Neil Haskell News

HAMILTON has proven its lasting power in the five years since it debuted on Broadway, and after landing in several international locations, the mega-hit musical about America's ten-dollar founding father has crossed the border.

Lin-Manuel Miranda's epic masterpiece Hamilton - the Broadway behemoth that continues to take the theater world by storm one city at a time, one stage at a time - has settled into its multi-week run at Nashville's Tennessee Performing Arts Center.

Starring Buffalo concluded it's 3 performances of LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS on Saturday night. The visiting Broadway artists included Matt Doyle as Seymour, Lindsay Nicole Chambers as Audrey and Brandon Espinoza as the Dentist. Artistic Director Drew Fornarola has announced EVITA as the spring of 2020 staged musical concert. Casting will be announced in the new year. The company is using Shea's 710 Theatre this season, after it's inaugural season at Rockwell Hall last year presenting THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME. The touring cast of THE BROADWAY PRINCESS PARTY was also in town and joined in to celebrate.

Part of what makes Hamilton such a beloved work is the way it balances sorrow and upset with lightness and fun. Revisiting history doesn't have to be a slog. We all can learn a thing or two about our country's formative years while singing along to a?oeCabinet Meetinga?? rap battles in your car. Hamilton makes history accessible and relevant, reminding us in song of the power of the written word, how immigrants shaped our nation, and that the world is wide enough to coexist and learn from each other's ideals. Those are some profound lessons, all courtesy of a show that's so much more than a hip-hop musical. 

HAMILTON recently opened at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center in Appleton and will continue to play through October 20. When a show receives as much hype as HAMILTON has, it can seem almost a letdown compared to its reputation. However, HAMILTON is truly a modern masterpiece with tremendous artistry, subtlety, and nuance.

You & a guest will see Hamilton in one of the following cities: Tulsa, Omaha, Appleton, Milwaukee, Madison, Indianapolis, Nashville, Grand Rapids, Toronto or Ottawa! After the show take an exclusive backstage tour with King George, Neil Haskell!

Ready? Ok! The Tony-winning musical adaptation of Bring It On officially opened at Broadway's St. James Theatre seven years ago! To celebrate the occasion, we're looking back at the show's opening night with its stars Taylor Louderman, Adrienne Warren, Ariana DeBose, Ryann Redmond, Kate Rockwell, and more! Enjoy the trip by checking out the video!

The news getting your spirit down? Let Neil Haskell 'Lift it Up' in the latest video from the Singing Revolution studio sessions. The Euro-pop song, written by Tony Spinosa and James Bearhart for their original musical Singing Revolution, is a rousing anthem in which the lead character, Heinz Tamm, rallies his fellow countrymen into celebrating their cultural pride in the face of a Soviet Union occupation.

On Wednesday, October 31 at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway, all available tickets for the 8:00pm performance of HAMILTON will be sold for $10.

In this episode: Chicago's Charlotte d'Amboise started dancing with Balanchine at 8 years old and hasn't stayed still since. It was a moment in a character class where she felt in her soul 'there I am' that began her path to Broadway. An admitted workhorse, Charlotte most enjoys working with people whose passion is as great as hers and more. She has always had a sense of self and aware the she is her instrument, her instrument is art, and art must change. Along with this self awareness, she is facing the heartbreak that her body can't do what it used to, but this is inspiring her new focus: re-invention.

Bring It On: The Musical tells the story of the challenges and unexpected bonds formed through the thrill of extreme competition. With a colorful crew of characters, an exciting fresh sound and explosive dance with aerial stunts, this hilariously universal story is sure to be everything you hoped for and nothing like you expected.

In this episode: Broadway show shoe designer Phil LaDuca began his career singing and dancing on Broadway with choreographers like Agnus De Mille. Now choreographers like Jerry Mitchell are calling him to design shoes for singers and dancers. Phil LaDuca is a definition of having a second act in life that is just as grand as the first, and the term my 'LaDucas' has become a noun. After a reconstructive knee surgery he took his eye for beauty and experience onstage and created the most sought after shoe on stage and screen. Since dance has changed from the days of 'bring out the chorus girls', Phil thought that shoes should change with it. He brought his idea to the big companies and they said dancers don't have ideas and the rest is history. With accolades like a Drama Desk awards and thanks from dancers who say he's saved their legs and careers, it's the thought of a child getting inspired from a performer in his shoes that keeps him on pointe.

In this episode: My Fair Lady's Cameron Adams grew up in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and devoted her time to basketball and dance. At 16 years old, she was cast in Susan Stroman's The Music Man, and basketball become a spectator sport. A self-proclaimed tomboy, Cameron loves to play Broadway dress up and it's usually in period clothing. Her secret to having worked with all the top Broadway choreographers is that she shows up, works hard and is always authentic. Her favorite part is the rehearsal process because that's where she gets to make things. In Lincoln Center Theatre's My Fair Lady, she was allowed to be seen as an actor within the ensemble and that path she has made.

In this episode: Victoria Bailey, Executive Director of TDF, talks about TKTS celebrating 45 years and parent company TDF celebrating 50 years in 2018. TDF (Theatre Development Fund) is an organization that believes the performing arts should be available to everybody. They sell the idea of going to all theatre, not shows in particular and that Broadway is for everyone. Victoria Bailey has been with the company for 17 years, started at Yale, and was the GM at MTC for 19 years. She believes that theatre creates empathy for lives different than our own, that TDF/TKTS has created theatre goers for generations, and is a prime example of having a successful life in the arts separate from the footlights.

In this episode: Victoria Bailey, Executive Director of TDF, talks about TKTS celebrating 45 years and parent company TDF celebrating 50 years in 2018. TDF (Theatre Development Fund) is an organization that believes the performing arts should be available to everybody. They sell the idea of going to all theatre, not shows in particular and that Broadway is for everyone. Victoria Bailey has been with the company for 17 years, started at Yale, and was the GM at MTC for 19 years. She believes that theatre creates empathy for lives different than our own, that TDF/TKTS has created theatre goers for generations, and is a prime example of having a successful life in the arts separate from the footlights.

#EduHam is a series of HAMILTON Wednesday matinees made available to New York City schools with a high concentration of students from low-income families for the ticket price of only $10. This educational partnership, made possible through a $1.46 million grant by The Rockefeller Foundation, is not only providing 20,000 NYC public school students with the opportunity to see HAMILTON on Broadway, but provides educational material by Gilder Lehrman to incorporate material from the musical into the American History curriculum.

In this episode: Broadway's Shannon Lewis grew up in a rural Canadian suburb and at age 19 was hand picked by Susan Stroman to make her Broadway debut, after a 'Crazy for You' casting director saw her in a Toronto theme park show. The essence of this podcast is having integrity, the importance of the respect of your peers, and to have your talent and drive ready, so that when someone opens a door for you, you can walk right in. With an impeccable work ethic that takes every opportunity seriously; whether in the ensemble, as a deputy, or as a principle; as well as having Gwen Verdon as a champion, the real Shannon Lewis is coming out of hiding. @realshanlew 

In this episode: Broadway's Shannon Lewis grew up in a rural Canadian suburb and at age 19 was hand picked by Susan Stroman to make her Broadway debut, after a 'Crazy for You' casting director saw her in a Toronto theme park show. The essence of this podcast is having integrity, the importance of the respect of your peers, and to have your talent and drive ready, so that when someone opens a door for you, you can walk right in. With an impeccable work ethic that takes every opportunity seriously; whether in the ensemble, as a deputy, or as a principle; as well as having Gwen Verdon as a champion, the real Shannon Lewis is coming out of hiding. @realshanlew