Nicole Rosky - Page 676

Today in 2012, Sister Act closed at the Broadway Theatre, where it ran for 561 performances. Sister Act is a musical written by Cheri Steinkellner and Bill Steinkellner with additional book material by Douglas Carter Beane, with lyrics by Glenn Slater and music by Alan Menken. It is based on the hit 1992 film comedy of the same name. Patina Miller, who originated the role of Deloris in the West End production, reprised the role on Broadway, making her Broadway debut. The original cast featured Victoria Clark (Mother Superior),Fred Applegate (Monsignor), Sarah Bolt (Sister Mary Patrick), Chester Gregory (Eddie), Kingsley Leggs (Curtis), Marla Mindelle (Sister Mary Robert) and Audrie Neenan (Sister Mary Lazarus).

On Saturday, August 31st, the London revival of A Chorus Line will close. Castmember Harry Francis, who plays 'Mark' in the production, recently interviewed the entire cast about growing up, getting their first job and their future as a dancer- mirroring the main plot of the musical. He writes:

This week's CEC feature is by a very talented songwriting team from Canada, Akiva Romer-Segal and Colleen Dauncey. 'It's Been a While' was performed by Wicked's Derek Klena and Next to Normal's Emma Hunton at our CEC concert at NYMF 2012. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

The national tour of the Tony Award Nominated Best Revival of a Musical and smash hit production of Tim Rice's and Andrew Lloyd Webber's EVITA kicks off on September 8th at the Providence Performing Arts Center in Providence, RI. The national tour of EVITA will star Caroline Bowman (Kinky Boots) as Eva Peron, Tony nominated Josh Young (Jesus Christ Superstar) as Che and Sean MacLaughlin (Woman in White) as Juan Peron. The cast also features Desi Oakley as the alternate for Eva, Christopher Johnstone as Magaldi and Krystina Alabado as the Mistress. The cast just met the press yesterday and you can check out a sneak peek, plus interviews with the cast below!

Beautiful - The Carole King Musical, about the early life and career of the legendary and groundbreaking singer/songwriter, will begin 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, following its World Premiere this fall at San Francisco's SHN Curran Theatre (September 24 - October 20, 2013). In the video below, the cast and creative team began rehearsals in New York City before heading off to San Francisco!

New composer Trevor Bachman made his Joe's Pub debut on Monday, August 12 in Songs of a Brave Soldier- a musical chronicle of truth. Wielding music as a storytelling force, this evening of rock, soul, and classical styles is a sampling of two original musicals (Pyre Cantata and Coromandel), as well as brand new songs. Bachman is an indie music theatre composer/lyricist with an eclectic sound, fusing tight harmonies, soulful grooves and addictive melodies, creating an emotional theatrical experience. Check out highlights from the concert below!

Happy Birthday, Andrew Rannells! Rannells played Bob Gaudio in the First National Tour of Jersey Boys. In January 2009, he reprised the role of Gaudio in the musical's Broadway production. Rannells originated the role of Elder Price in The Book of Mormon, a musical written by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone and Avenue Q composer Robert Lopez. For his performance, he was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical. His last performance was June 10, 2012. He will soon play Bryan Buckley in Ryan Murphy's new television series The New Normal on NBC.

Happy Birthday, James Corden! In 2004, Corden played the role of Timms in the original London stage production of Alan Bennett's play The History Boys, as well as in the Broadway, and Sydney productions. In 2011 he attracted international attention as the lead in the award-winning comedy play One Man, Two Guvnors, which transferred from the National Theatre to the West End and then to Broadway, and was also cinecast worldwide via National Theatre Live. For his ongoing Broadway run of the play, Corden won the 2012 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play.

Envelope Ensemble has just announced its first production: Adrienne Kennedy's adaptation of Euripides' Electra.

Today in 1983, La Cage Aux Folles opened at the Palace Theatre, where it ran for 1761 performances. With a book by Harvey Fierstein and lyrics and music by Jerry Herman, it is based on the 1973 French play of the same name by Jean Poiret. The original 1983 Broadway production received nine nominations for Tony Awards and won six, including Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book. The success of the musical spawned a West End production and several international runs. The 2004 Broadway revival won the Tony Award for Best Revival, the 2008 London revival garnered the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival. The 2010 Broadway revival was nominated for eleven Tony Awards, winning the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical. La Cage aux Folles is the only musical which has won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical twice and the only show that has won a Best Production Tony Award (Best Musical or Best Revival of a Musical) for each of its Broadway productions.

