Whether you've been living under a rock for the past week or you're just in the mood for a recap, BroadwayWorld's 'This Week in Pictures' is here to satisfy your end-of-the-week fix! Take a look below to catch up on the latest happenings from the Great White Way to The West End (and everywhere in between) with coverage of press events, rehearsals, opening nights and more. Highlights this week include coverage of James Snyder at 54 Below, the cast recording for SIDE SHOW, opening night of THE ILLUSIONISTS, and more!
Paper Mill Playhouse presents the holiday musical, Elf. Based on the 2003 film starring Will Ferrell, Elf has a book byThomas Meehan and Bob Martin, music by Matthew Sklar and lyrics by Chad Beguelin. Elf will be directed by Eric Ankrimand choreographed by Josh Rhodes. Elf will run eight times a week at the Millburn, New Jersey, theater now through January 4, 2015. The official press opening was last night, November 30. Below, BroadwayWorld brings you a look inside the opening party with the cast and crew!
On Sunday, November 23 (7 p.m.), in a celebratory landmark performance, the company of Broadway's record-breaking hit musical CHICAGO welcomed back its four original stars -- Tony Award winners Ann Reinking, Bebe Neuwirth, James Naughton and Joel Grey. CHICAGO has surpassed the run of iconic Broadway blockbuster CATS with a record-breaking 7,486 performances, making it the second longest-running show in Broadway history. Only one show -- The Phantom of the Opera -- has run longer than CHICAGO. BroadwayWorld was there for the after-party and brings you photos below!
Jennifer Ashley Tepper's The Untold Stories of Broadway, Volume 2 officially hit the shelves yesterday, November 18, from Dress Circle Publishing. The second book in a multivolume collection examines eight Broadway theaters and over 70 years of theatrical history through the voices of such Broadway greats as Jason Robert Brown, Joanna Gleason, Jonathan Groff,Jeremy Jordan,Laura Linney, Joe Mantello, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Robert Morse, Harold Prince, Charles Strouse, Alex Timbers, Julie Taymor, Robert Wankel, George C. Wolfe and more. The eight Broadway theaters featured in the second book are the Palace Theatre, the Barrymore Theatre, the Gershwin Theatre, the Circle in the Square, the Shubert Theatre, the Criterion Center Stage Right, the Vivian Beaumont Theatre and the Nederlander Theatre.
Tepper and her Broadway friends just celebrated the launch of the book at Sardis and you can check out photos from the special event below!
The Encores! Special Event The Band Wagon stars Tony Award winner Brian Stokes Mitchell, seven-time Emmy Award winner Tracey Ullman, Academy Award nominee Michael McKean, Tony Award nominee Laura Osnes, Tony Award nominee Tony Sheldon, Tony Award nominee Michael Berresse and Don Stephenson. The Band Wagon officially opened last night, November 9, and BroadwayWorld brings you photos from the curtain call below!
Last night, the critics weighed in on the show, which has already been buzzed about for a Broadway transfer. What does this mean for the future of the musical? Check out what they had to say below!
Encores! The Band Wagon cast includes Brian Stokes Mitchell, Tracey Ullman, Michael McKean, Tony Sheldon, Laura Osnes, Michael Berresse and Don Stephenson. It runs tonight, November 6, through November 16 at New York City Center (56th Street between 6th and 7th avenues). BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!
The Encores! Special Event The Band Wagon is set to star Tony Award winner Brian Stokes Mitchell, seven-time Emmy Award winner Tracey Ullman, Academy Award nominee Michael McKean, Tony Award nominee Laura Osnes, Tony Award nominee Tony Sheldon, Tony Award nominee Michael Berresse and Don Stephenson. The Band Wagon will begin performances tonight, November 6. BroadwayWorld brings you highlights of the cast in action below!
Tony Award winner Brian Stokes Mitchell will star in The Band Wagon, an Encores! Special Event based on the classic MGM movie of the same title, from tonight, November 6, through November 16, 2014 at City Center. The Band Wagon will open on Sunday, November 8.
Today we are talking to a spectacularly gifted Tony Award-winning stage and screen performer known for originating numerous memorable roles in both new musicals and revivals as well as starring in this month's Encores! special presentation of THE BAND WAGON, Brian Stokes Mitchell. Opening up about the new stage-to-screen adaptation of the movie musical classic while granting a rare few moments for a chat while on a break, Mitchell shares his enthusiasm for re-teaming with frequent collaborator director/choreographer Kathleen Marhshall as well as what audiences can expect from the brand new concert presentation while also commenting on his starry assortment of fellow players in the production, including Tracey Ullman, Michael McKean and Laura Osnes. Furthermore, Mitchell offers first news of his return to FOX's hit musical dramedy series GLEE for its final season and preliminarily clues us in to what we can expect from his last appearance on the series. Additionally, Mitchell reflects on his starring role in the 2002 Kennedy Center production of Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's SWEENEY TODD and whether he would be interested in pursuing that part again in the future. Plus, Mitchell reveals he has recorded a series of studio albums awaiting release and shares his opinions on what material he would like to record in the future. All of that, thoughts on THE PRINCE OF EGYPT and if it could work onstage, his upcoming Christmas concert series with the Cincinnati Symphony, KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN memories and much, much more in this exclusive conversation with one of Broadway's most beloved leading men!
According to the New York Post, director and choreographer Kathleen Marshall could be "shepherding" Encores! THE BAND WAGON to Broadway before the Tony Awards cutoff.
Paper Mill Playhouse just opened its 2014-2015 season with a Broadway-bound, world-class revival of Can-Can starring Kate Baldwin as Pistache and Jason Danieley as Aristide. This fresh new production features direction by David Lee (Frasier, Cheers) and choreography by Patti Colombo (Paper Mill's Peter Pan, On the Town, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers). The show features a book byAbe Burrows (Guys and Dolls, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying) and a re-crafted script by Joel Fields (Ugly Betty, The Americans) and David Lee. The company just celebrated the success of the run in New York City and you can check out photos from the party below!
The Encores! Special Event The Band Wagon is set to star Tony Award winner Brian Stokes Mitchell, seven-time Emmy Award winner Tracey Ullman, Academy Award nominee Michael McKean, Tony Award nominee Laura Osnes, Tony Award nominee Tony Sheldon, Tony Award nominee Michael Berresse and Don Stephenson. The Band Wagon will open on Sunday, November 8. In the video below, the cast reveals their worst onstage disasters ranging from forgetting the words to forgetting to wear panties. Find out which belongs to who below!
The Encores! Special Event The Band Wagon is set to star Tony Award winner Brian Stokes Mitchell, seven-time Emmy Award winner Tracey Ullman, Academy Award nominee Michael McKean, Tony Award nominee Laura Osnes, Tony Award nominee Tony Sheldon, Tony Award nominee Michael Berresse and Don Stephenson. The Band Wagon will open on Sunday, November 8. BroadwayWorld brings you a first look at the cast below!
The Encores! Special Event The Band Wagon is set to star Tony Award winner Brian Stokes Mitchell, seven-time Emmy Award winner Tracey Ullman, Academy Award nominee Michael McKean, Tony Award nominee Laura Osnes, Tony Award nominee Tony Sheldon, Tony Award nominee Michael Berresse and Don Stephenson. The Band Wagon will open on Sunday, November 8. BroadwayWorld was in rehearsal with the company today and you can check out interviews with the cast and a performance sneak peek below!
Today Jason Danieley talks to BWW about his character 'Aristide' who he describes as, 'a guy, unlucky in love, desperate to be happy with a penchant for drinking.'