Based on the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, "Hairspray Live!" takes place in 1962 Baltimore. Plump teenager Tracy Turnblad's dream is to dance on "The Corny Collins Show," a local TV program. When against all odds Tracy wins a role on the show, she becomes a celebrity overnight and meets a colorful array of characters, including the resident dreamboat, Link; the ambitious mean girl, Amber; an African American boy she meets in detention, Seaweed; and his mother, Motormouth Maybelle, the owner of a local record store. Tracy's mother is the indomitable Edna, and she eventually encourages Tracy on her campaign to integrate the all-white "Corny Collins Show."
Emmy winning actor/comedian Bruce Vilanch joins several Broadway Veterans and the students of Musical Theatre University in their very first fully-staged musical production, HAIRSPRAY, which will be presented for three performances, January 31 through February 2, at The Helene Galen Performing Arts Center at Rancho Mirage High School. Vilanch will reprise his critically acclaimed turn as Edna Turnblad in the Tony Award winning musical, based on the cult film by John Waters, alongside Broadway actors Sal Mistretta, Lisa Robinson and Gwen Stewart, and featuring the talented, young Musical Theatre University students.
Whenever people begin thinking of the young Broadway stars that show promise for career longevity, Aaron Tveit's magnanimous talent and indomitable energy come to mind. While a musical theatre major at Ithaca College, he left school to be an understudy for Mark and Roger in the national tour for RENT. From there, he went on to be in such acclaimed stage musicals as HAIRSPRAY, WICKED, NEXT TO NORMAL, and CATCH ME IF YOU CAN. He also played Enjolras in the 2012 film musical Les Miserables. Television audiences would recognize him from his 10-episode stint in the CW's Gossip Girl as William "Tripp" van der Bilt III and as Mike Warren from USA Network's police drama Graceland. Now, his ravenous fan base has a solo album, THE RADIO IN MY HEAD - Live at 54 BELOW, to clamor for. Sadly, the release is surprisingly underwhelming on several levels.
Aaron Tveit's sold out concerts in May at New York's 54 BELOW will be recorded and released by Broadway Records. 'The Radio In My Head: Live At 54 BELOW' will be released digitally today, September 6th and on CD on September 10, 2013.
Hairspray/book by Mark O'Donnell & Thomas Meehan/music by Marc Shaiman; lyrics by Marc Shaiman & Scott Wittman/choreographed by Orlando Alexander/directed by Martin Lang/Glendale Centre Theatre (GCT)/through October 12
LIVE BY THE LAKE, the hotly anticipated series of outdoor summer concerts at Kenwood House, marks the welcome return of the English Heritage concert season. Produced by the young dynamic agency, Rouge Events, Live By The Lake's outstanding lineup of world class music is scheduled over six days - August 23rd-25th and August 30th-September 1st; each show promises to attract up to 10,000 music and film lovers to enjoy the music and share a picnic with friends and family in more than 100 acres of Kenwood House's beautifully landscaped gardens.
Boasting the perfect mix of pop, rock, soul, classical, musical theatre and film, LIVE BY THE LAKE promises something special for every music lover in the land. Tickets are now on sale at www.kenwood.seetickets.com and there are a limited number of discounts for residents in many of London's northwest postal districts.
Ticket holders will be able to choose a variety of reasonably priced tickets for each concert and to decide whether or not to bring their own picnic and all-weather paraphernalia! For those who want to rock up unhampered, the best of Carluccio's Italian picnics can be ordered in advance and picked up on the day of each orchestral concert. (NB: Suede and Keane concerts will be standing room only, so picnics and chairs should be left at home and a range of drinks and delicious food will be available from the on-site concession stands.
