How I Got to Broadway - Off-Broadway Articles Page 18

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: THE WIZ LIVE! eases on down the road tonight on NBC, and GIGANTIC opens off-Broadway!

Can YOU feel a brand new day? We're gearing up to ease on down the road with powerhouse newcomer Shanice Williams and the rest of the gang from Oz, when THE WIZ LIVE! premieres Thursday, December 3, at 8pm on NBC.  Of course, as was the case in 2013's THE SOUND OF MUSIC LIVE! and last year's PETER PAN LIVE!, the cast is certainly not short on big-name talent — and most come with Broadway or theatrical credits, no less. As if you didn't already know, be sure to look out for Queen Latifah (of 2002's CHICAGO and 2007's HAIRSPRAY), Elijah Kelley (also of 2007's HAIRSPRAY), Uzo Aduba (of CORAM BOY and 2011's GODSPELL), and David Alan Grier (2012's PORGY AND BESS). 

This December and January, FEINSTEIN'S/54 BELOW presents an exciting lineup of the brightest talent from Broadway and beyond. Located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54th Street. For a detailed schedule of upcoming performances at Feinstein's/54 Below and to purchase tickets, visitwww.54Below.com/Feinsteins. 

This week FEINSTEIN'S/54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond. To purchase tickets or for more information, visitwww.54Below.com/Feinsteins or call (646) 476-3551.

'People are complex,' muses Aimee K. Grant, who plays Akeelah's mom, Gail, in AKEELAH AND THE BEE, the new musical at Arena Stage when I sat down with her and her on-stage daughter, 17-year old Johannah Easley (Akeelah) to talk about their experiences with the show. Increasing understanding within and among people is the power of theater, we agree, and Akeelah definitely offers up a story of complex people, young and old. Based on the wildly popular 2006 film of the same name, it's the story of a determined young girl from a difficult situation, competing in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Akeelah's life is filled with challenges, as are many people's, and that's where this story resonates. Although a tale of triumph over adversity may not seem a new one, each person's story is different, and Akeelah's has layers that will be relatable to many in the audience.

Playwrights Horizons begins accepting entries today, Wednesday, November 11, for the LIVEforFIVE online lottery for $5 tickets to their New York premiere of 2015 Pulitzer Prize finalist Marjorie Prime, a new play by Jordan Harrison (Maple and Vine, Doris to Darlene at PH; Amazons and Their Men; Kid-Simple; 'Orange is the New Black').

Whether it was while making his Broadway debut in THE TAP DANCE KID, or on THE FRESH PRINCE OF BEL-AIR as the up-tight Carlton, or while winning DANCING WITH THE STARS' 19th Mirror Ball Trophy, chances are pretty good that at some point over the past 30 years, Alfonso Ribeiro has made you smile. Since his DWTS success, the former child-star song-and-dance man has taken on yet another entertaining role, this time as the new host of ABC's long-running AMERICA'S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS, a job that the father of three appreciates for what it provides on and off screen.

Find out what it's like to play a pop music legend on Broadway from the boys who did it.

Anthony E. Zuiker, creator of the 'CSI' franchise and one of Hollywood's most innovative storytellers, is officially on board to write Soul Train the musical for Broadway.

The Umeda Arts Theater world premiere production of PRINCE OF BROADWAY began rehearsals on September 3 in New York City. Hal Prince just talked to Deadline about the once-stalled show's upcoming premiere in Japan, taking the production to Broadway next year, his flops and his successes throughout his career, and more.

Tim Dang, Producing Artistic Director of East West Players in Los Angeles, CA, is the 2015 recipient of the Zelda Fichandler Award, an award to recognize an outstanding director or choreographer who is transforming the regional arts landscape through imaginative, brave work in theatre.  The $5,000 award, given by Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation, heralds both accomplishment to date and promise for the future, and lauds deep commitment to a community.

The Film Society of Lincoln Center announced today the lineup for the popular FREE Film Society Talks series, NYFF Live, during the 53rd New York Film Festival, sponsored by HBO.

Elisabeth Moss is one of my favorite actresses on television. But as the theatre community does with any famous person who has stepped even a toe on the stage, we claim Moss as our own.

The Umeda Arts Theater world premiere production of Prince of Broadway began rehearsals on Thursday, September 3 in New York City, and BroadwayWorld has the first photos from that process below!

