Nicole Rosky - Page 433

Today in 1996, the first Broadway revival of Chicago opened at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, and it continues to run at the Ambassador Theatre. Chicago is a musical set in Prohibition-era Chicago, with music is by John Kander with lyrics by Fred Ebb and a book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. Chicago's 1996 Broadway revival holds the record for the longest-running musical revival on Broadway and is its fourth longest-running show.

Today in 2008, Billy Elliot opened at the Imperial Theatre, where it ran for 1312 performances. Billy Elliot the Musical is a musical based on the 2000 film Billy Elliot. The music is by Elton John, and book and lyrics are by Lee Hall, who wrote the film's screenplay. The plot revolves around motherless Billy, who trades boxing gloves for ballet shoes. The story of his personal struggle and fulfillment are balanced against a counter-story of family and community strife caused by the UK miners' strike in County Durham, in North Eastern England. It won ten Tony Awards and ten Drama Desk Awards, including, in each case, best musical.

Today in 1989, Grand Hotel opened at the Martin Beck Theatre (now the Al Hirschfeld Theatre) where it ran for 1017 performances. Grand Hotel is a musical with a book by Luther Davis and music and lyrics by Robert Wright and George Forrest, with additional lyrics and music by Maury Yeston. Based on the 1929 Vicki Baum novel and play, Menschen im Hotel (People in a Hotel), and the subsequent 1932 MGM feature film, the musical focuses on events taking place over the course of a weekend in an elegant hotel in 1928 Berlin and the intersecting stories of the eccentric guests of the hotel, including a fading prima ballerina; a fatally ill Jewish bookkeeper, who wants to spend his final days living in luxury; a young, handsome, but destitute Baron; a cynical doctor; and a typist dreaming of Hollywood success.

Work Light Productions, one of the nation's premiere producers of theatrical national tours, and IMG Artists, the industry's global leader in performing arts management, released a new sizzle reel today for VOCALOSITY, a new concert production comprised entirely of a cappella music, which will begin its North American tour on January 15, 2016 in Gainesville. Universal Music Classics will release VOCALOSITY's debut album on the same day.

Jaw-dropping magic returns once again to the Great White Way as The Illusionists - Live on Broadway begins performances next Thursday, November 19 at the Neil Simon Theatre (250 West 52nd Street) in a limited engagement through Sunday, January 3 only.

The Color Purple just began preview performances last night, November 10, at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre (242 West 45th street). Grammy, Academy Award, and Golden Globe award winner JENNIFER HUDSON makes her Broadway debut opposite CYNTHIA ERIVO, the breakout star of John Doyle's acclaimed Menier Chocolate Factory production, and Orange is the New Black's DANIELLE BROOKS, in this fall's highly anticipated production. All three women will be making their Broadway debuts. Go inside their first curtain call below!

Happy Birthday Jackie Hoffman! Hoffman was seen on Broadway as Grandma in The Addams Family. Her other Broadway credits include Xanadu and Hairspray (for which she received the Theatre World Award). Off-Broadway she has been seen in Regrets Only, Pride & Joy, Book of Liz (Obie Award), Straightjacket, Incident at Cobbler's Knob, and One Woman Shoe. Regional credits include Second City (Jeff Award), Sisters Rosensweig.

FIRST YOU DREAM-THE MUSIC OF KANDER & EBB premieres Friday, November 20, 2015 on PBS. The tribute to the legendary songwriting team of Cabaret and Chicagois part of the fifth PBS ARTS FALL FESTIVAL and includes performances by an all-star cast of Tony Award winners and nominees. BroadwayWorld has a sneak peek below!

Below, check out highlights from the special night, which included performances by Criss, Danny Burstein, Kristin Chenoweth, Ben Platt and more!

Happy Birthday Ann Reinking! Reinking came to critical notice in 'Over Here!' (Theatre World Award), and later went on to originate roles in 'Goodtime Charley' (with Tony and Drama Desk nominations) and 'Bob Fosse's Dancin' (Tony nomination). She also took over leads in 'Chicago', 'A Chorus Line', and 'Sweet Charity'. She appeared in Fosse's semi-autobiographical film All That Jazz, as well as the films Annie and Micki and Maude.

On Friday, October 30, "Ghost Light," a show conceived, produced and co-hosted by Steve Schonberg (theater expert, NBC "Today in New York," "Center On The Aisle") lived up to the expectation of "spectacularly spooky!," as claimed by The Huffington Post. Actually, it was to die for.

