Wake Up With BWW 1/10: CHOIR BOY Red Carpet, Strike Updates, and More!

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! It's almost Friday! Don't give up on your week yet, we've got the top Broadway stories for you to catch up on!

We took you on the red carpet at opening night of Choir Boy, and you can hear what the cast had to say!

Casting has been announced for Lyric Opera's production of West Side Story in Chicago. The show will be led by Corey Cott and Mikaela Bennett.

The Local 802 Musicians Union has released a statement, standing with Actors' Equity regarding their strike. Equity is continuing the fight for pay increases, as well as profit sharing, for those who take part in developmental labs.

Read all of this and more below!

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1) Corey Cott and Mikaela Bennett to Lead Lyric Opera's WEST SIDE STORY

Acclaimed Broadway performer Corey Cott and rising star Mikaela Bennett will headline Lyric Opera of Chicago's premiere of Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's groundbreaking American musical West Side Story, presented from May 3 - June 2, 2019 at the Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive, Chicago (press opening May 4, 2019).. (more...)

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2) VIDEO: On This Day, January 9: IN THE HEIGHTS Closes Up Shop On Broadway
by Stage Tube

Before there was Hamilton, there was Lin-Manuel Miranda's cutting edge musical masterpiece In the Heights.. (more...)

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3) BroadwayWorld UK's 100 People To Follow On Twitter In 2019
by Natalie O'Donoghue

Team BWW have compiled the following list of their favourite Twitter users in the UK who post about theatre and the arts. Ranging from independent bloggers and theatre-makers to West End performers who are particularly engaging with their social media accounts.. (more...)

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4) Frances Ruffelle Speaks Out On LES MISERABLES London Changes; Fans Start Petition To Save Original Staging

It was announced yesterday that The Queen's Theatre in London, the only place to see Les Miserables with its original staging will undergo renovations and when the show returns from hiatus it will be revised to the most recent production which has toured extensively and played Broadway. When the show reopens, after a brief hiatus, it will have new staging, new orchestrations, and a new cast.. (more...)

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5) BWW Review: Tarell Alvin McCraney's Coming-Of-Age Drama CHOIR BOY Sings Out Spiritual Nourishment
by Michael Dale

"When I was little, my grandmother would sing songs to me that she told me freed slaves," says Pharus Jonathan Young, the central character of Tarell Alvin McCraney's emotionally thick coming-of-age drama, CHOIR BOY.. (more...)

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Strike Update: Local 802 Musicians Union Releases Statement In Support Of Actors' Equity Developmental Strike

"Broadway is booming Grosses and attendance are at all- time highs. This is made possible by the creative and performing artists who do the hard work of developing and performing in these productions. The work done in developmental labs is essential to the success of any Broadway production. This has been recognized by several producers such as Disney, Lorne Michaels, and the producers of Hamilton, who have decided to share profits with actors who play a role in the development of productions. It is time the Broadway League get in line with these producers and do the right thing."

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BWW Exclusive: On the Red Carpet with the Company of CHOIR BOY

On January 8, Manhattan Theatre Club's Broadway premiere of Choir Boy, written by Academy Award winner Tarell Alvin McCraney (Moonlight, The Brother/Sister Plays) and directed by Drama Desk Award nominee Trip Cullman, officially opened at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (261 West 47th Street).

BroadwayWorld was there catching up with the company as they celebrated the big night.

The cast features Nicholas L. Ashe(Junior Blake), Daniel Bellomy(Ensemble), Jonathan Burke(Ensemble), Gerald Caesar(Ensemble), John Clay III(Anthony Justin "AJ" James), Chuck Cooper(Headmaster Marrow), Caleb Eberhardt(David Heard), Marcus Gladney (Ensemble), J. Quinton Johnson(Bobby Marrow), Austin Pendleton (Mr. Pendleton) and Jeremy Pope(Pharus Jonathan Young).

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Set Your DVR...

-Bryan Cranston will appear on THE TONIGHT SHOW, LIVE WITH KELLY AND RYAN tonight!

Cranston is currently starring in Network on Broadway. He previously appeared in Network in 2017 at London's National Theatre, a performance that garnered him the 2018 Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Play. In 2014, he made his Broadway debut as President Lyndon B. Johnson in All the Way at the Neil Simon Theatre, for which he received a Tony Award, as well as a Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Theater World Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play. Cranston's work in television includes "Breaking Bad" (Emmy, SAG, Golden Globe, Critics" Choice, PGA Awards and DGA nomination), "Curb Your Enthusiasm" (2018 Emmy nomination), "All the Way" (SAG Award and Golden Globe, Emmy and Critics' Choice nominations), "Malcolm in the Middle" (Emmy and Golden Globe nominations), "Seinfeld," among many others. Film credits include: Trumbo (Academy Award, Golden Globe, SAG, BAFTA and Critics' Choice nominations), Argo (SAG Award), Isle of Dogs, Last Flag Flying, Why Him?, The Infiltrator, Godzilla, Wakefield, Drive, Rock of Ages, Contagion, The Lincoln Lawyer, Little Miss Sunshine, Saving Private Ryan and The Upside.

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What we're watching: Get A First Look At JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR on Tour

BroadwayWorld has a first look at North American Tour of Jesus Christ Superstar which will launch in fall 2019. Helmed by the acclaimed director Timothy Sheader and cutting-edge choreographer Drew McOnie, the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre production won the 2017 Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival, selling out two consecutive engagements in 2016 and 2017.

Jesus Christ Superstar is set against the backdrop of an extraordinary series of events during the final weeks in the life of Jesus Christ, as seen through the eyes of Judas. Reflecting the rock roots that defined a generation, the legendary score includes 'I Don't Know How to Love Him', 'Gethsemane' and 'Superstar'.

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And a Happy Birthday shout-out to James Lapine, who turns 70 today!

James Lapine is an American stage director, playwright, screenwriter, and librettist. He has won the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical three times, for Into the Woods, Falsettos, and Passion. He has frequently collaborated with Stephen Sondheim and William Finn. He and Sondheim have also collaborated on Sunday in the Park with George, Passion, and Sondheim on Sondheim. He's collaborated with Finn on The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, A New Brain, and Little Miss Sunshine. He directed the 2012 revival of Annie, and wrote the screenplay for the 2014 Into The Woods film.

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See you bright and early tomorrow, BroadwayWorld!

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