Cinderella Preview

Posted on November 4, 2020 by boz

Andrew Lloyd Webber has released “Bad Cinderella,” the first official single from his upcoming musical Cinderella, starring Carrie Hope Fletcher. This modern take on the classic story has music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by David Zippel, and book by Emerald Fennell. The cast album was recorded while in pandemic lockdown, making it likely that the full recording will be released before the show opens in London’s West End.

The musical was workshopped in May 2019 at The Other Palace in London, with a cast that included Carrie Hope Fletcher (Cinderella), Tyrone Huntley (Sebastian), Gary Wilmot (Jean), Ruthie Henshall (Queen), Victoria Hamilton-Barritt (Stepmother), Sophie Isaacs (Adèle), Rebecca Trehearn (Marie), Jonny Fines (Prince Charming), Ronan Burns (Duke), and Oliver Ormson (Dorian).

The premiere is currently set to preview March 19, 2021, and open in April at the Gillian Lynne Theatre in London’s West End. The original opening scheduled for August 2020 was delayed due to the pandemic. Laurence Connor is set to direct and JoAnn M. Hunterto to choreograph. Also attached to the project are scenic and costume designer Gabriela Tylesova, sound designer Gareth Owen, and lighting designer Bruno Poet. Fletcher and Hamilton-Barritt will recreate the roles of Cinderella and the Stepmother, with the additional cast members and creative team to be announced. You can find more videos at the show’s YouTube channel. Below is the show’s official teaser.

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Presidential Musical Playlist

Posted on November 3, 2020 by boz

Happy Election Day. The musical is one of America’s unique art forms. Though many examples are little more than escapist entertainment, some shows have tackled the difficult questions of our American experiment. When you’ve returned from your polling site, please enjoy the clips below from five of the best musicals about presidential politics — covering the range of American history from the Founding Fathers to George W. Bush.

1776 (1969): Sherman Edwards and Peter Stone’s version of the signing of the Declaration of Independence dramatizes how an unlikeable John Adams persuaded his colleagues to vote for American independence, aided by the more genial Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. Below is the 1972 film cast in “Cool, Cool, Considerate Men.”

Assassins (1990): Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman’s Off-Broadway show uses the framing device of an all-American (yet sinister) carnival game in which the (successful or not) presidential assassins, from John Wilkes Booth to John Hinckley, explain their motivations. Below is the Broadway revival cast in “Everybody’s Got the Right to Be Happy” at the 2004 Tonys.

Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (2010): This rock musical, with a score by Michael Friedman and book by Alex Timbers, explores the founding of the Democratic Party, reimagining Andrew Jackson as an populist Emo rock star who promises to “take a stand against the elites.” Below is the original Broadway cast in “Populism, Yea, Yea!”

Hamilton (2015): In Lin-Manuel Miranda’s imagining of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton as an immigrant striver, “one man’s story becomes the collective narrative of a nation,” as critic Marilyn Stasio wrote. Below is the original Broadway cast in “History Has Its Eyes on You / Yorktown” at the 2016 Tonys. (The song starts about 2:15.)

First Daughter Suite (2015): This chamber musical expands the story Michael John LaChiusa began in First Lady Suite (1993), adding stories of the Nixon, Carter, Ford, Reagan, and Bush women to those of Jackie Kennedy, Mamie Eisenhower, Margaret Truman, and Eleanor Roosevelt. Below is the original Off-Broadway cast in the opening number of First Daughter Suite.

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Broadway Birthday: Beth Leavel

Posted on November 1, 2020 by boz

Happy birthday to Tony-winning performer Beth Leavel, born Nov. 1, 1955, in Raleigh, N.C. Leavel graduated from Meredith College with a bachelor’s degree in social work, before earning a master’s degree in theater at University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She made her Broadway debut in 1985, during the original production of 42nd Street, and moved on to roles in Crazy for You (1992), Show Boat (1994), and The Civil War (1999). Leavel returned to a revival of 42nd Street (2002) as Dorothy Brock, before originating the role of Beatrice Stockwell in The Drowsy Chaperone (2006), for which she received a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. Below is Leavel and Drowsy Chaperone costar Bob Martin recreating “As We Stumble Along” for a CBS-TV special.

