Today we are analyzing all aspects of last night's spectacular special presentation of the 25th anniversary of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA live from the Royal Albert Hall. This unprecedented full performance of the world's most successful entertainment staged specifically for this event was simulcast live to hundreds of theaters around the world, with Fathom proving yet again - LES MISERABLES, Sondheim's COMPANY and the Shakespeare's Globe Series, among many others, coming before - that they are the pioneers of perhaps the most exciting Broadway-related entertainment entity of the twenty-first century - live HD filming of theatrical enterprises. Over the course of the three hours of the complete musical as it has been performed on Broadway and the West End and around the world for twenty-five years, as well as a phantastic reception and encore featuring Andrew Lloyd Webber, Michael Crawford, Sarah Brightman, Cameron MackIntosh and four famous Phantoms - Toronto's Colm Wilkinson, the West End's John Owen Jones, Australia's Anthony Warlow and the new incoming West End title player Peter Joback - PHANTOM 25 is the theatre event of the year. Yes, PHANTOM 25 may very well be the most exciting and engrossing live show ever filmed and the presentation was exceedingly superb in technical aspects - and, now, the mind boggles at how utterly brilliant and breathtaking the forthcoming Blu-ray will be based on last night's performance (November in the UK, February in the US). Capturing the comedy in an enjoyable and surprising manner while still containing the menace and horror that gives it a distinct bite in the musical theatre realm (from the original director of SWEENEY TODD, Harold Prince, no less), and, most of all, arousing the most passionate and carnal of emotions in any willing and ready viewer. And so much more. PHANTOM 25 is now the crowning jewel of the show's legacy - the mask on the eponymous master magician and musician's face that somehow manages to make him truly, finally complete.
THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES, a retro jukebox musical with a bubblegum-sweet four-female cast, charmed off-Broadway audiences for over a year from 2008 to 2010. Since April, it has played at the Pittsburgh CLO's own Cabaret at Theater Square, starring Courtney Bassett, Marlana Dunn, Tara Geisler, and Stephanie Maloney.
One of the central joys of GLEE for theatre fans is the constant stream of top-tier triple-threat talent on display, oftentimes the very best and brightest stars on Broadway - and the epic return of Idina Menzel on GLEE last night was certainly a cause celebre of the highest order on that accord. While Idina's WICKED co-star Kristin Chenoweth has certainly made more appearances over the seasons - and racked up Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for her splendid work, as well; as recently as in the Season 2 finale and the "Rumours" Fleetwood Mac tribute episode - it is Menzel who has a pivotal role in the story of the show in a way perhaps no other guest star does: she plays Rachel Berry's estranged mother, Shelby. While the physical similarities in the appearance of Menzel and Lea Michele are easy to see (and, in some ways, hear) - although they bare no actual relation - it is in their masterful musical marriage that some of the best moments of GLEE arise and have arisen in the past - many the most heart-breaking and heart-warming among them. "Poker Face" is the gold standard by which every other duet is held up to since Season One and their take on the LES MIZ (and Susan Boyle) classic "I Dreamed A Dream" fulfilled the promise of its title for every Broadway baby - and even Idina's "Funny Girl" left a little footprint on our hearts. Yet, what about these two titanic Broadway leading ladies taking on one of the most well-known and best-loved musical theatre songs of all time - from one of the greatest musicals ever written, no less - "Somewhere" from WEST SIDE STORY? Furthermore, what about Chris Colfer essaying yet another grand dame show-stopping number, this time in the form of FUNNY GIRL'S "I'm The Greatest Star"? And, most of all, how did the hotly anticipated performance by Darren Criss of the WEST SIDE STORY staple "Something's Coming" come off - a song that had its audio world premiere in this very column this weekend - and did it ultimately pan out onscreen on GLEE as stupendously as it sounded it would? To find out all about how last night on GLEE the divas dominated, Criss catapulted to the top of the gleek heap and Colfer channeled Barbra Streisand herself - as well as all the other McKinley High-related drama and overall epic entertainment value that the show offers every week - read on.
Perhaps Kander and Ebb's best musical, apart from Chicago, Cabaret has it all: a finely detailed book, deliciously diverse characters, dynamite music and a subtext that will not quit. The subtext being: either compromise or get out if you value your life, the latter, to be sure, the wiser. This is Berlin, circa 1930, before Hitler, but just as Nazi pressure hits the fan. Reprise Theatre Company's stellar new revival production has the brilliant stamp of Broadway director/choreographer Marcia Milgrom Dodge.
The Harris Theater for Music and Dance launches its eighth season this Fall 2011 with an exciting and eclectic collection of culturally diverse programs featuring some of the world's greatest musicians, dance companies, and artistic visionaries, as well as an exciting selection of performances by the city's most acclaimed music and dance institutions.
