‘Memphis’ Is Here!
Today’s the day theatergoers in New York City have been waiting on for months, as the Joe DiPietro/David Bryan-fronted rock musical Memphis begins previews tonight at Broadway’s Shubert Theatre. The Christopher Ashley-directed Memphis is sure to stir up media attention tonight as the production begins its romp on Broadway, and this is sure to be one magnificent must-see musical, as it features Chad Kimball (DJ Huey Calhoun), Montego Glover (Felicia Farrell), J. Bernard Calloway (Delray), James Monroe Iglehart (Bobby), Cass Morgan (Gladys Calhoun), Derrick Baskin (Gator) and Michael McGrath (Mr. Simmons). Kimball and Glover created their roles for Memphis at the La Jolla Playhouse last August, continuing the run at Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre this winter before heading for Broadway.
The blazing and energetic musical Memphis will officially open at the Shubert Theatre on Oct. 19, and in the meantime viewers can catch the action of ’50s rock ‘n’ roll onstage by seeing a performance of Memphis as the production begins previews on Broadway tonight.
To get Broadway tickets, go to StubHub.
Carrie Fisher Brings One-Woman Show to Broadway
The autobiographical solo show Wishful Drinking has been an extremely popular venture for actress-writer Carrie Fisher, the woman behind the production, and later this month Fisher will bring the brutally honest tale of her substance abuse and mental illness while living in Hollywood to the big stage, as her production Wishful Drinking will start playing at Broadway’s Studio 54 on Sept. 22. The official opening for Wishful Drinking is set for Oct. 4, and the production will be a limited engagement running through Jan. 3, 2010.
Carrie Fisher broke into the entertainment business for the first time when she was 19 years old, starring as Princess Leia in the first Star Wars trilogy. Other films she’s appeared in include Charlie’s Angels, The Blues Brothers, Garbo Talks, The Man with One Red Shoe, This Is My Life, When Harry Met Sally and Sorority Row. Fisher’s Wishful Drinking premiered in 2006 at the Geffen Playhouse and has played at several theaters around the country, now set for a Broadway arrival. Wishful Drinking is also a published memoir, landing on the New York Times bestseller list for 14 weeks.
To get Broadway tickets, go to StubHub.
Broadway Stars Triumph at Emmy Awards
Several theatrical heavyweights were on hand last night for the 61st annual Emmy Awards, nominated for the television awards that took place at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. TV shows 30 Rock and Mad Men stole the thunder at last night’s Emmy Awards by winning the two most prestigious categories, with 30 Rock winning Outstanding Comedy and Mad Men taking Outstanding Drama, and Broadway actors/actresses Kristin Chenoweth, Rob Ashford, Cherry Jones, Jessica Lange, Glenn Close and David Javerbaum all took home Emmy Awards from last night’s show, as well, with Chenoweth even taking the first trophy of the night for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Pushing Daisies).
The host of last night’s Emmy Awards was Broadway superstar Neil Patrick Harris, who earlier this year hosted the Tony Awards, and Harris was just one of the bright spots of the night, which garnered an estimated 13.32 million viewers in total. There were no shocking twists or outrages (ahem, Kanye West) during the Emmy Awards as there were during last week’s VMA Awards, and the elegant awards show went exactly as planned.
To get Broadway tickets, go to StubHub.
Sienna Miller to Make Broadway Debut Tonight!
The stunning film actress Sienna Miller is making the jump to Broadway just weeks after her latest film G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra premiered on the big screen, and tonight previews will start for After Miss Julie, the one-act play that Miller stars in as the lead role Miss Julie. After Miss Julie begins previews tonight at the American Airlines Theatre on Broadway and also features Tony Award nominee Marin Ireland as Christine and Jonny Lee Miller (no relation to Sienna) as John. This incredible show is sure to make its mark on the Broadway scene as it lights up the stage tonight, and the production’s limited run is already one of the most talked-about plays currently on the market. The official opening for After Miss Julie is Oct. 22, and the play will run through Dec. 6.
