Kerry Washington Joins Broadway

Actress Kerry Washington (Ray, The Last King of Scotland) is the newest film star to join the ranks of Broadway, as the fresh-faced starlet is set to star in the world premiere of the David Mamet production Race, which will soon be infiltrating the Broadway scene. Race, the newest endeavor from the acclaimed Mamet, will begin showing previews on November 17 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre (243 West 47th Street) and will officially open on Broadway on December 6, 2009. Washington will star alongside Emmy Award winner Richard Thomas and James Spader in Race, making for one much-anticipated production. The show will also be produced by Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel and Steve Traxler, while Mamet will handle directing of the production.

Kerry Washington, the 32-year-old actress from New York, will make her Broadway debut in Race, but she has been a well-known actress for years, having appeared in films such as Bad Company, The Dead Girl, Little Man, The Human Stain, Life is Hot in Cracktown, I Think I Love My Wife, Lakeview Terrace and more. The actress’ most recent endeavors include the Box Office hits Ray and The Last King of Scotland.

To get Broadway tickets, go to StubHub.

Permalink - Posted in General on June 16, 2009 - Post a comment

Bikel Makes Birthday Memorable with Benefit Concert

In celebration of his 85th birthday last month, legendary singer/actor Theodore Bikel has been working to make the landmark a memorable one. Bikel and friends will take the stage at Carnegie Hall tonight for one more round, playing a benefit concert at the esteemed venue in order to raise money for Juvenile Law Center, a non-profit law firm working to protect the rights of child welfare and juvenile justice systems. The concert will also include big names such as Alan Alda, Arlo Guthrie, David Krakauer, Patricia Conolly, Judy Kaye, Artie Butler, Peter Yarrow, Susan Werner and more, and other figures who have had a hand in the benefit include Pete Seeger, Elie Wiesel, Barbara Cook, Frank Langella and John C. Whitehead, all of whom have served as honorary committee co-chairs for tonight’s big event.

Bikel recently made a statement supporting his decision to celebrate his 85th birthday with a benefit concert, saying, “Throughout my life I have been equally passionate about music and social justice, and have allied myself with other who use guitars, banjos, fiddles and words to conquer fear and injustice. I can think of no better way to celebrate that life than a night of music with some of my nearest and dearest friends, and no more deserving cause than protecting the rights of our nation’s most vulnerable children.”

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Permalink - Posted in General on June 15, 2009 - Post a comment

MAMMA MIA! Sets Broadway Record

The universally-known Broadway musical MAMMA MIA! has been singing and dancing its way into the hearts of millions of theatergoers over the past several years, and on Saturday, June 27 it will officially go down in musical history, having become the 15th longest-running show in Broadway history. June 27 will mark the 3,183rd performance of MAMMA MIA!, passing up the play Tobacco Road to snag the No. 15 spot as a long-running Broadway production.

MAMMA MIA! opened on Broadway at the Winter Garden Theatre on October 18, 2001, already playing for almost eight years and breaking the records of Broadway mainstays like Hello, Dolly!; Oklahoma!; Man of La Mancha and My Fair Lady. MAMMA MIA! has had more than 40 million viewers see the show so far on its Broadway run, and the production has grossed more than $2 billion worldwide since its inception. The sensational production relates to all walks of life, as it tells the tale of a daughter about to get married on a Greek Island and her quest to find her real father, which stems from the possibility of three men. The musical’s soundtrack is based on the music of ABBA, making it a mainstay on the Broadway scene.

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

Sienna and Jonny Lee Miller to Star on Broadway

Eli Stone’s Jonny Lee Miller and film starlet Sienna Miller have both been tapped for upcoming roles in the Broadway production After Miss Julie, where both will make their Broadway debuts. Jonny Lee Miller has been selected to play the part of John in the upcoming production, while Sienna Miller will star as Miss Julie. After Miss Julie will be presented by Roundabout Theatre Company in association with Sonia Friedman Productions and Ostar Productions, and the upcoming presentation will begin preview performances on September 18, 2009, officially opening on October 22 and running through December 6, 2009 at the American Airlines Theatre at 227 West 42nd Street.

