Wake Up With BWW 12/9: City Center Presents Gala With Audra McDonald, and More!

Good morning, BroadwayWorld!

Today, December 9, incomparable Audra McDonald makes her debut at City Center in the City Center 2020 Gala. Get a sneak peek!

Andrew Rannells was a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last night, where the pair recapping the year with a parody mashup of Broadway showtunes!

Dolly Parton was recently interviewed by RuPaul for Marie Claire, where she talked about all of her current projects, and revealed that she is working on turning her life story into a musical!

Samantha Barks took the stage as Queen Elsa as she sings 'Let It Go' on the Royal Variety Show! Check out the video!

Read more about these and other top stories below.

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1) VIDEO: Andrew Rannells and Jimmy Fallon Perform '2020 The Musical'
by Stage Tube

Andrew Rannells was a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last night, where the pair recapping the year with a parody mashup of Broadway showtunes!. (more...)

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2) Dolly Parton Reveals She is Working on Turning Her Life Story Into a Musical

Dolly Parton was recently interviewed by RuPaul for Marie Claire, where she talked about all of her current projects, including her new Christmas album, Netflix partnership, and more.. (more...)

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3) VIDEO: Andrew Rannells Talks About Auditioning Against 'Type' for Broadway Shows on THE TONIGHT SHOW
by Stage Tube

Andrew Rannells talks about performing in Times Square with Bernadette Peters, how he started his Broadway career and starring in the film adaptation of The Prom with Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman and James Corden.. (more...)

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4) Arts Workers Unite to Pen Letter to Biden/Harris Calling for Cabinet-Level Arts & Culture Agency

As President-Elect Joe Biden continues to make preparations for the start of his administration, members of the arts community have banded together to pen an open letter calling for support of the industry in the wake of the growing health crisis. . (more...)

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5) VIDEO: Samantha Barks Performs 'Let It Go' from FROZEN

Samantha Barks takes the stage as Queen Elsa as she sings 'Let It Go' on the Royal Variety Show!. (more...)

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Today's Call Sheet - Upcoming Online Events:

- Today at 2pm and 8pm, Seth Rudetsky will continue his Stars in the House series, featuring new Broadway stars performing and answering questions! Watch live on YouTube here!

- Today at 12pm, Richard Ridge chats with Darius de Haas on Backstage Live! Tune in here!

- City Center premieres its virtual gala, An Evening with Audra McDonald, tonight at 7:30pm. Learn more here!

- The Met continues its Live in HD broadcast series with Britten's Peter Grimes, tonight at 7:30pm. Watch here!

Learn about more online streaming events happening today, and in the future, on our streaming calendar at /streaming-schedule/.

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BWW Exclusive: THE PROM Creators Reunite to Talk Netflix Changes & More!

Ahead of the film's release, the show's creators reunited again to reflect on their experience tweaking the musical for the screen. "The scale of everything was just unbelievable," explained composer Matthew Sklar. "I'm not used to have 80 or 90 musicians play a song of mine. Just the strings section alone... having 48 strings playing 'Unruly Heart' and 'Dance with You' and 'We Look to You' is just thrilling!"

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What we're watching: Watch Audra McDonald Sing Sondheim and Weill in Sneak Peek of City Center Gala

Today, December 9 (7:30pm ET), incomparable Audra McDonald makes her debut at City Center in the City Center 2020 Gala | An Evening with Audra McDonald- an intimate digital Gala presentation filmed live on stage. Longtime collaborator and music director Andy Einhorn accompanies the Tony, Grammy, and Emmy award-winning McDonald on piano for an evening of popular standards from the Great American Songbook and classics from the golden age of Broadway by Leonard Bernstein, Jerry Herman, Cole Porter, Stephen Sondheim, and more-hosted by Michael Urie.

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And a Happy Birthday shout-out to Judi Dench, who turns 86 today!

Dench's performances have garnered her an Academy Award, ten BAFTA awards, and a record eight Laurence Olivier Awards. Dame Judi's career in film has successfully traversed the entire landscape of cinema, from acclaimed performances in British independent hits A Room With a View, Notes On a SCANDAL (for which she won the Best Actress BIFA), Philomena and Iris to her legendary role as M in seven James Bond films from Goldeneye to Skyfall. Her global reputation has been cemented with further lauded roles in the hugely successful India-set comedy The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, and its sequel, both directed by John Madden; Roald Dahl's Esio Trot, opposite Dustin Hoffman; and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, directed by Tim Burton.

Dame Judi is also revered for her television work. Most recently she starred as Cecily, Duchess of York, in The Hollow Crown for the BBC, and past credits include: The Last of the Blonde Bombshells, for which she received BAFTA and GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS and an Emmy Award nomination; the long-running hit BBC sitcom As Time Goes By; and the critically acclaimed Cranford series, for which she received a number of major award nominations.

Dame Judi's celebrated career on stage has mirrored her achievements on screen, from her most recent, Olivier award-winning role in Kenneth Branagh's The Winter's Tale, to The Vote, directed by Josie Rourke, which was also broadcast live on UK General Election night in a landmark television event. She has regularly collaborated with the leading theatre directors of her era, including Sir Peter Hall (The Royal Family, Hay Fever), Michael Grandage (Peter and Alice, Madame de Sade) and Sir Richard Eyre (Amy's View).

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See you bright and early tomorrow, BroadwayWorld!