Pat Cerasaro - Page 211

In this SOUND OFF SPECIAL EDITION we are taking a comprehensive look at Tuesday's premiere of THE ROCKY HORROR GLEE SHOW on Fox and the accompanying soundtrack that was released last week, GLEE: THE MUSIC: THE ROCKY HORROR GLEE SHOW, as well as analyzing how the show and soundtrack stacks up to previous GLEE-ful tributes - Madonna, Gaga/Journey, Britney, etc. - and in comparison to the second season, and entire series, thus far! So, what did you think of THE ROCKY HORROR GLEE SHOW by the time the credits rolled? Was it a tart and terrific time warp romp or a warped and twisted time-consuming stink bomb? A jump to the right or a step to the left? Is it always all or nothing? With ROCKY HORROR, going over-the-top is just the very start of beginning to see what's weird and wild on the other side.

This week we are taking a look at some down home country charm and crooning courtesy of Broadway leading lady - late of HAIRSPRAY, WICKED and LEGALLY BLONDE - the country/pop crossover chanteuse and comedienne known to friends and fans as LBB - but, to the world, three names barely even begin to say it all when it comes to her raw talent, vocal timbre and comic timing: Laura Bell Bundy. In this special FLASH FRIDAY in honor of LBB's nomination for 'Breakthough Artist Music Video of the Year' for her hit single 'Giddy On Up' from her double-disc debut solo album ACHIN' & SHAKIN' at the upcoming American Country Awards in November, we are gearing up for the hottest (and most hilarious) hay-ride of the Halloween season thanks to these risque and occasionally raunchy clips from LBB's self-made and self-starring YouTube channel Cooter County. All of this is in anticipation of the upcoming InDepth InterView: Laura Bell Bundy coming next week! For now, just a tiny taste of the whole peach pie!

On Monday July 24th, the Obamas hosted a starry event at the White House that was streamed live on the White House Official Website and right here on Broadway World that featured the top talents of the Great White Way singing the very best songs by (mostly) American composers. Among the participants were Elaine Stritch, Nathan Lane, Tonya Pinkins,Brian D'Arcy James, Audra McDonald, Chad Kimball, Karen Olivo and Idina Menzel. Additionally, the concert featured Marvin Hamlisch, who accompanied Idina Menzel on his iconic performing arts anthem from A CHORUS LINE, 'What I Did For Love', who I also had the distinct pleasure of interviewing for InDepth InterView in the intervening months in which we discuss this concert. Here is a review of the spectacular event as it was presented on PBS stations nationwide last night!

This week we are taking a listen to the soundtrack for the forthcoming ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW homage ala GLEE with a rundown of the second season of the hit Golden Globe-winning musical dramedy series and how it stacks up to last season. Additionally, we take a peek at one of the most famous musicals numbers from the cult classic score - 'Time Warp' featuring all of the central Glee club cast-members of the show, among them Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, Dianna Agron and Chris Colfer. The soundtrack also contains a special appearance by John Stamos - late of Broadway's recent BYE BYE BIRDIE, and the other Roundabout revivals of NINE and CABARET - who sings the song made famous by a then unknown Meat Loaf in 1975 who will be making an appearance himself on the episode when it airs October 26th on Fox. So, come up to the lab and see what's on the slab a whole week early as we take a peak at the soundtrack and some special video clips from THE ROCKY HORROR GLEE SHOW.

Today we are taking a look at both versions of last night's live episode of the every-award-winning NBC comedy 30 ROCK starring Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan and Jane Krakowski with a special emphasis on the theatrical elements - such as a newly written (or at least lyric-ized) theme song performed by two of Broadway's best, a musical montage infomercial, and some shrewdly-placed stage tricks - and the many memorable moments from the slightly different, but equally effectively excellent, episodes aired on either coast. It was an event quite unlike any other before or since and even guest stars Jon Hamm, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Matt Damon, Chris Parnell and Rachel Dratch got in on the game-changing nature of the live television event and hammed it up for the live studio audience. Surely, if absolutely nothing else, the two versions of the theme song - one sung by Jane Krakowski for the East Coast feed, the other sung by Cheyenne Jackson for the West Coast - are more than enough to generate some interest and excitement from the Broadway babies out there who are destined find a lot to love in this unprecedented live show and the overall allure of 30 ROCK itself! In addition to a thorough discussion of the two shows and side-by-side clip comparisons, also included in this article are links to the complete episodes so you may compare and contrast them yourself in their entirety. Without further ado, let the live hilarity ensue!

