Guys and Dolls Comes to the Hollywood Bowl

Film star Jessica Biel is coming to the Hollywood Bowl this weekend for a three-day affair, but she won’t be making an appearance alone. Biel is one of several starring actors/actresses to make cameos in a weekend run of the Frank Loesser musical Guys and Dolls, which will take place this weekend, July 31 to August 2, at the famed Los Angeles venue. Broadway favorites Ellen Greene, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Scott Bakula will join Jessica Biel onstage for the weekend rendezvous, which is directed by Richard Jay-Alexander and choreographed by Donna McKechnie.

While recently speaking of the upcoming production of Guys and Dolls, director Richard Jay-Alexander said, “Ellen Greene should never not be on a stage somewhere. She is so special and so unique, and I am really flattered that she agreed to be in Guys and Dolls at the Hollywood Bowl. That said, she is surrounded by an amazing cast, with formidable acting partners. At the end of a feverishly paced first day of music rehearsal, using every room available to us, we did a full ‘read/sing-through,’ and my jaw dropped at least a dozen times.” Show times for this weekend’s Bowl performances will be tonight and tomorrow night (July 31 and August 1) at 8:30 p.m. and Sunday, August 2 at 7:30 p.m.

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Permalink - Posted in General on July 31, 2009 - Post a comment

Dancing with the Stars Pros Samba on Broadway

Seductress Karina Smirnoff is most widely recognized as a regular dancing professional on the ABC celebrity dance competition Dancing with the Stars, but now the Ukraine-born dancer has tested the limits of her safety zone, waltzing across the big stage along with fiancé and fellow Dancing with the Stars professional Maksim Chmerkovskiy. Smirnoff and Chmerkovskiy have accepted roles as starring dancers in the dance revue Burn the Floor, making side-by-side cameos in the production from July 25 - August 16 at the Longacre Theatre. The internationally-recognized Burn the Floor has given Smirnoff and Chmerkovskiy the chance to expand their repertoires, and of that Smirnoff said, “Honestly, Broadway was a dream of mine as long as I remember. So when the opportunity presented itself, I thought it was a dream come true. But then, if we’re going to present it where both Max and I are dancing together on Broadway, then we take it as a miracle. You don’t get this kind of opportunity every day.”

Now in the lull between seasons of Dancing with the Stars, Karina Smirnoff is showing off her dance moves on the big stage, performing everything from the lindy hop to the cha-cha, samba, salsa, rumba, swing and more while onstage with the production Burn the Floor. While her stint with Burn the Floor only lasts until August 16, fans of the nimble dancer will get to see her transform another celebrity into a bona fide dancer on the next season of Dancing with the Stars, set to be airing soon.

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Permalink - Posted in General on July 30, 2009 - Post a comment

Rock of Ages is on Fire!

The Tony Award-nominated musical Rock of Ages has been a top-grossing production on the Broadway scene since its opening in April, and the head-banging masterpiece has flown through this summer in true rock star style. Becoming one of the most talked-about musicals on the scene, Rock of Ages continues rocking on in the Broadway realm, and several public appearances are slated for this weekend, bringing Rock of Ages to the forefront even more.

This Friday (July 31), starring actor Constantine Maroulis will make an appearance on The View for an interview with Barbara Walters, Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Sherri Shepherd, and the segment of The View will also include a medley of songs performed by the cast of Rock of Ages, as well. Maroulis will also make an appearance this Sunday (August 2) on the IFC series Z Rock.

Rock of Ages has been a hit since March 17, 2009, when previews for the rock musical surfaced. Most recently, changes have occurred with the role of Sherrie, the leading lady. Amy Spanger, who has played Sherrie since the musical’s opening, went on vocal rest June 8, leaving understudy Savannah Wise to step up to the role. Spanger officially left the show for personal reasons on June 29, leaving Wise as the permanent Sherrie for upcoming performances.

