WAKE UP with BWW 7/31/14 - 'RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY', AVENUE Q Hits 11 Years, Chita in THE VISIT, GREASE in STL & More!
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: Off-Broadway is heating up today with BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY and 'REVOLUTION IN THE ELBOW' kicking off performances, plus AVENUE Q's interactive 11th Anniversary celebration, and stars are popping up around the country with Chita Rivera in Williamstown's THE VISIT, Taylor Louderman in The Muny's GREASE and more!
Next up in our series of Broadway stars introducing BWW's morning feature is Tony nominee and VIOLET composer Jeanine Tesori (portrait by Walter McBride), also known for her work on Fun Home, A Free Man of Color, Shrek, Caroline, or Change, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Swing!, Twelfth Night and more. Now down that cup of joe and onward to the news!
Photo by Walter McBride.
TODAY'S TOP ITEMS:
- It's a big night off-Broadway! Atlantic Theater's BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY opens this evening, Cady Huffman and Kate Shindle lead 'REVOLUTION IN THE ELBOW' (more here), and AVENUE Q celebrates its 11th Anniversary in New York tonight by going Tweet-tastic!
- Andrew Samonsky, Mara Davi and more lead an industry reading of SOMEWHERE IN TIME today...
- The casts of A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE, ONCE and more appear today at Bryant Park!
- Chita Rivera stars in THE VISIT, opening tonight at the Williamstown Theatre Festival.
- And GREASE begins performances tonight at The Muny with an all-star cast!
NEWS YOU MISSED YESTERDAY:
- Most importantly, the new INTO THE WOODS film released more official stills (right) ahead of the trailer debut -- which should happen very soon!
- GIRLS star Allison Williams has been cast as 'Peter Pan' in NBC's PETER PAN LIVE! Special!
- Andrea Martin will return to her Tony-Winning role as part of the national tour of PIPPIN at the Pantages this fall...
- Ashley Brown and more are leading readings of the new musical QUEEN MOTHER in NYC this week.
- We got a first look at Jessica Grové, Alan Mingo Jr. and more in THE LITTLE MERMAID in North Carolina!
- And finally, the Kennedy Center unveiled a sneak peak at Tiler Peck in title role of Ahrens & Flaherty's LITTLE DANCER!
Broadway Weather Forecast: Sunny this morning with afternoon thunderstorms. High of 82 degrees.
Quote of the Day: In honor of Chita Rivera's role in THE VISIT at Williamstown, see what the legend has to say about the electric nature of the theatre...
You take a plug and put it in a socket, and that's what the theatre is-it lights up right away. You speak, and they respond immediately.
-- Chita Rivera (via BrainyQuote)
What we're looking forward to: The next installment of VILLAIN: DEBLANKS at 54 Below tonight, featuring Hunter Ryan Herdlicka, Christine Pedi and more. Below, check out some fun memes from the first show!
Video of the Day: To celebrate AVENUE Q's 11 years in New York, watch "It Sucks To Be Me" with the original Broadway cast!
And finally, a Happy Birthday shout-out to Joey Richter, who turns 26 today!
If you don't know who Richter is, scour the Internet. A member of Team StarKid, the actor is best known for his portrayal of Ron Weasley opposite Darren Criss in the fan-parody musicals A Very Potter Musical, A Very Potter Sequel and A Very Potter Senior Year. He also led StarKid's Me and My Dick and Starship, and recently starred in Judas Redux in Chicago.
Photo by Mark Albain.
See you bright and early tomorrow, BroadwayWorld!
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