Marc Platt News

Get your tickets now for what could become the hottest ticket of the 2016 theater season.

Now that we are a full two weeks removed from Fox's first foray into the world of live, televised musicals, I think it is time to look back at the lessons learned from GREASE: LIVE. Though I hailed it as a rousing success in my review, on Broadway Radio's 'This Week on Broadway,' and on BWW's 'Some Like it Pop' podcast, there are a fair number of critics and viewers that had perfectly reasonable hesitations. Whether it was occasional sound issues, too strict a reliance on the film for inspiration, the wonky new song, or uneven performances, I am fine with acknowledging those shortcomings; but to me, there are three things that made GREASE: LIVE the most entertaining and artistically satisfying live musical of this recently reinvigorated phenomenon.

They know about popular!

San Francisco Playhouse continues its thirteenth Mainstage season with West Coast premiere of Andrew Hinderaker's Colossal, directed by Jon Tracy.

The international blockbuster WICKED will play its 5,124th Broadway performance on Sunday, February 14th at 2pm, surpassing Rent to become the 10th longest-running production in Broadway history. 

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Because we know all our readers eat, sleep and breathe Broadway, what could be better than waking up to it? Today's big news: HUGHIE begins, THE WOODSMAN opens, and Alan Cumming makes his Carnegie Hall solo debut!

WICKED producer Marc Platt is among those behind an upcoming, currently untitled original musical comedy which has just been picked up by Universal. Musically-talented actors Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Channing Tatum are attached to star.

Paramount Television's highly-acclaimed, breakthrough hit GREASE: LIVE delivered more than 17 million total viewers worldwide since it originally aired this past Sunday, Jan. 31.

Grease is the word! The landmark, live television production of the beloved musical Grease makes its home entertainment debut with GREASE LIVE! now available on Digital HD and coming to DVD March 8, 2016 from Paramount Home Media Distribution.

WICKED, the West End musical phenomenon that tells the incredible untold story of the Witches of Oz, is pleased to announce that the actor and presenter Mark Curry will play The Wizard from 25 March 2016. Tom McGowan will play his final performance as The Wizard on 12 March 2016. From 14-24 March 2016, the role will be played by Sean Kearns.

Like greased lightning! CTV's very big January concluded last night with 1.7 million viewers for GREASE: LIVE preliminary overnight data from Numeris reveals, making it the #1 entertainment program Sunday with total viewers and all key demos. The special peaked with 2.37 million viewers, tuning in to Sandy and Danny's dance solo during 'Born To Hand Jive'.

FOX's GREASE:LIVE was an undeniable hit last night, earning rave reviews, 12.2 million viewers and a 4.3 rating in the all-important A18-49 demographic. Executive producer Marc Platt has a lot to be happy about today, and he spoke with the Hollywood Reporter about his big night.

Adding to the news that last night's broadcast of GREASE: LIVE was a ratings bonanza, Showbiz 411 reports that the soundtrack to FOX's live musical has debuted at number 5 on iTunes

Hottest Articles on BroadwayWorld.com from this weekend Sunday, January 31, 2016 - Sunday, January 31, 2016.

Leave it to the network that reinvented television with AMERICAN IDOL and created SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE, one of the most artistically significant shows in recent memory, to figure out the proper balance in merging musical theatre and live television. FOX's GREASE: LIVE learned from three years of live, middling musicals on NBC (the satisfying WIZ LIVE! notwithstanding) and produced the best, most thrilling live TV musical in half a century.

Like all theatre fans, we here at BroadwayWorld are excited to the max for Fox's broadcast of GREASE: LIVE tonight. Following in the footsteps of NBC's THE SOUND OF MUSIC LIVE!, PETER PAN LIVE!, and THE WIZ LIVE!, Marc Platt and Thomas Kail have filled their cast with stars of both stage and screen. While not every T-Bird, Pink Lady, and denizen of Rydell High has Broadway credits on their resume, nearly all of them have some sort of theatrical related experience under their belts.

GREASE is the word, because later tonight (8pm EST) FOX will transport us back to Rydell High with its highly anticipated GREASE: LIVE. There's just hours left to break out your poodle skirt and leather jacket for the broadcast, and we want you to be prepared for all things GREASE before Jessie J sings her opening notes.

The show must go on as they say in the theater, and FOX has assured viewers that Sunday's broadcast of GREASE: LIVE will go on, rain or shine.

WICKED, the West End musical phenomenon that tells the incredible untold story of the Witches of Oz, is delighted to announce the opening of its 21st new booking period, on Monday 1 February 2016 at 10am, with over 500,000 new tickets going on sale for performances until Saturday 29 April 2017.