Wake Up With BWW 2/25: Virtual BROADWAY BACKWARDS Announced, ONCE ON THIS ISLAND Vinyl, and More!

Good morning, BroadwayWorld!

This year's Broadway Backwards streaming event includes a special opening number featuring Stephanie J. Block, Deborah Cox and Lea Salonga, plus performances and appearances by Matt Bomer, Darren Criss, Ariana DeBose, Robin De Jesús, Cynthia Erivo, Joshua Henry, Cherry Jones, Kelli O'Hara and Jim Parsons.

Broadway Records will release the Grammy Award-nominated 2018 recording of ONCE ON THIS ISLAND as a double record set printed on orange vinyl. It will be available on March 26, 2021.

Read more about these and other top stories below!

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1) VIDEO: Laura Bell Bundy Visits Backstage LIVE with Richard Ridge- Watch Now!
by Backstage With Richard Ridge

Watch as Richard chats with star of stage and screen Laura Bell Bundy, who just released her self-directed music video for her newest single "American Girl" Feat. Shea Carter.. (more...)

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2) VIDEO: THE CHAOS TWINS are Joined by Vasthy Mompoint- Watch Now!
by The Chaos Twins

Tune in to watch the next episode right here at BroadwayWorld. This week's special guest is the wonderful Vasthy Mompoint!. (more...)

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3) New and Upcoming Releases For the Week of February 22 - 42ND STREET on DVD and Blu-Ray, and More!
by Stephi Wild

Need something new to read, watch, or listen to? Check out this week's list of new and upcoming releases!. (more...)

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4) Stephanie J. Block, Lea Salonga, Kelli O'Hara, and More Set For BROADWAY BACKWARDS

This year's streaming event also includes a special opening number featuring Stephanie J. Block, Deborah Cox and Lea Salonga, plus performances and appearances by Matt Bomer, Darren Criss, Ariana DeBose, Robin De Jesús, Cynthia Erivo, Joshua Henry, Cherry Jones, Kelli O'Hara and Jim Parsons. More of this year's special guests will be announced in the coming weeks.. (more...)

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5) HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL: THE MUSICAL: THE SERIES Season Two Premieres May 14th
by TV News Desk

In season two, the East High Wildcats, who are preparing to perform 'Beauty and the Beast' as their spring musical, face off against rival school North High to win a prestigious and cutthroat student theater competition. . (more...)

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Today's Call Sheet - Upcoming Online Events:

- Nothing can stop BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge from bringing you interviews with your favorite Broadway stars! Today at 12pm, his special guest is Brian Stokes Mitchell!

- The Met's nightly streams continue tonight at 7:30pm with Verdi's Ernani Starring Angela Meade, Marcello Giordani, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, and Ferruccio Furlanetto, conducted by Marco Armiliato. Production by Pier Luigi Samaritani. From February 25, 2012. Tune in here!

- Stars in the House continues tonight at 8pm with a Game Night with cast members from Broadway Podcast Network's first digital Soap Opera, As the Curtain Rises, written and directed by Tony Award-winning producer, Dori Berinstein. Seth and James will be joined by James Monroe Iglehart, Andrew Barth Feldman, Bonnie Milligan, Leslie Margherita and Alex Brightman.​

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

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What we're geeking out over: ONCE ON THIS ISLAND to Be Released on Limited Edition Orange Vinyl

Broadway Records will release the Grammy Award-nominated 2018 recording of ONCE ON THIS ISLAND as a double record set printed on orange vinyl. It will be available on March 26, 2021. The limited-edition vinyl is available today for pre-order on BroadwayRecords.com and other major music retailers including Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.

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What we're watching: Go Inside the Revival for Encores! LOVE LIFE with Victoria Clark, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Kate Baldwin & More

The third installment of Encores! Inside the Revival features director Victoria Clark, Encores! Music Director Rob Berman and Consulting Producer for Musical Theater, and previous Encores! Artistic Director Jack Viertel as they revisit, Love Life a year later and discuss their process of imagining Kurt Weill and Alan Jay Lerner's rarely seen 1948 musical.

Originally scheduled for the 2020 Encores! season, the production was cancelled on the afternoon of the run-through as the news broke that theaters across New York City were being shut down to contain the coronavirus pandemic. Alongside performances from the cast, including Kate Baldwin, Brandon Burks, Jonathan Christopher, John Edwards, John-Michael Lyles, Heath Saunders, and Brian Stokes Mitchell, the creative team explores how Love Life resonates more than ever, as its values, social satire, and activism comment on the American dream.

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See you bright and early tomorrow, BroadwayWorld!