‘Jersey Boys’ Sets Ending Date in Chicago
The Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Jersey Boys came to Chicago on October 5, 2007, set to play a limited engagement in the Midwest hotspot, but here it is almost two years later and the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons is still tearing up the theatrical scene in the Windy City. While Jersey Boys has had an incredible run in Chicago, it was announced this week that the production will finally be ending its reign at Chicago’s Bank of America Theatre, with a closing performance scheduled for January 10, 2010. Upon its closing, Jersey Boys will have played 951 performances total, having become a resident production on February 27, 2008.
Producer Michael David spoke on the immense success Jersey Boys has had in Chicago over the past two years, saying, “We came to Chicago for a visit, and the Windy City became our home away from home for what will be over two years. Such conversions happen rarely in the theater and we are proud to have made Chicago home for as long as we have. It is breathtaking. Our profound thanks to the citizens of Chicago who have made us such welcome neighbors.” Tickets for the final block of performances, running November 29, 2009 through January 10, 2010, go on sale this Friday, Sept. 11, at 10 a.m.
To get Broadway tickets, go to StubHub.
Casting Unveiled for Upcoming ‘Addams Family’ Musical
The Broadway premiere of the new musical The Addams Family, a spin on the dark characters originally crafted by cartoonist Charles Addams, has recently been announced, and it’s no surprise that this quirky story will be revealed for the first time on Friday the 13th. The Addams Family will open at Chicago’s Ford Center for the Performing Arts’ Oriental Theatre on Friday, November 13, 2009, with the official Broadway opening on Thursday, April 8, 2010 at the Lunt-Funtanne Theatre.
Casting was recently announced for the upcoming Addams Family musical, and it’s Tony Award winners Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth who will take the starring roles as Gomez and Morticia, while the rest of the star-studded cast includes Terrence Mann as Mal Beineke, Carolee Carmello as Alice Beineke, Kevin Chamberlin as Uncle Fester, Jackie Hoffman as Grandmama, Zachary James as Lurch, Adam Riegler as Pugsley, Wesley Taylor as Lucas Beineke and Krysta Rodriguez as Wednesday. Rehearsals begin today for the fall world premiere of The Addams Family, which features producing by Stuart Oken, Roy Furman, Michael Leavitt and Five Cent Productions. The book for The Addams Family is by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice (Jersey Boys), with music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa and direction and design by Phelim McDermott and Julian Crouch.
To get Broadway tickets, go to StubHub.
Music Legends Make for a Thrilling Broadway-Bound Musical
What do you call the partnership of Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley? If you guessed the “Million Dollar Quartet,” you’re right! The hit musical Million Dollar Quartet, inspired by a 1956 recording session in Memphis featuring these four iconic musicians, has been a smash success in Chicago since its opening in October of 2008, and now the production is headed for Broadway, set for a New York debut in the spring of 2010.
Written by Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux, Million Dollar Quartet is an electrifying musical with a million dollar score, featuring rock ‘n’ roll gems ranging from classics like “Blue Suede Shoes” and “Great Balls of Fire” to “I Walk the Line,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” and many, many more. No opening date or casting have been announced so far for Million Dollar Quartet, but this Broadway-bound musical, set to be produced by Relevant Theatricals, is already one of the hottest tickets for 2010 and will continue to be such as casting is revealed for the show over the next several months. Will Million Dollar Quartet be able to outshine current music-backed production like the Four Seasons’ Jersey Boys and ’80s rock’s Rock of Ages? Stay tuned to find out!
To get Broadway tickets, go to StubHub.
‘9 to 5′ Closes on Broadway This Sunday
Dolly Parton sure poured herself a cup of ambition when she tackled the Broadway musical 9 to 5, for which she penned the music and lyrics, but subpar ticket sales for 9 to 5: The Musical at Broadway’s Marquis Theatre have caused the production to make an early exit from the scene, and the hit musical will end its original Broadway run this Sunday, Sept. 6. Fans of Dolly Parton and/or the 1980 comedy film Nine to Five, after which the musical is based, are surely sad to see 9 to 5’s exit from Broadway, but it has already been announced that a national tour of the production will launch on Sept. 21, 2010.
