The 95th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will welcome back public viewing along designated portions of the route this year, after a hiatus in 2020 due to the pandemic. In addition, there will be live performances from the current Broadway musicals Six, Moulin Rouge!, and Wicked as well as the cast of NBC’s upcoming Annie Live! and The Radio City Rockettes. Show tunes will also be heard from Trabuco Hills H.S. Thundering Mustangs Marching Unit (Mission Viejo, Calif.), who will play “Pure Imagination” from Willy Wonka, and Union H.S. Renegade Regiment (Tulsa, Okla.), who will play the title song from Oklahoma!
Other participating stage veterans include Kristin Chenoweth (on Balsam Hill’s Deck the Halls float), Darren Criss (on Kinder’s Fantasy Chocolate Factory float), Jordan Fisher (singing “Together We Set Sail” on Disney Cruise Line’s “Magic Meets the Sea” float), and Sara Bareilles and Renée Elise Goldsberry (representing Girls5eva on Netflix’s “Birds of a Feather Stream Together” float), as well as The Muppets (singing “See Us Coming Together” on the “1-2-3 Sesame Street” float).
The parade kicks off at 77th Street and Central Park West, then heads down Sixth Avenue, before ending at Macy’s Herald Square, where Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, and Al Roker of The Today Show will host the telecast from 9 a.m. to noon, November 25, on NBC. Below is the short documentary “Crafted With Love: 95 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parades” about the team that builds and creates the annual event.
Musical actress and writer Camille Saviola, whom her friend Harvey Fierstein called the “Italian Godmother of Soul,” died October 28 from heart failure following a brief illness. Born July 16, 1950, in the Bronx, Saviola grew up near Yankee Stadium. She graduated from the High School of Music and Art in Manhattan and dropped out of college after a year to study acting. She spent time as the lead singer of the all-female Margo Lewis Explosion, later signing with the disco label Tropique, for whom she recorded her original song “Keep on Shakin’ That Thang” (1981). Below is a taste of Saviola in rock mode, performing “Strange Times” at L.A.’s Show at Barre in 2011.
Saviola’s early theater work includes the Diva in the original Off-Off-Broadway production of the rock musical Starmites (1980). She made her Broadway debut in the Tony-winning musical Nine (1982), playing Mama Maddelena, and subsequently toured with the show as Saraghina, the role she understudied on Broadway. In 1984, she presented her solo show A Vaudeville at Manhattan Theatre Club. The next year, she returned to MTC with the solo show Secrets of the Lava Lamp. She made her Off-Broadway musical debut at the Minetta Lane Theatre as Carol in the musical Angry Housewives (1986). Below is Saviola in a 1982 commercial for Nine.
Saviola was a regular in Woody Allen’s New York movies, appearing in Broadway Danny Rose (1984), The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985), and Shadows and Fog (1991), but after two decades on the East Coast, she moved west to pursue more screen work, receiving an Cable Ace nomination for the made-for-cable movie Nightlife (1989). Her TV series roles include the recurring characters of Shelley Abramowitz in The Heights (1992), Kai Opaka in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993), Justice Esther Weisenberg in First Monday (2002), and Turtle’s Mom in Entourage (2006).
While based in L.A., her musical work included Bloody Mary in South Pacific (MUNY, 1990), “Poor Unfortunate Souls” on the Cincinnati Pops Magical Music of Disney album (1995), and Emma Goldman in the world premiere of Ragtime in Toronto (1996). She also starred as Nanny Boots Courreconte in the premiere of Happy Holidays (Pasadena Playhouse, 1995), Anna in The Rink (Pasadena Playhouse, 2000), and The Leader in Zorba (UCLA, 2006), for which she won a Garland Award. Below you can hear Steven Sutcliffe and Saviola in “The Night That Goldman Spoke” on Songs from Ragtime.
Saviola returned to Broadway in 2003 as Matron Mamma Thornton in the long-running revival of Chicago. That year, she also won a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for her performance as Poncia in the Lorca play The House of Bernarda Alba at Mark Taper Forum. Her most recent work includes the recurring role of Filomena in the TV series Younger (2018). Below are Saviola and Chita Rivera singing “Class” from Chicago at the 2004 Actors Fund benefit Nothin’ Like a Dame.
Ghostlight Records has released the studio cast recording of Goosebumps: Phantom of the Auditorium, the 2016 musical adapted by John Maclay (book, lyrics) and Danny Abosch (music, lyrics) from the book by R.L. Stine. The production team for the album includes Abosch (arrangements & orchestrations, music direction, editing & mixing), Griffin Dohr (production manager), Ian Kagey (lead recording engineer), Justin Colletti (mastering), Mira Magrill (music coordinator), and Connor Pietrzak (music copying).
