At the beginning of Act Two of “Merrily We Roll Along,” Jonathan Groff, Daniel Radcliffe, Lindsay Mendez and other ensemble members sing “It’s A Hit!,” celebrating the successful opening of characters Charlie and Frank’s first Broadway musical. Indeed, one could say the same about this revival of “Merrily,” not just because of its smash box office receipts, but also because of the seven Tony Awards nominations that it received on April 30. This recognition from New York theatre’s highest honor is a true redemption for the show, whose original production was a notorious flop for composer Stephen Sondheim and director Hal Prince that ran only 16 regular performances and earned only a single bid for Sondheim’s original score. But how does this production’s Tony success compare to other recent revivals of the late composer’s works?
The seven nominations “Merrily” received are for Best Musical Revival, three...
The seven nominations “Merrily” received are for Best Musical Revival, three...
- 5/2/2024
- by David Buchanan
- Gold Derby
When the Tony Award nominations dust settled “Hell’s Kitchen” and “Stereophonic” received the most nominations with 13 each, followed by “The Outsiders” with 12, followed by the revivals of “Cabaret” with nine and “Appropriate” earning eight. Oscar-winner Ariana DeBose returns as host of the third consecutive year of the Tony Awards which CBS and Pluto will telecast June 16th from Lincoln Center.
How well to you know your Tony history? Here are some fun facts about the latest crop of nominees.
The revival of Stephen Sondheim’s 1981 musical “Merrily We Roll Along” earned seven nominations including best revival of a musical, best performance by an actor in a musical for Jonathan Groff, featured actor for Daniel Radcliffe, featured actress for Lindsay Mendez and best director for Maria Friedman (her sister Sonia Friedman is nominated for outstanding play for “Stereophonic”). The troubled original production of “Merrily We Roll Along’ only received a Tony nomination for original score.
How well to you know your Tony history? Here are some fun facts about the latest crop of nominees.
The revival of Stephen Sondheim’s 1981 musical “Merrily We Roll Along” earned seven nominations including best revival of a musical, best performance by an actor in a musical for Jonathan Groff, featured actor for Daniel Radcliffe, featured actress for Lindsay Mendez and best director for Maria Friedman (her sister Sonia Friedman is nominated for outstanding play for “Stereophonic”). The troubled original production of “Merrily We Roll Along’ only received a Tony nomination for original score.
- 5/1/2024
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Eddie Redmayne received his second Tony Award nomination Tuesday, for his role as the shape-shifting Emcee in the Broadway revival of Cabaret.
It’s a role the actor, known for leading films such as The Theory of Everything and in the Fantastic Beasts series, played during the production’s previous West End run. And while he’s already put his own spin on it, with the Emcee evolving from master of ceremonies at the Berlin nightclub at the center of the show to something more sinister, Redmayne said he’s still finding more to explore.
“He’s so enigmatic that he’s endlessly compelling to keep trying to mine and investigate,” Redmayne said.
Part of that exploration also comes as this Cabaret has the audience sitting surrounding the stage, and in a theater has been transformed with three levels of bars, which are used for a pre-show. All of this...
It’s a role the actor, known for leading films such as The Theory of Everything and in the Fantastic Beasts series, played during the production’s previous West End run. And while he’s already put his own spin on it, with the Emcee evolving from master of ceremonies at the Berlin nightclub at the center of the show to something more sinister, Redmayne said he’s still finding more to explore.
“He’s so enigmatic that he’s endlessly compelling to keep trying to mine and investigate,” Redmayne said.
Part of that exploration also comes as this Cabaret has the audience sitting surrounding the stage, and in a theater has been transformed with three levels of bars, which are used for a pre-show. All of this...
- 5/1/2024
- by Caitlin Huston
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
With the 96th Academy Awards in the history books, it’s time to become obsessed over the 77th Tony Awards. Nominations are April 30th with the awards set to air on CBS on June 16 from Lincoln Center. Among the contenders for Tony nominations are many musicals based on movies including “Back to the Future,’ “The Notebook,” “Water for Elephants” and “The Outsiders”: high profile revivals such as Ibsen’s “An Enemy of the People” with Jeremy Strong; “Cabaret” with Oscar-winner Eddie Redmayne and the Who’s “Tommy”; imports from London and transfers from off-Broadway.
Do you remember the Tony landscape 50 years ago? The 28th annual honors took place April 21, 1974, at the Shubert Theater and aired on ABC. And to say it was a star-studded affair is something of an understatement. Robert Preston, Peter Falk, Cicely Tyson, Florence Henderson hosted; presenters included Al Pacino –-let’s hope he had better...
Do you remember the Tony landscape 50 years ago? The 28th annual honors took place April 21, 1974, at the Shubert Theater and aired on ABC. And to say it was a star-studded affair is something of an understatement. Robert Preston, Peter Falk, Cicely Tyson, Florence Henderson hosted; presenters included Al Pacino –-let’s hope he had better...
- 3/14/2024
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Exclusive: Eric Anthony Lopez has signed with Sovereign Talent Group’s theatrical division.
Lopez is best known for playing school jock bully Syd in Disney Studios pic Chang Can Dunk, produced by Lena Waithe and written and directed by first-time director Jingyi Shao.
Lopez is also known for his work on the stage. He made his Broadway debut as Passarino in Broadway’s The Phantom of The Opera, directed by Harold Prince with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Lopez’s television credits include the season of I Can See Your Voice on Fox , The Show Must Go On on AppleTV+ and City of Mercy.
LA-based Sovereign Talent Group represents the likes of Oscar nominee Eric Roberts, Valeria Lamm and Chris Doubek.
Lopez continues to be repped by Rcg (Rebel Creative Group) & Kapr.
Lopez is best known for playing school jock bully Syd in Disney Studios pic Chang Can Dunk, produced by Lena Waithe and written and directed by first-time director Jingyi Shao.
Lopez is also known for his work on the stage. He made his Broadway debut as Passarino in Broadway’s The Phantom of The Opera, directed by Harold Prince with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Lopez’s television credits include the season of I Can See Your Voice on Fox , The Show Must Go On on AppleTV+ and City of Mercy.
LA-based Sovereign Talent Group represents the likes of Oscar nominee Eric Roberts, Valeria Lamm and Chris Doubek.
Lopez continues to be repped by Rcg (Rebel Creative Group) & Kapr.
- 2/15/2024
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Chita Rivera, the sultry singer, dancer and actress who commanded the Broadway stage for more than a half-century, has died. She was 91.
Rivera died peacefully in New York on Tuesday, following a brief illness, her daughter, Lisa Mordente, shared in a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter.
Known for her long, sleek legs, smoldering green eyes and lusty singing voice, the two-time Tony Award winner originated some of musical theater’s most iconic characters.
When West Side Story bowed in 1957, it was Rivera singing about life in America as the fiery Puerto Rican transplant Anita. As Rose Grant, the long-suffering girlfriend of songwriter Albert Peterson, Rivera received top billing over Dick Van Dyke in 1960’s Bye Bye Birdie. In 1975, she made the stage sizzle with “All That Jazz” as Velma Kelly in Chicago. And the 1993 musical adaptation of Kiss of the Spider Woman put her in the spotlight as the sexy Spider Woman.
Rivera died peacefully in New York on Tuesday, following a brief illness, her daughter, Lisa Mordente, shared in a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter.
Known for her long, sleek legs, smoldering green eyes and lusty singing voice, the two-time Tony Award winner originated some of musical theater’s most iconic characters.
When West Side Story bowed in 1957, it was Rivera singing about life in America as the fiery Puerto Rican transplant Anita. As Rose Grant, the long-suffering girlfriend of songwriter Albert Peterson, Rivera received top billing over Dick Van Dyke in 1960’s Bye Bye Birdie. In 1975, she made the stage sizzle with “All That Jazz” as Velma Kelly in Chicago. And the 1993 musical adaptation of Kiss of the Spider Woman put her in the spotlight as the sexy Spider Woman.
- 1/30/2024
- by Chris Koseluk
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Martin McCallum, a British theatrical producer whose work on more than 500 Broadway and West End shows saw his participation in some of the most successful stage productions in modern theater history, died peacefully, surrounded by family, on January 14 in Sydney, Australia. He was 73.
His death was announced by his family. A cause was not disclosed.
The President of the Society of London Theatre from 1999 to 2002 and a member of the Broadway League since 1988, McCallum made an indelible mark on Broadway with massive hits, critical favorites and even two high-profile flops.
His impact on the London theater scene was even greater. Born in Blackpool on April 6, 1950, McCallum began his stage career as an assistant stage manager at the Castle Theatre Farnham,...