PROGRAMME at a glance:
August 23rd: SUEDE and special guests BRITISH SEA POWER
August 24th: ROYAL CHORAL SOCIETY and the ROYAL PHILHARMONIC CONCERT ORCHESTRA
August 25th: KEANE and special guest LAURA MVULA
August 30th: 'SINGIN' IN THE RAIN' - film screening, score performed by the ROYAL PHILHARMONIC CONCERT ORCHESTRA
August 31st: ANA MARIA MARTINEZ and the ENGLISH NATIONAL OPERA ORCHESTRA
September 1st: MICHAEL BALL and friends sing GERSHWIN
Nathan Homan of Rouge Events says: "We are absolutely delighted to be producing the first LIVE BY THE LAKE at Kenwood House in association with English Heritage. We've got a wonderful lineup of world class performers and I think Kenwood's beautiful grounds are the perfect setting for what promises to be a seriously great series of summer concerts. Even in this digital age, the appetite for live performance is greater than ever - the calibre of artists who are appearing at Live By The Lake is a testament to their own enjoyment of playing outdoor concerts and I think audiences across the six nights will love every minute of it."
Publicity: judy.lipsey@premiercomms.com and Robbie.wilson@premiercomms.com
020 7292 8330 www.livebythelake.co.uk
THE PROGRAMME in detail:
Kicking off proceedings today August 23rd are the multi-platinum selling, mighty SUEDE (left), Britpop progenitors, one of the world's most exciting rock bands and whose sixth studio album 'Bloodsports' was released in March, after a ten year gap, to much critical acclaim. Suede's special guests are the splendid Brighton-based indie rockers BRITISH SEA POWER, the title of whose current album, 'Machineries of Joy', was inspired by a collection of short stories by the great sci-fi author, Ray Bradbury. The band recently performed their soundtrack for the documentary film 'From the Land to the Sea', directed by Penny Woolcock, at the Sundance London Film and Music Festival at the 02 and at the Sheffield Documentary Festival.
On Saturday August 24th it's a feast for classical music lovers with the Royal Choral Society and the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra conducted by Roderick Dunk, performing a wonderful selection of arias from, among others, Carmina Burana, Madame Butterfly, Verdi's Requiem and many more. The night will end with a spectacular firework display. Roderick Dunk will be well known to BBC Radio 2 listeners as the BBC Concert Orchestra's regular guest conductor for the long running Today Night is Music Night.
To complete the perfect first weekend on August 25th the Brit Award winning, Grammy nominated, 10 million selling KEANE will take to the stage; fronted by the charismatic Tom Chaplin, the band's fourth studio album, Strangeland, was released in May 2012 and immediately topped the UK charts. KEANE are delighted to have as their special guest the uniquely gifted soul singer/songwriter LAURA MVULA, whose debut album, 'Sing To The Moon', was released this year and instantly catapulted her into the musical stratosphere and a headlining slot at this year's Isle of Wight Festival.
Today August 30th offers a truly rare opportunity to film fans: the screening of the 1952 musical romantic comedy 'Singin' In The Rain' to a LIVE score performed by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra. Starring the legendary Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, and Debbie Reynolds, and choreographed and directed by Gene Kelly, the film offers an entertaining depiction of a 1927 Hollywood caught up in the transition from silent films to talkies. The RPO, conducted by Neil Thomson, will bring the film's iconic soundtrack to life while the re-mastered film is shown on the big screen.
Saturday August 31st is Opera Alfresco night with the English National Opera Orchestra and a special appearance by the incomparable Grammy Award winning American soprano, Ana Maria Martinez whose lyrical, elegant style has seen her grace all the grand opera houses around the world. The ENO together with principal soloists Wynne Evans, Fiona Murphy, Kai Ruutel and David Webster will perform some of the world's greatest and most popular arias from the works of Bizet, Mozart, Puccini, Verdi and more.
On Sunday September 1st MICHAEL BALL, double Olivier Award winner ('Hairspray', 'Sweeney Todd'), multi-platinum recording artist, and radio and TV presenter will close Live By The Lake's programme of events with a special evening of music by George and Ira Gershwin. Britain's top musical theatre star will be inviting friends from the West End stage such as Kerry Ellis, Gina Beck, and David Shannon to join him in performing some of the Gershwin's best loved songs including Summertime, I Got Rhythm, S'Wonderful, Shall We Dance, and many more.