In a career that has consisted of everything from voicing Howard the Duck to originating the roles of The Baker in Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's musical INTO THE WOODS and Marvin (and Dr. Mendel) in the FALSETTOS trilogy by William Finn, as well as some DePalma and numerous stage roles in between, Chip Zien is a character actor extraordinaire who now is trying out a new role - that of book writer - in the New York Musical Theater Festival's new musical THE HISTORY OF WAR. Last week we spoke to one of the stars of the show, Max Von Essen, and today we shine some light on the process of bringing the show to the stage as well as a look back at many of the notable film and theatre appearances that Zien has made over his nearly four decades in show business. Working with Stephen Sondheim, William Finn, Dustin Hoffman and Nicolas Cage is just the tip of the iceberg, as Zien also opens up about his unusual career and the many friendships he has built along the way. All that, and what it was like to be at the birth of a brand new Sondheim song written just for him in the form of 'No More' from INTO THE WOODS. Marvin to Mendel, Baker to book writer, Chip Zien is an authority of all the glitters and the gold of having a true collaborative breakthrough as he has had on FALSETTOS, INTO THE WOODS and, now, THE HISTORY OF WAR. Tickets are on sale at the link below! Only three performances left, tonight and tomorrow only!

This week I had the honor and privilege of conducting a comprehensive InDepth InterView with legendary star of stages and screens worldwide, both large and small - and winner of an Oscar and a Tony award along the way - who will be co-starring with Glenn Close in a special benefit reading of Larry Kramer's Pulitzer-prize winning AIDS crisis drama THE NORMAL HEART on Monday night, unquestionably one of the greatest dancers and performers of all time: Mr. Joel Grey! In this extensive interview we discuss his daughter Jennifer Grey and his feelings and advice to the DIRTY DANCING star on her participation in DANCING WITH THE STARS and teaching her some tricks of the trade, in addition to the first word of the upcoming Kathleen Marshall-helmed revival of ANYTHING GOES co-starring Sutton Foster coming to the Roundabout early next year as well as his thoughts on co-stars Liza Minnelli, Kristin Chenoweth, Idina Menzel and Sutton Foster as well as working with directors like Bob Fosse, Hal Prince, Joe Mantello and Kathleen Marshall! We also discuss much, much more! It may be gray outside these Fall days but it's all Grey at BWW!

Last night I had the honor and privilege of conducting a comprehensive InDepth InterView with legendary star of stages and screens worldwide, both large and small - and winner of an Oscar and a Tony award along the way - who will be co-starring with Glenn Close in a special benefit reading of Larry Kramer's Pulitzer-prize winning AIDS crisis drama THE NORMAL HEART on Monday night, unquestionably one of the greatest dancers and performers of all time: Mr. Joel Grey! In this tease of the forthcoming complete interview we discuss his daughter Jennifer Grey and his feelings and advice to the DIRTY DANCING star on her participation in DANCING WITH THE STARS and teaching her some tricks of the trade, in addition to the first word of the upcoming Kathleen Marshall-helmed revival of ANYTHING GOES co-starring Sutton Foster coming to the Roundabout early next year! It may be gray outside but it's all Grey at BWW!

Few stars - or even legends, like this one - boast a resume that includes a Tony Award, the leading role on one of the most cherished sitcoms of the early eighties, a star-making film debut in one of the greatest horror films ever made (with one of the most exciting casts ever assembled), as well as an unparalleled career on the concert and cabaret stages around the world - in addition to a dozen or so leading roles in musicals on Broadway and in the West End, and just as many notable film roles, ranging from intimate indies to big-budget behemoths. Yes, Betty Buckley has conquered every arena of entertainment and it is a rare thrill to reveal such exciting news as Ms. Buckley revealed to me in our comprehensive conversation last week. In this BroadwayWorld Exclusive InDepth InterView we discuss her upcoming albums, BOOTLEG: BOARD MIXES FROM THE ROAD and GHOSTLIGHT - the latter produced by Oscar and Grammy-winning producer extraordinaire T Bone Burnett - both in connection to her Town Hall concert on October 16th. Here you will also find the first news of working with Jason Moore, Jake Shears and the rest of the cast and crew of the hotly anticipated new musical based on Armistead Maupin's TALES OF THE CITY premiering next Spring in San Francisco where Ms. Buckley is creating the lead role of Anna Madrigal. We also talk the recent big Emmy-winner out of all of TV this year, HBO's miniseries THE PACIFIC. In this illuminating conversation, Ms. Buckley bares all and reveals that it is the supreme dedication to excellence and unwavering commitment to craft that has helped her to become one of the biggest Broadway names of our age with an astoundingly accomplished career almost beyond any comparison. And if all of this breaking news weren't enough, this is the complete unedited conversation where we also look back and talk about everything from CARRIE to TENDER MERCIES, CATS to SUNSET BLVD, William Finn to WYATT EARP, Roman Polanski to Robert Duvall, cabaret to country concert stage and much, much more. Now is the very best time of all to let the memory live again, so it's all eyes (feline and otherwise) on the extraordinary future in the life and career of the legendary Betty Buckley!

