More Details for 2009 Tony Awards

The cast of Billy Elliot: The Musical is already thrilled for the upcoming Tony Awards as the musical is the top-nominated production for awards, but now the entire Broadway community is getting restless in anticipation of the 2009 awards show, especially as more details have slowly started trickling down through the media.

Just announced, actor Neil Patrick Harris (aka Doogie Howser) will be the host for the 63rd annual Tony Awards, which will take place June 7 at the Radio City Music Hall. Harris recently made a statement concerning his involvement with the Tonys, saying, “The discipline of live theatre- doing the same perfect thing night after night, eight times a week - never ceases to amaze me. I’m truly honored to have been chosen as the Master of Ceremonies for this year’s Tony Awards, and I hope to help provide a first-class evening for all.”

The 2009 Tony Awards are presented by the Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing, and aside from featuring Neil Patrick Harris as host of the big event, this year’s Tony Awards will also honor composer/lyricist Jerry Herman (Hello, Dolly!, La Cage aux Folles) and actress/activist Phyllis Newman, the latter of which is the 2009 recipient of the Isabelle Stevenson Award. Stay tuned for more details on the upcoming star-studded event!

To get Broadway tickets, go to StubHub.

Permalink - Posted in General on May 14, 2009 - Post a comment

Broadway Shows Not to Miss Out On

If you’re in the New York area and have a couple hours to spare, it’s worthwhile to check out a colorful Broadway production. There are many, many phenomenal productions currently playing on Broadway at several different theaters across town, and if you’re searching for that perfect musical to attend, we have it all covered! Here are just a few classic Broadway musicals playing right now that are worth checking out and where you can find them!

  • Billy Elliot The Musical - Imperial Theater, 249 West 45th Street
  • Desire Under the Elms - St. James Theater, 246 West 44th Street
  • Exit the King - Barrymore Theater, 243 West 47th Street
  • Hair - Al Hirschfeld Theater, 302 West 45th Street
  • Joe Turner’s Come and Gone - Belasco Theater, 111 West 44th Street
  • Mary Stuart - Broadhurst Theater, 235 West 44th Street
  • Next to Normal - Booth Theater, 222 West 45th Street
  • 9 to 5: The Musical - Marquis Theater, 1535 Broadway at 45th Street
  • Rock of Ages - Brooks Atkinson Theater, 256 West 47th Street
  • Shrek the Musical - Broadway Theater, 1681 Broadway at 53rd Street
  • 33 Variations - Eugene O’Neill Theater, 230 West 49th Street
  • Waiting for Godot - Studio 54, 254 West 54th Street

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Permalink - Posted in General on May 13, 2009 - Post a comment

Addams Family Coming to Broadway

They’re creepy and they’re kooky, mysterious and spooky, they’re altogether ooky, and the Addams Family is coming straight to Broadway in 2010! Just announced, the ’60s television show The Addams Family is being adapted into a Broadway musical, set to open in Chicago for two months before officially moving to Broadway in April of 2010. As of now, the show will feature Cheers/Frasier actress Bebe Neuwirth as Morticia Addams and Producers star Nathan Lane as Morticia’s husband Gomez Addams, and the rest of this frightening cast includes Kevin Chamberlain as Uncle Fester, Jackie Hoffman as Grandma and Zachary James as Lurch. The plot for The Addams Family Broadway musical will focus on Wednesday Addam’s life as an adolescent and on finding a boyfriend, and this spooky comedy is sure to turn heads on the musical front.

The Addams Family began as the creation of cartoonist Charles Addams, whose comic strip ran in The New Yorker in the ’60s before becoming an animated television series in the ’70s. Its overwhelming popularity led the production to become a box office smash in the 1990s starring Anjelica Huston, Christopher Lloyd and the late Raul Julia, and this Halloween favorite will now become a big stage favorite, featuring music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa.

To get Broadway tickets, go to StubHub.