After Miss Julie has been described as a play that “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.” The production is directed by Mark Brokaw and presented by the Roundabout Theatre Company, and it also serves as Sienna Miller’s Broadway debut.
To get Broadway tickets, go to StubHub.
Broadway Dims Lights for Larry Gelbart
Tony Award-winning playwright and screenwriter Larry Gelbart passed away at his home in Los Angeles last Friday, Sept. 11, after succumbing to cancer at age 81, and this Tuesday the Broadway realm took a minute - literally - to honor the memory of the great Broadway star, dimming the marquees of Broadway theaters in New York at 8:00 p.m. for one minute in memory of Gelbart.
Larry Gelbart has had his work on Broadway stages for over four decades now, spearheading everything from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and City of Angels to Sly Fox and The Conquering Hero. Gelbart also had his hand in hit television shows, even garnering an Emmy Award for developing the mega-series M*A*S*H. Gelbart is also known for works such as Tootsie, Barbarians at the Gate, The Notorious Landlady, Jerome Robbins’ Broadway, Blame It on Rio, Movie Movie and Oh, God, among several others. Larry Gelbart is not a name that will soon be forgotten in the Broadway realm, and his memory will last long past the minute that Broadway marquees were dimmed for him earlier this week.
To get Broadway tickets, go to StubHub.
Regina Spektor to Write Music for Landau Musical
Contemporary alt pop vocalist Regina Spektor has provided some tunes for films such as The Chronicles of Narnia (”The Call,”) and now she’s taking her plucky and sometimes edgy style and piano-based music and applying it to Broadway, signing up to pen the music for the upcoming Tina Landau Broadway-aimed musical Beauty, a spinoff of “Sleeping Beauty.” As planned for the upcoming musical, Spektor will write the music while Landau will tackle the book and direct and lyricist Michael Korie will pen the lyrics. The production is slated for a 2011-2012 Broadway debut after an out-of-town tryout, and Beauty has been promoted as “an expansion of Landau’s 2002 acclaimed one-act play produced by the La Jolla Playhouse; Beauty uses the 1812 Grimm fairy tale ‘Sleeping Beauty’ as a jumping off point for a contemporary and hauntingly provocative story of beauty lost and beauty found.”
Spektor, a Russian-born, Bronx-raised singer/songwriter/pianist, broke out as a solo recording artist in 2006, when she released her debut album Begin to Hope. The album went to sell over one million copies worldwide, and her latest album Far, released earlier this year, has already notched the No. 3 spot on the Billboard 200, leading her to other endeavors such as theater.
To get Broadway tickets, go to StubHub.
Remembering Bea Arthur
Bea Arthur, the vivacious actress who helped bring television shows Maude and The Golden Girls to life, passed away this past April after succumbing to cancer, but yesterday some of the top entertainment stars across the country gathered at Broadway’s Majestic Theatre to pay tribute to the late actress, recounting all kinds of stories that will help people remember Arthur as the hilarious if risqué woman she was. Arthur’s tribute gathering was hosted by Broadway star Angela Lansbury and was attended by several entertainment industry A-listers, many of whom helped pay tribute to Arthur by telling stories of her to the massive audience.
Maude producer Normal Lear spoke of Bea Arthur as many would remember her, saying, “…I am sure that’s because laughter lingers, and no one made me laugh like Bea Arthur. I have spent most of my life in the company of extraordinary laugh-makers, performers and writers, killers of the art, but Bea Arthur had me laughing in nooks and crannies of my body, places I didn’t even know existed.”
Rosie O’Donnell also spoke of Arthur’s character at yesterday’s memorial service, saying, “She really taught me and every other woman my age how to be a feminist at a time when that was a dirty word. Without her, I think there would not be as many funny women on television today.” Broadway lost a class act when Arthur passed away, but yesterday’s tribute to the Golden Girls star was fitting in remembering her for all she was.
To get Broadway tickets, go to StubHub.