Moving freely from film to television to theatre and back again, and from leading man to supporting character actor to taking the director's chair and penning the scripts himself, it is a pleasure to illustrate the illustrious film, television and - now, with PROMISES, PROMISES co-starring Kristin Chenoweth, Sean Hayes & Molly Shannon - stage career of famous GHOST villain and feature film CONVICTION director Tony Goldwyn! In this extensive interview we discuss writing and directing CONVICTION which opens in theaters tomorrow, as well as working with lead actors Hilary Swank and Sam Rockwell, as well as developing the project from inception until now. Additionally, we take a glance back at his many film appearances in everything from GHOST to NIXON to RECKLESS to LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, plus directing episodes of Showtime's hit serial killer drama series DEXTER. If all that wasn't enough, there's also his thoughtful and insightful comments on his many leading ladies ranging from Hilary Swank on CONVICTION and Kristin Chenoweth and Molly Shannon on PROMISES, PROMISES on Broadway all the way to Scarlett Johansson, Faye Dunaway, Mia Farrow, Mary Louise Parker and many more starry co-stars from films passed! Be sure to catch CONVICTION in theaters nationwide starting this Friday and stay tuned to BWW for all PROMISES, PROMISES related news (including previous InDepth InterView with leading lady Kristin Chenoweth). Here are some convincing - if not convicting - confessions courtesy of Mr. Goldwyn.

This week we are taking a listen to a stunning new release of a brand new Broadway score coming from one of the most celebrated and cherished American songwriting teams in Broadway and Hollywood history - if only for 'Cabaret' and 'New York, New York' if not everything else as well - the incandescent Kander & Ebb. Today we take an indepth look at one of their final scores together as captured on a cast recording in anticipation of the Broadway bow of this show in its off-Broadway to Broadway transfer later this month. Shout 'Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey' - it's the Original Off-Broadway Cast Recording of THE SCOTSBORRO BOYS and that alone gives us reason to sing hymns to the many hims - as well as the single her, the director/choreographer at the helm, multi-Tony-winning Susan Stroman - overflowing with appreciation and praise to these fine craftsmen and the cast conveying the controversial and candid topic at the center of the show. Broadway rarely has this much sardonic bite - and biting bang - for your buck than this show and subsequent cast recording do. Kander & Ebb once again show us how it's done, and done best - and rewrite all of the rules while doing it.

Who has more style? More flair? More imagination? More sheer visual power in each and every frame of every single one of his films than the master of the modern movie musical - and director of the greatest Shakespeare film adaptation ever created, bar none - the fabulously talented and extremely entertaining film genius otherwise known as Baz Luhrmann. In this BWW World Premiere Exclusive InDepth InterView we talk everything from Broadway to Hollywood to Oz - with chairing this year's NYMF, Blu-Rays of his previous films, WICKED onstage and onscreen, GLEE, (the other) Oz, Lady Gaga, Kanye West, Beyonce, Andrew Lloyd Webber and much, much more in-between - so follow the digital yellow brick road to the cyber emerald kingdom in the wonderful world of Baz.

I recently had the honor of conducting an extensive interview with legendary stage and screen star - of films such as AMADEUS, TOOTSIE and more - best known in the twenty-first century for her work on the Broadway stage having created not one, but two Tony-winning lead roles in the 00s, in both 42nd STREET and GREY GARDENS - the riveting Christine Ebersole. In this exhaustive discussion we talk everything from starring alongside Angela Lansbury in Michael Blakemore's production of Noel Coward's timeless comedy BLITHE SPIRIT and how instrumental that experience was in her selection of material - as well as mindset, mood and more - for this sparkling new studio album, CHRISTINE EBERSOLE SINGS NOEL COWARD. We also discuss her extensive film and television work and what exciting events lie ahead - including concert appearances with Michael Feinstein and a special event at Carnegie Hall!

