Happy Birthday to Tony nominee Adrienne Warren, born May 6, 1987, in Hampton Roads, Virginia. A preacher’s daughter, she began singing in her church choir. One of her first stage roles was the lead in a local production of Annie. “That’s when I realized that I could do something outside of myself, that there’s power in this hobby,” she told the New York Times. Weeks after graduating from Marymount Manhattan College (2009), she was cast to understudy Ashanti in The Wiz for City Center’s Encores! series. She followed that with tours of Dreamgirls and Bring It On, with which she made her Broadway debut (2012). Below are highlights of Warren, Taylor Louderman, and the cast of Bring It On.
Warren spent the next few years in episodic TV, including pilots for People in New Jersey (2013), Irreversible (2014), and Point of Honor (2015). Her breakthrough came with Shuffle Along (2016), for which she received a Tony nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. Below is Warren and the company of Shuffle Along performing “Broadway Blues” at the 70th annual Tony Awards.
In 2018, Warren was cast as Tina Turner in the West End production of Tina, which earned her an Olivier nomination for Best Actress in a Musical. The following year, she reprised her peformance for the Broadway production, which earned her a Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, and a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical. In 2020, Warren narrated the audiobook of Tina Turner’s memoir, Happiness Becomes You. Below is Warren singing “River Deep, Mountain High” at the 2018 Royal Variety Performance.
Warren’s recent work includes “Sally’s Song” in The Nightmare Before Christmas in Concert (2020), which you can watch below, and her first TV leading role in the ABC miniseries Women of the Movement (2021), in which she played activist Mamie Till-Mobley, mother of Emmett Till.
Tony nominees Derek Klena (Jagged Little Pill), Anika Larsen (Beautiful), and Robbie Fairchild (An American in Paris) were among the performers featured in the latest edition of The 24 Hour Plays: Viral Musicals, which were published every 15 minutes on Instagram beginning at 6 p.m. last night. You can watch all the pieces from Round 27 of the short-work series on the 24 Hour Plays YouTube channel.
Tony- and Grammy-winning writer Betty Comden was born Basya Cohen in Brooklyn to Russian immigrants on May 3, 1917. She attended Erasmus Hall H.S. and studied drama at New York University. In 1938, she met fellow aspiring actor Adolph Green, with whom she formed The Revuers. The group’s popular club act led to their film debut in Greenwich Village (1944), but disheartened to see their roles substantially trimmed, the pair returned to New York. Within the year, they would make their Broadway acting and writing debuts in On the Town (1944, music by Leonard Bernstein), which brought Comden a Theatre World Award.
They followed with book and lyrics for Billion Dollar Baby (1945, music by Morton Gould), which only ran 220 performances, and Bonanza Bound (1947, music by Saul Chaplin), which closed before opening on Broadway. So, Comden and Green headed back to Hollywood and landed in MGM’s Freed Unit, writing screenplays for Good News (1947), The Barkleys of Broadway (1949), and On the Town(1949). Below is the original trailer for the latter.
Over the next decade, Comden and Green worked steadily on stage and screen, including book and lyrics for the Broadway revue Two on the Aisle (1951, music by Jule Styne) and screenplays for Singin’ in the Rain (1952) and The Band Wagon (1953), which earned them their first Oscar nomination. They also wrote lyrics for the musicals Wonderful Town (1953, music by Bernstein) and Peter Pan (1954, music by Styne) and screenplay for MGM’s It’s Always Fair Weather (1955), which brought them their second Oscar nod. Below is Tony winner Rosalind Russell performing “Swing!” in a 1958 telecast of Wonderful Town.
They worked again with Styne on the musical Bells Are Ringing (1956) and songs for the play Say, Darling (1958), before creating their career-spanning revue A Party with Betty Comden and Adolph Green (1958), which earned them Grammy nominations for both comedy album and musical theater album. After screenplays for Auntie Mame (1958) and What a Way to Go!(1964), the writing team concentrated on stage work. Below is the full 1979 TV adaption of A Party with …, accompanied by their longtime musical director, Paul Trueblood.
The screenplay adaptation of Bells Are Ringing brought Comden and Green two Grammy nods, and the lyrics for Do Re Mi (1960, music by Styne) brought them two more: musical theater album and song of the year, for “Make Someone Happy.” They continued working with Styne on their next three shows: Subways Are for Sleeping (1961), Fade Out – Fade In (1964), and Hallelujah, Baby! (1967), which earned them another Grammy nomination and their first Tony Award.
