Nicole Rosky - Page 652

Billy Crystal returned to Broadway last night to kick off a 9-week-only limited engagement of his Tony Award-winning, record-breaking play 700 Sundays. The final performance will be Sunday, January 5, 2014 at the Imperial Theatre (249 West 45th Street). BroadwayWorld was there for opening night and below, you can check out his full opening night curtain call, which included an on stage cartwheel!

Broadway favorites Lea Salonga and Darren Criss are both in New York City, and the duo recently met up at piano bar Marie's Crisis Cafe in the West Village, where they joined forces in a couple of performances to delight the crowd. Below, check out a special duet of Aladdin's 'A Whole New World' and Les Miserables' 'On My Own'.

Happy Birthday Brent Carver! Carver is best known for his performances on Broadway in Kiss of the Spider Woman as Molina, for which he won the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical in 1993, Fiddler on the Roof, and Parade as Leo Frank. Carver originated the role of Gandalf in the Toronto stage production of The Lord of the Rings and has appeared in several Soulpepper Theatre Company productions such as The Wild Duck, Don Carlos and the Pirate King in the 1985 production of The Pirates of Penzance.

Today in 2006, Mary Poppins opened at the New Amsterdam Theatre, where it ran for 2619 performances. Mary Poppins is a Walt Disney Theatrical musical based on the similarly titled series of children's books by P. L. Travers and the 1964 Disney film. The West End production opened in December 2004 and received two Olivier Awards, one for Best Actress in a Musical and the other for Best Theatre Choreography. It received seven Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical, winning for Best Scenic Design.

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.

On last night's episode of Bravo's 'Watch What Happens Live,' BIG FISH's Joshua Buscher stopped by the Clubhouse as guest bartender, and while he was there, he gave the other guests an 'Alabama Stomp' dance lesson. In the video below, watch as he taught host Andy Cohen (and MJ and Mike of "Shahs of Sunset") a few of Susan Stroman's signature steps from the show's opening number!

Beautiful-The Carole King Musical, about the early life and career of the legendary and groundbreaking singer/songwriter, begins previews on Broadway at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre (124 West 43rd Street) on Thursday, November 21, 2013, with an official opening night set for Sunday, January 12, 2014. BroadwayWorld brings you an exclusive first look at a television spot for the show below!

DISASTER!, the hilarious, acclaimed 1970's disaster movie musical is now playing Off-Broadway at the St. Luke's Theatre (308 W. 46th Street). A send up of the 1970s disaster movie genre, DISASTER! is written by Seth Rudetsky and Jack Plotnick, directed by Mr. Plotnick, and has choreography by Denis Jones. DISASTER! features some of the best songs of the 1970s including 'Hot Stuff,' 'Don't Bring Me Down,' 'I Am Woman,' 'Alone Again Naturally,' 'Signed Sealed Delivered,' 'Knock On Wood,' 'Daybreak' 'Sky High,' and more.

Goodspeed Musicals has put together an incredible cast for Snapshots: A Musical Scrapbook a heartwarming, multi-decade musical about the tribulations and triumphs of love featuring Stephen Schwartz's beloved songs from his most popular Broadway musicals including Pippin, Wicked and Godspell. This captivating new work conceived by Michael Scheman and book writer David Stern will run through November 17 at The Norma Terris Theatre in Chester, Conn. ­- Goodspeed's home for developing fresh, innovative, and original new musicals. BroadwayWorld brings you highlights below!

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.

Glamour Magazine held its 2013 Women of the Year awards gala last evening at Carnegie Hall in New York City, honoring women across the worlds of entertainment, philanthropy, education, fashion, and politics. The awards ceremony included a star-studded list of presenters, and Seth Meyers opened the show. Barbra Streisand and Lady Gaga were amongst the evening's honorees and you can check out their acceptance speeches below!

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.

The critically heralded all-male Shakespeare's Globe productions of Twelfth Night and Richard III, which delighted audiences and broke all box office records in London's West End earlier this year, opened earlier this week at the Belasco Theatre, and BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge was at the after party to celebrate with the cast. Check out what Mark Rylance and the rest of the gang had to say on opening night below!

The critically heralded all-male Shakespeare's Globe productions of Twelfth Night and Richard III, which delighted audiences and broke all box office records in London's West End earlier this year, opened last night, Sunday, November 10 at the Belasco Theatre, and BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge was on the red carpet to chat with the evening's guests, including Kathleen Marshall, Victoria Clark, Joan Rivers and more. Check out what they had to say below!