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Permalink - Posted in General on July 29, 2009 - Post a comment

Catch Me if You Can Heads to Seattle

Moviegoers across the country were captivated with Leonardo diCaprio as the film star brought to life the Steven Spielberg movie Catch Me if You Can in 2002, and now the true story of con artist Frank Abagnale, Jr. is making its way onto the big stage, with the world premiere of the Broadway musical Catch Me if You Can coming up on July 28 at the 5th Avenue Theatre. The musical adaptation of this DreamWorks classic is set to feature Tony Award-winning actor Norbert Leo Butz and also Aaron Tveit, and the engagement will run through August 16 in Seattle.

In the Seattle running of Catch Me if You Can, Butz will star as FBI Fraud Agent Carl Hanratty while Tveit will play Frank Abagnale, Jr. Aside from the starring duo, Tom Wopat will play Frank Sr. in the engagement, with Kerry Butler playing Brenda, Linda Hart as Carol, Rachel deBenedet as Paula, Nick Wyman as Roger and Felicia Finley as Cherll Ann. Of the musical score, composer Marc Shaiman said, “The score is as eclectic as the music of the mid-’60s was. On any given Sunday, you could hear the Rolling Stones or the Beatles on ‘Ed Sullivan,’ a Frank Sinatra special or ‘The Judy Garland TV Show,’ teen idols on ‘Hullabaloo,’ Henry Mancini themes, Dean Martin and the Goldiggers. It is a fantastic palette to draw from.”

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Permalink - Posted in General on July 28, 2009 - Post a comment

Jerry Springer to Join Cast of Chicago

He’s the king of trashy talk shows, but that isn’t stopping the infamous Jerry Springer from joining other endeavors, as well! Announced over the weekend, Springer will be the newest character to jump aboard the national tour of Broadway’s Chicago, joining the Atlanta cast this fall as lawyer Billy Flinn in the September 8-13 engagement at the Fabulous Fox Theatre. Jerry Springer will then take his role as Billy Flinn to Philadelphia from September 15-20 as Chicago travels to Philly’s Kimmel Center at the Academy of Music, and it’s been rumored that the talk show host will also repeat his role in New York at the Ambassador Theatre later this fall.

In a recent statement promoting Springer’s Chicago run in Atlanta, Christopher B. Manos said, “Cultural icon and ringmaster extraordinaire Jerry Springer will star as the flamboyant lawyer and master showman ‘Billy Flinn’ in the smash hit musical Chicago when it plays the Fabulous Fox Theatre from Sept. 8-13. Add this news to the fact that the show is celebrating 11 glorious years of girls, glitz and glamour and you’ve got pure entertainment!” What’s to come of Jerry Springer’s rendezvous with Broadway? Stay tuned to find out!

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Permalink - Posted in General on July 27, 2009 - Post a comment

August: Osage County National Tour Begins Today in Denver

Previews will begin today for the start of the national tour of August: Osage County, a Tony Award-winning production by Tracy Letts. The tour’s launch will take place tonight in Denver at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, and the play will officially open on July 28 and run in Denver until July 28, thereafter moving to San Francisco this fall. The national tour of August: Osage County will be led by Academy Award winner Estelle Parsons, who took the lead as Violet Weston in the Broadway run of the same production.

Shannon Cochran (Barbara Fordham), Jon DeVries (Beverly Weston), Libby George (Mattie Fae Aiken), Stephen Key (Little Charles), Emily Kinney (Jean Fordham), Laurence Lau (Steve Heidebrecht), Marcus Nelson (Sheriff Deon Gilbeau), Paul V. O’Connor (Charlie Aiken) and more will also join Parsons onstage for the national tour of August: Osage County, which is directed by Anna D. Shapiro. August: Osage County has been a crowd-pleaser ever since its run on Broadway that began in 2008, and the play only recently ended (on June 28, 2009). The Best Play of 2008 (says the Tony Awards) will be headed to Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle and Toronto after its run in Denver and then San Francisco, and several more stops are on the tour, as well!

To get Broadway tickets, go to StubHub.