Permalink - Posted in General on May 12, 2009 - Post a comment

Billy Elliot Takes Top Honors at Outer Critics Circle Awards

Perhaps an indicator for how the Tony Awards will pan out later this year, Billy Elliot: The Musical took home the gold from the 59th annual Outer Critics Circle Awards, winning seven prestigious awards and even garnering a Special Achievement Award for the musical’s leading trio of co-stars - David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik and Kril Kulish. The Outer Critics Circle Awards, honoring Broadway and off-Broadway productions, announced its list of winners today, and Billy Elliot was ahead of the pack, taking seven awards while Shrek the Musical also scored well with four.

Aside from co-stars Alvarez, Kowalik and Kulish winning the Special Achievement Award, Billy Elliot: The Musical also took home top honors for Outstanding New Broadway Musical, Outstanding New Score, Outstanding Director of a Musical (Stephen Daldry), Outstanding Choreographer (Peter Darling), Outstanding Lighting Design (Rick Fisher), Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical (Gregory Jbara) and Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical (Haydn Gwynne).

The winners of the Outer Critics Circle Awards, including a slew of actors, actresses and producers from Billy Elliot, are set to be honored with an awards dinner on May 21 at Sardi’s Restaurant in the Eugenia Room.

To get Broadway tickets, go to StubHub.

Permalink - Posted in General on May 11, 2009 - Post a comment

New York Talent Agent Sam Cohn Dies at 79

The lights on Broadway marquees were dimmed last night at 8 p.m. to pay tribute to the powerful Sam Cohn, a die-hard New Yorker and talent agent who passed away May 6 at age 79. Cohn co-founded International Creative Management and had a hand in the careers of several top-notch Broadway and film actors and actresses, playwrights, directors and writers in his years as one of the best talent agents in the country. Sam Cohn’s long list of clients over the years have included entertainers such as Woody Allen, Arthur Miller, Liza Minnelli, Paul Newman, Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin, Sigourney Weaver, Bob Fosse, Fred Ebb, Kathleen Turner, Robin Williams, Whoppi Goldberg, Mike Nichols and more, and with his passing away the Broadway world has lost one of its crucial head figures.

Time magazine once called Cohn “the first super agent of the modern age,” and it was this talented businessman who got Columbia Pictures to pay a whopping $9.5 million for the movie rights to the Broadway production Annie. The Broadway realm will undoubtedly miss Cohn and his incredible contributions to the entertainment business, and Sam Cohn’s work with Broadway won’t soon be forgotten.

To get Broadway tickets, go to StubHub.

Permalink - Posted in General on May 8, 2009 - Post a comment

Broadway Thrives, Despite Dips in other Entertainment

As of April 30, the current Broadway season has made gains from last year, giving more hope to the slew of new and promising musicals on the scene in 2009. Overall ticket sales during this Broadway season evened out to be $861,310,274, up from $837,434,838 last year. This rising number could mean that more Americans are making the venture to the theater, but credit is also due to the leading productions of the year, including several that are up for Tony Awards.

Broadway shows that have been racking up audiences and money all the same over the last several months have largely been led by Wicked, the production that has consistently been the top-grossing musical week after week. West Side Story, Billy Elliot: The Musical, Jersey Boys, Hair, Rock of Ages, Shrek the Musical, 9 to 5, Next to Normal, 33 Variations and The Lion King have also been Broadway frontrunners this year, posting strong numbers in keeping Broadway alive in the wake of the recession.

Last week, box office numbers for Broadway shows were down, securing sales of $18,101,244, down from $19,223,496, but with the recent announcement of the Tony Awards, Broadway hype is sure to take off again in the upcoming weeks, especially with Billy Elliot, the musical nominated for 15 Tony Awards.

To get Broadway tickets, go to StubHub.

Permalink - Posted in General on May 7, 2009 - Post a comment

‘Next to Normal’ Not to be Outdone at Tony Awards

It’s no wonder the new Broadway musical Next to Normal has been scoring massive success on the musical scene since its arrival to the big stage - the show was constructed from the producer of Wicked and the director of Rent, and this family affair is just getting started. Next to Normal was overshadowed in Tony Award nominations by Billy Elliot (scoring 11 nods to Billy Elliot’s 15,) but the musical won’t be outdone by any means. Next to Normal is up for several of the biggest Tony Awards this year, including: Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score Written for the Theatre, Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (J. Robert Spencer), Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical (Alice Ripley), Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical (Jennifer Damiano), Best Direction of a Musical (Michael Greif), Best Orchestrations (Michael Starobin and Tom Kitt), Best Scenic Design of a Musical (Mark Wendland), Best Lighting Design of a Musical (Kevin Adams) and Best Sound Design of a Musical (Brian Ronan).