His death was announced by his family. A cause was not disclosed.
The President of the Society of London Theatre from 1999 to 2002 and a member of the Broadway League since 1988, McCallum made an indelible mark on Broadway with massive hits, critical favorites and even two high-profile flops.
His impact on the London theater scene was even greater. Born in Blackpool on April 6, 1950, McCallum began his stage career as an assistant stage manager at the Castle Theatre Farnham,...
- 1/17/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
There’s an independently financed feature take of the 1992 John Kander and Fred Ebb West End and Broadway musical of Kiss of the Spider Woman that’s being readied to shoot in the spring with Jennifer Lopez set to play the role of Aurora, which Chita Rivera originated on the Great White Way.
Lopez is ripe to put on the high heels for the role: The Billboard hitmaker, Primetime Emmy nominee, 2x Golden nominee sings, and dances too.
Dreamgirls and Beauty and the Beast filmmaker Bill Condon is writing and directing, and Barry Josephson (Enchanted) is producing with Tom Kirdahy, Greg Yolen and Matt Geller. Lopez, Elaine Goldsmith Thomas and Benny Medina executive producing for Nuyorican Productions. Sergio Trujillo is the choreographer.
The musical is based on the Oscar winning 1985 Hector Babenco directed movie that starred Sonja Braga as the Spider-Woman, as well as the late Raul Julia and William Hurt.
Lopez is ripe to put on the high heels for the role: The Billboard hitmaker, Primetime Emmy nominee, 2x Golden nominee sings, and dances too.
Dreamgirls and Beauty and the Beast filmmaker Bill Condon is writing and directing, and Barry Josephson (Enchanted) is producing with Tom Kirdahy, Greg Yolen and Matt Geller. Lopez, Elaine Goldsmith Thomas and Benny Medina executive producing for Nuyorican Productions. Sergio Trujillo is the choreographer.
The musical is based on the Oscar winning 1985 Hector Babenco directed movie that starred Sonja Braga as the Spider-Woman, as well as the late Raul Julia and William Hurt.
- 12/7/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Joanna Merlin, who created the role of the daughter Tzeitel in Fiddler on the Roof on Broadway and served as a casting director for Stephen Sondheim, Harold Prince and Bernardo Bertolucci, has died. She was 92.
Merlin died Sunday in Los Angeles of complications from myelodysplastic syndrome, a bone marrow disorder, her daughters, documentary filmmaker Rachel Dretzin (Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey) and actress Julie Dretzin (The Handmaid’s Tale), announced.
Merlin also portrayed the dance teacher Miss Berg in Alan Parker’s Fame (1980) and recurred as Judge Lena Petrovsky for more than a decade on NBC’s Law and Order: Svu.
Her acting résumé included the films Hester Street (1975), All That Jazz (1979), Baby It’s You (1983), The Killing Fields (1984), Mystic Pizza (1988), Class Action (1991) and City of Angels (1998) and such TV shows as Naked City, The Defenders, East Side/West Side, Homeland and The Good Wife.
Merlin cast the original Broadway productions of Sondheim’s Company,...
Merlin died Sunday in Los Angeles of complications from myelodysplastic syndrome, a bone marrow disorder, her daughters, documentary filmmaker Rachel Dretzin (Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey) and actress Julie Dretzin (The Handmaid’s Tale), announced.
Merlin also portrayed the dance teacher Miss Berg in Alan Parker’s Fame (1980) and recurred as Judge Lena Petrovsky for more than a decade on NBC’s Law and Order: Svu.
Her acting résumé included the films Hester Street (1975), All That Jazz (1979), Baby It’s You (1983), The Killing Fields (1984), Mystic Pizza (1988), Class Action (1991) and City of Angels (1998) and such TV shows as Naked City, The Defenders, East Side/West Side, Homeland and The Good Wife.
Merlin cast the original Broadway productions of Sondheim’s Company,...
- 10/17/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Joanna Merlin, original Fiddler On The Roof star and longtime Law & Order: Svu judge, has died. She was 92.
Her death was announced on the Instagram page of the New York University Tisch Graduate Acting Program, where Merlin had been on the faculty since 1998. A cause of death has not been given.
More from TVLineMarty Krofft, Creator of H.R. Pufnstuf and Land of the Lost, Dead at 86Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter Dead at 96Suzanne Shepherd, The Sopranos and Goodfellas Actress, Dead at 89
“Joanna was an actress, master Chekhov teacher and former casting director for Harold Prince, Stephen Sondheim, Bernardo Bertolucci and James Ivory,...
Her death was announced on the Instagram page of the New York University Tisch Graduate Acting Program, where Merlin had been on the faculty since 1998. A cause of death has not been given.
More from TVLineMarty Krofft, Creator of H.R. Pufnstuf and Land of the Lost, Dead at 86Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter Dead at 96Suzanne Shepherd, The Sopranos and Goodfellas Actress, Dead at 89
“Joanna was an actress, master Chekhov teacher and former casting director for Harold Prince, Stephen Sondheim, Bernardo Bertolucci and James Ivory,...
- 10/16/2023
- by Nick Caruso
- TVLine.com
Joanna Merlin, known for her roles on Broadway, in the film Fame and as non-nonsense Judge Lena Petrovsky in TV’s Law & Order: Svu, has passed away at 92. Her death was announced by the New York University Tisch Graduate Acting Program, where she had been a faculty member since 1998. “Joanna was an actress, master Chekhov teacher, and former casting director for Harold Prince, Stephen Sondheim, Bernardo Bertolucci, and James Ivory,” the NYU statement said. “Joanna will be deeply missed at Grad Acting, by the Chekhov community, and by the many people she touched through her artistry.” Merlin, renowned for her work as a casting director, played a pivotal role in casting for several iconic Broadway productions by Stephen Sondheim. She served as the trusted casting director for Harold Prince for many years. A specific cause of death has yet to be disclosed. Born Joann Ratner in Chicago on July...
- 10/16/2023
- TV Insider
Joanna Merlin, whose acting career stretched from Broadway (she was the original Tzeitel in Fiddler On The Roof), film (she played the dance teacher Miss Berg in Alan Parker’s 1980 film Fame) and TV (Law & Order: SVU‘s Judge Lena Petrovsky on dozens of episodes) has died. She was 92.
Her death was announced on the Instagram page of the New York University Tisch Graduate Acting Program, where Merlin had been on the faculty since 1998.
“Joanna was an actress, master Chekhov teacher, and former casting director for Harold Prince, Stephen Sondheim, Bernardo Bertolucci, and James Ivory,” the NYU message said, adding, “Joanna will be deeply missed at Grad Acting, by the Chekhov community, and by the many people she touched through her artistry.”
As a casting director, Merlin was involved in numerous landmark Broadway productions written by Stephen Sondheim. She was, for many years, Harold Prince’s go-to casting director.
A...
Her death was announced on the Instagram page of the New York University Tisch Graduate Acting Program, where Merlin had been on the faculty since 1998.
“Joanna was an actress, master Chekhov teacher, and former casting director for Harold Prince, Stephen Sondheim, Bernardo Bertolucci, and James Ivory,” the NYU message said, adding, “Joanna will be deeply missed at Grad Acting, by the Chekhov community, and by the many people she touched through her artistry.”
As a casting director, Merlin was involved in numerous landmark Broadway productions written by Stephen Sondheim. She was, for many years, Harold Prince’s go-to casting director.
A...
- 10/16/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Irony dwells in the bones of "Merrily We Roll Along," a musical that plays backward in time. The 1981 sinking of the original Broadway production of "Merrily We Roll Along" is a chaos best told by the documentary "Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened." The critics and audience were reportedly baffled by the reverse chronological storytelling and director Hal Prince's purposefully amateurish methodology, which casts high schoolers and young adults playing fortysomethings aging down to twentysomethings. It closed down after 44 previews and 16 performances. The loss demoralized the creatives so much that lyricist-composer Stephen Sondheim and Prince — mavericks who birthed successes like "Company" and "Sweeney Todd" — halted their collaboration for years. This short-lived run underscores the musical's themes: friendships breaking up and showbiz realities thwarting artistic plans.
Away from Prince's high-schoolish shell, major productions have repackaged "Merrily." This material also turned out to be a fitting endeavor for filmmaker Richard Linklater,...
Away from Prince's high-schoolish shell, major productions have repackaged "Merrily." This material also turned out to be a fitting endeavor for filmmaker Richard Linklater,...
- 10/14/2023
- by Caroline Cao
- Slash Film
What a difference 40 years makes. After opening to pans and a run of only 16 official performances in 1981, Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s musical “Merrily We Roll Along” has been remounted on Broadway for the very first time. Maria Friedman has stepped into the director role once occupied by Sondheim’s frequent collaborator Hal Prince — “Merrily” was their first flop after an impressive string of successful shows in the 70s. The revival opened on Oct. 10 at the Hudson Theatre for a run slated to end in March.
