Jesse Nagar

Over the weekend, Manhattan Concert Productions presented Children of Eden at David Geffen Hall and BroadwayWorld was there for the big night. Check out photos here!

The Ordway's recent string of excellent locally produced Broadway sized musicals continues with the popular Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice rock opera JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, and it's fan-freakin-tastic. Unlike the Ordway's last original, WEST SIDE STORY, JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR is not one of my favorites; I've only seen it once before and never really listened to it. So I went into the show with mostly fresh eyes. I still think the piece is a bit weird, but there's something kinda fabulous about it. And the number one reason to see the show at the Ordway is this mostly local cast that is absolutely spectacular. The show is completely sung through, most of it at full volume, and everyone in the lead and featured roles just knocks it out of the park. And every member of the 30+ person ensemble (including several sweet-singing children) completely gives it their all. Notably, this cast is racially diverse (including an African American Jesus), a beautiful example of color-conscious casting by the Ordway.

I have no doubt that MOTOWN THE MUSICAL will be popular with audiences. It does, after all, contain the music that generations have grown up on, and it's still being played today. And, it's interesting that I was flipping channels on TV and saw an infomercial dedicated to the Motown 25th Anniversary special made in 1983 recently. That's the scene that opens the show, and where we first encounter the man who made it all happen, Berry Gordy. He's angry and doesn't want to attend because all his stars have left him for the greener pastures of other labels. This despite it being his own competitive spirit, and the fact that he instilled that in his roster of talent (songwriters, singers, and musicians), that created their desire to further pursue their careers in the first place. That makes for an interesting dichotomy that would seem ripe for the stage. So, why am I so disappointed? Because I wanted a real narrative (Gordy wrote the book himself) that doesn't gloss over important historical events while, at the same time, giving 60 fabulous tunes short shrift.

Rocker Joan Jett, Cheryl Freeman (The Who's Tommy), Ariana Groover (Bare), Steve Gouveia (Jersey Boys), Emma Hunton(Next to Normal), John Arthur Greene (Matilda), Preston Truman Boyd (Big River), Eric Michael Krop (Godspell), Michael Lanning (Bonnie and Clyde), Sarah Schmidt (Jersey Boys),Jeremy Schonfeld (Drift), Andrew Berlin, Sarah Grace, Aisha Jackson, Greg Kamp, Megan Rice join Tony nominee Constantine Maroulis (Jekyll & Hyde), Eden Espinosa (Wicked),Lena Hall (Kinky Boots), Tony Vincent (We Will Rock You/American Idiot) and Rebecca Covington, Dionne Figgins,Jawan M. Jackson, Mykal Kilgore, Krisha Marcano, Jarran Muse, Jesse Nagar and Donald Webber Jr. from Motown the Musical, join Tony Award winner Michael Cerveris, Norm Lewis,Lesli Margherita, Tituss Burgess, Donnie Kehr and more for ROCKERS ON BROADWAY 20. BroadwayWorld popped in on the team in rehearasals and brings you a sneak peek at the performers below!

Rocker Joan Jett, Cheryl Freeman (The Who's Tommy), Ariana Groover (Bare), Steve Gouveia (Jersey Boys), Emma Hunton (Next to Normal), John Arthur Greene (Matilda), Preston Truman Boyd (Big River), Eric Michael Krop (Godspell), Michael Lanning(Bonnie and Clyde), Sarah Schmidt (Jersey Boys), Jeremy Schonfeld (Drift), Andrew Berlin, Sarah Grace, Aisha Jackson, Greg Kamp, Megan Rice join Tony nominee Constantine Maroulis (Jekyll & Hyde), Eden Espinosa (Wicked), Lena Hall (Kinky Boots), Tony Vincent (We Will Rock You/American Idiot) and Rebecca Covington, Dionne Figgins, Jawan M. Jackson, Mykal Kilgore, Krisha Marcano, Jarran Muse,Jesse Nagar and Donald Webber Jr. from Motown the Musical, join Tony Award winner Michael Cerveris, Norm Lewis, Lesli Margherita, Tituss Burgess, Donnie Kehr and more for ROCKERS ON BROADWAY 20 - Celebrating 20 Years (1993-2013) at SoHo's (le) Poisson Rouge (158 Bleecker Street, NYC) on Monday, November 11 at 7:30 PM. Presented by The PATH Fund, Inc., tickets are on sale now at www.rockersonbroadway.com or http://www.lepoissonrouge.com