Leavel next replaced Andrea Martin as Frau Blucher in the Broadway production of Young Frankenstein and Carolee Carmello in the Broadway production of Mamma Mia! She  followed those with starring roles in the original productions of Elf and Baby It’s You!, which earned her a Tony Award nomination for Best Leading Actress in a Musical. Below is a medley from the jukebox musical Baby It’s You!

Leavel’s latest Broadway appearances have been in Bandstand (2017) and The Prom (2018), for which she earned her third Tony nomination. Below is the official video of “The Lady’s Improving” from The Prom.

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Broadway Birthday: Brian Stokes Mitchell

Posted on October 31, 2020 by boz

Happy birthday to Tony-winning performer Brian Stokes Mitchell, born Oct. 31, 1957 in Seattle. Mitchell grew up in various military bases and began acting in school musicals while in San Diego. He was soon performing professionally and made his Broadway debut in the 1988 musical Mail. He followed that with roles in the 1990 Oh, Kay! revival, Jelly’s Last Jam, and Kiss of the Spider Woman, before originating Coalhouse Walker in Ragtime, for which he earned his first Tony nomination. Below is Mitchell and Ragtime costar Audra McDonald singing “Wheels of a Dream” at 1997 Kennedy Center Honors.

He next starred in the 1999 Broadway revival of Kiss Me, Kate, winning the 2000 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. Below is Mitchell and Kiss Me, Kate costar Marin Mazzie singing “So in Love” on the Today Show. 

His nonmusical work includes the 2001 play King Hedley II (Tony nomination) and the 2000 recording of The Complete Shakespeare Sonnets (Grammy nomination). Mitchell’s next musical was the 2000 revival of Man of La Mancha, earning his fourth Tony nomination. His latest appearances have been Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown in 2010 and Shuffle Along in 2016. Below is Mitchell and Man of La Mancha costar Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio in “The Impossible Dream” at the 2003 Tony Awards.

Off stage, Mitchell has been chairman of the board of the Actors Fund of America since 2004 and was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame in 2016. Earlier this year, Mitchell was diagnosed with COVID-19. After his recovery, he sang nightly from a window of his Manhattan apartment to thank first responders and medical workers. Recently, he released a new version of the Ragtime song “Make Them Hear You,” urging people to vote in the 2020 presidential election. 

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Today in Musical History: Wicked

Posted on October 30, 2020 by boz

The Broadway production of the mega-musical Wicked opened at the Gershwin Theatre on Oct. 30, 2003, after its world premiere at San Francisco’s Curran Theatre. The idea for the show began when Stephen Schwartz read Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel Wicked. In 1998, Schwartz secured the rights and asked Winnie Holzman to help develop the show over the course of the next year. For its developmental workshops, Kristin Chenoweth was Glinda and Stephanie J. Block was Elphaba, before Idina Menzel joined in the latter role during 2000. The original Broadway cast included Kristin Chenoweth (Glinda), Idina Menzel (Elphaba), Norbert Leo Butz (Fiyero), Michelle Federer (Nessarose), Christopher Fitzgerald (Boq), Joel Grey (Wizard), Carole Shelley (Mme. Morrible), and William Youmans (Dr. Dillamond). 

The creative team was Winnie Holzman (book), Stephen Schwartz (music, lyrics), Stephen Oremus (music direction), William David Brohn (orchestrations), Joe Mantello (direction), Wayne Cilento (choreography), Eugene Lee (sets), Susan Hilferty (costumes), Kenneth Posner (lights), Tony Meola (sound), Elaine J. McCarthy (projections), Tom Watson (hair & wigs), and Joseph Dulude II (make-up). The production won three 2004 Tonys. Below is the original cast performing “Defying Gravity” at the 2004 Tony Awards.

The original Broadway cast recording was released Dec. 16, 2003. It received the 2005 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album and was certified platinum in 2006, then double platinum in 2010. In 2012, Universal Studios was reported to be producing the film with Stephen Daldry as director for a 2019 release. In 2018, Universal put the film on hold and announced a new release date for 2021, but in April 2020, the film was on hold again, and Daldry left the production in October.