“Merrily” boasts marquee names Jonathan Groff, Lindsay Mendez, and Daniel Radcliffe. The trio play Franklin Shepard, Mary Flynn, and Charley Kringas, respectively, the three creatives at the heart of the musical that’s told in reverse over the course of 20+ years. It begins in a moment of personal and professional disillusionment and estrangement and unspools to a simpler, earlier time when their friendships...
“Merrily” boasts marquee names Jonathan Groff, Lindsay Mendez, and Daniel Radcliffe. The trio play Franklin Shepard, Mary Flynn, and Charley Kringas, respectively, the three creatives at the heart of the musical that’s told in reverse over the course of 20+ years. It begins in a moment of personal and professional disillusionment and estrangement and unspools to a simpler, earlier time when their friendships...
- 10/11/2023
- by David Buchanan
- Gold Derby
Stephen Sondheim has almost never been more popular than in the two years since his passing in November 2021. In that time, celebrated revivals of “Company,” “Into the Woods,” and “Sweeney Todd” have come to Broadway, and successful remounting of “Assassins” and “Merrily We Roll Along” have played Off-Broadway, which is a testament to the enduring appeal of his works.
This fall will once again spotlight Sondheim. The tremendously successful Off-Broadway run of “Merrily” starring Jonathan Groff, Lindsay Mendez, and Daniel Radcliffe opens on Broadway on October 10, which will mark the first remounting since its original, unsuccessful run in 1981. In addition, his final musical “Here We Are,” which is based on two Luis Buñuel films—“The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie” and “The Exterminating Angel”—will have its highly-anticipated world premiere Off-Broadway, opening on October 22.
In honor of another “season of Sondheim,” take a look back at every single Tony...
This fall will once again spotlight Sondheim. The tremendously successful Off-Broadway run of “Merrily” starring Jonathan Groff, Lindsay Mendez, and Daniel Radcliffe opens on Broadway on October 10, which will mark the first remounting since its original, unsuccessful run in 1981. In addition, his final musical “Here We Are,” which is based on two Luis Buñuel films—“The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie” and “The Exterminating Angel”—will have its highly-anticipated world premiere Off-Broadway, opening on October 22.
In honor of another “season of Sondheim,” take a look back at every single Tony...
- 9/29/2023
- by David Buchanan
- Gold Derby
Major film and TV productions are currently on hold due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, but the New York theater scene is still as active as ever. A new Broadway season is upon us, and there are five musicals set to open this fall. Will they contend at next year’s Tony Awards? Below, we give you a preview of the plot of each musical as well as the awards history of its author, cast and creative teams, plus the opening and (where applicable) closing dates.
“Merrily We Roll Along”
The first Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s 1981 musical adaptation of George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart‘s 1934 play spans three decades in the entertainment industry and charts the relationship between composer Franklin Shepard and his two friends — writer Mary and lyricist and playwright Charley. The original production directed by Hal Prince only ran for 16 performances,...
“Merrily We Roll Along”
The first Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s 1981 musical adaptation of George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart‘s 1934 play spans three decades in the entertainment industry and charts the relationship between composer Franklin Shepard and his two friends — writer Mary and lyricist and playwright Charley. The original production directed by Hal Prince only ran for 16 performances,...
- 9/20/2023
- by Jeffrey Kare
- Gold Derby
Franne Lee, a Tony-winning costumer and set designer who joined the fledgling Saturday Night Live and created the looks of some of the NBC’s late-night show’s most iconic characters, including the Coneheads, the Nerds, the Killer Bees and the Blues Brothers, died August 27 in Atlantis, Florida, following a brief illness. She was 81.
Her death was announced by her daughter Stacy Sandler.
Lee was one of the top costume designers on Broadway in the 1970s, winning Tony Awards for in 1974 and 1979 for two musicals directed by Harold Prince: Candide and the original production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. She also shared a ’74 Candide Tony for Best Scenic Design with her then romantic and professional partner, the acclaimed set designer Eugene Lee.
Her work on Candide was noticed by Lorne Michaels, who was putting together the original creative team for his new comedy show Saturday Night Live.
Her death was announced by her daughter Stacy Sandler.
Lee was one of the top costume designers on Broadway in the 1970s, winning Tony Awards for in 1974 and 1979 for two musicals directed by Harold Prince: Candide and the original production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. She also shared a ’74 Candide Tony for Best Scenic Design with her then romantic and professional partner, the acclaimed set designer Eugene Lee.
Her work on Candide was noticed by Lorne Michaels, who was putting together the original creative team for his new comedy show Saturday Night Live.
- 9/5/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Hulu’s acclaimed “Only Murders in the Building,” currently vying for 11 Emmys, has gone all razzle dazzle in its third season. Make that rattle dazzle! Beleaguered Broadway director Oliver (Martin Short) was hoping for a comeback on the Great White Way with the mystery thriller “Death Rattle.” But when his leading man (Paul Rudd) is murdered, he decides to turn the straight play into a musical, “Death Rattle Dazzle!” And in the third episode, Meryl Streep’s nervous journeyman actress and Ashley Park’s leading lady performed the show-stopping ballad “Look for the Light” co-written by Sara Bareilles. One almost forgot the prime suspects in “Death Rattle Dazzle!” are the infant Pickwick triplets.
The 1959 multiple Tony winner “Redhead” also has a rather strange plot for a musical: a serial killer is stalking women in London in the 1880s during the time Jack the Ripper was terrorizing the city. Sounds like a real toe-tapper.
The 1959 multiple Tony winner “Redhead” also has a rather strange plot for a musical: a serial killer is stalking women in London in the 1880s during the time Jack the Ripper was terrorizing the city. Sounds like a real toe-tapper.
- 8/29/2023
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
UK Agency Insanity Group Restructures Entertainment Team
UK agency Insanity Group, which represents the likes of Maya Jama and Alice Levine, has restructured its entertainment division. Helen Gleave has been promoted to Group Managing Director with responsibility for leading the entertainment team and wider business, while Issy Lloyd and Neil Ransome are also promoted. All three have been at the outfit for more than a decade. Founder andd CEO Andy Varley called the trio “exceptionally strategic and forward-thinking executives.” Insanity launched in 1997 and has offices in London and LA, with clients including Jama, Levine and Mollie King, along with musicians.
Eric Anthony Lopez Inks Deal Reload Management
Exclusive: Actor Eric Anthony Lopez has signed with Reload Management. Lopez, who is of Puerto Rican descent, is best known for starring in the Disney Studios pic Chang Can Dunk. He is also known for his work on stage. He made his Broadway...
UK agency Insanity Group, which represents the likes of Maya Jama and Alice Levine, has restructured its entertainment division. Helen Gleave has been promoted to Group Managing Director with responsibility for leading the entertainment team and wider business, while Issy Lloyd and Neil Ransome are also promoted. All three have been at the outfit for more than a decade. Founder andd CEO Andy Varley called the trio “exceptionally strategic and forward-thinking executives.” Insanity launched in 1997 and has offices in London and LA, with clients including Jama, Levine and Mollie King, along with musicians.
Eric Anthony Lopez Inks Deal Reload Management
Exclusive: Actor Eric Anthony Lopez has signed with Reload Management. Lopez, who is of Puerto Rican descent, is best known for starring in the Disney Studios pic Chang Can Dunk. He is also known for his work on stage. He made his Broadway...
- 8/7/2023
- by Max Goldbart and Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
New York City Opera’s Bryant Park summer series continues with Tenor Alessandro Lora in Concert on Saturday, August 19th at 7pm. An exciting young talent, tenor Alessandro Lora of Vicenza, Italy will perform a crowd-pleasing concert of diverse Italian repertoire including folk, popular, and traditional Neapolitan songs alongside operatic favorites, sure to delight the whole family. Featuring the New York City Opera Orchestra, the concert will be led by two great conductors, Maestro Maurizio Barbacini and Maestro Diego Basso, founder of the Orchestra Musico Sinfonica Italiana and the prestigious Art of Voice Academy. Produced in cooperation with Sandro di Benedetto, Bruno Benetti, and OneArt, the evening promises to be an unforgettable night of classic Italian romance and passion, sure to bring the audience to their feet.
Entry is on a first-come, first-served basis. Performances are designed to be enjoyed casually – no tickets required – with ample seating available and free...
Entry is on a first-come, first-served basis. Performances are designed to be enjoyed casually – no tickets required – with ample seating available and free...