LIVE BY THE LAKE, the hotly anticipated series of outdoor summer concerts at Kenwood House, marks the welcome return of the English Heritage concert season. Produced by the young dynamic agency, Rouge Events, Live By The Lake's outstanding lineup of world class music is scheduled over six days – August 23rd-25th and August 30th-September 1st; each show promises to attract up to 10,000 music and film lovers to enjoy the music and share a picnic with friends and family in more than 100 acres of Kenwood House's beautifully landscaped gardens.
Boasting the perfect mix of pop, rock, soul, classical, musical theatre and film, LIVE BY THE LAKE promises something special for every music lover in the land. Tickets are now on sale at www.kenwood.seetickets.com and there are a limited number of discounts for residents in many of London's northwest postal districts.
Ticket holders will be able to choose a variety of reasonably priced tickets for each concert and to decide whether or not to bring their own picnic and all-weather paraphernalia! For those who want to rock up unhampered, the best of Carluccio's Italian picnics can be ordered in advance and picked up on the day of each orchestral concert. (NB: Suede and Keane concerts will be standing room only, so picnics and chairs should be left at home and a range of drinks and delicious food will be available from the on-site concession stands.
PROGRAMME at a glance:
August 23rd: SUEDE and special guests BRITISH SEA POWER
August 24th: ROYAL CHORAL SOCIETY and the ROYAL PHILHARMONIC CONCERT ORCHESTRA
August 25th: KEANE and special guest LAURA MVULA
August 30th: 'SINGIN' IN THE RAIN' – film screening, score performed by the ROYAL PHILHARMONIC CONCERT ORCHESTRA
August 31st: ANA MARIA MARTINEZ and the ENGLISH NATIONAL OPERA ORCHESTRA
September 1st: MICHAEL BALL and friends sing GERSHWIN
Nathan Homan of Rouge Events says: “We are absolutely delighted to be producing the first LIVE BY THE LAKE at Kenwood House in association with English Heritage. We've got a wonderful lineup of world class performers and I think Kenwood's beautiful grounds are the perfect setting for what promises to be a seriously great series of summer concerts. Even in this digital age, the appetite for live performance is greater than ever – the calibre of artists who are appearing at Live By The Lake is a testament to their own enjoyment of playing outdoor concerts and I think audiences across the six nights will love every minute of it.”
Publicity: judy.lipsey@premiercomms.com and Robbie.wilson@premiercomms.com
020 7292 8330 www.livebythelake.co.uk
THE PROGRAMME in detail:
Kicking off proceedings on Friday August 23rd are the multi-platinum selling, mighty SUEDE (left), Britpop progenitors, one of the world's most exciting rock bands and whose sixth studio album 'Bloodsports' was released in March, after a ten year gap, to much critical acclaim. Suede's special guests are the splendid Brighton-based indie rockers BRITISH SEA POWER, the title of whose current album, 'Machineries of Joy', was inspired by a collection of short stories by the great sci-fi author, Ray Bradbury. The band recently performed their soundtrack for the documentary film 'From the Land to the Sea', directed by Penny Woolcock, at the Sundance London Film and Music Festival at the 02 and at the Sheffield Documentary Festival.
On Saturday August 24th it's a feast for classical music lovers with the Royal Choral Society and the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra conducted by Roderick Dunk, performing a wonderful selection of arias from, among others, Carmina Burana, Madame Butterfly, Verdi's Requiem and many more. The night will end with a spectacular firework display. Roderick Dunk will be well known to BBC Radio 2 listeners as the BBC Concert Orchestra's regular guest conductor for the long running Friday Night is Music Night.
To complete the perfect first weekend on August 25th the Brit Award winning, Grammy nominated, 10 million selling KEANE will take to the stage; fronted by the charismatic Tom Chaplin, the band's fourth studio album, Strangeland, was released in May 2012 and immediately topped the UK charts. KEANE are delighted to have as their special guest the uniquely gifted soul singer/songwriter LAURA MVULA, whose debut album, 'Sing To The Moon', was released this year and instantly catapulted her into the musical stratosphere and a headlining slot at this year's Isle of Wight Festival.