This week, in collusion with the premiere of BroadwayWorld's new intensive songwriting discussion series Modern Music Masters, comes a stirring collection of stunning clips from the various live performances - and many, many covers - that have made singer/songwriters Nellie McKay and Jason Mraz known to fans around the globe! We take a look at some of McKay and Mraz's best live performances as well as cast a glance at how their work has been used in other media - in films (RUMOR HAS IT), on television (AMERICAN IDOL, WEEDS) and in live performance - as well as take a look at next week's GLEE cover of the Grammy-winning Mraz-penned duet 'Lucky' which will be performed on the show by Dianna Agron and new cast member Chord Overstreet! Be sure to pick up McKay's HOME, SWEET, MOBILE HOME and Mraz's LIFE IS GOOD EP which were released in stores and on iTunes earlier this week! Be sure to pick both of them up - and check out the Modern Music Masters interviews and Sound Off reviews while you're at it! After all, BroadwayWorld is the world's number one source for all the most cutting-edge live music news, theatre news and GLEE news!

A friendly giant known best for his devilish and, at times, demonic lead roles in THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW as Frank N. Furter, the eponymous DRACULA and the first replacement cast of THE LION KING as Scar - in addition to his current essaying of the role of the lecherous lawyer Billy Flynn in the smash hit Broadway revival of CHICAGO - time and perseverance has aided Tony-nominated actor Tom Hewitt in carving out a career on Broadway quite unlike most others in existence. In this comprehensive conversation we discuss his many marvelous stage performances on Broadway and beyond thus far, including his new lead role in the New York Musical Theater Festival musical THE GREAT UNKNOWN written by William Hauptman (PUMP BOYS & DINETTES) and Jim Wann (BIG RIVER) and directed by Don Stephenson. In addition to a thorough discussion of that new NYMF musical, we also talk about working with Julie Taymor on the PBS film FOOL'S FIRE and Broadway's THE LION KING, what the insane ROCKY HORROR LIVE experience was like from a stage perspective, his many stints in CHICAGO, as well as working with co-stars like Matt Morrison, Kelli O'Hara, Brenda Braxton, Charlotte D'Amboise and Chip Zien. We also discuss his feelings on Dan Savage's IT GETS BETTER campaign and what he thinks of GLEE taking on the garters, boas and stilettos of Frank & Crew when they do their ROCKY HORROR tribute later this month. Performances of the original bluegrass musical THE GREAT UNKNOWN have already begun so be sure to grab some tickets a the link below and catch the show on Sunday if you haven't done so yet!

Few stars - or even legends, like this one - boast a resume that includes a Tony Award, the leading role on one of the most cherished sitcoms of the early eighties, a star-making film debut in one of the greatest horror films ever made (with one of the most exciting casts ever assembled), as well as an unparalleled career on the concert and cabaret stages around the world - in addition to a dozen or so leading roles in musicals on Broadway and in the West End, and just as many notable film roles, ranging from intimate indies to big-budget behemoths. Yes, Betty Buckley has conquered every arena of entertainment and it is a rare thrill to reveal such exciting news as Ms. Buckley revealed to me in our comprehensive conversation yesterday. In this portion of the forthcoming BroadwayWorld Exclusive InDepth InterView we discuss her upcoming albums, BOOTLEG: BOARD MIXES FROM THE ROAD and GHOSTLIGHT - the latter produced by Oscar and Grammy-winning producer extraordinaire T Bone Burnett - both in connection to her Town Hall concert on October 16th. Here you will also find the first news of working with Jason Moore, Jake Shears and the rest of the cast and crew of the hotly anticipated new musical based on Armistead Maupin's TALES OF THE CITY premiering next Spring in San Francisco where Ms. Buckley is creating the lead role of Anna Madrigal. We also talk the recent big Emmy-winner out of all of TV this year, HBO's miniseries THE PACIFIC. In this illuminating conversation, Ms. Buckley bares all and reveals that it is the supreme dedication to excellence and unwavering commitment to craft that has helped her to become one of the biggest Broadway names of our age with an astoundingly accomplished career almost beyond any comparison. And if all of this breaking news weren't enough, be sure to stay tuned to BroadwayWorld next week for the complete unedited conversation where we also look back and talk about everything from CARRIE to TENDER MERCIES, CATS to SUNSET BLVD, William Finn to WYATT EARP, Roman Polanski to Robert Duvall, cabaret to country concert stage and much, much more. We'll wait until next week to let the memory live again - for now, it's all eyes on the extraordinary future in the life and career of the legendary Betty Buckley!