- 7/29/2023
- by Music Martin Cid Magazine
- Martin Cid Music
Inga Swenson, the two-time Tony-nominated singer and actress who as the dictatorial German cook Gretchen Kraus sparred with Robert Guillaume‘s character on the 1980s ABC sitcom Benson, has died. She was 90.
Swenson died Sunday night of natural causes in hospice care in Los Angeles, her son, Mark Harris, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Swenson also sparkled in two critically acclaimed 1962 films released seven weeks apart — as the mother of Helen Keller (Patty Duke) in Arthur Penn’s The Miracle Worker (1962) and as the wife of a U.S. senator with a dark secret (Don Murray) in Otto Preminger’s political thriller Advise & Consent (1962).
On the strength of those performances, the Nebraska native — no, she was not born in Germany — was cast in 1963 as the spinster Lizzy in 110 in the Shade, based on N. Richard Nash’s play The Rainmaker. She received a Tony nomination for best actress in a musical for that performance,...
Swenson died Sunday night of natural causes in hospice care in Los Angeles, her son, Mark Harris, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Swenson also sparkled in two critically acclaimed 1962 films released seven weeks apart — as the mother of Helen Keller (Patty Duke) in Arthur Penn’s The Miracle Worker (1962) and as the wife of a U.S. senator with a dark secret (Don Murray) in Otto Preminger’s political thriller Advise & Consent (1962).
On the strength of those performances, the Nebraska native — no, she was not born in Germany — was cast in 1963 as the spinster Lizzy in 110 in the Shade, based on N. Richard Nash’s play The Rainmaker. She received a Tony nomination for best actress in a musical for that performance,...
- 7/28/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Jerome Coopersmith, who wrote more than 30 installments of the classic 1960s-70s police drama Hawaii Five-o and received a Tony Award nomination for his book for the 1965 Harold Prince-directed Sherlock Holmes musical Baker Street, died Friday in Rochester, NY. He was 97.
His family announced his death.
After earning a Purple Heart at the Battle of the Bulge in 1945, Coopersmith also wrote, among other stage works, the first act of the 1966 three-part Mike Nichols-directed musical The Apple Tree, starring Barbara Harris and Alan Alda. The musical was revived for Broadway in 2006 by the Roundabout Theatre Company in a production that starred Kristin Chenoweth, Brian D’Arcy James and Marc Kudisch.
But Coopersmith was most prolific as a television writer. From his early days in the late 1940s and early 1950s contributing to such series as The Gabby Hayes Show, Johnny Jupitor and the religion-themed Lamp Unto My Feet, Coopersmith wrote...
His family announced his death.
After earning a Purple Heart at the Battle of the Bulge in 1945, Coopersmith also wrote, among other stage works, the first act of the 1966 three-part Mike Nichols-directed musical The Apple Tree, starring Barbara Harris and Alan Alda. The musical was revived for Broadway in 2006 by the Roundabout Theatre Company in a production that starred Kristin Chenoweth, Brian D’Arcy James and Marc Kudisch.
But Coopersmith was most prolific as a television writer. From his early days in the late 1940s and early 1950s contributing to such series as The Gabby Hayes Show, Johnny Jupitor and the religion-themed Lamp Unto My Feet, Coopersmith wrote...
- 7/27/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Jerome Coopersmith, who received a Tony nomination for writing a 1965 Sherlock Holmes musical and penned more than two dozen episodes of the original Hawaii Five-o during the series’ first nine seasons, has died. He was 97.
Coopersmith died peacefully Friday in Rochester, New York, his family announced.
After earning a Purple Heart for his service during World War II, Coopersmith broke into television writing for quiz shows and historical programs. In the early 1950s, he and Horton Foote worked on the kids-focused Gabby Hayes Show and Johnny Jupiter, and the future Pulitzer Prize and Oscar winner behind To Kill a Mockingbird would become his mentor.
Coopersmith wrote 30 regular installments and two feature-length episodes of CBS’ Hawaii Five-o from 1968-76. Among those was the notable 1975 eighth-season installment Retire in Sunny Hawaii … Forever, which featured Helen Hayes in an Emmy-nominated guest-starring stint as the aunt of her real-life son, James MacArthur.
He then...
Coopersmith died peacefully Friday in Rochester, New York, his family announced.
After earning a Purple Heart for his service during World War II, Coopersmith broke into television writing for quiz shows and historical programs. In the early 1950s, he and Horton Foote worked on the kids-focused Gabby Hayes Show and Johnny Jupiter, and the future Pulitzer Prize and Oscar winner behind To Kill a Mockingbird would become his mentor.
Coopersmith wrote 30 regular installments and two feature-length episodes of CBS’ Hawaii Five-o from 1968-76. Among those was the notable 1975 eighth-season installment Retire in Sunny Hawaii … Forever, which featured Helen Hayes in an Emmy-nominated guest-starring stint as the aunt of her real-life son, James MacArthur.
He then...
- 7/27/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Mark Simon, a longtime casting director for stage productions on Broadway and at Los Angeles’ Center Theatre Group, died July 16 in Los Angeles. He was 70.
His death was confirmed by Broadway publicist Adrian Bryan-Brown.
Launching his theater career as assistant general manager at Manhattan Theatre Club, Simon subsequently worked at Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theater and for the Off-Off Broadway Alliance, now known as Art-ny.
Simon was a co-producer of the 1986 revival of Joe Orton’s Loot, directed by John Tillinger. The production started at the Manhattan Theatre Club Off Broadway and subsequently transferred to Broadway’s Music Box Theater with a cast including Zoë Wanamaker, Zeljko Ivanek and, in his Broadway debut, Alec Baldwin.
As the founder of Mark Simon Casting and, before that, as a casting director at Johnson/Liff & Associates, Binder Casting and Livent, Simon worked on such Broadway and Off Broadway productions as The Sweet Smell of Success and Ragtime.
His death was confirmed by Broadway publicist Adrian Bryan-Brown.
Launching his theater career as assistant general manager at Manhattan Theatre Club, Simon subsequently worked at Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theater and for the Off-Off Broadway Alliance, now known as Art-ny.
Simon was a co-producer of the 1986 revival of Joe Orton’s Loot, directed by John Tillinger. The production started at the Manhattan Theatre Club Off Broadway and subsequently transferred to Broadway’s Music Box Theater with a cast including Zoë Wanamaker, Zeljko Ivanek and, in his Broadway debut, Alec Baldwin.
As the founder of Mark Simon Casting and, before that, as a casting director at Johnson/Liff & Associates, Binder Casting and Livent, Simon worked on such Broadway and Off Broadway productions as The Sweet Smell of Success and Ragtime.
- 7/26/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Sheldon Harnick, the nimble lyricist who partnered with composer Jerry Bock to create the songs for some of Broadway’s greatest musicals, including Fiddler on the Roof, Fiorello! and She Loves Me, has died Friday. He was 99.
Harnick died of natural causes at his apartment overlooking Central Park on the Upper West Side, spokesperson Sean Katz told The Hollywood Reporter.
Harnick, who credited actress Charlotte Rae for inspiring him to become a Broadway lyricist, had an uncanny knack of making it sound as if the singer were having a conversation with the audience. His lyrics for such tunes as “If I Were a Rich Man,” “Sunrise, Sunset,” “She Loves Me” and “Little Tin Box” were simple and straightforward yet deeply moving at the same time.
“A theater lyricist is a playwright who writes short plays in verse that have to be set to music,” Harnick said in a 2016 interview with the Los Angeles Times.
Harnick died of natural causes at his apartment overlooking Central Park on the Upper West Side, spokesperson Sean Katz told The Hollywood Reporter.
Harnick, who credited actress Charlotte Rae for inspiring him to become a Broadway lyricist, had an uncanny knack of making it sound as if the singer were having a conversation with the audience. His lyrics for such tunes as “If I Were a Rich Man,” “Sunrise, Sunset,” “She Loves Me” and “Little Tin Box” were simple and straightforward yet deeply moving at the same time.
“A theater lyricist is a playwright who writes short plays in verse that have to be set to music,” Harnick said in a 2016 interview with the Los Angeles Times.
- 6/23/2023
- by Chris Koseluk
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Treat Williams, the versatile actor who starred as a New York City neurosurgeon who moves his family to Colorado on the WB series Everwood and in such films as Sidney Lumet’s Prince of the City and Milos Forman‘s Hair, died Monday in a motorcycle accident in Vermont. He was 71.
His agent, Barry McPherson of APA, confirmed Williams’ death in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.
Williams, of Manchester Center, Vermont, was aboard a motorcycle and wearing a helmet when he collided with a car on Route 30 near Dorset, the Vermont State Police said in a statement.