Singers featured on the album include Tony nominees Alex Brightman (Emile) and Sheryl Lee Ralph (Ms. Walker), as well as Krystina Alabado (Brooke Rodgers), Noah Galvin (Brian Colson), Will Roland (Zeke Matthews), Stephanie Styles (Tina Powell), and creator R.L. Stine (Principal Stine), with additional vocals by Arianny Escalona, Alex Gibson, AJ Lewis, Armenia Sarkissian, Shuba Vedula, Aika Zabala. Below you can hear Sheryl Lee Ralph and Stephanie Styles singing the establishing number “The Legend.”
In celebration of Halloween, the “Hot Topic” on the October 29 episode of The View was movie musicals, as the five talk show co-hosts donned costumes representing a handful of iconic screen characters. Ana Navarro dressed as Eva Perón (Evita), Sunny Hostin as Deena Jones (Dreamgirls), Joy Behar as Magenta (The Rocky Horror Picture Show), Sara Haines as Satine (Moulin Rouge!), and Whoopi Goldberg as the plant Audrey II (Little Shop of Horrors). Below is the show’s opening segment, showcasing the women getting into character — with a special cameo from Tony nominee Jeremy Jordan, who plays Seymour in the current Off-Broadway revival of Little Shop of Horrors.
Critics have given mixed reviews to the Off-Broadway revival of the 1962 revue Brecht on Brecht: A Celebration of Life Lived in Defiance, presented by Theater Breaking Through Barriers in a limited engagement that runs through November 20. The show explores the political and social issues that Brecht faced throughout his life: as an artist fleeing the Nazis and as an exile living in America. Originally produced by TBTB soon after 9/11, the company has revived the show to offer hope for today’s uncertain times.
The creative team includes Bertolt Brecht (words), Kurt Weill and Hans Eisler (music), George Tabori (adaptation), Nicholas Viselli (direction), Dionne McClain-Freeney (music direction), Bert Scott (sets, lights), Courtney E. Uruyo (costumes), Eric Nightengale (sound), and Samuel J. Biondolillo (projections). The cast features Fareeda Ahmed, Scott Barton, Stephen Drabicki, Ann Flanigan, Anita Hollander, Dionne McClaine-Freeney, Anne Marie Morelli, Sean Phillips, and Pamela Sabaugh.
The cast of Brecht on Brecht.
New York Theater (Jonathan Mandell): TBTB presents a fascinating collage — more like a barrage — of the poems, stories, songs, plays, parables and sayings by the prolific and consequential German theater artist Bertolt Brecht … [which] can feel overwhelming. … But in other ways, the TBTB production of Brecht on Brecht goes far beyond most theater in orienting the audience. The actors one by one describes what they look like and what they’re wearing, and the entire show is accompanied by open captions. … One leaves the show wondering why every theater doesn’t take these simple steps toward greater accessibility.
Theatermania (Zachary Stewart): Does Brecht have something to tell us? Oh boy, does he. … But the show is never completely satisfying as either bioplay or theatrical revue. … Audiences with no prior knowledge of Brecht will feel hopelessly adrift through large parts of this remounting. This is despite a sharp, energetic staging from Viselli. … An ensemble of nine performers of various abilities and disabilities cheerfully obliterates the notion that you have to be completely able-bodied in order to appear in musical theater. … None of it fully compensates for the show’s Brechtian muddle, though it does make 100 minutes go by pleasantly enough.
Theater Pizzazz (Samuel L. Leiter): Those familiar with the 1962 version, as recorded on vinyl, will be disappointed to find that it has been considerably revised here. … While the company is a bit uneven, all are spirited, and several possess strong singing voices. Viselli, making much use of a rolling piano, keeps them moving. This revival, in fact, is surprisingly physical, but even those with mobility issues handle it well. … For all its earnestness, its pertinence, and the exertions of its enthusiastic company, you may find yourself experiencing the verfremdungseffekt of being cerebrally estranged rather than emotionally involved. Somehow, I don’t think that’s what TBTB had in mind.
