One of the wonderful things about live theater is that each audience member's experience is different. For me, a favorite aspect of live theater is its ability to suspend disbelief and to transport the audience to the world being presented onstage. When it's done well, immersion into the story-telling and production can make the audience forget, at least for a moment, that they are watching a bunch of actors in a play. The experience envelopes them, and before long the audience is crying and laughing along with the characters on the stage.
I experienced my first Broadway Sitzprobe this past weekend! The nerdy Asian boy in me needs to explain what a sitzprobe is, for those who don't already know. Sitzprobe (pronounced zits-probe) is a German-derived term literally meaning 'seated test or seated trial.' Of course, the sitzprobe process is widely used across the various performing arts. In the musical theater world, it is when the orchestra members and the actors meet for the first time and do a seated run-through rehearsal of the show. Up until Saturday, we had been listening to our rehearsal pianists and drummer. From what I understand, the score is tremendously difficult to play on the piano, as it was written to be performed by a huge orchestra. So here's a shout-out to our talented rehearsal musicians who have been holding down the fort for us during the past several weeks.
This fall, one of America's classic musical comedies is back on Broadway - On The Town, featuringTony Yazbeck, Jay Armstrong Johnson and Clyde Alves. ON THE TOWN, the classic musical comedy love letter to New York City, will return to Broadway this fall in a critically acclaimed production directed by John Rando (Tony Award® for Urinetown) and choreographed byJoshua Bergasse. Bergasse makes his Broadway debut as a choreographer with the production. On The Town will begin previews on Saturday, September 20, 2014 and officially open on Thursday, October 16, 2014 at Broadway's Lyric Theatre (213 W 42nd St, New York, NY 10036). Tickets for the new Broadway revival of On The Town are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com.
The cast just met the press and below, you can check out photos from their special performance preview!
Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Because we know all our readers eat, sleep and breathe Broadway, what could be better than waking up to it? Today's big news: KING LEAR opens at Shakespeare in the Park, and SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE begins in D.C., plus Christopher Fitzgerald returns to CHICAGO in a new role and more!
Producers Howard and Janet Kagan have announced complete casting for the new revival of ON THE TOWN, the musical-comedy love letter to New York City opening on Broadway this fall. Directed by John Rando (Tony Award for Urinetown) and choreographed by Joshua Bergasse (Emmy Award winner for 'Smash') ON THE TOWN is set to begin previews on Saturday, September 20, 2014 and officially opens on Thursday, October 16, 2014 at Broadway's Lyric Theatre (213 W 42nd St, New York, NY 10036). Tickets for the new Broadway revival of ON THE TOWN are on sale now and available at Ticketmaster.com.
Barrington Stage Company, the award-winning theatre in Downtown Pittsfield, MA, under the leadership of Artistic Director Julianne Boyd and Managing Director Tristan Wilson, presents the BSC Musical Theatre Lab (William Finn Artistic Producer and Julianne Boyd Artistic Director) staged reading of a new musical, Presto Change-O, on July 27 and 28 at the St. Germain Stage at the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center.
Westport Country Playhouse announces that due to ticket demand for its current production of the world premiere musical revue, "Sing for Your Shakespeare," extra performances have been added on Thursday through Today, June 26 - 28, at 8 p.m.
On Monday, June 9, 2014, Sir Kenneth Branagh presented the Shakespeare Medal to Richard Easton and The Public Theater's Oskar Eustis presented the Linda Gross Playing Shakespeare Award to Hamish Linklater at the Shakespeare Society's Annual Playing Shakespeare Celebration. Scroll down for photos of the event, which included guests such as Lily Rabe, Jack O'Brien, Stephen DeRosa, Jacob Fishel, Jimmy Yuill, Dakin Matthews, Chukwudi Iwuji, and more!
Westport Country Playhouse announces that due to ticket demand for its current production of the world premiere musical revue, "Sing for Your Shakespeare," extra performances have been added on Thursday through Saturday, June 26 - 28, at 8 p.m.
Westport Country Playhouse's world premiere musical revue, 'Sing for Your Shakespeare,' playing now through June 22, features a six-member cast of Broadway talents: Karen Akers, Britney Coleman, Darius de Haas, Stephen DeRosa, Constantine Germanacos, and Laurie Wells. With selections from Cole Porter's 'Kiss Me, Kate,' Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's 'West Side Story,' and Rodgers and Hart's 'The Boys from Syracuse,' as well as numbers by Duke Ellington, Frank Loesser, and others, the production explores how the American Songbook has been inspired for decades by Shakespeare's works. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast onstage below!
The 32nd Annual Fred & Adele Astaire Awards were held on Monday, June 2 at 7:30pm at NYU's Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. The winners for the evening were Dormeshia Sumbry Edwards (After Midnight) & Karine Plantadit (After Midnight) a tie for Outstanding Female Dancer in a Broadway Show; Jared Grimes (After Midnight) for Outstanding Male Dancer in a Broadway Show; and Warren Carlyle (After Midnight) for Outstanding Choreographer for a Broadway Show. BroadwayWorld brings you photos from the star-studded arrivals below!
The 32nd Annual Fred & Adele Astaire Awards were held on Monday, June 2 at 7:30pm at NYU's Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. The winners for the evening were Dormeshia Sumbry Edwards (After Midnight) & Karine Plantadit (AfterMidnight) a tie for Outstanding Female Dancer in a Broadway Show; Jared Grimes (After Midnight) for Outstanding Male Dancer in a Broadway Show; and Warren Carlyle (After Midnight) for Outstanding Choreographer for a Broadway Show. BroadwayWorld brings you photos from the star-studded arrivals below!
Westport Country Playhouse's world premiere musical revue, "Sing for Your Shakespeare," playing June 3 - 22, will feature a six-member cast of Broadway talents: Karen Akers, Britney Coleman, Darius de Haas, Stephen DeRosa, Constantine Germanacos, and Laurie Wells. With selections from Cole Porter's "Kiss Me, Kate," Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's "West Side Story," and Rodgers and Hart's "The Boys from Syracuse," as well as numbers by Duke Ellington, Frank Loesser, and others, the production explores how the American Songbook has been inspired for decades by Shakespeare's works.
Tony Award-Winners Adriane Lenox (After Midnight, Doubt),Karen Ziemba (Bullets Over Broadway, Curtains, Contact), Randy Graff (LES MISERABLES, City of Angels) and Andy Blankenbuehler (In The Heights, Bring it On), Tony Award-nominees Liz Callaway (Miss Saigon, Baby, Cats), Sally Mayes (She Loves Me), Christiane Noll (Ragtime, Chaplin, Jekyll & Hyde), Stephen Bogardus (Irving Berlin's White Christmas), Bob Stillman (Dirty Blonde) and Annie Golden(Hair), and Elizabeth Stanley (Million Dollar Quartet, Company), Ann Harada (Cinderella, Avenue Q), Eddie Korbich(A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder), Kerry O'Malley (Irving Berlin's White Christmas), Sally Wilfert (Assassins) and Nightlife Award Winners Scott Coulter, Julie Reyburn andSteve Ross appeared in Town Hall's Broadway by the Year Series on Monday night, May 12, THE BROADWAY MUSICALS OF 1965-1989.
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 a look at rehearsals for HOLLER IF YA HEAR ME, the Lucille Lortel Awards Red Carpet, and the upcoming West End production of THE LAST FIVE YEARS!
