Tony and Grammy Award winner Jennifer Holliday has stepped into the role of Shug Avery in John Doyle's Tony Award-winning production of the Broadway musical, The Color Purple. She replaces Heather Headley, who took her final bow on October 2.
Heather Headley played her last performance as Shug Avery in The Color Purple today, and the entire cast gathered together at curtain call to send her off with the most fitting tribute: a group performance of the Gospel song 'I Won't Complain.'
Tony and Grammy Award nominee Michael McElroy and the Broadway Inspirational Voices continue their brand-new web series titled 'Broadway Our Way' today with McElroy's prayerful arrangement of 'All the Wasted Time' from PARADE, with a special introduction by composer/lyricist Jason Robert Brown himself. Check it out below!
An all-star roster of theater artists gathered today to record the new benefit single 'What the World Needs Now is Love' for victims of the Orlando Shooting. Broadway Records President Van Dean, Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley announced the single and the charitable initiative 'Broadway for Orlando' earlier today. This evening, Michael Cerveris uploaded a behind the scenes peek inside the recording studio on Facebook - check it out below!
Samantha Massell and Monica Swayne are currently both playing the role of Hodel in two different productions of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, Swayne in Sydney, Australia and Massell on Broadway! The two actresses decided to interview each other, asking questions about Fiddler and more. Check out the video below!
Samantha Massell was featured at 54 Below's 'Broadway Princess Party' earlier this month, singing 'God Help the Outcasts' from Disney's THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME. Check out the video here!
Today in 2000, Aida opened at the Palace Theatre, where it ran for 1852 performances. Aida is a musical with music by Elton John, lyrics by Tim Rice, and book by Linda Woolverton, Robert Falls, and David Henry Hwang. Aida was nominated for five Tony Awards and won four Tony Awards in 2000, including Best Musical Score and Best Performance by a Leading Actress. Aida was also named by Time Magazine in 2000 as one of the top ten theatre productions of the year. The First National tour was nominated for nine National Broadway Theatre awards (now 'Touring Broadway Awards') and won five awards, including Best Musical, Best Direction, Best Actor, and Best Actress.
Earlier this month, Broadway united for INSPIRATIONAL BROADWAY, a dynamic and soulful evening of music at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill. The one-night-only concert featured theater's biggest names singing Broadway, Gospel, Pop, and Rock classics with a stirring and spiritual twist, including musical arrangements by BIV founder and Tony Award-nominee Michael McElroy.