OKLAHOMA, THE KING AND I, THE PAJAMA GAME, HELLO, DOLLY!, ON THE TWENTIETH CENTURY, BARNUM, THE SECRET GARDEN, THE WHO'S TOMMY, THE PRODUCERS; some of the most iconic shows in Broadway history have opened at 246 W. 44th Street, The St. James Theatre. On September 13th, at 7:00 and 9:30pm at 54 Below, 'The Ensemblist,' the only podcast that shows you Broadway from the inside out, will pull back the curtain of this beloved theatre district landmark.

After a sold-out and critically acclaimed run at the Vancouver Fringe 2014, award-winning and innovative director AMIEL GLADSTONE (FringeNYC Alumni Louis & Dave in a car, Zastrozzi, and The Black Box) re-teams with actor/producers MARISA SMITH and DANIEL ARNOLD (FringeNYC Excellence Award Tuesdays & Sundays) to mount the wryly comic thriller LITTLE ONE at FringeNYC, a play by HANNAH MOSCOVITCH - 'Canada's Hottest Young Playwright' (National Post, Globe & Mail, Now Magazine).

The latest in unauthorized gossip and buzz from the heart of Chicago's showtune video bars, and musical theater news from Chicago to Broadway. Idina Menzel and Broadway In Chicago will shake Millennium Park this weekend! The Improvised Sondheim Project, the 'Grease' sing-along and 'Urinetown' have two performances, while 'H2$,' 'Miss Saigon' and 'South Pacific' each play three weekends. Plus dueling 'Spamalot's, and the sixth anniversary of 'The Showtune Mosh Pit!'

After a sold-out and critically acclaimed run at the Vancouver Fringe 2014, award-winning and innovative director AMIEL GLADSTONE (FringeNYC Alumni Louis & Dave in a car, Zastrozzi, and The Black Box) re-teams with actor/producers MARISA SMITH and DANIEL ARNOLD (FringeNYC Excellence Award Tuesdays & Sundays) to mount the wryly comic thriller LITTLE ONE at FringeNYC, a play by HANNAH MOSCOVITCH - "Canada's Hottest Young Playwright" (National Post, Globe & Mail, Now Magazine).

'You really don't choose this business; it chooses you,' Jessica Lee Goldyn says of her becoming a professional dancer and actress while still in her teens. That bright career which has taken her to Broadway and around the country performing in musical theatre now brings her to Brunswick, Maine, to reprise the role of Elizabeth in Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein, which opened at Maine State Music Theatre August 6th. The role of Frederick Frankenstein's glamorous and fickle wife has been tailored to her extraordinary dancing abilities by director Marc Robin, and, as she tells Broadway World a few days before opening, she is enjoying the experience enormously!

'The more real you play it, the better for any piece, even a comedic piece like this one.' Stage and television actor Robert Creighton is talking about his upcoming role debut in Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein, which opens August 6th at the Maine State Music Theatre. Creighton, who is playing the meaty role of Frankenstein's bungling, hunchbacked assistant Igor, says of his approach to the part, 'The script is so good, so honed that I just have to say the words and stay out of their way. I don't have to mug. It is so well-crafted that I simply embrace the stupidity of it all, enjoy that and watch the audience enjoy it, too. When you play it for real, you are not making fun of the humor or commenting on the material, and the situation takes care of itself.'

The 9th Annual Welcome to Boog City Festival -- 5 Days of Poetry, Music, and Theater -- is headed to New York City!

This August and September, 54 BELOW presents an exciting lineup of the brightest talent from Broadway and beyond. Located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54th Street. For a detailed schedule of upcoming performances at 54 Below and to purchase tickets, visitwww.54Below.com. 

OC's award-winning regional theater company 3-D Theatricals' latest effort is a remarkably admirable, visually-stunning iteration of Disney's TARZAN® THE MUSICAL that defiantly dazzles and entertains despite the inherent, unavoidable shortcomings of its licensed source material (a problematic book and mostly forgettable score). Thanks to the incredible combined efforts of the show's creative team of brilliant theatrical artisans, its richly striking orchestra, and its top-notch, super-talented ensemble cast (led by Devin Archer and Daebreon Poiema), this ultimately winning local production has certainly earned all its well-deserved cheers. Under the showmanship-style guidance of director Rufus Bonds Jr., 3DT's vividly colorful TARZAN manages to rise (at times literally) high above the original show's weak plotting, Hwang's sometimes stale dialogue, and Collins' run-of-the-mill lyrics... and triumphantly emerge as a wonder-filled, visually-stunning treat for all ages.

The Playwrights Foundation's 38th Annual Bay Area Playwrights Festival (BAPF) kicks off today, July 17, where it runs through July 26, 2015 at the Tides Theatre in San Francisco.