Shrek Debuting on Broadway

The musical Shrek has become one of the most well-loved animations of this generation. Shrek, who first appeared on screen in 2001, has become an important figure on today’s cultural landscape. The idea that you can be whatever you want to be, no matter how strange it may seem to others, has opened up a whole new core of thought for the younger generations.

As important and loved as the film is, it has been hard to make the transfer onto stage, but it is being done. The musical Shrek, is debuting on Broadway in November, and promises to be a great musical to see.  Most difficult to carry on from the film has been the signature voices that are present in the film, which give it the characteristic touch that has been endearing children to it since it was released.

However, with the excellent cast available, it will definitely be living up to the standards that children have learned to expect from the movies. The cast for the musical is as follows:  Brian d’Arcy James as Shrek, Sutton Foster as Princess Fiona, Christopher Sieber is Lord Farquaad, Daniel Breaker is Donkey and John Tartaglia is Pinocchio. This is definitely a musical worth seeing, especially if you were a fan of the film, so be sure to get your tickets at Stubhub.com today!

Permalink - Posted in General on October 20, 2008 - Post a comment

A Tale of Two Cities Perfoms for Peace

This morning the Broadway cast from “A Tale of Two Cities” will be performing for the United Nations Stand up for Peace event in the the United Nations Lawn near the Peace Bell. The show, which is about the poverty and inequality that led to the French Revolution, is an excellent choice to promote this event. Participants will be responding to a global call for action, they will be standing up against poverty, and standing up for the Millennium Developement Goals.

The STAND UP innitiative is now in its third year, the innitiative was started as a way for people around the globe to request that their leaders take action against poverty and inequality. With 50,000 people dying each day because of poverty, and the socio-economical gap between classes widening, close to half of the world’s population now live in poverty. October 17-19 are now labeled the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

The choice of A Tale of Two Cities as the show to promote Stand Up, is a poignant one. The it is  the tale of a group of upper and middle class poeple struggling with conflict and intriuge as France balances on the verge of civil unrest. As the plot unfolds we find that while one character has denounced his inheritance, another is planning to destroy him for the crimes of his wealthy uncle. This is an intruiguing marriage between the stage and a socio-economic event, and will be intersesting to see how it influences the choices of the world’s population.

Permalink - Posted in General on October 17, 2008 - Post a comment

Opening Night for the Revival of All My Sons

Tonight is the Broadway opening for “All My Sons,” the story of a business man who finds that choices made in the past don’t always stay hidden. This play was the first success that the world famous playwright, Arthur Miller, had with a stage production. The man whose work transformed the face of the American stage with plays such as the “Crucible” and “Death of a Salesman.”

“All My Sons” first opened on Broadway in 1947, a huge truimph after his first play “Man Who Had All The Luck” received terrible reviews three years prior. The play became such a big success that it was eventually made into a movie starring Edward G. Robinson in 1948, receiving two WGA Award nominations.

The current production has a stellar cast, and is going to be an excellent play to see. The cast includes Tony award winning actor John Lithgow as Joe Keller, the main character of the show, with Academy Award winner Dianne Weist as his co-star. Movie and musical theater star Patrick Wilson will also be a staring member of the show, along with film actress Katie Holmes. Get your tickets today, as the play only has a limited engagement, and watch this incredible cast with one of the most brilliant plays by Arthur Miller. Tickets are available today at Stubhub.com!

Permalink - Posted in General on October 16, 2008 - Post a comment

Phantom of the Opera: Longest Running Show

Phantom of the Opera is currently the longest running show on Broadway. The show is based on the book Le Fantome de L’Opera, by Gaston Leroux, which was published in 1911. Gaston Leroux was a fascinating man in his own right, who went from disinterested lawyer, to millionaire, to broke, to famous investigative reporter in a period covering little more than a year.

His story did not do very well innitially, but eventually found its way into the hands of a researcher for Universal Pictures and was made into a silent film in 1925. Though he did not live to see his story reach its full success, dying in 1927 at the age of 59, Gaston did see the story play on the screen in Paris.

The story of The Phantom of the Opera, went on to gain incredible fame. The musical, based on the book, was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The musical opened in 1986 at Her Majesty’s Theater on October 9. It had its opening on Broadway in 1988, and went on to win seven 1988 Tony Awards, including Best Musical. It is Webber’s master work, and holds the place of the longest running musical on Broadway. It has, as of October 5, celebrated 8611 performances and is still going strong.

Permalink - Posted in General on October 15, 2008 - Post a comment

To Be or Not To Be - Official Opening

Tonight is the official Broadway opening of the play To Be or Not To Be, which was written by Ernst Lubitsch in 1942. The play started previews on September 16, at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, New York. This is a dark comedy about a troupe of Polish actors during WWII, trying to outsmart the Nazis and protect the Polish resistance.

The story by Lubitsch actually arrived on screen, before it ever made it to the stage. On March 6, 1942, the movie To Be or Not To Be was released. It starred Carole Lombard as Maria Tura, Jack Benny as Joseph Tura and Robert Stack as Lieutenant Stanislav Sobinski.

On Broadway, the play is being directecd by Tony Award winning director Casey Nicholaw. Jan Maxwell will be staring as Maria and David Rasche as Josef. The play also has Peter Benson in the role of Rowicz, Robert Dorfman as Grundberg/Magician, Steve Kazee as Sobinsky and Peter Maloney as Dowaz. This is a really great dark comedy that you won’t want to miss. To Be or Not to Be is only going to be on Broadway until November 23, so be sure to get your tickets as soon as you can. Tickets are currently available at Stubhub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on October 14, 2008 - Post a comment

The Buzz about August: Osage County

August: Osage County has won an incredible five Tony Awards this year. The awards for the play itself included: Best Play, Best Direction of a Play to Anna D. Shapiro, and Best Scenic Design of a Play to Todd Rosenthal. Acting awrds were also presented to members of the cast with Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play given to Danna Dunagan and Best Peformance by a Featuered Actress in a Play presented to Rondi Reed. The play also won nominations for actress Amy Morton for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play and for lighting designer Ann G. Wrightson for Best Lighting Design of a Play.