An initial investigation indicated that the driver of the car “stopped, signaled a left turn and then turned into the path of a northbound 1986 Honda VT700c motorcycle operated by Williams. Williams was unable to avoid a collision and was thrown from his motorcycle. He suffered critical injuries and was airlifted to Albany Medical Center in Albany,...
His agent, Barry McPherson of APA, confirmed Williams’ death in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.
Williams, of Manchester Center, Vermont, was aboard a motorcycle and wearing a helmet when he collided with a car on Route 30 near Dorset, the Vermont State Police said in a statement.
An initial investigation indicated that the driver of the car “stopped, signaled a left turn and then turned into the path of a northbound 1986 Honda VT700c motorcycle operated by Williams. Williams was unable to avoid a collision and was thrown from his motorcycle. He suffered critical injuries and was airlifted to Albany Medical Center in Albany,...
- 6/13/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Out of all the winners (and also-rans) in the 26 competitive categories at the 2023 Tony Awards, 34 results stand out as particularly noteworthy when considered in the context of history. So what were this year’s most interesting facts, records, and milestones? Check out the complete list of winners here.
1. The productions that received multiple Tony nominations, but went home empty-handed were “& Juliet,” “Ain’t No Mo’,” “Between Riverside and Crazy” “Camelot,” “A Christmas Carol,” “Cost of Living,” “Death of a Salesman,” “A Doll’s House,” “Fat Ham,” “Into the Woods,” “Kpop,” and “The Piano Lesson.”
2. This year marked the first time a Broadway production of “Into the Woods” didn’t win a single Tony. The original won three awards in 1987 for Best Lead Actress in a Musical (Joanna Gleason), Best Book of a Musical (James Lapine), and Best Original Score (Stephen Sondheim). The 2002 remounting won two for Best Revival of a Musical...
1. The productions that received multiple Tony nominations, but went home empty-handed were “& Juliet,” “Ain’t No Mo’,” “Between Riverside and Crazy” “Camelot,” “A Christmas Carol,” “Cost of Living,” “Death of a Salesman,” “A Doll’s House,” “Fat Ham,” “Into the Woods,” “Kpop,” and “The Piano Lesson.”
2. This year marked the first time a Broadway production of “Into the Woods” didn’t win a single Tony. The original won three awards in 1987 for Best Lead Actress in a Musical (Joanna Gleason), Best Book of a Musical (James Lapine), and Best Original Score (Stephen Sondheim). The 2002 remounting won two for Best Revival of a Musical...
- 6/12/2023
- by Jeffrey Kare
- Gold Derby
Revivals have been a mainstay of Broadway for decades. But it wasn’t until the 31st ceremony in 1977 that the Tony Awards added a new category honoring these productions. The nominees for the inaugural prize were “Guys and Dolls,” “The Cherry Orchard” and “The Three Penny Opera” with “Porgy and Bess” taking the honors. Other winners over the years included “The Pirates of Penzance,” “Anything Goes,” “Death of a Salesman,” “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Gypsy.”
In 1994, the category was divided into best revival of a musical with Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Carousel” winning the award and “An Inspector Calls” taking home the best revival of a play honor.
This year’s nominees in both categories celebrate the work of Stephen Sondheim, Henrik Ibsen and three landmark black playwrights: August Wilson, Suzan-Lori Parks and Lorraine Hansberry. Here’s a closer look at this year’s contenders.
Best Revival of a Musical
“Into the Woods”
“Company,...
In 1994, the category was divided into best revival of a musical with Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Carousel” winning the award and “An Inspector Calls” taking home the best revival of a play honor.
This year’s nominees in both categories celebrate the work of Stephen Sondheim, Henrik Ibsen and three landmark black playwrights: August Wilson, Suzan-Lori Parks and Lorraine Hansberry. Here’s a closer look at this year’s contenders.
Best Revival of a Musical
“Into the Woods”
“Company,...
- 6/8/2023
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Just a few short days ago we wrote with delight that Kim Cattrall would make a surprise, short appearance in the second season of Max’s “Sex and the City” sequel, “And Just Like That.” Few could have predicted this, as she and the series star Sarah Jessica Parker have been pretty open about their fractured relationship, and that Cattrall’s character was effectively written out in the first season.
Someone else who learned about Cattrall’s involvement from a story just like ours (maybe even ours!) was “Sex and the City” and “And Just Like That” star Evan Handler, who plays Kristen Davis’s husband Harry. “I learned it the same day you did,” he said in an interview with “People.”
He confirmed that Cattrall’s short performance—a phone call—was produced like a surgical strike. “Apparently, [her cameo] was shot in the garage somewhere with no contact with anybody,...
Someone else who learned about Cattrall’s involvement from a story just like ours (maybe even ours!) was “Sex and the City” and “And Just Like That” star Evan Handler, who plays Kristen Davis’s husband Harry. “I learned it the same day you did,” he said in an interview with “People.”
He confirmed that Cattrall’s short performance—a phone call—was produced like a surgical strike. “Apparently, [her cameo] was shot in the garage somewhere with no contact with anybody,...
- 6/5/2023
- by Jordan Hoffman
- Gold Derby
Josh Groban has gone on world tours, performed at the Olympics, co-hosted the Tony Awards and appeared on Broadway once before, but playing Sweeney Todd has been his hardest task yet.
“It’s definitely the most challenging thing I’ve ever done. Physically, vocally, emotionally. I can say pretty safely that this is the hardest endeavor, creatively I’ve ever taken on. But it’s a wonderful way to be tired,” Groban says.
Groban stars opposite Annaleigh Ashford in the current Broadway revival of the Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler musical, directed by Thomas Kail. This production fills the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre with a 26-piece orchestra and atmospheric fog that encompasses its large ensemble and the infamous, hinged barber’s chair that looms over the proceedings. Groban’s operatic baritone elevates the classic score, as he plays the aggrieved, murderous barber out for revenge, while Ashford’s Mrs. Lovett meets him...
“It’s definitely the most challenging thing I’ve ever done. Physically, vocally, emotionally. I can say pretty safely that this is the hardest endeavor, creatively I’ve ever taken on. But it’s a wonderful way to be tired,” Groban says.
Groban stars opposite Annaleigh Ashford in the current Broadway revival of the Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler musical, directed by Thomas Kail. This production fills the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre with a 26-piece orchestra and atmospheric fog that encompasses its large ensemble and the infamous, hinged barber’s chair that looms over the proceedings. Groban’s operatic baritone elevates the classic score, as he plays the aggrieved, murderous barber out for revenge, while Ashford’s Mrs. Lovett meets him...
- 5/14/2023
- by Caitlin Huston
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
What do the 76th annual Tonys have in common with the 17th annual awards?
Stephen Sondheim.
The late, great influential composer is represented in this year’s Tonys with the acclaimed, popular revivals of his 1979 classic “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Street” earning eight nominations and 1987’s “Into the Woods” receiving six.
Sixty years ago, it was Sondheim’s musical comedy “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” which dominated the Tony Awards with six wins: best musical, best producer for Harold Prince, best director for George Abbott, best author for Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart, leading actor for Zero Mostel and featured actor for David Burns. Ironically, Sondheim failed to earn a nomination for best original score (music and/or lyrics) written for the theater. He would not win for his tunes until “Company” in 1971. Vying in that category were “Stop the World I Wanted...
Stephen Sondheim.
The late, great influential composer is represented in this year’s Tonys with the acclaimed, popular revivals of his 1979 classic “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Street” earning eight nominations and 1987’s “Into the Woods” receiving six.
Sixty years ago, it was Sondheim’s musical comedy “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” which dominated the Tony Awards with six wins: best musical, best producer for Harold Prince, best director for George Abbott, best author for Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart, leading actor for Zero Mostel and featured actor for David Burns. Ironically, Sondheim failed to earn a nomination for best original score (music and/or lyrics) written for the theater. He would not win for his tunes until “Company” in 1971. Vying in that category were “Stop the World I Wanted...
- 5/8/2023
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
When Jesse Green wrote in his New York Times review of this season’s revival of “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” that the show had been “restored to its proper size,” he meant its orchestrations, staging, and ensemble, but he could have been forecasting its Tony Awards nominations success, too. This most recent remounting of the legendary Stephen Sondheim musical received eight Tony bids, the most of any musical revival of the year. But how does it stack up against the original production and the two revivals that preceded it?
While this “Sweeney” is back to its original scale, it is actually just shy of the very first production in terms of the Tonys, missing its nominations record by one. The original from 1979 netted nine bids for Best Musical, Director (Hal Prince), Actor (Len Cariou), Actress (Angela Lansbury), Score, Book, and Scenic, Costume and Lighting Designs. The...