Their work in the 1970s included the libretto for Applause (1970, score by Charles Strouse and Lee Adams), new lyrics for Lorelei (1974, music by Styne), and the book and lyrics for On the Twentieth Century (1978, music by Cy Coleman), which brought them two Tony wins and another Grammy nomination. Below is the cast of On the Twentieth Century at the 1978 Tony Awards.
After induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame (1980) and American Theatre Hall of Fame (1981), they worked with Larry Grossman on A Doll’s Life(1982), which brought them Tony nods for book and score. In 1985, they earned another Tony nomination for the book to the stage adaptation of Singin’ in the Rain. Their final show was The Will Rogers Follies (1991, music by Coleman), which brought them their fourth Tony win and first Grammy Award. Below is the cast of Will Rogers at the 1991 Tonys.
In 1991, the pair received the Kennedy Center Honors. In 1995, Comden published her memoir, Off Stage, and won the National Board of Review Award for Distinction in Screenwriting, followed by the 2001 WGA’s Laurel Award for Screen Writing Achievement. Four year after Green, Comden died on Nov. 23, 2006. Below is the 1997 interview Comden and Green did with Theater Talk.
Happy Birthday to Pulitzer-winning writer Sheldon Harnick, born April 30, 1924, in Chicago. He began composing while at Carl Schurz H.S. and graduated from Northwestern (1949) with a bachelor’s in music. After working with various Chicago orchestras, he moved to New York and made his Broadway debut with the revue New Faces of 1952. He later contributed to the Broadway revue John Murray Anderson’s Almanac (1953) and the Off-Broadway revues Shoestring Revue (1955), The Littlest Revue (1956), and Kaleidoscope (1957). Below is Alice Ghostley singing “The Boston Beguine” in a 1960 TV recreation of New Faces, introduced by Virginia de Luce.
Around 1956, Harnick met composer Jerry Bock, who became his most frequent collaborator. Their first Broadway musical was The Body Beautiful (1958), which ran for only 60 performances but landed them on the pop charts with Steve Lawrence’s version of “Uh-Huh, Oh Yeah.” They fared much better with their next show: Fiorello! (1959), which ran for 795 performances and earned them a Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award, as well as their first Grammy nod. Their Fiorello! sequel, Tenderloin (1960), featured “Artificial Flowers,” a Top 40 hit for Bobby Darin. Below is Howard Da Silva recreating “Little Tin Box” for HBO’s 1980 special Standing Room Only: Showstoppers.
Bock and Harnick’s 1963 Broadway show She Loves Me earned them a Tony nomination and a Grammy win. The next year, they made theater history with Fiddler on the Roof, which brought them two Tonys and a Grammy nod and went on to become the longest-running musical on Broadway. In 1966, they premiered The Apple Treeon Broadway (earning Tony and Grammy nods) and The Canterville Ghost on TV. Below is a rare bootleg of “Tradition” and “If I Were a Rich Man” from the 1977 revival of Fiddler starring original star Zero Mostel.
Bock and Harnick split after The Rothschilds (1970), which brought them Tony and Grammy nods. The following year, the Oscar-winning adaptation of Fiddler on the Roof premiered, and in 1972, the duo was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Bock retired but Harnick continued with Mary Rodgers on Free to Be … You and Me (1974), from which you can watch “William’s Doll” below, as well as Captain Jinks of the Horse Marines (1975) with Jack Beeson, Alice in Wonderland (1975) with Joe Raposo, the Grammy-nominated Rex (1976) with Richard Rodgers, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1979) with Michel Legrand, and Dr. Heidegger’s Fountain of Youth (1979) with Beeson.
Harnick earned his sole Emmy nomination for the song “In the Beginning,” written with composer Larry Grossman for the TV special The Way They Were (1981). His next musicals included an adaptation of the novel A Christmas Carol (1982) with Michel Legrand and an adaptation of the film A Wonderful Life (1986) with Joe Raposo. Below is a medley from the Goodspeed revival of A Wonderful Life with Duke Lafoon (George Bailey), Ed Dixon (Mr. Potter), Ella Briggs (Zuzu), and Kirsten Scott (Mary Hatch).