Theater Scene (Darryl Reilly): “Mack the Knife,” rendered by a kinetic ensemble as a rousing production number on a stage bare except for a piano and chairs, is a highlight of Theater Breaking Through Barriers’ resounding revival of Brecht on Brecht. … Viselli’s physical staging crackles with force and exhibits visual flair with numerous arresting stage pictures. … Brecht’s excoriation of capitalism and middle-class morality could seem pertinent to many today. Theater Breaking Through Barriers’ passionate presentation of Brecht on Brecht preserves his sensibility while providing a welcome platform for its cast of charismatic disabled performers.
On October 29, musical satirist Randy Rainbow released A Little Brains, A Little Talent, his first studio album. The track list features an assortment of Broadway standards, popular song parodies, and two original offerings from Rainbow: “Pink Glasses,” cowritten with composer Alan Menken, and “Randy Rainbow for President,” cowritten with composer Marc Shaiman. Vocalists joining Rainbow on the album include Broadway veterans Tituss Burgess, Josh Gad, Sean Hayes, Patti LuPone, and Bernadette Peters. Rainbow and Michael J Moritz Jr. serve as album producers, with Van Dean, Brian Spector, and Jesse Kissel as executive producers, while Michael J Moritz Jr. provides the orchestrations, and Jesse Kissel provides the arrangements. Rainbow’s “Pink Glasses Tour” also continues to across the country. Below is the album’s title track.
The sitcom B Positive, created last year by Marco Pennette, has begun its second season with a new main title sequence featuring its star, Tony winner Annaleigh Ashford, performing the show’s theme song, written by Chuck Lorre and Keb’ Mo’. Ashford plays Gina, a reformed party girl who donates a kidney to former high school classmate Drew (Thomas Middleditch), with whom she shares the blood type B+. In season 1, Gina worked as the driver of a retirement home van, but at the begining of season 2, she receives an inheritance from one of the elderly residents and buys the Valley Hills Retirement Home.
In addition to the theatrical treatment of its new opening, the series will also feature special appearances this season by Broadway musical veterans and Tony winners Linda Lavin (who had a recurring role as Norma in season 1), Ben Vereen, and Priscilla Lopez. You can watch on Thursdays at 9:30 p.m. ET on CBS.
The new musical An Officer and a Gentleman, based on the 1982 film, has begun its yearlong tour in Elmira, N.Y., and will visit more than 50 cities across the US, making its last stop at South Bend, Ind., on June 5, 2022. The creative team includes Dick Scanlan (book, direction), Patricia Wilcox (choreography), Dan Lipton (music supervision, arrangements, orchestraitons), Nathan Dame (orchestrations), Gary Adler (dance arrangements), Brett Banakis (sets), Emilio Sosa (costumes), Jen Schriever (lights), Jon Weston (sound), Kelley Jordan (wig & hair), and Austin Switser (video).
The cast is headed by Wes Williams (Zack) and Mary Nikols (Paula) with Emily Louise Franklin (Lynette), Cameron Loyal (Sid), Amaya White (Casey Seeger), Roxy York (Esther), and David Wayne Britton (Sgt. Emil Foley).
An earlier version of the show premiered in 2012 at the Lyric Theatre in Sydney, Australia with a book by Oscar-nominated screenwriter Douglas Day Stewart and Sharleen Cooper Cohen and an original score by Ken Hirsch and Robin Lerner. A second version premiered in 2018 at Curve in Leicester, England, with a score that featured songs from the film’s soundtrack. The current version has a jukebox score of 1980s hits, including the film’s Oscar-winning “Up Where We Belong.”
Theater critics have given generally favorable reviews to the Roundabout Theatre transfer of the London revival of the 2003 musical Caroline, or Change, which premiered at Chichester Festival Theatre in 2017. This limited engagement will run through January 9, 2022, at Broadway’s Studio 54. The creative team includes Tony Kushner (libretto), Jeanine Tesori (music), Michael Longhurst (direction), Ann Yee (choreography), Fly Davis (sets, costumes), Jack Knowles (lights), Paul Arditti (sound), Chris Fenwick (music direction), Nigel Lilley (music supervision), and Rick Bassett, Joseph Joubert, and Buryl Red (orchestrations).