On August 23 and 24, Broadway favorite Kristin Chenoweth will return to the Hollywood Bowl with her first solo show, featuring the Los Angeles Philharmonic for a special evening of music and more. The uniquely talented and acclaimed star performs her Broadway, television and film successes, as well as some personal favorites, time-honored greats and entertaining surprises. A spectacular fireworks show will cap off the evening. Chenoweth recently chatted with KABC, revealing details on the upcoming concerts and you can check out what she had to say below!

Paper Mill Playhouse will launch its 75th Anniversary Season with the world-premiere, Broadway-bound musical Honeymoon in Vegas, based on the Castle Rock Entertainment motion picture of the same title. Honeymoon in Vegas features music and lyrics by Tony Award winner Jason Robert Brown (The Last Five Years, Parade, 13) and book by Andrew Bergman (director and screenwriter of the film). Gary Griffin (The Color Purple) will direct with original choreography by Denis Jones. The cast and creative team met the press just yesterday and BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge was there to chat with the whole gang. Check out what they had to say below!

The 17-week limited engagement of the critically-acclaimed revival of The Glass Menagerie begins performances at the Booth Theatre (222 W 45th Street) on Thursday, September 5, 2013, and opens on Thursday, September 26th. The production will star multiple Tony and Emmy Award-winner Cherry Jones as Amanda Wingfield, film and stage star Zachary Quinto as Tom, two-time Tony-nominee Celia Keenan-Bolger as Laura, and Brian J. Smith as Jim, the Gentleman Caller. The cast and creative team met the press earlier today and BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge was there to get the scoop on the production. Check out what they had to say below!

The National High School Musical Theater Awards (NHSMTA) selected 62 finalists from tens of thousands of students to compete for the coveted Jimmy Award for Best Performance by an Actor and Best Performance by an Actress, earlier this summer at the Minskoff Theatre. Hosted by the Tony Award-nominated stars of Rodgers + Hammerstein's CINDERELLA, Laura Osnes and Santino Fontana, the fifth annual performance showcase featured dynamic ensemble and solo performances exclusively from the musical theater cannon. Sarah Lynn Marion, from Fullerton, CA and Taylor Varga, from Newtown, CT took home the big awards for the evening. Check out highlights below!

Beautiful - The Carole King Musical, about the early life and career of the legendary and groundbreaking singer/songwriter, will begin 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, following its World Premiere this fall at San Francisco's SHN Curran Theatre (September 24 - October 20, 2013). In the video below, Jessie Mueller prepares for the role at a special photo shoot. Go behind the scenes below!

In a new spin off show for Fox, 'So You Think You Can Dance' Emmy nominated choreographer Mandy Moore works with actor/movers on 'So You Think You Can Walk'. While choreographing the hit Off-Broadway musical 'Nobody Loves You' at Second Stage, Mandy worked with Rory O'Malley (Book of Mormon) and Lauren Molina (Rock of Ages, Sweeney Todd), inspiring the creation of the parody sketch.

Scientists from Cognitive Science Research Group at Queen Mary University of London programmed a robot to perform stand-up comedy. RoboThespian is built by Engineered Arts and performed two gigs at the Barbican Centre. The below video was recorded live and captures some of jokes delivered by the robot.

Newsies is currently in its second year on Broadway and is still bringing audiences to their feet nightly at the Nederlander Theatre. In the video below, stars of the show, Jess LeProtto, Kara Lindsay, and Corey Cott chat with Entertainmemt Tonight about their favorite part about starring in the show, reasons for its success, and the possibility of a movie remake. Watch the full interview below!

The 27th Annual Broadway Flea Market and Grand Auction is just over a month away and this year there is a special invitation for Broadway fans.

Today in 2007, the second Broadway revival of Grease opened at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, where it ran for 554 performances. Grease is a 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The musical is named for the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as the greasers. The musical, set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School (loosely based on William Howard Taft School), follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of love, cars, and drive-ins.