Alexandra Billings News

Tony/Grammy Winning Superstar Jennifer Holliday joins 'The Roundtable with Robert Bannon' Thursday May 12th at 7pm EST on 'The Roundtable' YouTube Channel. Holliday, famous for her portrayal of Effie in 'Dreamgirls' recently released a brand new single 'So In Love' now streaming on all streaming platforms.

Ravinia Festival is pleased to announce an expanded summer series on its Carousel stage following a successful inaugural year in 2021. The Carousel stage on the North Lawn offers casual, general admission seating for individual events, and, new this year, will host opening acts for several Pavilion headliners during the summer season, which runs from May 20 through September 18.

Queer icons and adored allies will perform songs from the musical theater canon through the lens of the LGBTQ+ experience at next month’s in-person return of Broadway Backwards, which is produced by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and benefits Broadway Cares and New York City’s LGBT Community Center.

America’s next big musical sensation has its cast! American Idol favorites Diana DeGarmo and Ace Young will lead the incredible cast of the new musical, Skates.

Spring has sprung and the great weather calls for a great book to enjoy outdoors! You're in luck, because this year, Broadway's best have put pen to paper to turn out theatre page-turners of every kind. From theatre biographies to theatre fiction; theatre books for kids to theatre history; check out our collection of 28 new Broadway books for every theatre lover's spring reading list.

Ravinia Festival has announced its complete 2022 summer lineup, offering 50 artist debuts and more than 100 concerts, including the annual summer residency of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) with Chief Conductor Marin Alsop.

Alan Cumming, André De Shields, Alexandra Billings, and Michael Urie are among the celebrities shining a light on how taxpayer dollars are being used to fund LGBTQ+ discrimination at faith-based schools and colleges. 

Today's top stories include a new Prizeo campaign from Lin-Manuel Miranda! Win a prize pack that includes access to a screening of The Greatest Showman, where you will hang out with Miranda, plus Hamilton tickets, and more! Plus, check out all new photos of Brittney Johnson as Glinda, and more!

This morning, Brittney Johnson appeared on the Today Show to discuss being the first Black woman to take over the role of Glinda in Wicked on Broadway. Johnson was surprised by original 'Glinda' Kristin Chenoweth, who sent in a congratulatory video message. She also appeared on NBC Nightly News to take viewers backstage at Wicked.

Brittney Johnson has appeared on Broadway in Les Misérables (Eponine), Motown, Sunset Boulevard, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, and Kristin Chenoweth: For the Girls. She stars opposite Lindsay Pearce as Elphaba, Alexandra Billings as Madame Morrible, Michael McCormick as The Wizard, Sam Gravitte as Fiyero, Jordan Barrow as Boq, Mili Diaz as Nessarose, and Michael X. Martin as Doctor Dillamond.

Thank goodness! This evening Brittney Johnson took her first bow as Glinda in Wicked on Broadway! Ms. Johnson is the first Black actress to assume the iconic role. 

Winter is here and what better time of year to stay in and snuggle up with a great book? You're in luck, because this year, Broadway's best have put pen to paper to turn out theatre page-turners of every kind. From theatre biographies to theatre fiction; theatre books for kids to theatre history; check out our collection of 25 new Broadway books for every theatre lover's winter reading list.

Reopening features behind-the-scenes access to shows including 'Wicked,' 'Jagged Little Pill,' 'The Phantom of the Opera,' 'Diana,' 'Come From Away,' 'Waitress,' and more, following each production's journey as cast and crew reunite, rehearse and re-stage for their long-anticipated reopening nights.

Great Performances – Reopening: The Broadway Revival pulls the curtain back on some of Broadway’s most popular shows, revealing how the New York theater industry undertook the monumental process of turning the lights back on after its longest hiatus in history due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Check out an exclusive clip of the Broadway casts of Aladdin, Waitress, and Tina: the Tina Turner Musical returning to rehearsals after the shutdown, including interviews with Michael James Scott, Sara Bareilles, and Adrienne Warren. The documentary will also feature interviews with Lea Salonga, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Kristin Chenoweth, and more.

Michael McAssey returns to the Gateway Playhouse in Somers Point, NJ with their monthly piano bar on Thursday January 20th at 7pm. Bring your sheet music and get up onstage and sing or just come and sit back and enjoy. Full cash bar is available.

WICKED star Alexandra Billings paid tribute last night at the show's curtain call to the production's swings and understudies and shared the video on TikTok. 

Thank goodness! Brittney Johnson will take over the role of Glinda in Wicked on Broadway, beginning performances on February 14, 2022 at Broadway's Gershwin Theatre. Currently the Glinda standby, Ms. Johnson will be the first Black actress to assume the role of Glinda.

'Great Performances – Reopening: The Broadway Revival' is hosted by NY1's Frank DiLella. Kristin Chenoweth, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Lea Salonga, Sara Bareilles and more are featured in the new documentary with and with exclusive footage from Aladdin, Wicked, Jagged Little Pill, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, Phantom of the Opera, and Waitress.

A sensation in the clubs and virtual shows, Kenn Boisinger will return to the West Bank Cafe's cabaret theater, The Laurie Beechman, for a special Christmas show on December 12th.