In the 1990s, Harnick paired with composer Stephen Lawrence on the TV movie The Tale of Peter Rabbit (1991), composer Ad Van Dijk for the Broadway musical Cyrano (1993), and composer Henry Mollicone on the opera Coyote Tales (1998). Below is a rare TV profile of Cyrano leading man Bill Van Dijk, featuring the song “When I Write.”
Harnick went solo for Dragons (2003), reunited with Bock for the new song “Topsy Turvy” in the 2004 revival of Fiddler on the Roof, and collaborated with composer Arnold Black for The Phantom Tollbooth (2007). The same year as Fiddler’s revival, Gwen Stefani had a Top 10 hit with “Rich Girl,” which interpolated “If I Were a Rich Man.” At decade’s end, Bock and Harnick were presented with the York Theatre Company’s Oscar Hammerstein Award for Lifetime Achievement in Theatre.
In the past decade, Harnick released the album Hidden Treasures (1949-2013) and received both the Drama Desk Award for Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theatre and a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre. Most recently, he earned a Lortel nomination for the 2018 Yiddish-language revival of Fiddler. Below is Michael Kerker’s 2010 interview with Harnick at the Kennedy Center, accompanied by performances from Kate Baldwin, Karen Mason, and Ron Raines.
Last night, the Bret Adams & Paul Reisch Foundation presented its 2021 Idea Awards for Theatre, which provide $30,000 grants to adventurous new voices in playwriting and musical theater, as well as $20,000 grants to visionary writers who have inspired and blazed trails before them. Agyeiwaa Asante and Haruna Lee won Ollie New Play Awards, while Vivace Musical Theatre Awards went to Kirsten Childs, the team of Jay Adana and Zeniba Now, and Troy Anthony. Tooth of Time Distinguished Career Award winners include playwrights Jessica Hagedorn, Cherríe Moraga, and OyamO. You can watch the virtual ceremony below, hosted by Tony nominee Daniel J. Watts, which features interviews with all the winners and songs by Anthony, Childs, and Adana & Now. To learn more, click here.
Sony Pictures Animation has released a teaser for its upcoming computer-animated feature Vivo, its first musical film. The movie is directed by Kirk DeMicco and co-directed by Brandon Jeffords, from a screenplay by Quiara Alegría Hudes and DeMicco, based on the original idea by Peter Barsocchini, with songs by Alex Lacamoire and Lin-Manuel Miranda, who voices the title character, a unique kinkajou (a rainforest honey bear) who entertains the crowds in Havana with his owner Andrés (Juan de Marcos González). When tragedy strikes, Vivo enlists the help of Andrés’ grand-niece Gabi (Ynairaly Simo) to deliver a message to his owner’s former partner, Marta Sandoval (Gloria Estefan).
The film also stars Zoe Saldana (Gabi’s mother Rosa), Michael Rooker (the villainous Everglades python Lutador), Brian Tyree Henry and Nicole Byer (a pair of star-crossed spoonbills), Leslie David Baker (a Florida bus driver), and Katie Lowes, Olivia Trujillo, and Lidya Jewett (a trio of well-meaning but overzealous scout troopers). Originally scheduled to be released Dec. 18, 2020, the film will now open in theaters on June 4. No date has been set yet for its streaming premiere on Netflix.
20th Century Studios has released the first teaser for the upcoming film adaptation of the 1957 stage musical West Side Story, directed by Steven Spielberg. The screenplay by Tony Kushner and choreography by Justin Peck are based on the original work of Arthur Laurents, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, and Jerome Robbins. This new version stars Ansel Elgort (Tony) and Rachel Zegler (Maria) with Ariana DeBose (Anita), David Alvarez (Benardo), Mike Faist (Riff), Josh Andrés Rivera (Chino), Ana Isabelle (Rosalia), Corey Stoll (Lt. Schrank), and Brian d’Arcy James (Sgt. Krupke). Rita Moreno, who won an Oscar for her role as Anita in the 1961 film adaptation, plays Valentina, a reworked version of the character Doc. Originally scheduled to be released Dec. 18, 2020, the pandemic led to the date being pushed back to Dec. 10, 2021, which will coincide with the 60th anniversary of the release of the Oscar-winning 1961 film.
The upcoming TV series Opening Night America, created by producer Charles Jones II, will showcase four creative teams as they compete for a live stage premiere of their new musicals, under the direction and guidance of celebrity mentors such as Tony- and Emmy-winning performer Kristin Chenoweth. To learn more about the project, visit OpeningNightAmerica.com. Season 1 will feature the following new works.