Beginning the national tour run in none other than the Parton haven of Nashville, 9 to 5: The Musical will play in select major cities next year. Of the recent news, Dolly Parton said, “I’ve had the privilege of working with an amazing group of people who have become like family to me. I can’t wait for this show to hit the road so people across the country can see why I’m so proud of everyone involved. And I’m so pleased that we’ll be opening the tour in Nashville. Great things happen in Nashville.”
To get Broadway tickets, go to StubHub.
Broadway Stars Guest Judge on ‘American Idol’
A colorful cast of guest judges have been tapped to temporarily fill the vacant spot of Paula Abdul’s on the FOX singing competition American Idol, and among the long list of names to sit in on the judges’ panel are Broadway stars Kristin Chenoweth and Neil Patrick Harris, who have both recently guest-starred on episodes of the reality show. Chenoweth, last spotted on Broadway in the 2006 production The Apple Tree, recently joined judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi during auditions in Orlando, and Harris was spotted on the panel in Dallas during auditions for the upcoming season of American Idol.
Other celebrities to have filled the revolving guest judge seat during this season of American Idol include Katy Perry, Avril Lavigne, Joe Jonas, Mary J. Blige and Shania Twain, and several more are reported to be in the works for the near future. The ninth season of American Idol begins in January 2010 on FOX, and now that the program has Broadway’s attention, anything can happen as the next crew of superstar hopefuls vie for the “golden ticket” to Hollywood. Will Kristin Chenoweth and Neil Patrick Harris go easy on this year’s crop of talent? We’ll soon find out!
To get Broadway tickets, go to StubHub.
Broadway to Pay Tribute to Bea Arthur
Beatrice Arthur, TV star in Maude and The Golden Girls and a Tony Award winner for her role in the Broadway musical Mame, passed away this past spring at age 86 after succumbing to cancer, and this month Broadway will pay tribute to one of its leading ladies, holding a memorial service for the actress on September 14 at the Majestic Theatre in New York City at 247 W. 44th Street. The memorial ceremony “Celebrating Bea Arthur” will be directed by Mark Waldrop and hosted by Angela Lansbury and will feature performances and memories from Arthur’s friends and family. The ceremony will also be open to the public and will commence at 1 p.m.
Arthur began her acting career on the big stage, performing in several Broadway productions that started in 1955 when she scored a role in the musical Plain and Fancy. Her performance in the original production of Fiddler on the Roof in 1964 as the character Yente scored her incredible amounts of fame, and she later went on to a fruitful television career, starring as Maude in the hit TV series Maude and taking the role of Dorothy Zbornak on The Golden Girls.
To get Broadway tickets, go to StubHub.
Kulish, Gwynne, Bologna to Depart ‘Billy Elliot’
Kiril Kulish, one of the three extraordinary young actors to create the role of Billy in the award-winning Broadway musical Billy Elliot: The Musical, is one of three performers to be departing the Broadway production this fall. Kulish, a Tony Award winner in rotation with Trent Kowalik and David Alvarez in the title role of Billy Elliot, will perform his final show with the production at the Imperial Theatre on Oct. 3, and he’ll be succeeded in the musical by Alex Ko, who will make his Broadway debut and join the other Billys starting Oct. 5.
Kulish isn’t the only actor to leave the production, however. Haydn Gwynne, who has played Mrs. Wilkinson in the production since its opening in the U.K., will also depart Billy Elliot on Oct. 4, set to be replaced by Canadian actress Kate Hennig on Oct. 6. David Bologna, who has played the role of Michael in the Broadway musical, will also end his Billy Elliot run on Sept. 27, set to be replaced by understudy Keean Johnson in rotation with Trevor Braun. Billy Elliot has been a shining star on the Broadway scene since Nov. 13, 2008, when it opened at Broadway’s Imperial Theatre.
