Tamyra Gray News

Do you ever wonder what your life would have been like if you had made different choices? Would you have a different job? A different love? Would your life have been better, or maybe worse? In the first show of Hartford's 2016-2017 Bushnell Broadway Series, IF/THEN, one woman finds herself at the intersection of choice and chance, and takes audiences on a journey guided by the whims of fate. Playing, Elizabeth, the woman whose life splits into parallel paths due to one fateful choice, is Jackie Burns, a Connecticut native who is returning to her home state to bring this contemporary musical to the Bushnell stage. I caught up with Jackie to talk about the show and hear how it feels to return home with IF/THEN.

It's always a challenge to find a fresh, new, innovate way to tell a story. It seems at times like every story out there has already been told so the only option is to tell it again, but tell it differently. Use a storytelling technique that excites and engages the audience, and maybe it won't even matter what the story is. That idea, while it might sound good, just doesn't work in reality, as demonstrated by the current touring production of If/Then, now playing at Providence Performing Arts Center. The interesting way of telling the story just can't mask the fact that the story being told is incredibly ordinary, unoriginal and dull.

This week, we go around our Broadway World to feature stories in Washington, DC, Phoenix, Singapore and more. Check out our top 10 stories around our Broadway World below, which include a 'bold, new' THE TAMING OF THE SHREW in DC, HOSTAGES in Phoenix, and an interview with Simon Gleeson on the Singapore return of LES MIS, just to name a few.

If/Then is an original musical that tells the story of Elizabeth Vaughan, a 40-year-old woman who moves back to New York City seeking a fresh start to her life. The musical depicts two different paths of where Elizabeth's life could take her.

Fifth Third Bank Broadway in Atlanta announced today that tickets for the National Tour of IF/THEN, which was named the "Best Musical of the Year" by New York Magazine, will go on sale Sunday, May 22. IF/THEN will perform a limited one week engagement from August 9-14 at Atlanta's Fox Theatre to close the 2015/2016 Fifth Third Bank Broadway in Atlanta Series.

If/Then, a musical from the creators of Next to Normal and the director of Rent, opened last night at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto. The show, which was written as a star vehicle for Idina Menzel, is one of the most exhilarating new musicals I've seen in a decade – and mere moments in any concerns that the show lacks something without a celebrity in the lead were put to rest.

Just moments before the show left the air, viewers were stunned to hear Seacrest add the words 'For now.'

The Grammy award winner did take the time to pre-record an amazing medley of her hits which aired during the show. Check it out below!

Last night's two-hour series finale of AMERICAN IDOL ended with a bang, delivering a 9.6/15 in metered market ratings.

Last night on AMERICAN IDOL, the lights were dimmed for a final time and host Ryan Seacrest made one last dream come true, as Trent Harmon, 25, from Amory, MS, was named the 15th and final AMERICAN IDOL in the history-making series finale live from Dolby Theatre.

In an all-new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, AMERICAN IDOL creator Simon Fuller revealed that Thursday night's Finale will not be the last we will see of the long-running singing competition.

CORE Media, the parent company of 19 Entertainment which manages the careers and recordings of the AMERICAN IDOL contestants, has confirmed reports that the AMERICAN IDOL LIVE Tour, which historically features the season's Top 10 finalists, will not take place this year.

Trent Harmon, Dalton Rapattoni and La'Porsha Renae are this season's AMERICAN IDOL Top Three finalists, after it was revealed that MacKenzie Bourg received the fewest votes. One of these three singers will be the AMERICAN IDOL!

AMERICAN IDOL, the cultural phenomenon that changed the face of television and created some of today's biggest music stars, will kick off a three-night Grand Finale week on Tuesday, April 5 (8:00-9:30 PM ET/PT), with AMERICAN IDOL: AMERICAN DREAM. The can't-miss, 90-minute retrospective will feature host Ryan Seacrest, current and former judges, former IDOLs and contestants and the behind-the-scenes team sharing their personal IDOL memories, as they reflect on what the show has meant to them and how it became the groundbreaking series that it is today. In addition to Seacrest, original IDOL judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson offer never-before-revealed stories about how IDOL came to be. This is a very special, inside look at the journey that IDOL has taken viewers on during its 15-season run.

An incredible opportunity has presented itself to the cast of If/Then upon arriving in St. Louis last Tuesday to carry out a 2 week run at The Fabulous Fox Theatre (March 15-27th). After sitting and talking with Anthony Rapp (star of If/Then, RENT), he told us that the Hard Rock Cafe contacted them and offered to donate their space for them to perform in, if they could find a use.

It's interesting to me that IF/THEN is billed as 'a new musical'. It's the use of the word 'new' that I find puzzling. The concept certainly isn't an original one, having been explored on the big screen in the films Blind Chance (1981) and its sort-of remake, Sliding Doors (1998). And, even though neither of those movies were musicals, they both featured the idea of having their lead traverse optional story lines, with Blind Chance even offering up three different scenarios for its protagonist to experience. But, this show is new in the sense that it explores contemporary trends, with the caveat that some audiences may not find much to identify with, and it features a wonderfully fresh and tuneful score (music by Tom Kitt, book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey). All of that just might be enough to make this show worth seeing. Because it does feature a talented cast who have the ability to pull off these roles and the memorable songs provided with considerable conviction. But, the trickery seems a bit cloying at times, and the show does seem to drag at over 2 ½ hours. I guess, like our heroine, Elizabeth, I'm straddling the fence too, at least when it comes to my opinion.

Hard Rock Cafe in St. Louis presents IF/THEN's 'Now/Then: A Benefit Cabaret for BC/EFA', Monday, March 21 at 7pm to raise money for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. 

Decisions big or small can alter your life forever. That's the lesson from IF/THEN, opening at Minneapolis' Orpheum Theatre, and of one of it's stars, Anthony Rapp.

Freaking out over Sutton Foster coming to Gilmore Girls? Trying hard to win the online #Ham4Ham? Didn't have time to check in on your favorite Broadway stars? Well don't worry BroadwayWorld has rounded up some of the biggest stories from this week from Broadway and beyond with BroadwayWorld's 'This Week in Pictures.'