Coyote, with a score by Tim McCorry and book by Michael Aman, is a musical drama about two separated lovers that tells the story of a foreboding pilgrimage from Mexico to the southern border of the U.S., featuring a predominantly Latinx cast led by the unscrupulous and magical title character, Coyote. Below is a montage from the 2016 FWD Theatre Project in Chicago, featuring Rodrigo Ignacio Cruz.
Legends of Arahma, with a score by Joseph Purdue and libretto by Dries Janssens, is a fantasy adventure that features young explorers from an earthly age gone by, as they battle other-worldly creatures in a mystical environment where good is threatened by a dark and evil force. Below are highlights from a 2019 performance of the concept album.
Once upon a Rhyme (formerly illa!), by Ronvé O’Daniel with co-composer Jevares Myrick and co-book writer J Kyle Manzay, follows a young, black ballet dancer, who despite the objections of his parents, dreams of becoming a hip-hop star. Below is a 2016 profile of the show and its creators.
The King’s Critique, with a libretto by Eric Holmes and score by Nat Zegree, is a musical comedy with an all-female cast that takes a reverse Shakespearean approach with a twist on the “Emperor’s New Clothes.” Below are Kennedy Caughell and Ryan Vona singing “I Am” in the show’s 2018 MT Shorts concert premiere at New York’s Cutting Room.
The drama Nomadland was the big winner at the 93rd Academy Awards, earning three Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director for Chloé Zhao, and Best Actress for Frances McDormand. Six other features took home two trophies each at the ceremony held Sunday night at Union Station in Los Angeles, including the jazz-themed films Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (which won Best Costume Design for Ann Roth as well as Best Makeup and Hairstyling for Sergio Lopez-Rivera, Mia Neal, and Jamika Wilson) and Soul (which won Best Animated Feature as well as Best Original Score for Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, and Jon Batiste).
The Oscar for Best Original Song went to D’Mile, H.E.R., and Tiara Thomas for “Fight for You” from Judas and the Black Messiah. The broadcast also included trailers for the upcoming film adaptations of West Side Story and In the Heights, but the best musical moment of the evening came from eight-time nominee Glenn Close, who was the third and final contestant in Lil Rel Howery’s Oscar trivia game, when she not only correctly identified the School Daze soundtrack song “Da Butt” but also performed its dance (which you can watch below). For a full list of winners and more highlights from the ceremony, visit the official Oscar website.
As is its tradition, the Golden Raspberry Foundation revealed the winners of its 41st annual honors on April 24, the day before the 93rd Academy Awards ceremony. In contrast to the Oscars, the Razzies recognize the worst the film industry offered during the previous year. The 2021 musical drama Music received the most wins this year, converting three of its four Razzie nominations: Sia as Worst Director (in her directorial debut), Kate Hudson as Worst Actress, and Maddie Ziegler as Worst Supporting Actress.The film lost out as Worst Picture to Absolute Proof, which earned a second win for Mike Lindell as Worst Actor.
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm was the other film to earn multiple Razzies, with Rudy Giuliani winning Worst Supporting Actor and Worst Screen Combo, while Dolittle won Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel and 365 Days won Worst Screenplay. Borat also received two Oscar nods this year (for Best Supporting Actress and Best Adapted Screenplay), while Glenn Close received a Razzie nomination and an Oscar nomination for her supporting role in Hillbilly Elegy.
Below is the trailer for Music. The film, co-written by Sia and Dallas Clayton, concerns newly sober drug dealer Zu (Hudson), who becomes the sole guardian of her half-sister Music (Ziegler), a young autistic girl. Leslie Odom Jr, who plays Zu’sneighbor, is in contention for two Oscars this year: for Best Supporting Actor and Best Original Song in One Night in Miami.
Happy Birthday to Tony nominee Adrienne Warren, born May 6, 1987, in Hampton Roads, Virginia. A preacher’s daughter, she began singing in her church choir. One of her first stage roles was the lead in a local production of Annie. “That’s when I realized that I could do something outside of myself, that there’s power in this hobby,” she told the New York Times. Weeks after graduating from Marymount Manhattan College (2009), she was cast to understudy Ashanti in The Wiz for City Center’s Encores! series. She followed that with tours of Dreamgirls and Bring It On, with which she made her Broadway debut (2012). Below are highlights of Warren, Taylor Louderman, and the cast of Bring It On.