While this “Sweeney” is back to its original scale, it is actually just shy of the very first production in terms of the Tonys, missing its nominations record by one. The original from 1979 netted nine bids for Best Musical, Director (Hal Prince), Actor (Len Cariou), Actress (Angela Lansbury), Score, Book, and Scenic, Costume and Lighting Designs. The...
- 5/4/2023
- by David Buchanan
- Gold Derby
Broadway and film star Joel Grey and John Kander, composer of Cabaret, Chicago and more, will receive the 2023 Special Tony Awards for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre.
Grey was the original Amos Hart in the 1996 Chicago and the original Emcee in Cabaret on Broadway, for which he won a Tony Award. He later received an Academy Award, Golden Globe and BAFTA for his performance in the film adaptation. Kander, who co-wrote those legendary musicals with the late lyricist Fred Ebb, is currently represented on Broadway with the musical New York, New York.
“We are immensely thrilled to honor two legends in their own rights. John Kander has composed the soundtrack to all of our lives – meeting us in every decade – creating unforgettable scores for Cabaret, Chicago, Kiss of the Spider Woman, and his current Broadway hit New York, New York,” said Charlotte St. Martin, president of the Broadway League.
“As a legendary actor and director,...
Grey was the original Amos Hart in the 1996 Chicago and the original Emcee in Cabaret on Broadway, for which he won a Tony Award. He later received an Academy Award, Golden Globe and BAFTA for his performance in the film adaptation. Kander, who co-wrote those legendary musicals with the late lyricist Fred Ebb, is currently represented on Broadway with the musical New York, New York.
“We are immensely thrilled to honor two legends in their own rights. John Kander has composed the soundtrack to all of our lives – meeting us in every decade – creating unforgettable scores for Cabaret, Chicago, Kiss of the Spider Woman, and his current Broadway hit New York, New York,” said Charlotte St. Martin, president of the Broadway League.
“As a legendary actor and director,...
- 5/3/2023
- by Caitlin Huston
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Actor Joel Grey and composer John Kander will each receive the 2023 Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, the Tony Awards Administration Committee announced today
“We are immensely thrilled to honor two legends in their own rights,” said Charlotte St. Martin, President of The Broadway League. “John Kander has composed the soundtrack to all of our lives – meeting us in every decade – creating unforgettable scores for Cabaret, Chicago, Kiss of the Spider Woman, and his current Broadway hit New York, New York.”
Heather Hitchens, President and CEO of the American Theatre Wing, said of Grey, “As a legendary actor and director, Joel Grey has made an everlasting impact, from Cabaret, to Goodtime Charley, The Normal Heart and his acclaimed Yiddish production of Fiddler on the Roof. Mr. Grey and Mr. Kander are true giants of the theatre, and we are honored to say Wilkommen as the recipients of the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Awards.
“We are immensely thrilled to honor two legends in their own rights,” said Charlotte St. Martin, President of The Broadway League. “John Kander has composed the soundtrack to all of our lives – meeting us in every decade – creating unforgettable scores for Cabaret, Chicago, Kiss of the Spider Woman, and his current Broadway hit New York, New York.”
Heather Hitchens, President and CEO of the American Theatre Wing, said of Grey, “As a legendary actor and director, Joel Grey has made an everlasting impact, from Cabaret, to Goodtime Charley, The Normal Heart and his acclaimed Yiddish production of Fiddler on the Roof. Mr. Grey and Mr. Kander are true giants of the theatre, and we are honored to say Wilkommen as the recipients of the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Awards.
- 5/3/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
The 2023 Tony Awards nominations were announced on Tuesday, May 2. Out of all the nominees spread across the 26 categories, a number of them stand out as particularly noteworthy. Read my 31 fascinating facts, stats and trivia for this year’s contenders below.
See 2023 Tony Awards nominations: Full List
1. The following shows only received one Tony nomination: “Almost Famous,” “Ohio State Murders,” and “Summer, 1976.”
2. The following Broadway productions from this past season were completely snubbed: “1776,” “Bad Cinderella,” “A Beautiful Noise,” “Bob Fosse’s Dancin’,” “The Collaboration,” “The Kite Runner,” “Mike Birbiglia: The Old Man and the Pool,” “Peter Pan Goes Wrong,” “Pictures From Home,” “The Thanksgiving Play,” and “Walking with Ghosts.”
3. Two of this year’s nominees for Best Revival of a Musical (“Into the Woods” and “Parade”) are transfers from successful runs at New York City Center.
4. Some noteworthy names who happen to be nominated for producing at least one Broadway...
See 2023 Tony Awards nominations: Full List
1. The following shows only received one Tony nomination: “Almost Famous,” “Ohio State Murders,” and “Summer, 1976.”
2. The following Broadway productions from this past season were completely snubbed: “1776,” “Bad Cinderella,” “A Beautiful Noise,” “Bob Fosse’s Dancin’,” “The Collaboration,” “The Kite Runner,” “Mike Birbiglia: The Old Man and the Pool,” “Peter Pan Goes Wrong,” “Pictures From Home,” “The Thanksgiving Play,” and “Walking with Ghosts.”
3. Two of this year’s nominees for Best Revival of a Musical (“Into the Woods” and “Parade”) are transfers from successful runs at New York City Center.
4. Some noteworthy names who happen to be nominated for producing at least one Broadway...
- 5/2/2023
- by Jeffrey Kare
- Gold Derby
After 35 years, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera took its final curtain call on Sunday night at the Majestic Theatre in New York. This was show No. 13,981 of the longest-running show in Broadway history and was dedicated by Lloyd Webber to his son Nicholas who died last month after a battle with gastric cancer.
Amid a standing ovation, Webber said, “I hope you won’t mind if I dedicate this performance to my son, Nick.” Turning to original Phantom star, Sarah Brightman, the composer recalled, “When Nick was a little boy, he heard some of this music.”
Said Brightman, “Yes, he did. When Andrew was writing it, he was right there. So his soul is with us. Nick, we love you very much.”
Also on Sunday night, Brightman performed the musical’s most famous song, “The Music of the Night,” along with current cast, previous actors and crew members,...
Amid a standing ovation, Webber said, “I hope you won’t mind if I dedicate this performance to my son, Nick.” Turning to original Phantom star, Sarah Brightman, the composer recalled, “When Nick was a little boy, he heard some of this music.”
Said Brightman, “Yes, he did. When Andrew was writing it, he was right there. So his soul is with us. Nick, we love you very much.”
Also on Sunday night, Brightman performed the musical’s most famous song, “The Music of the Night,” along with current cast, previous actors and crew members,...
- 4/17/2023
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
It was the battle of the Stephens at the 27th annual Tony Awards telecast March 25, 1973 on ABC from the Imperial Theatre. In one corner was Stephen Sondheim’s glorious and exquisite romantic musical “A Little Night Music” based on Ingmar Bergman’s 1955 comedy “Smiles of a Summer Night.” And in the other corner, 25-year-old Stephen Schwartz’s hip, cool, Fosse Fosse Fosse musical “Pippin.”
“A Little Night Music,” which featured song memorable tunes as “Send in the Clowns” and “A Weekend in the Country,” waltzed into the ceremony hosted by Rex Harrison and Celeste Holm and co-hosted by Sandy Duncan and Jerry Orbach with 12 nominations including best musical, best original score, best book for Hugh Wheeler, best direction of a musical for Harold Prince, best performance by a leading actress in a musical for Glynis Johns, leading actor in a musical for Len Cariou, featured actress in a musical for...
“A Little Night Music,” which featured song memorable tunes as “Send in the Clowns” and “A Weekend in the Country,” waltzed into the ceremony hosted by Rex Harrison and Celeste Holm and co-hosted by Sandy Duncan and Jerry Orbach with 12 nominations including best musical, best original score, best book for Hugh Wheeler, best direction of a musical for Harold Prince, best performance by a leading actress in a musical for Glynis Johns, leading actor in a musical for Len Cariou, featured actress in a musical for...
- 4/5/2023
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
In a Broadway season that might be remembered for a lovely, pared-down minimalism – the intriguing starkness of A Doll’s House with Jessica Chastain, the less-is-more near-concert-style presentations of Into the Woods and Parade – director Thomas Kail’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street will stand out for, among many other attributes, its full-on, unabashed ambition. A prodigious theatrical event that aims for greatness and achieves it, this revival of the Stephen Sondheim-Hugh Wheeler masterpiece is not to be missed.
With Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford leading a flawless, 25-member cast that also includes Stranger Things‘ Gaten Matarazzo, the revival, opening tonight at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, makes the case that Sweeney just might be Sondheim’s greatest work (at least until the next production of Sunday in the Park comes...
With Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford leading a flawless, 25-member cast that also includes Stranger Things‘ Gaten Matarazzo, the revival, opening tonight at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, makes the case that Sweeney just might be Sondheim’s greatest work (at least until the next production of Sunday in the Park comes...
- 3/27/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Neo-nazis tend to be a noisy bunch, and it takes an extraordinary and confident work of art to drown out their loud, ugly racket. Parade, opening tonight on Broadway at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, is that work of art.
With a serendipitous advertising slogan – “This Is Not Over Yet” – borrowed from one of the most powerful songs from a lovely score, the revival of 1998’s Parade arrives just when it’s needed most, providing an eloquent smackdown response to the rise in antisemitism made all too clear by the hate group protesting outside the show’s first preview (they haven’t been back).
With a cast as fine as it is large, led by Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond – two of the best singers currently on Broadway – Parade, set in 1913 Georgia, scores its topical points with all the artistry and theatrical know-how to meet and exceed its noble intensions.
With a serendipitous advertising slogan – “This Is Not Over Yet” – borrowed from one of the most powerful songs from a lovely score, the revival of 1998’s Parade arrives just when it’s needed most, providing an eloquent smackdown response to the rise in antisemitism made all too clear by the hate group protesting outside the show’s first preview (they haven’t been back).
With a cast as fine as it is large, led by Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond – two of the best singers currently on Broadway – Parade, set in 1913 Georgia, scores its topical points with all the artistry and theatrical know-how to meet and exceed its noble intensions.
- 3/17/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Chaim Topol, the spirited Israeli actor and singer who, one season following another, portrayed Tevye the milkman in Fiddler on the Roof on stages all around the world and in an Oscar-nominated turn in Norman Jewison’s 1971 film adaptation, has died. He was 87.
Topol died Thursday in Tel Aviv after a long illness, his rep, Jean Diamond, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Israel’s first international movie star, Topol also played famed Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei in Galileo (1975); an American scientist, Dr. Hans Zarkov, in the cult sci-fi classic Flash Gordon (1980); and Milos Columbo, a Greek smuggler and ally of Roger Moore’s James Bond, in For Your Eyes Only (1981).
As Polish family man Berel Jastrow, he was central to the plot of two acclaimed 1980s ABC miniseries, The Winds of War and War and Remembrance, both based on Herman Wouk novels.
In a pairing that a matchmaker would surely appreciate,...
Topol died Thursday in Tel Aviv after a long illness, his rep, Jean Diamond, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Israel’s first international movie star, Topol also played famed Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei in Galileo (1975); an American scientist, Dr. Hans Zarkov, in the cult sci-fi classic Flash Gordon (1980); and Milos Columbo, a Greek smuggler and ally of Roger Moore’s James Bond, in For Your Eyes Only (1981).
As Polish family man Berel Jastrow, he was central to the plot of two acclaimed 1980s ABC miniseries, The Winds of War and War and Remembrance, both based on Herman Wouk novels.
In a pairing that a matchmaker would surely appreciate,...
- 3/9/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
New York City Opera proudly announces the winners of the 2023 Duncan Williams Voice Competition. Hosted by J’Nai Bridges, the competition spotlights Black and Latinx singers and awards over $50,000 in prize money. On February 3, 2023 at Manhattan School of Music, 11 winners were announced in 4 categories: The Emerging Artists category, awarding $8,000 to Cierra Byrd, Daniel Rich, and César Andrés Parreño; the Developing Artists category, awarding $5,000 to Elizabeth Hanje, Benjamin Ruiz, and Jazmine Saunders; the Encouragement Award, awarding $3,500 to Joseph Parrish; and the Black and Latinx Song Presentation category, awarding $750 to Daniel Espinal, Kresley Figueroa, Lwazi Hlati, and Ardeen Pierre.
The Duncan Williams Voice Competition is named for baritone Todd Duncan and soprano Camilla Williams, the first African American singers to sing with a major United States opera company when they made their debuts with New York City Opera in 1945 and 1946, respectively. The Duncan Williams Voice Competition aims to address systemic barriers faced by...
The Duncan Williams Voice Competition is named for baritone Todd Duncan and soprano Camilla Williams, the first African American singers to sing with a major United States opera company when they made their debuts with New York City Opera in 1945 and 1946, respectively. The Duncan Williams Voice Competition aims to address systemic barriers faced by...
- 2/28/2023
- by Music Martin Cid Magazine
- Martin Cid Music
Charles Kimbrough, the Emmy-nominated actor best known for his splendid decade-long portrayal of staid network anchor Jim Dial on Murphy Brown, has died. He was 86.
Kimbrough died Jan. 11 in Culver City, his son, John Kimbrough, told The New York Times.
A veteran of the stage, Kimbrough received a Tony Award nomination in 1971 for best featured actor in a musical for playing Harry in the original production of Stephen Sondheim’s Company. He then appeared as two characters in another acclaimed Sondheim musical, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Sunday in the Park With George, which debuted in 1984.
Kimbrough also starred in 1995 in the original off-Broadway production of the A.R. Gurney comedy Sylvia opposite Sarah Jessica Parker and appeared on the Great White Way in Candide, Same Time, Next Year, Accent on Youth, Hay Fever, The Merchant of Venice and, most recently, with Jim Parsons in a 2012 revival of Harvey.
The Minnesota native also...
Kimbrough died Jan. 11 in Culver City, his son, John Kimbrough, told The New York Times.
A veteran of the stage, Kimbrough received a Tony Award nomination in 1971 for best featured actor in a musical for playing Harry in the original production of Stephen Sondheim’s Company. He then appeared as two characters in another acclaimed Sondheim musical, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Sunday in the Park With George, which debuted in 1984.
Kimbrough also starred in 1995 in the original off-Broadway production of the A.R. Gurney comedy Sylvia opposite Sarah Jessica Parker and appeared on the Great White Way in Candide, Same Time, Next Year, Accent on Youth, Hay Fever, The Merchant of Venice and, most recently, with Jim Parsons in a 2012 revival of Harvey.
The Minnesota native also...
- 2/5/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The new Broadway production of Parade starring Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond has completed casting, with rehearsals beginning today for the February 21 preview.
Platt and Diamond will lead a 33-person cast that features Alex Joseph Grayson as ‘Jim Conley,’ Sean Allan Krill as ‘Governor Slaton,’ Howard McGillin as ‘Old Soldier/Judge Roan,’ and Paul Alexander Nolan as ‘Hugh Dorsey.’ They will be joined by Jay Armstrong Johnson as ‘Britt Craig,’ Kelli Barrett as ‘Mrs. Phagan,’ Courtnee Carter as ‘Angela,’ Eddie Cooper as ‘Newt Lee,’ Erin Rose Doyle as ‘Mary Phagan,’ Manoel Felciano as ‘Tom Watson,’ Danielle Lee Greaves as ‘Minnie McKnight,’ Douglas Lyons as ‘Riley,’ and Jake Pedersen as ‘Frankie Epps.’
The cast is completed by Florrie Bagel as ‘Nurse,’ Stacie Bono as ‘Sally Slaton,’ Max Chernin as ‘Mr. Turner,’ Emily Rose DeMartino as ‘Essie & Others,’ Christopher Gurr as ‘Luther Rosser/Mr. Peavy,’ Beth Kirkpatrick as ‘Nina Formby,’ Ashlyn Maddox as ‘Monteen & Others,...
Platt and Diamond will lead a 33-person cast that features Alex Joseph Grayson as ‘Jim Conley,’ Sean Allan Krill as ‘Governor Slaton,’ Howard McGillin as ‘Old Soldier/Judge Roan,’ and Paul Alexander Nolan as ‘Hugh Dorsey.’ They will be joined by Jay Armstrong Johnson as ‘Britt Craig,’ Kelli Barrett as ‘Mrs. Phagan,’ Courtnee Carter as ‘Angela,’ Eddie Cooper as ‘Newt Lee,’ Erin Rose Doyle as ‘Mary Phagan,’ Manoel Felciano as ‘Tom Watson,’ Danielle Lee Greaves as ‘Minnie McKnight,’ Douglas Lyons as ‘Riley,’ and Jake Pedersen as ‘Frankie Epps.’
The cast is completed by Florrie Bagel as ‘Nurse,’ Stacie Bono as ‘Sally Slaton,’ Max Chernin as ‘Mr. Turner,’ Emily Rose DeMartino as ‘Essie & Others,’ Christopher Gurr as ‘Luther Rosser/Mr. Peavy,’ Beth Kirkpatrick as ‘Nina Formby,’ Ashlyn Maddox as ‘Monteen & Others,...