To get Broadway tickets, go to StubHub.
Posey Bows Out of ‘This’ with Health Issue
Actress Parker Posey was scheduled to star in the upcoming off-Broadway stage production of This, but she has since pulled out of the role, as the 40-year-old actress has recently been diagnosed with a developing case of Lyme disease. The disease, often caused by a tick bite that has a certain bacteria, is treatable if caught early on, as Posey’s was, and it’s expected that the actress will make a healthy recovery, though she’s had to sacrifice her role of a single-mom poet in the upcoming Melissa James Gibson production This. Though the news of Posey’s acquisition of Lyme disease was devastating in the theatrical realm, the show must go on for This, which will still begin previews as scheduled on November 6. A replacement for Posey has yet to be announced, but This will still debut at the Mainstage Theater this fall.
Parker Posey is best-known for her feisty roles in films such as Dazed and Confused, Best in Show and Waiting for Guffman. Here’s to wishing Parker a speedy recovery and all the best as she skips out on the off-Broadway play This to overcome Lyme disease.
To get Broadway tickets, go to StubHub.
Kerry Butler Joins ‘Rock of Ages’ in September
The very talented Kerry Butler, who scored a Tony nod for her standout performance as “Kira” in the production Xanadu, has been announced as the newest addition to the Broadway rock musical Rock of Ages, which she will join starting September 21 on a sixth-month limited engagement. Butler will take over the role of “Sherrie” in six performances a week during the Rock of Ages run, yielding the Sunday performance of the role to the character’s understudy. Lead producer Carl Levin welcomed Butler to the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, where she will soon begin performing, saying, “Kerry is one of my favorite Broadway performers and I cannot tell you how lucky we feel to have her. She’s funny, she’s beautiful, and most importantly she can sing like a rock star.”
Though she’s coming from a prior engagement with Xanadu, Kerry Butler will now transition into the music of ’80s rockers like Journey, Styx, REO Speedwagon, Whitesnake, Pat Benatar, Foreigner and the like, as Rock of Ages presents an ’80s-themed love story with rock music at its forefront. The cast of Rock of Ages also features Constantine Maroulis as “Drew”, James Carpinello as “Stacee Jaxx”, Mitch Jarvis as “Lonny”, Don Stephenson as “hertz” and Wesley Taylor as “Franz”. Rock of Ages premiered on Broadway on March 17, 2009 with an official opening on April 7, and now the famed production will run through this fall at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre.
To get Broadway tickets, go to StubHub.
Ambivalence of Spanish in ‘West Side Story’ Continues
The revival of the Broadway classic West Side Story has drawn in spectators both young and old over the last few months, but the production is making headlines this week for its vacillating use of Spanish. Before its opening, the West Side Story revival announced that it would be partly bilingual, with a handful of songs and dialogue in the show performed in Spanish. This received rave reviews from some critics, but the production announced earlier this week that it’s changing well-known songs “A Boy Like That” and “I Feel Pretty” back into English - a disappointment, to some.
Director Arthur Laurents commented on the change of language to select songs in the current revival, saying, “From the outset, the Spanish in West Side Story was an experiment. It’s been an ongoing process of finding what worked and what didn’t, and it still continues.” The songs “A Boy Like That” (”Un Hombre Asi”), sung in the musical by Karen Olivo, and “I Feel Pretty” (”Siento Hermosa”), sung by Josefina Scaglione, will now be reverted back to their original tunes in English, while the song “Tonight” remains delivered in Spanish. The changes to the bilingual West Side Story were implemented again last Thursday, August 20, and will remain the new norm for the musical - for now, at least.
To get Broadway tickets, go to StubHub.
Calendar
Archives
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- August 2007
- July 2007
- June 2007
- May 2007
- April 2007
- January 2007
- December 2006
- November 2006
- October 2006
- September 2006