In 2018, NBC-TV broadcast A Very Wicked Halloween: Celebrating 15 Years on Broadway, hosted by Menzel and Chenoweth, featuring Ariana Grande, Pentatonix, Adam Lambert, and others to a live studio audience at New York’s Marquis Theatre. 

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Westchester Broadway Theatre Closes

Posted on October 28, 2020 by boz

The noted musical venue Westchester Broadway Theatre in Elmsford, N.Y., has closed its doors due to COVID-19, after 46 years of business. In a letter to their employees, WBT founders Bob Funking, Bill and Von Ann Stutler wrote, “It is with a great sadness that we say goodbye. We wish you much good will in the future. We will miss you!” The dinner theater’s final production, All Shook Up, opened March 5, before being shut down due to  pandemic restrictions. The landlord will gut the building and turn it into a warehouse. Below is a clip from All Shook Up.

Billed as New York State’s longest-running Equity theatre, WBT opened July 19, 1974, with a production of Kiss Me, Kate. Since then, it has produced 217 musicals and nearly 1,000 other events with such future Broadway stars as Faith Prince, Robert Cuccioli, Jennifer Damiano, Carolee Carmello, and Will Swenson as well as directors and choreographers Susan Stroman, Kathleen Marshall, Rob Marshall, and Rob Ashford.

White Plains Performing Arts Center has offered WBT patrons the opportunity to exchange their outstanding WBT tickets and gift cards for future WPPAC shows. For more information on the exchange program, you can visit www.wppac.com/wbt, email boxoffice@wppac.com, or call 914-328-1600.

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Christmas on the Square Preview

Posted on October 27, 2020 by boz

Dolly Parton in “Christmas on the Square”

Netflix has released the official trailer for the new musical Christmas on the Square, which will begin streaming Nov. 22 on the platform. The score includes 14 original songs composed by Dolly Parton, who stars as an angel that “saves a Scrooge of a woman who plans to sell her small town, regardless of the consequences to the people who live there.” Joining Parton in the cast are Christine Baranski (Regina Fuller), Jenifer Lewis (Margeline), Treat Williams (Carl Pellam), Jeanine Mason (Felicity Sorenson), Josh Segarra (Pastor Christian Hathaway), and Mary Lane Haskell (Jenna Hathaway). 

The creative team includes Debbie Allen (direction), Maria S. Schlatter (screenplay), Dolly Parton (music), Larry Blank (orchestrations), Oliver Bokelberg (cinematography), Casey O. Rohrs (editing), Ina Mayhew (production design), MaryBeth McCaffrey-Dillon (art direction), Sarah Carter (set decoration), and Provi Fulp Ramphal (costumes). In coordination with the film, Parton has released the title song “Christmas on the Square,” from the upcoming album A Holly Dolly Christmas, her first holiday album in 30 years.

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2020 Olivier Awards

Posted on October 26, 2020 by boz

Best Actor Sam Tutty in “Dear Evan Hansen”

Last night, performer Jason Manford hosted the 2020 Laurence Olivier Awards at the London Palladium. Manford was scheduled to host the ceremony April 5 at the Royal Albert Hall, but the event was postponed on March 17 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the honorees were on hand to accept their trophies in person, but the majority of the show was taped earlier at the venue. Among the evening’s top winners were the musicals Dear Evan Hansen (which won best musical, best score, and best actor) and & Juliet (which won the remaining three performance awards out of its record nine nominations). Notably, choreographer Matthew Bourne set the record last night for most Olivier wins. You can watch the entire show below.

In addition to Best New Musical winner Dear Evan Hansen, other productions honored include Playhouse Theatre’s Fiddler on the Roof as Best Musical Revival and Royal Opera House’s Billy Budd as Best New Opera Production. Writing honors went to composers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul and to orchestrator by Alex Lacamoire for the music of Dear Evan Hansen, and lyricist Don Black received a special Olivier award.

In the acting categories, Sam Tutty won Best Actor for the title role in Dear Evan Hansen and Miriam-Teak Lee won Best Actress for the title role in & Juliet, while Lee’s co-stars David Bedella and Cassidy Janson won Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress. The Children’s Ensemble were also honored for Outstanding Achievement in Opera for their performance in Noye’s Fludde at Theatre Royal Stratford East.