The new dance musical spectacle Trip of Love, inspired by the biggest hit songs of the 1960s, is playing at Stage 42, formerly The Little Shubert Theater (422 West 42nd St). American pop culture is still pulsing with the psychedelic energy of the Sixties, an era of expression and revolution around the world. The music told the story then and it will again this fall as Trip of Love brings the decade to life with over 25 of the biggest hits of the '60s, including 'Blowin' In The Wind,' 'Born To Be Wild,' 'California Dreamin',' 'I Saw Her Standing There,' 'These Boots Are Made For Walkin',' 'White Rabbit,' 'You Don't Own Me' and many more.

The Tony, Grammy and Olivier Award-winning hit musical Jersey Boys officially celebrated 10 record-breaking years on Broadway this weekend at the August Wilson Theatre, and oh, what a celebration it was. 

Today in 2006, the first Broadway revival of Les Miserables opened at the Broadhurst Theatre, where it ran for 463 performances. Written by Claude-Michel Schonberg, based on the novel by Victor Hugo, Les Miserables is set in early 19th-century France. The plot follows the stories of many characters as they struggle for redemption and revolution. In January 2010, it played its ten-thousandth performance in London, at Queen's Theatre in London's West End. On 3 October 2010, the show celebrated its 25th anniversary with three productions running in the same city: the original show at London's West End; the Twenty-Fifth Anniversary touring production at the original home of the show, the Barbican Centre; and the Twenty-Fifth Anniversary concert at London's O2 Arena.

Frankie Valli himself has a lot to celebrate this weekend and he told us all about it on the opening night red carpet for ON YOUR FEET. Check out what he had to say about ten years of JERSEY BOYS below!

In honor of Throwback Thursday, BroadwayWorld is celebrating the past with a new series that will take you back in time with some of our favorite vintage video features. That's right- we are opening up the BroadwayWorld Vaults to reminisce on shows are long gone from the Broadway-scene, but have left an indelible mark on the world of theatre as a whole. Today, we bring you a vintage BroadwayWorld 'STAGE MAGIC' video from 2009. Watch as Faith Prince reveals the stage magic of THE LITTLE MERMAID below!

Performances of the new American musical Allegiance began at the Longacre Theatre (220 West 48th Street) on Tuesday, October 6, 2015 with an official Opening Night set for Sunday, November 8, 2015. Allegiance stars Tony and Olivier Award winner Lea Salonga (Miss Saigon, Les Miserables) in her long-awaited return to Broadway joined by 'Star Trek' icon George Takei in his Broadway debut at age 78, and Broadway and 'Glee' starTelly Leung. Allegiance is the vibrant and unforgettable story of one family's resilience in the face of seemingly-insurmountable odds, inspired by Takei's real-life experience as a Japanese American during World War II.

Today in 2007, Young Frankenstein opened at the Hilton Theatre (now the Lyric Theatre), where it ran for 485 performances. Young Frankenstein is a musical with a book by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan and music and lyrics by Brooks. It is based on the 1974 comedy film of the same name written by Brooks and Gene Wilder and directed by Brooks, who has described it as his best film. It is a parody of the horror film genre, especially the 1931 Universal Pictures adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and its 1939 sequel, Son of Frankenstein.

Today in 2011, Godspell opened at the Circle in the Square Theatre, where it ran for 264 performances. Godspell is a musical by Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Tebelak. It opened off Broadway on May 17, 1971, and has played in various touring companies and revivals many times since.The structure of the musical is that of a series of parables, based on the Gospel of Matthew (though three of the parables featured are recorded only in the Gospel of Luke). These are then interspersed with a variety of modern music set primarily to lyrics from traditional hymns, with the passion of Christ treated briefly near the end of the performance.

Happy Birthday Michael Cerveris! Cerveris, who recently played 'Juan Peron' in Evita, has also appeared on Broadway in In the Next Room (or the vibrator play), Cymbeline, LoveMusik, Sweeney Todd, Children And Art, Passion, Assassins, Titanic and The Who's Tommy. His Off-Broadway credits include Road Show, King Lear, an oak tree, The Apple Tree, Wintertime, Fifth of July, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Blood Sports and Total Eclipse. Cerveris has also performed in regional productions of Anyone Can Whistle, Spring Awakening, Sunday in the Park with George, Chess and more.