Friday August 30th offers a truly rare opportunity to film fans: the screening of the 1952 musical romantic comedy 'Singin' In The Rain' to a LIVE score performed by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra. Starring the legendary Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, and Debbie Reynolds, and choreographed and directed by Gene Kelly, the film offers an entertaining depiction of a 1927 Hollywood caught up in the transition from silent films to talkies. The RPO, conducted by Neil Thomson, will bring the film's iconic soundtrack to life while the re-mastered film is shown on the big screen.
Saturday August 31st is Opera Alfresco night with the English National Opera Orchestra and a special appearance by the incomparable Grammy Award winning American soprano, Ana Maria Martinez whose lyrical, elegant style has seen her grace all the grand opera houses around the world. The ENO together with principal soloists Wynne Evans, Fiona Murphy, Kai Ruutel and David Webster will perform some of the world's greatest and most popular arias from the works of Bizet, Mozart, Puccini, Verdi and more.
On Sunday September 1st MICHAEL BALL, double Olivier Award winner ('Hairspray', 'Sweeney Todd'), multi-platinum recording artist, and radio and TV presenter will close Live By The Lake's programme of events with a special evening of music by George and Ira Gershwin. Britain's top musical theatre star will be inviting friends from the West End stage such as Kerry Ellis, Gina Beck, and David Shannon to join him in performing some of the Gershwin's best loved songs including Summertime, I Got Rhythm, S'Wonderful, Shall We Dance, and many more.
The 5th Avenue Theatre presents Hairspray in Concert, featuring some of Seattle's favorite musical theatre stars and the powerful voices of the 250-member Seattle Men's Chorus.
The 5th Avenue Theatre has announced complete casting for Hairspray in Concert, featuring some of Seattle's favorite musical theatre stars and the powerful voices of the 250-member Seattle Men's Chorus. Celebrating the 10th anniversary of Hairspray's 2002 Broadway debut, this unique concert event will play for six very special performances of glorious and irreverent John Waters-inspired wackiness (Friday-Sunday, June 20-23). In 2002, Hairspray was The 5th Avenue Theatre's first world premiere musical to head for Broadway where it won the 2003 Tony Award for Best Musical and launched The 5th's unprecedented track record for sending new works to New York. Now the smash hit musical comes home, as audiences have never seen it before.
Pop Idol and West End favourite Gareth Gates (Joseph, Les Miserables, Legally Blonde) headlines this live album release of Momentous Musicals, alongside Jonathan Ansell (G4, Whistle Down the Wind), Daniel Boys (Any Dream Will Do, Avenue Q), Emma Williams (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Love Story) and Rachael Wooding (Jersey Boys, Hairspray).
Aaron Tveit's sold out concerts in May at New York's 54 BELOW will be recorded and released by Broadway Records. 'The Radio In My Head: Live At 54 BELOW' will be released digitally on September 6th and on CD on September 10, 2013. The CD is now available for pre-order at http://amzn.com/B00CDB2T1C.
Today we are talking to a tremendously talented triple-threat who headlined the 2007 feature film adaptation of the Tony Award-winning Best Musical HAIRSPRAY as Tracy Turnblad and who will be appearing in a recurring role on SMASH Season Two starting tonight - the spunky and adorable Nikki Blonsky. In this all-encompassing conversation, Blonsky and I dissect the HAIRSPRAY phenomenon and she reveals her affection for collaborators such as director Adam Shankman, co-stars John Travolta and Christopher Walken, as well as two more pairs of instrumental creative team members: songwriters Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman as well as producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, all four of whom serve the same roles on SMASH. Of course, Blonsky reveals details about her new SMASH character and what we can expect from her multi-episode arc, as well as her experiences sharing the small screen with Anjelica Huston, Christian Borle, Debra Messing and more. Additionally, Blonsky opens up about her exciting upcoming film projects, namely: THE ENGLISH TEACHER, co-starring Julianne Moore and Nathan Lane, as well as GEOGRAPHY CLUB, co-starring GLEE's Alex Newell. Plus, all about her collaboration in the recording studio with Duncan Sheik, her thoughts on HAIRSPRAY 2 and much, much more!
