Baayork Lee News

Prospect Theater Company, under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Cara Reichel and Managing Director Melissa Huber, and the National Asian Artists Project (NAAP), under the leadership of Executive Artistic Director Baayork Lee and Co-Founder Steven Eng, have announced a concert performance of the new musical HONOR, with music and lyrics by Peter Mills, and book by Mills and Cara Reichel, adapted from William Shakespeare's As You Like It.

On Friday, July 29, the cast of the 2016 Hollywood Bowl production of A CHORUS LINE met members of the original 1975 Broadway cast backstage. Below, check out a photo featuring cast members of the Hollywood Bowl production of A CHORUS LINE side by side with the original Broadway cast members who created their roles!

The cast includes Mario Lopez as Zach, Sarah Bowden as Cassie Ferguson, Krysta Rodriguez as Diana Morales, and Courtney Lopez as Kristine Ulrich. A Chorus Line also stars Sabrina Bryan as Valerie Clark, Robert Fairchild as Mike Costa, Spencer Liff as Larry, and Ross Lynch as Mark Anthony. In addition,Mara Davi as Maggie Winslow, J. Elaine Marcos as Connie Wong, Jason Tam as Paul San Marco, and Leigh Zimmerman as Sheila Bryant round out the principal cast.

Engaging, well-paced, aurally pleasing, and exceedingly entertaining from start to finish, the Hollywood Bowl's A CHORUS LINE is an exceptional presentation of this iconic show which celebrates those hard-working, ultra-talented, under-paid men and women who willingly choose a volatile career in which they sing and dance their hearts out in the background of a musical. It is set in the far out mid-70's, hence, the show is a retro-tastic trip down memory lane as it showcases a day of auditions for eight chorus member positions in a brand new musical opening on Broadway. For this Bowl version of A CHORUS LINE, producers enlisted TV host/actor Mario Lopez and then filling the rest of the large 17-member cast with a diverse group of proven triple-threat stage professionals. The resulting show is, hands down, one of the most well-performed musical productions that I have seen at the Bowl. From the execution of director/choreographer Baayork Lee's Michael Bennett-inspired choreography to the incredible singing performances of Kleban and Hamlisch's memorable classic songs, this is a production of A CHORUS LINE that can stand proudly side-by-side with any acclaimed full production of the musical, regional or otherwise.

This week, we go around our Broadway World to feature stories in Raleigh, Sacramento, St. Louis and more. Check out our top 10 stories around our Broadway World below, which include MAMMA MIA! at The Muny, MARY POPPINS in Raleigh, and CABARET at California Music Circus, just to name a few.

Well-known TV personality and show host Mario Lopez returns to the stage as Zach in A Chorus Line at the Hollywood Bowl at the end of this week. In our chat he talks about doing the role on Broadway in 2008...and  the challenges of performing onstage.

To any A CHORUS LINE aficionado, the mere mention of Baayork Lee will conjure up vivid memories of the original Connie Wong - the youthful-looking, 4'10' Asian-American, perky dynamo who repeatedly evaded revealing her biological age to Zach, the interviewing choreographer. Now in 2016, Baayork will be choreographing and directing her most recent production of A CHORUS LINE at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.

Mario Lopez took to Twitter yesterday to tease a mysterious project with legendary singer Barbra Streisand.

Cortland Repertory Theatre's third production in their 45th anniversary summer season is the CRT debut of the Pulitzer Prize winning musical 'A Chorus Line'. Conceived, originally directed and choreographed by Michael Bennett, this nine-time Tony Award winning Broadway musical boasts a book by James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante, music by Marvin Hamlisch and lyrics by Edward Kleban. Performances of CRT's production will be held at the Little York Pavilion in Preble, and run from July 13 - 30 with evening performances at 7:30. Matinees are available on July 15, 17, 20, 24, and 27 at 2:00 PM. Tickets may be purchased by calling 800-427-6160 or by visiting the CRT Box Office at 24 Port Watson Street in downtown Cortland. Tickets are also available for sale 24 hours a day through the CRT website at www.cortlandrep.org.

Eight outstanding educators from schools and performing arts centers around the country will work one-on-one with Broadway greats at the 7th Annual FREDDIE G FELLOWSHIP July 13th - 16th.  The event has once again been underwritten by Myrna and Freddie ("G") Gershon, Chairman and CEO of leading theatrical licensor Music Theatre International (MTI).  The four days of classes and activities honor instructors and teachers who are working to make a difference for their students and communities through the process of staging musical theatre productions in their schools and educational theatre groups.  In addition to the New York experience, each of the teachers' schools receives $5,000 from Freddie and Myrna to enhance their arts program.