After Miss Julie, modeled after the August Strindberg 1888 play, has been adapted by Patrick Marber and will be directed by mark Brokaw. According to a recent statement by the production, After Miss Julie “transposes August Strindberg’s 1888 play about sex and class to an English country house on the eve of Labour’s historic landslide in 1945.”

Both Sienna Miller (Casanova, Factory Girl) and Jonny Lee Miller (Trainspotting, Eli Stone) are expected to draw huge crowds to the upcoming remake of After Miss Julie, and tickets to the production will be available starting in July.

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

O’Donnell to Star in Broadway Revival

She’s starred in films from ranging the classic A League of Their Own to Sleepless in Seattle and has done both standup comedy and been a host on ABC’s The View, but Rosie O’Donnell is also a bona fide Broadway star, coming back after years away from the big stage to star in an upcoming Broadway revival of the Rodgers and Hart 1937 musical Babes in Arms. The new version of Babes in Arms, said to feature a new book by Joe DiPietro (Memphis), is still in the works, but the production is coming together with the recent announcement that Tony nominated choreographer Randy Skinner will direct and choreograph the upcoming Babes in Arms. In the revival of the 1937 musical, O’Donnell is expected to play the part of a chorus girl who helps a group of children put on a musical show so they won’t be sent to a workfarm. Skinner and O’Donnell have worked together in the past, when the two partnered for a staging of No, No, Nanette.

Rosie O’Donnell’s Broadway stint began in 1994, when the actress debuted as Rizzo in the Broadway revival of Grease!, and she’s also played the Cat in the Hat in a production of Seussical, as well as Golde in Fiddler on the Roof.

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Permalink - Posted in General on June 10, 2009 - Post a comment

Tony Award Winners Take a Bow

Shrek and 9 to 5 were overlooked in the 63rd annual Tony Awards Sunday night, but perhaps that’s because there was one grand slam of a musical that came dancing across the Broadway stage and stole the thunder from all the rest - that, of course, being Billy Elliot: The Musical. The musical adaptation of the 2000 film about a working-class boy from England rising against the norms with his passion for dance, Billy Elliot was given a boost by Elton John’s musical tendencies and has been a fan favorite on the Broadway scene for theatergoers around the nation ever since, taking home top honors at Sunday night’s Tony Awards presentation, winning 10 Tonys, including the prized Best Musical award.

Spearheading the Billy Elliot craze are the three pubescent actors David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik and Kiril Kulish, the combined lead actor in the musical. The “Three Billys” took home the award for Best Actor in a Musical at the Tony Awards and impressed in a performance during the awards presentation, and Elton John also brought down the house when he commented on fans’ support of the musical, saying, “You opened your wallets and you opened your hearts.”

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Permalink - Posted in General on June 9, 2009 - Post a comment

Tony Awards Recap

Billy Elliot, Hair, Norman Conquests and God of Carnage all made a splash at last night’s Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall, but (in usual fashion) it was Bret Michaels who stole the attention from the presentation, as the rocker performed the smash single “Nothin’ But a Good Time” alongside his band Poison and the cast of Rock of Ages in promotion of the rock musical. The song went over well, but the most talked-about moment from the entire night came at the end of the piece, when the band was supposed to run behind the stage as a new set dropped in front. Michaels failed to get out of the way in time, and a set came crashing down on him, knocking him to his feet. Host Neil Patrick Harris came back onto the stage later and cracked the joke, “Bret Michaels on the Broadway stage. His number gave head-banging a whole new meaning.”

This opening number from last night’s Tony Awards set the scene for the rest of the star-studded show, and other main highlights from the night include Billy Elliot’s 10 awards of 15 nominations, including the musical’s three leading teenage actors (David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik and Kiril Kulish) taking home a joint Best Lead Actor in a Musical award, which in winning became the first time in the Tony Awards’ 63 years running that three actors won for one role in the same category.