Today we are talking to the proud "Pope Of Trash" himself - the iconic writer/director of such seminal cinematic entries as cult classics PINK FLAMINGOS, FEMALE TROUBLE, DESPERATE LIVING, HAIRSPRAY, CRY BABY, SERIAL MOM, CECIL B. DEMENTED, A DIRTY SHAME and many more - the one and only John Waters. Packing a characteristically caustic conversation into a relatively brief time slot was no trouble for Waters, for he and I cover a wide range of topics, from his favorite 2012 films to his all-time favorite movie musicals and much more. Most importantly, Waters discusses his process in adapting the hit Tony Award-winning stage property HAIRSPRAY into concert form and what we can expect from his newly-penned narration and role as narrator in the live Baltimore Symphony Orchestra presentation of HAIRSPRAY: IN CONCERT on January 24. Additionally, Waters expounds on his experiences creating the original HAIRSPRAY film and how it compares to both its musical sister, as well as the hit 2007 feature film adaptation of it (in which he makes a cameo appearance as - what else? - "the flasher who lives next door"). Plus, Waters opens up about the plot and themes of HAIRSPRAY 2: WHITE LIPSTICK, a project he was commissioned to create a few years ago as a new film project but which is currently on hold indefinitely. All of that, filming the remarkable 2012 horror film EXCISION, memories of the recently deceased Patti Page and the unforgettable use of the Bob Merrill pop earworm "How Much Is That Doggie In The Window" at the grand finale of PINK FLAMINGOS, an update on his children's film project, FRUITCAKE, as well as details about his new book and what we can expect from Waters in 2013 insofar as personal speaking engagements go - and, how Justin Bieber is the new Shirley Temple. All of that and much, much more awaits!
Marking the 25th anniversary of the John Waters' original film, Principal Pops Conductor Jack Everly brings together an all-star cast of Broadway, film and TV stars for the full symphonic production of the Broadway musical, Hairspray. Hairspray: In Concert! will premiere with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra tonight, Jan. 11-13, 2013, and with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Jan. 24-27, 2013.
Pop Idol and West End favourite Gareth Gates (Joseph, Les Misérables, Legally Blonde) will star on the upcoming live album release of Momentous Musicals, alongside Jonathan Ansell (G4, Whistle Down the Wind), Daniel Boys (Any Dream Will Do, Avenue Q), Emma Williams (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Love Story) and Rachael Wooding (Jersey Boys, Hairspray).
Voting is now underway for the San Francisco Awards and continues until December 31, 2012. Winners will be announced in early January. Check out the live standings below.
Voting is now underway for the Philadelphia Awards and continues until December 31, 2012. Winners will be announced in early January. Check out the live standings below.
Voting is now underway for the Nashville Awards and continues until December 31, 2012. Winners will be announced in early January. Check out the live standings below.
Voting is now underway for the Long Island Awards and continues until December 31, 2012. Winners will be announced in early January. Check out the live standings below.
Broadway favorite Jackie Hoffman is currently starring in A Chanukah Charol, her holiday-themed, pseudo-autobiographical, one-woman show inspired by Patrick Stewart's A Christmas Carol. In this interview, Richard chats with Hoffman about about growing up on Long Island, her new gig on 'The New Normal,' how she got cast in HAIRSPRAY, and so much more. Click below to watch the full interview!
Voting is now underway for the Connecticut Awards and continues until December 31, 2012. Winners will be announced in early January. Check out the live standings below.
Voting is now underway for the Columbus Awards and continues until December 31, 2012. Winners will be announced in early January. Check out the live standings below.
Voting is now underway for Baltimore and continues until December 31, 2012. Winners will be announced in early January. Check out the live standings below.
Voting is now underway for Atlanta and continues until December 31, 2012. Winners will be announced in early January. Check out the live standings below.
Voting is now underway for the San Francisco Awards and continues until December 31, 2012. Winners will be announced in early January. Check out the live standings below.
Voting is now underway for the Philadelphia Awards and continues until December 31, 2012. Winners will be announced in early January. Check out the live standings below.
Videos