Cortland Repertory Theatre's third production in their 45th anniversary summer season is the CRT debut of the Pulitzer Prize winning musical 'A Chorus Line'. Conceived, originally directed and choreographed by Michael Bennett, this nine-time Tony Award winning Broadway musical boasts a book by James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante, music by Marvin Hamlisch and lyrics by Edward Kleban. Performances of CRT's production will be held at the Little York Pavilion in Preble, and run from July 13 - 30 with evening performances at 7:30. Matinees are available on July 15, 17, 20, 24, and 27 at 2:00 PM. Tickets may be purchased by calling 800-427-6160 or by visiting the CRT Box Office at 24 Port Watson Street in downtown Cortland. Tickets are also available for sale 24 hours a day through the CRT website at www.cortlandrep.org.

The 66th Music Circus season continues with the delightful and enduing musical Hello, Dolly!, Jerry Herman's award-winning tale of vivacious matchmaker Dolly Levi. Performances began June 28 through Sunday, July 3 at the Wells Fargo Pavilion. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

The 66th Music Circus season continues with the delightful and enduing musical Hello, Dolly!,Jerry Herman's award-winning tale of vivacious matchmaker Dolly Levi. Performances began last night, June 28 through Sunday, July 3 at the Wells Fargo Pavilion.  BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Off-Broadway singer-songwriters Anya Turner & Robert Grusecki return to the Brick Room at Don't Tell Mama in their show 'Hello, West 46th Street', an evening of new cabaret songs.

The 66th Music Circus season continues with the delightful and enduing musical Hello, Dolly!, Jerry Herman's award-winning tale of vivacious matchmaker Dolly Levi. Performances are Tuesday, June 28 through Sunday, July 3 at the Wells Fargo Pavilion.

The Hollywood Bowl's production of A Chorus Line, which plays July 29-31, will feature all-star cast, including Mario Lopez as Zach, Krysta Rodriguez as Diana Morales, Robert Fairchild as Mike Costa, Spencer Liff as Larry, Mara Davi as Maggie Winslow, J. Elaine Marcos as Connie Wong, and Jason Tam as Paul San Marco. Perhaps a lesser-known cast member is Cassie herself- Sarah Bowden.

New casting has been announced for the Hollywood Bowl's production of A Chorus Line, which won the Tony Award for Best Musical.  The additional cast members announced are Mario Lopez as Zach, Sarah Bowden as Cassie Ferguson, Krysta Rodriguez as Diana Morales, and Courtney Lopez as Kristine Ulrich.

Grey Gardens/Ahmanson Theatre/July 6 - August 14, 2016 Based on the 1975 documentary of the same name, the story recounts the fall from uppercrust society of mother and daughter Edith Bouvier Beale, eccentric cousins of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who lived in poverty in East Hampton, New York. This is the long-awaited west coast premiere of the Tony winning musical, and it will star Rachel York as 'Little Edie' and Betty Buckley as 'Big Edie'. www.centertheatregroup.org Beautiful - The Carole King Musical/Pantages Theatre/June 22 - July 17, 2

Casting for the Hollywood Bowl's upcoming production of A Chorus Line, which won the Tony® Award for Best Musical, has been announced: Sabrina Bryan as Valerie Clark, Robert Fairchild as Mike Costa, Spencer Liff as Larry, Ross Lynch as Mark Anthony, in addition to Mara Davi as Maggie Winslow, Denis Lambert as Gregory Gardner, J. Elaine Marcos as Connie Wong, Jason Tam as Paul San Marco, and Leigh Zimmerman as Sheila Bryant. Additional casting will be announced at a later date.

Anaheim's official resident theater company, Chance Theater is pleased to present a fresh and intimate production of the Broadway musical classic ... A Chorus Line. Book by James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante, music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban, directed by Chance's Artistic Director Oanh Nguyen, choreographed by Hazel Clarke, with music direction by Ryan O'Connell. A Chorus Line will preview from July 1 through July 8, regular performances will begin July 9 and continue through July 31 on the Cripe Stage at Chance Theater @ Bette Aitken theater arts Center.