The show is now welcoming some new members, Proof Tony Nominee Johanna Day will join the cast as Barbara. And Michael Milligan will be coming to the stage as Little Charles. Dee Pelletier will be taking the part of Ivy Weston and Scott Jaek will be joining them as Sheriff Deon Gilbeau. Jaek has appeared previously in Night of the Iguana and on the screen in Charmed. You may also recognize Pelletier for her appearances in Law & Order and Law & Order: Criminal Intent. Be sure to get your tickets to see these new stars on stage in August: Osage County today! They will be appearing in the show for the first time on stage tonight, at the Music Box Theatre in New York.

Permalink - Posted in General on October 13, 2008 - Post a comment

South Pacific’s Mitzy Gaynor Visits Broadway Production

Mitzi Gaynor had already captured the hearts of America long before she starred as Nelly Forbushin the incredible 1958 musical, South Pacific, which is currently playing at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre, in New York City. Gaynor is an incredible actress, dancer and singer who starred in 17 films and was nominated for 17 Emmys. Her time on the silver screen, from 1950 to 1963 was one that will be rememberd for a long time, as it provided the world with some of the most fantastic performances the silver screen has ever seen.

Mitzi Gaynor thrilled the cast of the Broadway production of South Pacific by showing up at the performance on Thursday night, October 9th. The current show has definitely lived up to the standards set by the film, which won an Oscar award and was nominated for a slew of other awards. The musical that is currently on Broadway has five Drama Desk Awards, Five Outer Critics Circle Awards, Seven Tony Awards and 11 nominations. To watch this incredible musical unfold on stage, be sure to get your tickets to see South Pacific, at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre from Stubhub.com today!

Permalink - Posted in General on October 10, 2008 - Post a comment

Broadway Debut for Stars of Mary Poppins

Scarlett Strallen and Adam Fiorentino are making their Broadway debuts as Mary Poppins and Bert tonight, at the New Amsterdam Theater in New York. Both performers have had impressive roles in musicals so far. Strallen has already done very well as Mary Poppins in London, performing in the West End productin in 2005 and 2007. She was also nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for her performance as Anne Page in The Merry Wives of Windsor. Fiorentino debuted in the Australian tour of Boy from Oz, when he was 17. Since then he has been in numerous other shows in Australia and England.

The musical is based on P.L. Travers novel and the 1964 film by Walt Disney. The book for the show was written by Oscar-winning writer Julian Fellowes, and is a great story that will give you and your whole family immense enjoyment. Strallen and Fiorentino will be replacing Gavin Lee and Ashley brown, to join the cast that includes Daniel Jenkins as Mr. Banks and Rebecca Luker as Mrs. Banks. The role of Jane is alternately played by Kelsey Fowler and Cassady Leonard while Niel McCaffrey, Zach Rand, and Daniel Marconi alternate the role of Michael. Be sure to get your tickets to see Mary Poppins, with the holiday season approaching this is a great experience for the whole family. Tickets can be purchased today at Stubhub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on October 9, 2008 - Post a comment

Frank Langella in A Man For All Seasons

The part of Sir Thomas More, in A Man For All Seasons, is currently being played by Frank Langella. Last year Langella wowed audiences with his depiction of Richard Nixon. Filling these two very different roles shows off Langella to his full extent, showing his immense capabilities as an actor.

A Man for All Seasons is the story of Sir Thomas More, one of the more noble men who had their rise and fall during the reign of King Henry VIII.  He was one of several politicians that openly opposed both King Henry VIII and his father King Henry VII in their open disputes with the Pope. He refused to attend the coronation of Anne Boleyn, and was strongly against the annulment of the King’s marriange to Katherine of Aragon. He was eventually condemned as a traitor because of his refusal to sign two documents. The first was the Act of Succession, proclaiming the children of Henry and Anne as the first successors to the throne. The second was the Oath of Supremacy which made King Henry VIII the head of the Church of England. On July 6, 1535 Sir Thomas More was beheaded. He was canonized by the Catholic Church as a saint in 1935.

A Man for All Seasons is the story of a man who lived up to his private convictions, even though it cost him his life. He refused to back down from what he believed was true, and defended his stance despite powerful and dangerous opposition. This is a great play to see, so be sure to get your tickets through Stubhub.com today!

Permalink - Posted in General on October 8, 2008 - Post a comment

Boeing Boeing

One of the plays that is currently on Broadway, is Boeing Boeing, a humorous story about a man who may have bitten off a little more than he can chew by managing to engage himself to three women…at the same time! The story takes place in Paris, as an American Architect juggles these three women and a visiting friend. It would not be too hard, because all three women are flight attendants, but a change in schedules and the visiting friend take things to a whole new level.

The main character of the show, Robert, is played by Mark Rylance who won Best Actor at the Tony Awards for his performance in the show. It is a play that definitely proves that comedy is not dead, as the uproariously funny storyline unfolds with incredible hilarity. With the introduction of a faster Boeing, there is a danger that lovers may cross paths! This is a great comedy, with a hilarious conclusion, it’s sure to bring tears of laughter and a great night of fun. So get your tickets to see Boeing Boeing today, at Stubhub.com!

Permalink - Posted in General on October 7, 2008 - Post a comment


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