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

‘Billy Elliot’ Dominates BroadwayWorld.com Fans’ Choice Awards

The seventh annual BroadwayWorld.com Theater Fans’ Choice Awards winners have been revealed, and it’s no surprise that Billy Elliot: The Musical is the top dog in this year’s you-pick-’em awards. Theatergoers around the country unloaded their votes for the best Broadway productions currently on the circuit, and after 400,000 votes were counted, here’s how the biggest awards panned out:

  • Best Featured Actor in a Musical: Gregory Jbara, Billy Elliot
  • Best Featured Actor in a Play: Patrick Wilson, All My Sons
  • Best Featured Actress in a Musical: Karen Olivo, West Side Story and Hadyn Gwynne, Billy Elliot
  • Best Featured Actress in a Play: Angela Lansbury, Blithe Spirit
  • Best Leading Actor in a Musical: David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, Kiril Kulish, Billy Elliot
  • Best Leading Actress in a Musical: Alice Ripley, Next to Normal
  • Best Book of a Musical: Lee Hall, Billy Elliot
  • Best Choreography: Peter Darling, Billy Elliot
  • Best Costume Design: Tim Hatley, Shrek: The Musical
  • Best Direction of a Musical: Stephen Daldry, Billy Elliot
  • Best Original Score: Elton John, Billy Elliot and Dolly Parton, 9 to 5
  • Best Musical: Billy Elliot

Billy Elliot: The Musical took 10 awards total from the full list of Fans’ Choice Awards, while Equus came in second with four awards and 9 to 5 took third place honors with two.

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

The Man Behind Broadway Marquees

Perhaps the most recognizable aspect of Broadway is the marquee sign, a staple at theaters across the globe. New York City’s Theatre District is a world-renowned attraction, and the man behind the flashing lights of this spectacular sight is the wondrous Wayne Sapper, whose family business King Displays has been providing Broadway with its best and most vivid marquee signs for decades. Highlighted today on Playbill.com, Sapper gives some insight to his behind-the-scenes business that most theatergoers don’t think twice about, and we’re here to reveal some of the details behind the showy Broadway signs.

Sapper’s King Displays, a 71-year business, sits at W. 52nd Street in the heart of the theatrical action, and the company has been the advertising means for hundreds of productions over the years, as Sapper relates, “Everything from the marquees to the little name sliders… That’s exactly what we try to be.” From past days where signs took up to 10 days to make to now where they’re almost instantly designed, King Displays has been there, having handcrafted marquee signs for an estimated 80 percent of the theatres on Broadway. From long-running shows like Wicked, Phantom of the Opera or Chicago, Sapper and King Displays have seen it all, so next time you’re at the theater, remember the man behind the marquee sign.

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

Wilson, Harris To Participate in “Talkback” Series

Fans of Grey’s Anatomy or Dancing with the Stars may have been surprised to find that one of their favorite characters or spokespersons are conquering Broadway, but with the upcoming launch of Chicago both Chandra Wilson (Dr. Bailey from Grey’s Anatomy) and Samantha Harris (Dancing with the Stars) have been plucked from their respective primetime television shows, now preparing for a run on the big stage. Wilson will play mama Morton in Chicago from June 8 - July 5 and Harris will play Roxie Hart from July 7 - August 16, and in the meantime both fan favorites will partake in a discussion and question-answer session concerning the upcoming Chicago revival at the Ambassador Theatre in Manhattan.

Both actresses will take part in Chicago’s “Talkback Tuesdays” series, a post-show discussion about the musical, in the next couple months. Chandra Wilson will participate in the “Talkback” program following the June 23 performance of Chicago, while Samantha Harris will be the featured guest for “Talkback” on July 14 and August 11. All discussions will be moderated by Duncan Stewart, the casting director for the Tony-winning revival of Kander and Ebb’s Chicago, and the “Talkback Tuesdays” segment will “provide theatergoers with an exclusive, behind-the-scenes glimpse into the world of Chicago.”

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Permalink - Posted in General on June 3, 2009 - Post a comment


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