new Broadway revival of the classic William Gibson play The Miracle Worker (based on the true story of Helen Keller) starts performances at the Circle in the Square Theatre today. The production features Alison Pill (most recently on Broadway in The Lieutenant of Inishmore and Off-Broadway in reasons to be pretty) as Annie Sullivan and Abigail Breslin (on film in Little Miss Sunshine and Zombieland) as her famous pupil, the blind and deaf Helen Keller. Jennifer Morrison (TV's House), Matthew Modine (And the Band Played On), and Elizabeth Franz (on Broadway in Death of a Salesman and Morning's at Seven) co-star in the drama, set in 1880s Alabama. The Miracle Worker, which is directed by Kate Whoriskey, will have its official opening on March 3.

Times Square Pedestrian Mall To Become Permanent

2010-02-11T03:01:00.003-05:00

Good news for those who have been enjoying the freedom to literally walk right down the middle of Broadway in the Times Square area - Mayor Bloomberg has announced that the temporary pedestrian mall will become permanent. Closing Broadway to traffic between 42nd and 47th streets began as an experiment in the summer of 2009, the idea being to relieve some traffic congestion in midtown while giving New York visitors and locals alike the opportunity to enjoy the theater district without dodging cars and taxis. Statistics showed that the street closure did not do much to improve NYC traffic, but it did reduce pedestrian injuries in the area considerably while providing tourists more space to take pictures and local office workers a nice place to have lunch outside. Although the current set-up is a bit ramshackle in places, with chairs and tables strewn about over the concrete of Broadway, the pedestrian mall will gradually be transformed into a proper plaza with a more aesthetically pleasing design.

The Broadway Shows Will Go On

2010-02-10T13:40:00.003-05:00

It may be blizzarding in New York City, but a little (or a lotta) snow doesn't faze showbiz folks who believe that the show must go on. The Broadway League announced this morning that there will be no cancellations today, and both the matinee and evening Broadway shows will play as scheduled. If you have to travel into NYC and are worried about dealing with the bad weather, you may want to contact your show's ticketing agent to see if they will be willing to exchange your tickets for another date. Not all shows are willing to offer exchanges, but some will, so it is worth asking. So far Telecharge has announced that it will offer exchanges to people holding tickets to these Broadway shows: Billy Elliot, Chicago, Fela!, God of Carnage, Hair, Jersey Boys, A Little Night Music, Mamma Mia!, Memphis, The Phantom of the Opera, Race, South Pacific, Time Stands Still, and A View from the Bridge.

Hair Gives Discount Tickets To City Students On Snow Day

2010-02-09T22:28:00.003-05:00

Following reports that New York City is primed to get dumped by a whole lot of snow tomorrow, it was announced that New York City's public schools would be closing up shop on Wednesday, February 10th. To give New York City students an opportunity to have some extra fun on their snow day, the producers of the Broadway revival of the musical Hair are offering New York City students $40 tickets for the matinee and evening performances on Wednesday. Students must purchase the tickets at the show's box office (the Al Hirschfeld Theatre on West 45th Street), they have to show a valid ID, and they are permitted to purchase as many as four of these discounted tickets. Snow or no snow, the people at Hair are always determined to let the sun shine in!

Sean Hayes and Nathan Lane To Headline Broadway Talks Series

2010-02-08T14:36:00.003-05:00

A new discussion series known as "Broadway Talks" will debut at the 92nd Street Y in March. Producer and Jujamcyn Theaters president Jordan Roth will host the evening talks, each of which will feature a notable Broadway personality. In the first installment on March 1, Roth will chat with respected actor Liev Schreiber, who is currently starring in the Broadway revival of Arthur Miller's A View From the Bridge. Subsequent evenings will feature Time Stands Still's Laura Linney (March 28), The Addams Family's patriarch Nathan Lane (May 23), and star of the upcoming Broadway musical revival Promises, Promises, Sean Hayes (May 24). Tickets for "Broadway Talks" are $27. Get more info at www.92Y.org/lectures.