Producers Paul Blake and Sony/ATV Music Publishing announced today that Abby Mueller will play the title role in the Broadway company of Beautiful - The Carole King Musical, beginning March 7, 2017. Mueller, who originated the role in the first national tour of Beautiful, will be taking over for Broadway's current 'Carole,' Chilina Kennedy, while Kennedy heads to her hometown to headline the show at Toronto's Ed Mirvish Theater from June 27 - August 20, 2017. Kennedy will be joined in the Toronto production by Liam Tobin, who originated the role of 'Gerry Goffin' on tour. Kennedy will return to the Broadway production following the Toronto run of Beautiful.
BroadwayWorld presents a comprehensive weekly roundup of regional stories around our Broadway World, which include videos, editor spotlights, regional reviews and more. This week, we feature 'Women in Theater' feature in Connecticut, a spotlight on Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre's 50th Anniversary in Nashville, Robyn Spangler in Los Angeles and more. Check out our top features below!
As we start our new year, we are offering a more comprehensive weekly roundup of regional stories around our Broadway World, which will now include videos, editor spotlights, regional reviews and more. This week, we feature COPENHAGEN in Washington, DC, FENCES in Salt Lake City, an exclusive behind-the-scenes video of FUN HOME in Denver and more. Check out our top features below!
Votes are cast; polls are closed; and results have been tabulated! This was our biggest year yet! After a record number of voters in more than 75 regions worldwide, BroadwayWorld is very excited to announce the 2016 Charlotte winners! Thanks to all who voted, and huge congratulations to all the winners!
There are undoubtedly other productions worthy of merit in 2016 which I did not cover. This list is based only on what I saw and reviewed.
(alphabetical listings; Equity, Equity-waiver & Non-Equity productions are mixed)
(artists performing outside LA may be included in performance categories)
No set, costume, technical awards. I leave that to the bigger awards and to the expertise of those who really know those fields inside out.
Even without eye-popping special effects, a gimmicky storyline, or those oft-used literary or cinematic source materials, some stage musicals just manage to entertain by sheer likability alone. A big warm hug of a show that's brimming with lots of surprisingly snappy wit and, arguably, some of the previous century's most melodious pop hits, BEAUTIFUL---the Broadway stage musical based on the life of treasured Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Carole King---is a show that certainly lives up to its title. This charming, swiftly-paced bio-musical's first national tour continues performances at Orange County's Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa through October 16.
For Ben Fankhauser, life is 'Beautiful.' He's about to celebrate his one-year anniversary touring in that Broadway bio musical about Carole King. It showcases Abby Mueller, the sister of its original Tony-winning star, Jessie Mueller. In 'Beautiful,' Fankhauser plays Barry Mann, who teamed up with Cynthia Weil to co-write top pop hits like 'On Broadway' and 'You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling.'
In the opening scene of the jukebox musical Beautiful, Carole King (Abby Mueller) is seated at the piano in concert at Carnegie Hall and is describing to the audience how life takes a turn and what results is unexpected...and beautiful. In this Tony-winning show Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, we are taken through the musical history of the 60s when Carole King published music with her then husband Gerry Goffin (Liam Tobin). We see the Shirelles, the Drifters, the Righteous Brothers, for whom King and Goffin wrote tremendous hits like 'Will You Love Me Tomorrow', 'The Locomotion' and 'You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling'. We also see the harsh personal life that King suffered due to Goffin's drinking, infidelity and mental illness. Life was successful yet painful and eventually the pair parted, with the Brooklyn-born King going on to establish herself in LA in a whole new light with 'It's Too Late', 'You've Got a Friend', 'So Far Away' as well as 'Beautiful'. Now onstage at the Pantages Beautiful is bound to please every fan of the 60s era of rock 'n roll music and bring an uplifting spark of encouragement to live out your dream.
The Tony & Grammy Award-winning Broadway hit BEAUTIFUL - THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL, about the early life and career of the legendary and groundbreaking singer/songwriter, will make its Fort Lauderdale premiere at The Broward Center for the Performing Arts for two weeks, May 10 - 22, 2016. BroadwayWorld has a sneak peek at the cast in action below!
Producers Paul Blake and Sony/ATV Music Publishing announced that Abby Mueller has nabbed the title role in the First National Tour of Beautiful-The Carole King Musical, the smash hit musical about the early life and career of the legendary and groundbreaking singer/songwriter. Mueller's sister, Jessie Mueller, won the Tony Award in 2014 for Best Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of King in the show's Broadway production. Scroll down for a sneak peek at Abby in character!
Unsurprisingly, the crowd at Orlando's Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts for the Opening Night performance of the Tony-winning musical BEAUTIFUL, the final show of the 2015-2016 Broadway in Orlando season, was filled with baby boomers. Not only does that age group line up with traditional theatergoing demographics, but it also encompasses the generations that grew up listening to the music of the legendary songwriter and reluctant performer, Carole King, the show's inspiration. However, the musical, playing through Sunday, May 8th, will almost certainly appeal to music (and musical) lovers of all ages. In fact, the timeless tunes, inventive staging, and dynamite performances make BEAUTIFUL: THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL one of the most universally appealing shows in the Dr. Phillips Center's brief year and a half history.
This week, we go around our Broadway World to feature stories in Chicago, St. Petersburg, Sydney and more. Check out our top 10 stories around our Broadway World below, which include the World Premiere of Ike Holter's SENDER in Chicago, SPAMALOT in St. Petersburg, and SHUT UP AND DRIVE in Sydney, just to name a few.
The 20th Annual Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE) Awards were held on April 11 at the Holiday Inn Boston/Brookline. Founded by Beverly Creasey of the Journal Newspapers and Larry Stark of the TheaterMirror in 1997, the IRNE Awards recognize the extraordinary wealth of talent in the Boston theatre community.
King is being portrayed by the very talented Abby Mueller. Mueller. Sound familiar? Her sister, Jessie Mueller, won the Tony Award for her portrayal of Carol in the original Broadway production of the show.
Producers Paul Blake and Sony/ATV Music Publishing announce that the Tony & Grammy Award-winning Broadway hit Beautiful - The Carole King Musical, about the early life and career of the legendary and groundbreaking singer/songwriter, will make its Cleveland premiere at Playhouse Square for two weeks, April 5 - 17, 2016. To purchase tickets visit playhousesquare.org, call 216.241.6000 or visit the Playhouse Square Ticket Office, located at 1519 Euclid Avenue in downtown Cleveland. Ticket prices start at $30. Beautiful - The Carole King Musical is part of the 2015-16 KeyBank Broadway Series at Playhouse Square.
The Tony & Grammy Award-winning Broadway hit BEAUTIFUL - THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL, about the early life and career of the legendary and groundbreaking singer/songwriter, will make its Fort Lauderdale premiere at The Broward Center for the Performing Arts for two weeks, May 10 - 22, 2016. BroadwayWorld has a sneak peek at the cast in action below!
The Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE) today announced the nominees for the 20th Annual IRNE Awards, which honors the best of the previous year's actors, directors, choreographers, designers and companies across the full spectrum of large, mid-size and fringe theater companies.