Two-time Tony Award-winner Mark Rylance stars in TWELFTH NIGHT and Richard III, two startlingly different performances in repertory, as the suddenly love struck noblewoman Olivia in Twelfth Nightand as the ruthless and conniving title monarch in Richard III. The critically heralded all-male Shakespeare's Globe productions of Twelfth Night and Richard III, which delighted audiences and broke all box office records in London's West End earlier this year, opened last night, Sunday, November 10 at the Belasco Theatre. BroadwayWorld brings you a first look at the cast in action below!

BroadwayWorld just met the cast and you can check out an exclusive interview with Jacquelynne Fontaine and Frank Viveros, who play Carlotta Guidicelli and Ubaldo Piangi, below! Jacquelynne's regional credits include: The Student Prince (Kathie, Pittsburgh CLO), A Little Night Music (Charlotte, Indiana Rep Theater), The Sound of Music (Elsa, North Shore Music Theater), A Room With A View (Ragazza, The Old Globe). Opera: La Traviata (Violetta, Tacoma Opera and Rogue Opera), The King & I(Anna, Opera North), Le Nozze di Figaro (Susanna, Rogue Opera), Don Giovanni (Donna Elvira, Tuscia Opera, Italy), Die Zauberflote (Pamina, Tuscia Opera, Italy). In Southern California: Don Giovanni (Donna Anna), Summer and Smoke (Alma), Idomeneo (Ilia), Candide (Cunegonde),Antigone (Antigone), Blood Wedding (The Bride), A View From the Bridge(Catherine). Frank originated the roles of Bloat The Blowfish in Disney's Finding Nemo: The Musical, and Iron Chef in off-Broadway's Yellow Brick Road. Favorites include:Caroline, or Change (Bus/Dryer), Once on this Island (Agwe), Buddy(Apollo), Songs for a New World (Man 1), Children of Eden (Cain),Sweeney Todd (Beadle).

BroadwayWorld just met the cast and you can check out an exclusive interview with Craig Bennett, Linda Balgord and Edward Staudenmayer, who play Monsieur Firmin, Madame Giry and Monsieur Andre respectively, below!

BroadwayWorld just met the cast and you can check out an exclusive interview with musical supervisor John Rigby below! John Rigby studied orchestral conducting at the University of Huddersfield and the Royal Northern College of Music. He holds MMus in Musicology from King's College London where he is currently reading for his PhD. He began his career in musical theatre and has been musical director for a long list of prestigious productions. In Germany, he was musical director for Miss Saigon at the Musical Hall, Stuttgart; andStarlight Express at the Starlighthalle, Bochum. West End credits include:Beautiful and Damned at the Lyric Theatre; The Drowsy Chaperone at the Novello; The King and I and Sinatra at the London Palladium; The Last Empress at the Apollo, Hammersmith; Marguerite at the Theatre Royal Haymarket; Les Miserables at the Palace Theatre; The Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty's Theatre; Peter Pan and The Pirates of Penzance at the Savoy Theatre; The Producers at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.

BroadwayWorld just met the cast and you can check out an exclusive interview with Julia Rose Udine and Ben Jacoby, who play Christine and Raoul, below! Originally from Southern New Jersey, Julia studied vocally with Melissa Daniels and received ballet training from Andrea Duffin who both gave her the inspiration and courage to pursue her dreams. Theater credits include: Jack's Back (Jenny), West Side Story (Maria). TV:Law and Order SVU, All My Children. Ben has has called Chicago his home for the past year and comes to Phantom directly from the Chicago-area Marriott Theatre (South Pacific, Dolly Parton's 9 to 5 and Now and Forever: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber). Regionally, Ben has appeared at the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre (Willoughby in Sense and Sensibility), Maine State Music Theatre (Fabrizio in The Light in the Piazza) and in several productions at the Utah Shakespeare Festival including Tom in The Glass Menagerie and Leartes in Hamlet. He holds undergraduate degrees in English Literature and Theatre from Denison University and an MFA in Acting from UC Irvine.

BroadwayWorld just met the cast and you can check out an exclusive interview with director Laurence Connor below! Laurence started his career as an actor in which he took part in various plays, musicals and recordings. It was while performing in Les Miserablesthat he was asked to direct his first musical, A Slice of Saturday Night, which played for a one-night charity gala at the Liverpool Empire Theatre. Since then Laurence has worked as resident director on the award-winning production of The King and I at the London Palladium, which went on to a national UK tour that Laurence assisted in the direction of. It was from here that he went on to become the associate director of The Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty's Theatre, London. Laurence also worked alongside Rupert Goold as the Associate Director of Oliver! at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Recent credits include: Jesus Christ Superstar (UK and Australian Arena Tour), the entirely new stage production of The Phantom of the Opera (UK Tour), Oliver! (UK Tour) and the new version of Miss Saigon (UK Tour and Worldwide).