This week, in conjunction with BroadwayWorld's new songwriter discussion series Modern Music Masters that premiered on Monday, we are taking a listen to two new releases from the astonishingly accomplished first two artists selected to participate in the songwriting celebration series: the winsome, witty wordplay and guileless wacky charm of Nellie McKay, and the wordy gravitas and overall commitment to excellence of Jason Mraz. With Nellie McKay's new studio album of original material - HOME, SWEET, MOBILE HOME - she reveals many new sides and angles to her versatile and varied sound that has previously been firmly established by her notable prior releases. On Jason Mraz's LIFE IS GOOD EP the fans around the world are treated to a handful of newly-written material performed in the hypnotic and energetic style Mraz is so famous for in his live concert events - one of the few artists who are even better live than in the studio and whose voice sounds even more impressive (high praise indeed). Both of these performers have what it takes to perform a song with the utmost conviction, and their songwriting ability alone would warrant much praise, but it is the fact that they can hold an audience's rapt attention so seemingly effortlessly only magnifies their appeal to connoisseurs of the crème de la crème of singer-songwriters who write to the best of their abilities. These are two of the very, very best songwriters around. Two true masters. With them in the world writing music and performing it, life is much, much more than merely good! It's great... or it very well could be genius.

After his early triumph in some truly troubled musicals - among them the most notorious of twenty-first century cult Broadway musicals, the infamous DANCE OF THE VAMPIRES - this dashing and terrifically talented Broadway leading man went on to star in the most successful production to date of Stephen Schwartz's delicate Gallic musical THE BAKER'S WIFE - causing even the WICKED composer himself to be taken aback by the sheer power of this tenor's voice - and is now singing the most talked about song of the New York Musical Theater Festival - from the new musical THE HISTORY OF WAR - the captivatingly charming and charismatic Max Von Essen. In this thorough discussion we go into his experiences working with Jim Steinman, Roman Polanski, Michael Crawford, John Rando, Mandy Gonzalez and the rest of the cast and creative team of DANCE OF THE VAMPIRES and how that flash of brilliance of a Broadway debut prepared him for the plight of the working actor making his way on Broadway today. We also discuss the details of his new NYMF musical and singing his star-making solo and adding another notable entry to his pristine performance record. Additionally, we talk about playing Enjorlas in the LES MISERABLES revival co-starring Lea Michele and Daphne Rubin Vega as well as his upcoming appearances and events - such as BROADWAY UNPLUGGED - plus how he keeps his voice in shape to traverse the treacherous vocal territory required of the tenor rock ballads he excels at enacting in song - and thoroughly slaughtering.(He'd be the last to admit he has cords of steel, but he does.) He may be known for 'For Sarah', but this interview is all Max.

Today we kick off our series on the 2010 New York Musical Theater Festival with the warm and fuzzy memories - as well as some less than fond remembrances - of the life and career of Broadway triple-threat leading lady Brenda Braxton. From the original company of DREAMGIRLS on Broadway under the direction of Michael Bennett to CATS and LEGS DIAMOND and George C. Wolfe's JELLY'S LAST JAM all the way up to her many stints in the Broadway revival of CHICAGO - as well as directing and recreating the original Bennett/Avian/Peters choreography for the post-9/11 star-studded DREAMGIRLS concert starring Audra McDonald, Lillias White and Heather Headley - we talk it all, plus all the exciting new musicals she is participating in - such as her NYMF starrer TRAVELIN' and another new musical reading, as well as projects of her own creation - both onstage and, now, behind-the-scenes! Ms. Braxton was generous enough to spend some time on a rainy afternoon earlier this week to discuss her career, the state of Broadway, the necessity of new musical theatre voices, working with Michael Bennett, and all the details on the new musical she is starring in that premieres this Friday at the NYMF, TRAVELIN' as well as some exciting news of what lies ahead!

Today we continue the brand new BroadwayWorld in-depth songwriting discussion series Modern Music Masters with one of the most successful solo artists of the last ten years - holding the record for the longest-lasting single on the Billboard charts ever thanks to his hit song 'I'm Yours', which soon may very well be heard on GLEE - the lyrically smart, mentally acute and musically savvy Jason Mraz. In this comprehensive conversation we discuss the songwriting process in extreme detail, focusing on some of his more theatrical songs and influences, as well as shedding some light on his beginnings in the school choir/glee club and what musical theatre training has meant to him in preparation for a long career in performance and music. Additionally, we discuss both the physical and psychological sides of his process in performing around the world and creating new work constantly while doing so. His brand new EP - LIFE IS GOOD - hits stores today and this is the first interview he has given in which he discusses the new songs on the album and what recording the various live shows the tracks were taken from was like to experience firsthand on this spellbinding series of sold-out arena shows. This is his most thorough conversation in print to date so it is a special honor and privilege to present his masterful talent to those that already know and love his work, and perhaps a few who are new to his musical and lyrical abilities. Thus: BroadwayWorld presents the self-proclaimed Mr.AZ from A to Z.