Arielle Tepper Madover isn't just a Tony award winning Broadway producer, she's also a mom. Like all of us, she puts a lot of value on her kids' emotional development, and she recognizes how important self-esteem is, especially for young girls. That's why when Madover decided to bring Annie, the first musical she'd ever seen as a child, back to Broadway, she got to work at reinventing the casting process for child actors, putting the experience of auditioning and a sense of accomplishment ahead of competition and fear of rejection.
The Harris Theater for Music and Dance launches its eighth season this Fall 2011 with an exciting and eclectic collection of culturally diverse programs featuring some of the world's greatest musicians, dance companies, and artistic visionaries, as well as an exciting selection of performances by the city's most acclaimed music and dance institutions.
David Henry Hwang, one of America's most dynamic and versatile playwrights, is the Honoree of the 31st Annual William Inge Theatre Festival, in Independence, Kansas, on the campus of Independence Community College.
THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES, a retro jukebox musical with a bubblegum-sweet four-female cast, charmed off-Broadway audiences for over a year from 2008 to 2010. Since April, it has played at the Pittsburgh CLO's own Cabaret at Theater Square, starring Courtney Bassett, Marlana Dunn, Tara Geisler, and Stephanie Maloney.
The Hollywood Fringe Festival has chosen PURE SHOCK VALUE, a film made by the ensemble members of Los Angeles' Furious Theatre Company, as the Centerpiece Feature Film of its Fringe [film] programming, a new branch of the festival this year that has sponsored a venue dedicated solely to the presentation of 'fringe' film
On Monday, June 13, cast and crew members from the Tony®, Grammy® and Olivier® Award winning hit musical JERSEY BOYS will perform a special one night only cabaret performance titled Cabaret at the Corner of College and Broadway.
Ticket holders for the Saturday, June 11 matinee performance of JERSEY BOYS will need to allow additional travel time because of the Appleton Flag Day Parade.
An all-new documentary about the Broadway musical JERSEY BOYS has been rescheduled for Saturday, May 28 at 12:30 p.m. on WBAY Channel 2 due to weather coverage of Sunday's storms.
Shattered Globe Theatre will present Educating Rita, the charming comedy with serious questions at its heart, previewing June 21st, opening June 23rd, and running through August 14th at Chicago Dramatists, 1105 W. Chicago Ave.
In anticipation of the Wisconsin premiere of JERSEY BOYS at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center June 1-19, theater fans are invited to tune in to WBAY Channel 2 on Sunday, May 22 at 4:30 p.m. for the premiere of an all-new documentary television special "Oh, What A Night! The Story of JERSEY BOYS."
In anticipation of the Wisconsin premiere of JERSEY BOYS at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center June 1-19, theater fans are invited to tune in to WBAY Channel 2 on Sunday, May 22 at 4:30 p.m. for the premiere of an all-new documentary television special "Oh, What A Night! The Story of JERSEY BOYS."
On Monday, June 13, cast and crew members from the Tony®, Grammy® and Olivier® Award winning hit musical JERSEY BOYS will perform a special one night only cabaret performance titled Cabaret at the Corner of College and Broadway.
TicketLiquidator today announced that Rod Stewart Stevie Nicks tickets to the much-anticipated Heart & Soul Tour are on sale at TicketLiquidator.
Kim Massie's concert was originally scheduled for January 5. Ticket holders who did not receive a refund, and who would like to attend the rescheduled performance date, can simply present their tickets at the door for this new date. Customers who cannot attend the rescheduled performance may request a face value refund at the point of purchase, prior to March 24. For more information, please call MetroTix at 314.534.1111.
A day-of-performance lottery for a limited number of orchestra seats will be held daily for WICKED, which will be performing from January 26 - February 20 at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center.
After breaking ticket office records and selling out in record time in 2009, WICKED, Broadway's biggest blockbuster, will return to the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center in Appleton January 26 through February 20.
TicketLiquidator today announced that Rod Stewart Stevie Nicks tickets to the much-anticipated Heart & Soul Tour are on sale at TicketLiquidator.
A day-of-performance lottery for a limited number of orchestra seats will be held daily for WICKED, which will be performing from January 26 - February 20 at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center.
After breaking ticket office records and selling out in record time in 2009, WICKED, Broadway's biggest blockbuster, will return to the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center in Appleton January 26 through February 20.
Atlantic Theater Company Neil Pepe, Artistic Director; Jeffory Lawson, Managing Director is proud to announce that Patricia Conolly, Michael Countryman, Francesca Faridany, Mikaela Feely-Lehmann, Rick Holmes, John Keating, Peter Maloney, Jaime Ray Newman, Patricia O'Connell, Jeremy Shamos, Joey Slotnick and Tom Patrick Stephens will star in the world premiere adaptation of THE NEW YORK IDEA by Tony Award® winner David Auburn from the original play by Langdon Mitchell and directed by Mark Brokaw.
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