J. Robert Spencer, the lead actor in Next to Normal, has also garnered enough critical acclaim for his performance in the musical to score another award of sorts, receiving an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Shenandoah University, his alma mater.

To get Broadway tickets, go to StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on May 6, 2009 - Post a comment

‘Billy Elliot’ Makes Mark with Tony Nods

It’s a showdown between Dolly Parton and Sir Elton John, and that means that anything - truly, anything - is possible when Tony Award winners are announced on June 7. The Elton John-penned adaptation of the 2000 film Billy Elliot has come alive with the help of three very talented young performers (David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik and Kiril Kulish), and the British musical dominated the Tony Awards nominations this week, scooping up 15 nods for its production and actors/actresses.

Billy Elliot, The Musical is up for several top awards at the 2009 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical (Lee Hall), Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre (music: Elton John and lyrics: Lee Hall), Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (David Alvarez, Trent Kowlik, Kiril Kulish), Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (David Bologna, Gregory Jbara), Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical (Hadyn Gwynne, Carole Shelley), Best Direction of a Musical (Stephen Daldry), Best Choreography (Peter Darling), Best Orchestrations (Martin Kock), Best Scenic Design of a Musical (Ian MacNeil), Best Costume Design of a Musical (Nicky Gillibrand), Best Lighting Design of a Musical (Rick Fisher) and Best Sound Design of a Musical (Paul Arditti). Will Billy Elliot beat out Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5 in Tony Awards? We’ll soon find out!

To get Broadway tickets, go to StubHub.

Permalink - Posted in General on May 5, 2009 - Post a comment

Broadway’s Newest Theatre to Open with a Bang

Henry Miller’s Theatre is the latest endeavor to make an impact on the musical scene, as the newest Broadway theatre to be added in 10 years has officially completed construction. The theatre is the first one of its kind in New York City that meets the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards and as such has several eco-friendly features, making the West 43rd Street theatre a venue worth checking out.

Constructed as part of the Roundabout Theatre Company (American Airlines Theatre, Studio 54,) the 1,055-seat Henry Miller’s Theatre sits right behind the original 1918 theatre of the same name and will open with the revival of Bye Bye Birdie this coming fall. The production will begin performances on September 10 with the official opening on September 15, and this newest rendition of Bye Bye Birdie will star former Full House star John Stamos (Albert Peterson) and will also feature Gina Gershon (Rose Alvarez), Bill Irwin (Mr. Harry MacAfee) and Jayne Houdyshell (Mrs. Mae Peterson). The upcoming Bye Bye Birdie revival will run through January 10, 2010 at the Henry Miller’s Theatre.

To get Broadway tickets, go to StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on May 4, 2009 - Post a comment

‘9 to 5′ Review

The night all country music fans were waiting for came and went last night, and the whirlwind known as 9 to 5: The Musical came whipping in from all directions, surrounding the Broadway scene with some of the best memories left off and rearranged from the 1980 Dolly Parton-starring film 9 to 5. Tony Award nominations will be announced on Tuesday, and judging from the strong performance of 9 to 5 last night, this musical is expected to be one garnering Tony nods left and right next week, especially for the three leading ladies of the production - Stephanie Block, Megan Hilty and Allison Janney.

Reviews from periodicals across the country today had mixed things to say about 9 to 5, but most of the negativity present had to do with the direction of Joe Mantello. Block, Hilty and Janney (and especially Janney) have been highly praised for their roles in the musical, and the production’s score has also garnered critical acclaim. Joe Dziemianowicz of the New York Daily News sums up a critic’s perspective in a review of the musical, saying, “Not every tune is a home run, and some lyrics are too plain-spoken. But enough of them stand out, like ‘I Just Might,’ a bright, optimistic ballad. The best number, ‘Change It,’ is about the office but really addresses larger issues, and makes the show shine.”

To get Broadway tickets, go to StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on May 1, 2009 - Post a comment


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