Author Archives: boz

Broadway Birthday: Leslie Bricusse

Posted on January 29, 2021 by boz

Happy Birthday to multi-award-winning composer Leslie Bricusse, born Jan. 29, 1931, in London. He attended Cambridge, where he was president of the Footlights Revue Club, founded the Musical Comedy Club, and created his first two musicals, Out of the Blue … Continue reading →

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Today in Musical History: Sarafina!

Posted on January 28, 2021 by boz

The South African musical Sarafina! opened Jan. 28, 1988, at Broadway’s Cort Theatre and ran for 597 performances. The show was inspired by the 1976 Soweto Riots, led by black high school students protesting the white Afrikaner government’s decree that … Continue reading →

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Out for Blood Preview

Posted on January 27, 2021 by boz

The first two episodes of Out for Blood, a new series exploring the history of the infamous Broadway musical Carrie, have premiered on the Broadway Podcast Network. Hosts Holly Morgan and Chris Adams, lifelong fans of the 1988 musical, interview … Continue reading →

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Today in Musical History: Joseph

Posted on January 27, 2021 by boz

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat opened Jan. 27, 1982, on Broadway, more than a dozen years after its British premiere. The sung-through musical, with lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, is based on the Biblical … Continue reading →

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2020 AFI Award Honorees

Posted on January 26, 2021 by boz

Yesterday, the American Film Institute announced the recipients of its 2020 AFI Awards. Among the musical honorees named on the list of AFI Movies of the Year are the adaptation of August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and the Pixar … Continue reading →

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Broadway Birthday: Ariana DeBose

Posted on January 25, 2021 by boz

Happy Birthday to Tony nominee Ariana DeBose, born Jan. 25, 1991, in North Carolina. She began her dance training in Raleigh and came to national attention when she she made the Top 20 on the 2009 season of So You … Continue reading →

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In Memoriam: Bob Avian

Posted on January 23, 2021 by boz

Tony-winning choreographer Bob Avian died Jan. 21 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Born Robert Avedisian on Dec. 26, 1937, in New York, Avian earned his bachelor’s from Boston University and began his career as a dancer, making his Broadway debut in … Continue reading →

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Today in Musical History: Jacques Brel

Posted on January 22, 2021 by boz

The revue Jacques Brel Is Alive & Well & Living in Paris debuted Off-Broadway on Jan. 22, 1968, at the Village Gate in Greenwich Village and ran 1,847 performances over the next four years, before transferring to Broadway for a … Continue reading →

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Celebrating America

Posted on January 21, 2021 by boz

Some of Broadway’s biggest names participated in a medley of Rent’s “Seasons of Love” and Hair’s “Let the Sun Shine In” during the concert Celebrating America, which aired Jan. 20 as part of the festivities of President Joe Biden’s inauguration. Performers … Continue reading →

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Today in Musical History: The original Wizard of Oz

Posted on January 21, 2021 by boz

The first musical adaptation of The Wizard of Oz opened Jan. 21, 1903, on Broadway. Novelist L. Frank Baum had asked his friend Paul Tietjens (a composer) to help him bring his book to the stage. They completed the script … Continue reading →

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