Ken Watanabe News

Max announces programming coming to the platform this February, including the debut of the twelfth and final season of HBO Original CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM (2/4). Check out the full list of everything coming to stream on Max in February!

Created and written by Tony Award winner J.T. Rogers, the series is loosely inspired by American journalist Jake Adelstein's first-hand account of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police beat. The series stars Golden Globe nominee Ansel Elgort, Academy Award nominee Ken Watanabe, Academy Award nominee Rinko Kikuchi, Rachel Keller, and more.

The Gotham Film & Media Institute announced that Ferrari, the emotional and thrilling dramatization of the life of legendary ex-racer, racecar manufacturer, and entrepreneur, directed and produced by Michael Mann, will receive the Icon & Creator Tribute for Innovation at the 33rd annual Gotham Awards Ceremony.

Peloton Studios London instructor and former West End performer Sam Yo has been bringing his unique energy and passion for musical theater to Peloton members since he joined the team as an instructor in 2019. For Peloton members familiar with Sam, it shouldn't come as a surprise that he was every bit as enthusiastic, genuine, and warm in this interview as he seems on the bike. On the heels of his special Andrew Lloyd Webber Peloton Broadway ride last week, I connected with Sam about inviting Peloton members back into the studio for the first time since 2020, some insider secrets on how he programs his Broadway rides, and how his background as an actor informs the immense presence he brings as an instructor.

Loosely inspired by American journalist Jake Adelstein's non-fiction, first-hand account of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police beat, the crime drama series, filmed on location in Tokyo, captures Adelstein's (played by Ansel Elgort) daily descent into the neon-soaked underbelly of Tokyo in the late 90s, where nothing and no one is what or who they seem.

Bartlett Sher is a multi-award-winning director of productions including The Light in the Piazza and the recent revival of The King & I. Sher’s Tony Award-winning Lincoln Center production of My Fair Lady will transfer to the London Coliseum for a limited summer engagement in May 2022. We spoke with Sher about bringing the show to the West End.

On this day in 2015, Lincoln Center's lush revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King & I opened starring Tony Award-winner Kelli O'Hara. 

Paramount Pictures will remake Rodgers & Hammerstein's classic musical, The King and I. Paramount reportedly intends to 'reimagine this classic story with a contemporary perspective that explores diversity and the contrasting worldviews of the characters by drawing from real history and the musical.' Before that happens, we're recapping the earlier versions!

This news is something wonderful! Paramount Pictures will remake Rodgers & Hammerstein’s classic musical, The King and I. Paramount reportedly intends to 'reimagine this classic story with a contemporary perspective that explores diversity and the contrasting worldviews of the characters by drawing from real history and the musical.'

In this time of social distancing and remaining responsibly indoors, we are all looking for ways to brighten our days and get moving any way we can! In the spirit of celebrating theater and providing motivation to get up and get shakin', we're taking a look back and paying tribute to some of the greatest dance numbers in musical theater history!

R&H Movie Night returns on Friday, May 8th at 8PM ET with a live viewing party of Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King and I, starring Tony Award-winner Kelli O'Hara (Anna Leonowens), Ken Watanabe (The King),Tony Award-winner Ruthie Ann Miles (Lady Thiang), Dean John-Wilson (Lun Tha) and Na-Young Jeon (Tuptim).

BWW Reviewer Peter Nason chooses the best musical theatre characters from 1940-2020; see if your favorites are on our list of the best characters from Broadway musicals.

It's great there is a family-friendly musical ready for the holidays.

Do not miss this superb rendition of a classic musical.

Deadline reports that director Michael Mann will helm HBO Max's upcoming pilot, 'Tokyo Vice.'

Today's top stories: Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker will lead Plaza Suite on Broadway, and more!

Great Performances returns with its third annual a?oeBroadway's Besta?? lineup of acclaimed theatrical productions, premiering Fridays, November 1-29 at 9 p.m. on PBS(check local listings), pbs.org/gperf and the PBS Video app. This fall's lineup spotlights musicals, comedy and drama: a?oe42nd Street,a?? the Broadway fable of a star-struck chorus girl dreaming of her big break; a?oeRodgers & Hammerstein's The King and I,a?? Lincoln Center Theater's Tony Award-winning revival of the beloved musical classic starring Kelli O'Hara and Ken Watanabe; a?oeKinky Boots,a?? the Broadway blockbuster featuring music and lyrics by pop icon Cyndi Lauper and a book by Broadway legend Harvey Fierstein; a?oeReda?? the Tony Award-winning drama starring Alfred Molina as painter Mark Rothko; and Tony Award-winning director Kenny Leon's modern interpretation of a?oeMuch Ado About Nothing,a?? the first Public Theater production recorded live at Free Shakespeare in the Park by Great Performances in over four decades.

Ashley Park has been announced as the co-star, opposite Lily Collins, in Paramount Network's half-hour dramedy, Emily in Paris, according to Deadline.  The series hails from Younger and Sex and the City creator Darren Star.

This has been one of the hottest summers on record, but don't let the rising temperatures get you down! BroadwayWorld is here to remind you of some amazing musicals and plays that you can watch from the comfort of your couch (with the AC blasting)! From Netflix to BroadwayHD to On Demand, there's an option for everyone!

Bartlett Sher, Daniel Fish, Jennifer Ashley Tepper, and more weigh in on the modern impact of classic musicals.