- 1/30/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
We’re now about halfway through the 2022-2023 Broadway season, and there are currently seven productions of musicals set to open this spring. Could we be seeing any of them contend at this year’s Tony Awards? Below, find the plot description of each musical as well as the awards history of its author, cast, creative team, and the opening and (where applicable) closing dates.
“Bad Cinderella” (previews begin February 17; opens March 23)
In this loose adaptation of the classic fairy tale, the fields are idyllic, the prince is charming, and the townsfolk are ravishing in the beautiful kingdom of Belleville. One stubborn peasant stands in the way of absolute perfection: Cinderella. To those in Belleville, the damsel is the distress.
This musical features a book by Oscar winner Emerald Fennell, music by six-time Tony winner Andrew Lloyd Webber, and lyrics by Tony winner David Zippel. The production previously premiered in...
“Bad Cinderella” (previews begin February 17; opens March 23)
In this loose adaptation of the classic fairy tale, the fields are idyllic, the prince is charming, and the townsfolk are ravishing in the beautiful kingdom of Belleville. One stubborn peasant stands in the way of absolute perfection: Cinderella. To those in Belleville, the damsel is the distress.
This musical features a book by Oscar winner Emerald Fennell, music by six-time Tony winner Andrew Lloyd Webber, and lyrics by Tony winner David Zippel. The production previously premiered in...
- 1/20/2023
- by Jeffrey Kare
- Gold Derby
Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond will star in Parade on Broadway this spring, reprising their leading roles in the Tony-winning musical following a sold-out New York City Center run.
On Tuesday producers announced the Michael Arden-directed production will open at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre for a limited engagement run starting March 16. Previews will begin on Feb. 21 with a final performance slated for Aug. 6.
“Jason Robert Brown’s and Alfred Uhry’s masterpiece, Parade, is one of the most beloved musicals of the past 25 years. Whenever you mention the show to a theater fan, they light up talking about the first time they saw a production or heard a recording,” producers Seaview and Ambassador Theatre Group said in their own statement. “At City Center, Michael Arden mounted a magnificent production with incandescent performances from Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond that had audiences enraptured. We are overjoyed that we can...
On Tuesday producers announced the Michael Arden-directed production will open at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre for a limited engagement run starting March 16. Previews will begin on Feb. 21 with a final performance slated for Aug. 6.
“Jason Robert Brown’s and Alfred Uhry’s masterpiece, Parade, is one of the most beloved musicals of the past 25 years. Whenever you mention the show to a theater fan, they light up talking about the first time they saw a production or heard a recording,” producers Seaview and Ambassador Theatre Group said in their own statement. “At City Center, Michael Arden mounted a magnificent production with incandescent performances from Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond that had audiences enraptured. We are overjoyed that we can...
- 1/10/2023
- by Abbey White and Caitlin Huston
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Broadway’s upcoming revival of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street starring the previously announced Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford has added to its cast with Dear Evan Hansen‘s Jordan Fisher, Stranger Things‘ Gaten Matarazzo and Tony-winning The King and I actor Ruthie Ann Miles.
Also joining the roster will be Maria Bilbao, Jamie Jackson, John Rapson, and Nicholas Christopher. Diana The Musical star Jeanna de Waal will serve as standby for Ashford in the Mrs. Lovett role.
The castings were announced by producer Jeffrey Seller today. Directed by Thomas Kail (Hamilton) and featuring music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by Hugh Wheeler, Sweeney Todd will begin performances on February 26, 2023, and open on March 26, 2023, at Broadway’s Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.
The original Broadway production was the winner of eight 1980 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Book, Best Score, and Best Direction for Hal Prince. The...
Also joining the roster will be Maria Bilbao, Jamie Jackson, John Rapson, and Nicholas Christopher. Diana The Musical star Jeanna de Waal will serve as standby for Ashford in the Mrs. Lovett role.
The castings were announced by producer Jeffrey Seller today. Directed by Thomas Kail (Hamilton) and featuring music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by Hugh Wheeler, Sweeney Todd will begin performances on February 26, 2023, and open on March 26, 2023, at Broadway’s Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.
The original Broadway production was the winner of eight 1980 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Book, Best Score, and Best Direction for Hal Prince. The...
- 12/14/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
The 1981 musical that reunited composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim and librettist George Furth, a decade after their landmark work on Company, has the rare distinction of being arguably Broadway’s most revered flop. Merrily We Roll Along closed after just 16 performances; audiences found the reverse-chronology storyline confusing and the decision to cast young actors took the sting out of scenes with the characters in disillusioned middle-age. Reviews were dismissive, and the experience was so difficult that Sondheim and his longtime director Harold Prince didn’t work together again for more than 20 years.
That fractured collaboration between two giants of the theater no longer with us has poignant echoes in the plot of Merrily, which was adapted from the 1934 play by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. But it’s not just historical significance that makes the show play much more accessibly today.
Issues with Furth...
The 1981 musical that reunited composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim and librettist George Furth, a decade after their landmark work on Company, has the rare distinction of being arguably Broadway’s most revered flop. Merrily We Roll Along closed after just 16 performances; audiences found the reverse-chronology storyline confusing and the decision to cast young actors took the sting out of scenes with the characters in disillusioned middle-age. Reviews were dismissive, and the experience was so difficult that Sondheim and his longtime director Harold Prince didn’t work together again for more than 20 years.
That fractured collaboration between two giants of the theater no longer with us has poignant echoes in the plot of Merrily, which was adapted from the 1934 play by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. But it’s not just historical significance that makes the show play much more accessibly today.
Issues with Furth...
- 12/13/2022
- by David Rooney
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Broadway’s long-running The Phantom of the Opera, which has enjoyed a big box office upswing since announcing in September that it would close on February 18, won’t be making its exit quite so soon. Producer Cameron Mackintosh has given the show an eight-week extension, with a new closing date of April 16.
Phantom‘s box office revitalization began quickly after the original closing announcement, with weekly grosses consistently rising from less than 900,000 pre-announcement to sell-out business of nearly 1.8 million for the week ending Nov. 20.
Mackintosh said in a statement today, “The response to the news that The Phantom of the Opera is finally going to end its record-breaking original Broadway run after 35 years has been as phenomenal as the show itself. We are all thrilled that not only the show’s wonderful fans have been snapping up the remaining tickets, but also that a new, younger audience is equally eager...
Phantom‘s box office revitalization began quickly after the original closing announcement, with weekly grosses consistently rising from less than 900,000 pre-announcement to sell-out business of nearly 1.8 million for the week ending Nov. 20.
Mackintosh said in a statement today, “The response to the news that The Phantom of the Opera is finally going to end its record-breaking original Broadway run after 35 years has been as phenomenal as the show itself. We are all thrilled that not only the show’s wonderful fans have been snapping up the remaining tickets, but also that a new, younger audience is equally eager...
- 11/29/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Broadway producer Garth Drabinsky is suing Actors’ Equity for defamation after the union placed him on its “Do Not Work” list following his production of Paradise Square.
“Drabinsky, more than any other producer in recent musical theatre history, has tackled the insidious issues of racism, prejudice and bigotry in America through the musicals he has produced for Broadway,” the suit reads.
Filed Thursday in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, the suit follows the closure of Paradise Square after four months on Broadway and ensuing legal actions brought against the production from unions such as Actors’ Equity, the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, and United Scenic Artists seeking thousands in what they say were owed payments, wages and health contributions.
Following the closure of the show, Equity placed Drabinsky on its “Do Not Work” list, effectively barring him from Broadway producing,...
Broadway producer Garth Drabinsky is suing Actors’ Equity for defamation after the union placed him on its “Do Not Work” list following his production of Paradise Square.
“Drabinsky, more than any other producer in recent musical theatre history, has tackled the insidious issues of racism, prejudice and bigotry in America through the musicals he has produced for Broadway,” the suit reads.
Filed Thursday in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, the suit follows the closure of Paradise Square after four months on Broadway and ensuing legal actions brought against the production from unions such as Actors’ Equity, the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, and United Scenic Artists seeking thousands in what they say were owed payments, wages and health contributions.
Following the closure of the show, Equity placed Drabinsky on its “Do Not Work” list, effectively barring him from Broadway producing,...
- 10/20/2022
- by Caitlin Huston
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
This black comedy has fallen by the wayside since its release in 1970 and considering its rich pedigree, it deserves another look. Directed by Harold Prince and written by Hugh Wheeler, Angela Lansbury and Michael York play two social climbers ready to marry or murder anyone to get what they want. John Simon hated the film, so that’s another plus in its favor.
The post Something for Everyone appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
The post Something for Everyone appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
- 10/17/2022
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
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