Other musical wins of the night include Best Theatre Choreographer to Matthew Bourne and Stephen Mear and Best Set Design to Bob Crowley, both for Mary Poppins.

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Broadway Birthday: Maury Yeston

Posted on October 23, 2020 by boz

Happy birthday to Tony-winning composer Maury Yeston, born Oct. 23, 1945, in Jersey City, NJ. After earning his bachelor’s in music at Yale and his master’s at Cambridge, he taught at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, before returning to Yale to pursue his doctorate and eventually join the music faculty. While teaching at Yale, Yeston attended the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theater Workshop, traveling from New Haven to New York each week. 

At BMI, he developed a project he’d begun in 1973: the musical Nine, which made it to Broadway in 1982, earning five Tony Awards, including best musical and best score, and a Grammy nomination. (In 1982, Yeston also became director of the BMI workshop and began two decades of mentoring writers, of which I was fortunate to be one.) Nine later saw a Tony-winning and Grammy-nominated revival in 2003 and an Oscar-nominated film adaptation in 2009. Below is Antonio Banderas and the revival cast in “Guido’s Song” at the 2003 Tonys.

After the success of Nine, Yeston left Yale and began writing his adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera. He had completed much of the show and was raising money for a Broadway production when Andrew Lloyd Webber announced his version. Yeston’s show eventually premiered in 1991 at Theatre Under the Stars in Houston.

In 1989, Tommy Tune, who had directed Nine, asked Yeston to work on the score of Grand Hotel. Yeston wrote eight new songs and rewrote about half the lyrics. The show opened on Broadway in November 1989, earning Yeston a Tony nomination for best score. Below are David Carroll and Tony winner Michael Jeter with the original cast in “We’ll Take a Glass Together” at the 1990 Tonys.

Yeston’s next (and most recent) Broadway musical was Titanic, which opened at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in 1997 and swept all five categories in which it received Tony nominations, including best musical and score. Yeston also received a Grammy nomination for the cast album. His other musical theater works include History Loves Company (1991), In the Beginning (1998), and Death Takes a Holiday (2011). Below is Michael Cerveris and the original cast singing “There She Is” at the 1997 Tonys.

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The Prom Preview

Posted on October 23, 2020 by boz

Streep and Corden

Netflix has released the official teaser trailer for the film adaptation of the Tony-nominated stage musical The Prom, which begins streaming on its platform December 11. The film’s creative team includes Bob Martin (screenplay), Chad Beguelin (screenplay, lyrics), Matthew Sklar and David Klotz (music), Ryan Murphy (direction), Casey Nicholaw (choreography), Matthew Libatique (cinematography), Peggy Tachdjian and Danielle Wang (editing), Jamie Walker McCall (production design), Sarah Delucchi and Tom Frohling (art direction), Gene Serdena (set decoration), and Lou Eyrich (costumes).

The cast includes Meryl Streep (Dee Dee Allen), James Corden (Barry Glickman), Nicole Kidman (Angie Dickinson), Keegan-Michael Key (Mr. Hawkins), Andrew Rannells (Trent Oliver), Ariana DeBose (Alyssa Greene), Kerry Washington (Mrs. Greene), Kevin Chamberlin (Sheldon Saperstein), and newcomer Jo Ellen Pellman (Emma). Below is the official trailer for the film.

The stage musical premiered at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta on Aug. 18, 2016, and opened at Broadway’s Longacre Theatre on Nov. 15, 2018, earning seven Tony nominations, including best musical. Its creative team included Bob Martin (book), Chad Beguelin (book, lyrics), Matthew Sklar (music), Casey Nicholaw (direction, choreography), Scott Pask (sets), Ann Roth and Matthew Pachtman (costumes), Natasha Katz (lighting), and Brian Ronan (sound).

Its cast included Beth Leavel (Dee Dee Allen), Brooks Ashmanskas (Barry Glickman), Angie Schworer (Angie Dickinson), Michael Potts (Mr. Hawkins), Christopher Sieber (Trent Oliver), Isabelle McCalla (Alyssa Greene), Courtney Collins (Mrs. Greene), Josh Lamon (Sheldon Saperstein), and Caitlin Kunnunen (Emma). Below is a medley of “Tonight Belongs to You / It’s Time To Dance” at the 2019 Tony Awards.

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