Permalink - Posted in General on July 24, 2009 - Post a comment

Holmes Goes from Broadway to Reality TV

Katie Holmes turned heads across the country when she starred in the Broadway revival of Arthur Miller’s All My Sons last winter, but now the sultry singer/actress is making another move - this time to reality television. That’s right, for one night audiences across the nation will see Katie Holmes try out her dancin’ shoes, as she’ll take part in a song-and-dance tribute to Judy Garland on tonight’s 100th episode of the reality dance competition So You Think You Can Dance. Holmes will be performing the number, choreographed by So You Think You Can Dance’s own Tyce Diorio, to promote the charity Dizzy Feet Foundation, and the A-list actress is sure to garner as much attention on her stint with SYTYCD as she did on Broadway.

Holmes stepped out of the television/film acting world last fall to star in All My Sons alongside John Lithgow, Patrick Wilson and Dianne West, and the Broadway production played at New York City’s Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre from September 18, 2008 to January 11, 2009. Katie Holmes is now strutting her stuff for So You Think You Can Dance, but will we see her again on Broadway anytime soon? Anything is possible, so keep your eyes peeled for Mrs. Tom Cruise to take the spotlight once again!

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Permalink - Posted in General on July 23, 2009 - Post a comment

Billy Elliot Announces National Tour

The Broadway musical Billy Elliot has been one of the most popular productions of the year, and thanks to the triple-threat of the Tony Award-winning Billys David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik and Kiril Kulish, this Elton John-penned production has consistently been one of the top-grossing Broadway shows since its opening. The current running of Billy Elliot garnered 10 Tonys this year for its captivating style and engaging performances, and the show will now go on, as it has just been announced that Billy Elliot will launch a national tour, starting in the spring of 2010 in Chicago. The multi-city tour will open in Chicago at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theater starting in March, and additional dates will be released in the future.

Confirming the national tour starting in Chicago next spring, Elton John recently said, “Chicago has always been one of my favorite cities to play. And it is my distinct pleasure to share this show that I love so much with a city that has always been very kind to me.” Billy Elliot has already wowed audiences on Broadway, and now it will touch an even bigger crowd on tour this spring.

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Permalink - Posted in General on July 22, 2009 - Post a comment

London’s Legally Blonde Stocks Up on Reality Stars

Reality shows aren’t just all the buzz in the U.S. They also carry over to the U.K., and reality competitions like ITV1’s Grease is the Word and BBC’s How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? have taken audiences captive over the past few years. While these types of shows are booming, so are the careers of Susan McFadden and Aoife Mulholland, finalists of U.K. reality shows and actresses/singers who have both grabbed at the chance to join the upcoming West End premiere of Legally Blonde The Musical. McFadden, winner of Grease is the Word, will join the London production of Legally Blonde as Serena this winter while Mulholland, a finalist in How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?, will conquer the role of Brooke in the upcoming production.

Legally Blonde The Musical, also featuring Sheridan Smith, Duncan James and Alex Gaumond, will begin performances at London’s Savoy Theatre on December 5, 2009, with an official opening on January 13, 2010. The comedy musical is adapted from the 2001 film Legally Blonde, and the musical features music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Neil Benjamin and book by Heather Hach.

To get Broadway tickets, go to StubHub.

Permalink - Posted in General on July 21, 2009 - Post a comment

Blithe Spirit Ends Broadway Run

Yesterday marked the end of the Noel Coward production Blithe Spirit, which had been on a limited Broadway run since earlier this spring. The Angela Lansbury-fronted production ended its run yesterday, July 19, having been a Broadway staple at New York’s Shubert Theatre Since February 26, 2009, when it began preview performances, thereafter opening on March 15. The revival of Blithe Spirit grossed more than $10.9 million in its recent running, and the production also helped Angela Lansbury win a Tony Award this year for her performance as the character Madame Arcati.

The recent running of Blithe Spirit was led by Tony Award-winning director Michael Blakemore, who, along with a leading cast of Rupert Everett, Christine Ebersole, Jayne Atkinson, Simon Jones, Deborah Rush and Susan Louise O’Connor, made the Broadway production one of the most memorable shows of the year. Now that Blithe Spirit is off the stage, the next show at the Shubert Theatre will be Memphis, a David Bryan/Joe DiPietro production which will begin previews September 23 with an opening date of October 18, 2009. Stay tuned for more Broadway news as Blithe Spirit takes a final bow and Memphis eases into its place!

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Permalink - Posted in General on July 20, 2009 - Post a comment


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