Sharon D Clarke, making her Broadway debut, reprises her Olivier-winning performance as Caroline Thibodeaux. The cast also features Adam Makké / Jaden Myles Waldman / Gabriel Amoroso (Noah), Samantha Williams (Emmie), Caissie Levy (Rose), John Cariani (Stuart), Tamika Lawrence (Dotty), Arica Jackson (Washer), Kevin S. McAllister (Dryer/Bus), N’Kenge (Moon), Alexander Bello (Jackie), Jayden Theophile (Joe), Chip Zien (Mr. Stopnick), Stuart Zagnit (Grandpa), and Joy Hermalyn (Grandma), with Nasia Thomas (Radio 1), Nya (Radio 2), and Harper Miles (Radio 3). Below is Clarke singing “Lot’s Wife” during the 2019 Olivier Awards at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
Broadway News (Charles Isherwood): [Clarke] commands the stage with such towering authority that it is almost surprising to see anyone else work up the nerve to step on it. … In her final solo, which all but blows the back wall off the theater … Clarke’s voice comes at you like a thunderbolt. … It is the unblinking yet compassionate portrait of the title character that lifts the show into the sublime, and Clarke’s performance … is the driving force behind its moments of transcendence.
Daily Beast (Tim Teeman): All the actors are sterling, but this is absolutely Clarke’s show. Her act two aria, “Lot’s Wife” — a fuller-throated cry from the head and heart it is unlikely that you will hear bettered this season — is so powerful it will lodge and vibrate in your bones. You will also sit in sheer wonder as she gives so much to give it to us.
Deadline (Greg Evans): Caroline, or Change places itself squarely at the forefront of the best in culture this city has to offer. Directed by Michael Longhurst with intensity and sensitivity, and performed by a cast that seems to have made a pact to sustain itself at the towering heights achieved early and unfailingly by its mighty star Sharon D Clarke, this Caroline, Or Change is a hurricane wind.
Did They Like It (Juan Michael Porter II): This West End transfer has been deprived of all urgency and bite. … Clarke betrays the game as soon as she appears onstage, leaving her with nowhere to build. She is not helped by timid vocal performance. … If one must attend this milquetoast production, I suggest that they rush home afterward to listen to the original cast album.
New York Daily News (Chris Jones): Clarke, who is vocally magnificent, is daunting of focus, craft and determination, and her chops are matched by Levy (who avoids all cliché), Lawrence and the majority of the cast. The physical production, designed by Fly Davis and overtaken by metaphor, has its bumps. … Simpler, less showy devices would have better matched where [Longhurst] wanted to go at times.
New York Times (Jesse Green): [Clarke] makes of the maid an almost Shakespearean figure. … In the scarifying 11 o’clock number “Lot’s Wife,” she commands attention without begging for it. … The result of that restraint is more painful than cathartic, leaving the story’s emotional release to those who can afford it: Caroline’s children. The chance to believe in change is her hard-won bequest to them — and, in this devastating, uncomfortable, crucial musical, to us.
Time Out New York (Adam Feldman): How often does a musical actually change your life? The deeply beautiful Caroline, or Change has that power. … The cast sings gloriously, but British director Michael Longhurst … pushes nearly everything and everyone too hard. … Make no mistake: Caroline, or Change is a masterwork, even in its altered frame. It should be experienced by everyone — and for all the things I might change about this version, I can’t wait to see it again. 4 out of 5 stars.
The Wrap (Robert Hofler): Longhurst’s revival is strongly sung, led by the astounding vocals of Sharon D Clarke in the title role. … It’s unfortunate that all this well-sung fantasy takes place on such an unattractive set. … The current Caroline may be one more for the ears than the eyes, but it still very much worth seeing.
NBC has released a teaser of its upcoming live presentation of the 1976 Broadway musical Annie, which will air on December 2 from Grumman Studios in Bethpage, N.Y., where several other NBC live musicals have been filmed. The special will star Celina Smith (Annie), Harry Connick Jr. (Daddy Warbucks), Taraji P. Henson (Miss Hannigan), Nicole Scherzinger (Grace Farrell), Tituss Burgess (Rooster Hannigan), and Jane Krakowski (Lily St. Regis). It will be directed by Lear deBessonet and Alex Rudzinski and executive produced by Rudzinski, Robert Greenblatt, and Neil Meron. Other members of the production team include Sergio Trujillo (choreography), Emilio Sosa (costumes), Jason Sherwood (sets), and Stephen Oremus (orchestrations).
The 95th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will welcome back public viewing along designated portions of the route this year, after a hiatus in 2020 due to the pandemic. In addition, there will be live performances from the current Broadway musicals Six, Moulin Rouge!, and Wicked as well as the cast of NBC’s upcoming Annie Live! and The Radio City Rockettes. Show tunes will also be heard from Trabuco Hills H.S. Thundering Mustangs Marching Unit (Mission Viejo, Calif.), who will play “Pure Imagination” from Willy Wonka, and Union H.S. Renegade Regiment (Tulsa, Okla.), who will play the title song from Oklahoma!
