Fontana News

Kristen Bell (Film and Television star; voice of Anna in Disney’s Frozen), Caissie Levy (original Elsa in Frozen on Broadway) and Betsy Wolfe (originated leading role in world premiere of the Lopezes’ musical Up Here) will join The New York Pops, led by Music Director and Conductor Steven Reineke, for its 39th Birthday Gala.

The original title of the Sondheim-Laurents ANYONE CAN WHISTLE was THE NATIVES ARE RESTLESS, though the crowd at Carnegie Hall on Thursday for the MasterVoices concert performance of the trouble musical were hardly fidgety. They were willing and able to sit through the cockamamie book and story Arthur Laurents concocted to hear the wonderful score by the late and very lamented Stephen Sondheim. And, believe me, Ted Sperling, leading the orchestra and big chorus, with a couple of strong guest performers, showed how good much of this score can be.

This week I saw productions of two decades-old musicals, each written by one of theatre's great composer/lyricists, which, in their original productions, ran a combined total of nine performances on Broadway.

If Anyone Can Whistle must be a concert, please, let it be a concert like this. MasterVoices, an organization dedicated to elevating choral works, brought the show to Carnegie Hall for a one-night engagement. They masterfully adapted the show as a scaled-down concert version, dropping any bells and whistles.

BroadwayWorld talks to director & choreographer Cindy Goldfield about 42nd Street Moon's production of the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical revue 'A Grand Night for Singing' running at the Gateway Theatre to March 27.

The performance starred Vanessa Williams in the role of a corrupt mayor of a small economically depressed American town. Joining her were Elizabeth Stanley, Tony Award winner Santino Fontana, Douglas Sills, Eddie Cooper, and Michael Mulheren. The show was narrated by Joanna Gleason. It was directed and conducted by MasterVoices Artistic Director Ted Sperling.

BroadwayWorld talks to Obie, Peabody and Bessie Award winning actor and writer Roger Guenveur Smith about 'Otto Frank' his new solo piece running as a Campo Santo production at the Magic Theatre in San Francisco. Guenveur Smith finds enduring relevance in the story of the Holocaust survivor.

Tonight, March 10, 2022, the concert production of MasterVoices' performance of Anyone Can Whistle, takes the stage at ​​​​​​​ Carnegie Hall. The performance will star Vanessa Williams, who performed in the 2002 Broadway revival of Sondheim's Into the Woods and the 2010 revue Sondheim on Sondheim, in the role of a corrupt mayor of a small economically depressed American town.

BroadwayWorld has learned that Joanna Gleason will join the cast of the concert production of Anyone Can Whistle at Carnegie Hall, taking place  on Thursday, March 10.

 The New York Pops today announced an initial line-up of guest artists for its 39th Birthday Gala, For the First Time In Forever: The Songs of Kristen and Bobby Lopez, honoring the Academy and Grammy Award winning songwriting duo Kristen and Bobby Lopez on Monday, April 25, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall.

Hosts Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley announced today three very special episodes of “Stars In The House” to air LIVE this week, including two shows with matching donations for The Actors Fund, for which the series has raised over $1,123,000 to date.

Check out BroadwayWorld's guide to Broadway actors in the fourth season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and how you know them! The series features an impressive amount of Broadway talent, including returning cast members Tony Shalhoub, Stephanie Hsu, and Jane Lynch, and new guest stars like Gideon Glick, Kelly Bishop, and more.

Tootsie is a new musical based on the 1982 film starring Dustin Hoffman. The story follows Michael Dorsey ('Is he an actor? Yes, of course, he is. Is he successful? Yes, of course, he's not') and the opening number immediately makes his rotten reputation evident and known.

Santino Fontana, the extraordinary lead from the cross-dressing musical Tootsie, on Sunday, April 10; and Stephanie J. Block, the sensational star of the mega-hit musical, The Cher Show, on Sunday, June 5.

'You + I' was written by Wil Martin, Andy Stafford, Aaron Fink, John Novak and Michael Sylvia. The song was produced by Wil Martin & Aaron Fink, mixed and mastered by Allen Terry. 'Tongue Tied (Unplugged)' was written, produced and mixed by Wil Martin and mastered by Rob Brill. The song was previously released on their second album TWO.

Today's top stories include casting for The Color Purple film adaptation! The movie will be led by Fantasia Barrino and Danielle Brooks in the roles of Celie and Sofia. Plus, the long-awaited musical adaptation of the NBC TV show Smash is planning to have a workshop this summer, and the film adaptation of 13: The Musical is coming to Netflix this year!

MasterVoices will continue its 2021-22 season celebrating its 80th anniversary on Thursday, March 10 at Carnegie Hall with a concert staging of the cult-favorite musical, Anyone Can Whistle by Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurents.

The Audio Publishers Association (APA) have announced finalists for the 2022 Audie Awards. Finalists include Cynthia Erivo for Best Female Narrator and Lin-Manuel Miranda for Best Male Narrator. Leslie Odom Jr., Annie Golden, Telly Leung, and Jason Tam are also featured on audiobooks that made the list. Check out the full list of nominations now!

The series features three Tony Award® winners and critically-acclaimed powerhouse talents: Stephanie J. Block (The Cher Show) on January 7; Santino Fontana (Tootsie) on February 5; and Laura Benanti (Gypsy) on March 26.

Symphony Space today made livestreaming tickets available for its robust, wide-ranging 2021-22 season, realizing its ambition to emerge from the COVID-19 shutdown as an institution committed to a hybrid model, with live events streamed in real time to audiences straight from Symphony Space’s stages in Manhattan.