‘Avenue Q’ to Open Off Broadway in October
The hilarious Broadway musical Avenue Q has been an absolute crowd-pleaser ever since its arrival at Broadway’s John Golden Theatre earlier this year, and despite its closing last night at the John Golden, Avenue Q will still be present on the New York City theater scene soon, as the production will move down the street to New World Stages starting October 9. The colorful puppets and adult humor that Avenue Q is so well known for will not disappear from the Broadway scene, and of its upcoming endeavor producer Kevin McCollum said, “Avenue Q is about all of us, so why should it close? People arrive in New York every day hoping to make their dreams come true, so as long as they’re here, we’re here! It’s just one of the funniest, wittiest and wisest musicals ever written and the more you see it, the more you love it.”
Avenue Q has been on Broadway for more than six years and has played more than 2,500 performances, currently sitting as the 20th longest-running show in Broadway history. Quirky and comical tunes like “The Internet is for Porn,” “It Sucks to be Me” and “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist” have made Avenue Q one of the most popular Broadway shows on the scene, and it won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.
To get Broadway tickets, go to StubHub.
Sneak Peek at Fall ‘09 Broadway Productions, Part II
Yesterday we gave a glimpse at what’s to come of Broadway plays this fall, and today we’re back with the top must-see Broadway musicals making their way to the big stage over the next few months. While plays like Hamlet, After Miss Julie and Race are some of the most-talked about productions set to hit Broadway this fall, here are a few more Broadway musicals to whet every theatergoer’s appetite:
Fela!: Perhaps the most anticipated show of the entire fall, Fela! is the Bill T. Jones directed and choreographed musical based on the life of African composer Fela Anikulapo Kuti. This colorful musical begins previews at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre on Oct. 19 and is sure to be one of the hottest tickets on the Broadway front over the next several months.
Memphis: A rock musical by Joe DiPietro and David Bryan, Memphis goes back to the ’50s to explore a white DJ and his love for a black singer and rock ‘n’ roll. This riveting Broadway musical played at the La Jolla Playhouse in Southern California, and now it heads to Broadway starting Sept. 23 at the Shubert Theatre.
Bye Bye Birdie: The revival of a classic Broadway musical, Bye Bye Birdie features John Stamos, Gina Gershon, Nolan Gerard Funk, Bill Irwin and Dee Hoty and begins performances at Henry Miller’s Theatre on Sept. 10.
Ragtime: Another classic revival, Ragtime transfers from the Kennedy Center to the Neil Simon starting Oct. 23 and features another huge cast and huge set worth catching on Broadway.
To get Broadway tickets, go to StubHub.
Sneak Peek at Fall ‘09 Broadway Productions, Part I
There are several fashionable Broadway productions making the rounds over the next few months, and there’s no better time to hit the theater than during the fall, as transitions to and from Broadway are sparking up all over the place. We’ve got your guide to all the must-see plays this fall, and here are some of the A-listers for the fall of ‘09:
Brighton Beach Memoirs and Broadway Bound: These two Neil Simon classics have been paired for an Emanuel Azenberg-produced revival that begins at the Nederlander on Oct. 2 with an opening date of Nov. 18, and this Noah Robbins/Josh Grisetto-led production is a surefire crowd-pleaser on the theatrical circuit.
Oleanna and Race: David Mamet also has two productions in the running this fall - one a classic (Oleanna) and one a brand new effort (Race). For the upcoming run of Oleanna, Julia Stiles and Bill Pullman take the lead roles, with previews beginning Sept. 29 at the Golden. In the latter, look for James Spader, Kerry Washington, David Alan Grier and Richard Thomas to star, with previews starting Nov. 16 at the Barrymore.
Superior Donuts: The acclaimed Tracy Letts play Superior Donuts kicks off Sept. 16 with previews at the Music Box, and the production features Michael McKean as “Arthur Przybyszewski.”
After Miss Julie: This three-character play puts a spin on the August Strindberg play about relationships and class, and the Patrick Marber-led production begins Sept. 18 at the American Airlines Theatre.
To get Broadway tickets, go to StubHub.
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