Tag Archives: musical theater

Broadway Legend Barbara Cook Dies At Age 89

Variety reports: Barbara Cook, the golden-age Broadway ingenue who became a beloved cabaret and concert performer in the second act of her career, has died. She was 89. Her son, Adam LeGrant, confirmed to Variety that she died early Tuesday morning at her home in Manhattan, surrounded by friends and family. Known for her rich, clear soprano with an astonishing …

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Donna Summer: The Musical Set For Fall Opening

Broadway World reports: Donna Summer’s husband Bruce Sudano has big Broadway plans as he prepares to launch his new stage show SUMMER at La Jolla Playhouse in November. The show, based on the life of his late wife, will feature all of the disco queen’s greatest hits, with hopes taking the show the Broadway in 2018. According to WENN, the …

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At Broadway Backwards 2017: Kathleen Turner, Len Cariou, Josh Groban, Andrew Rannells [VIDEOS]

How about some fabulously gay show tunes to close out your week? Via press release: Equality, solidarity and warmth filled the Al Hirschfeld Theatre on March 13, 2017, when the biggest stars on Broadway proved gender doesn’t matter, but love does as they explored and embraced the great songs of musical theatre at the 12th annual Broadway Backwards. This year’s …

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March 13th: Broadway Backwards 2017 [VIDEO]

Just in from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS: Tony Award winner Cynthia Erivo (The Color Purple), four-time Grammy Award nominee Josh Groban (Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812), Tony winner Cady Huffman (The Producers), three-time Tony nominee Carolee Carmello (Sweeney Todd) and Tony nominee Santino Fontana (Cinderella, TV’s Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) are joining the spectacular cast of Broadway Backwards, a …

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COMING SOON: The Devil Wears Prada: The Musical, Writers Will Be Sir Elton John And Paul Rudnick

Deadline reports: “Is there some reason that my coffee isn’t here? Has she died or something?” That’s a snippet of Meryl Streep’s dialogue from the 2006 comedy The Devil Wears Prada. Now Sir Elton John and Paul Rudnick are writing a musical adaptation for Broadway. A production timeline is TBA for the show, which will be produced by Kevin McCollum, …

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Broadway Battle: NPH Vs James Corden [VIDEO]

US Magazine recaps: Pants off to you! Neil Patrick Harris challenged James Corden to a Broadway musical riff-off on the The Late Late Show on Monday, January 9, and the outcome was epic. The How I Met Your Mother alum, 43, got so into the battle he ended up splitting his pants, but that wasn’t the only comical moment. Harris …

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The Lion King Cast Delivers Movingly Topical Number At HIV/AIDS Fundraiser For Broadway Cares [VIDEO]

You’ll want to watch the clip below. From Broadway Cares: Broadway’s best spread messages of unity, hope and resilience through satire, song and dance December 5 and 6, 2016, at the 28th annual Gypsy of the Year competition. Gypsy of the Year , which celebrated six weeks of dedicated fundraising from 55 Broadway, Off-Broadway and national touring companies, raised $4,492,636 …

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Positive Reviews For NBC’s Hairspray Live! [VIDEOS]

Watch the highlights clips below. Variety reviews: It’s hard to imagine better casting for the production. Jennifer Hudson stole the show, once Motormouth Maybelle got to the screen; Ariana Grande, certifiable pop star, came away as the show’s MVP, acting as both reliably overlook-able sidekick and, once the situation required it, showstopping diva. Harvey Fierstein was predictably great, reprising his …

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OPEN THREAD: Hairspray Live!

As a desperately needed diversion from the ongoing decline of our nation, let’s gay the fuck out of this joint and watch Hairspray Live! together. NBC’s live broadcast begins at 8PM Eastern and stars Harvey Fierstein, Jennifer Hudson, Kristin Chenoweth, Ariana Grande, with Maddie Baillio making her television debut as Tracy Turnblad. You can watch via NBC’s smartphone app and …

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TEASER: Hairspray Live! [VIDEO]

Via press release from NBC: “Hairspray Live!” features an all-star cast that includes Harvey Fierstein, Jennifer Hudson, Ariana Grande, Kristin Chenoweth, Martin Short, Derek Hough, Dove Cameron, Garrett Clayton, Shahadi Wright Joseph, Ephraim Sykes, exciting newcomer Maddie Baillio and special guest stars Billy Eichner, Sean Hayes, Andrea Martin and Rosie O’Donnell. “Hairspray Live!” will bring back the creative talents of …

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CHICAGO: Drunk Trump Fan Ejected From Hamilton After Screaming “We Won! You Lost! Fuck You!”

Broadway World reports: Broadway World has learned that a Trump supporter interrupted the Saturday evening performance of Hamilton in Chicago. An audience member seated in the balcony allegedly shouted “We won! You lost! Get over it! F*ck you!” during the number “Dear Theodosia.” One Twitter user who attended the show alleges that the audience member also shouted profanities and had …

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BROADWAY BABY: Trump Has Tantrum After Hamilton Cast Member Addresses Mike Pence From The Stage

USA Today reports: Vice-president elect Mike Pence made a surprise visit to watch the award-winning Broadway show Hamilton at the Richard Rodgers Theatre Friday night, and received a loud chorus of boos from the audience as he made way to his seat. At the conclusion of the show, cast members addressed Pence’s appearance — as a group locked in hand-to-hand …

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FLASHBACK: One Day More: Les Misbarack [VIDEO]

On the final day before Election 2016, many on Twitter are quoting lines from the Les Miserables anthem, One Day More. And that reminds me of one of our favorite moments from the closing days of the 2008 Obama campaign, when members of the Los Angeles-based Ultimate Improv troupe went viral with their lip-synced performance of the song from the …

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Coming Soon: Donna Summer, The Musical

The New York Post reports: Hey, someone left the cake out in the rain! And I’m here to tell you all about it. Director Des McAnuff, of “Jersey Boys” fame, staged a workshop last week of a new musical about the life of disco queen Donna Summer. It’s a gender-bender, with women playing some of the men in her life. …

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Coming Soon: Moulin Rouge, The Broadway Musical

Playbill reports: Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 Oscar-nominated film Moulin Rouge is being adapted as a stage musical with a book by Tony Award winner John Logan and direction by Tony nominee Alex Timbers. It will be titled Moulin Rouge! The Musical. Logan won the Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critic Circle and Drama League awards for his 2010 play Red. His other …

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TRAILER: Hairspray Live!

Broadway World reports: NBC’s Hairspray Live! will air Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 8 p.m. ET/PT and will originate from Los Angeles. The all-star cast includes Harvey Fierstein as Edna Turnblad, Jennifer Hudson as Motormouth Mabel, Martin Short as Wilbur Turnblad, Derek Hough as Corny Collins, Ariana Grande as Penny Pingleton, Andrea Martin as Prudy Pingleton and Kristin Chenoweth as Velma …

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On Why Gay Men Love Musicals [VIDEOS]

Here’s an entertaining pair of videos in which the narrator explores the famed passion that many gay men have for musical theater. Watch below as he examines the careers of Cole Porter, Noel Coward, Lorenz Hart, and other famed gay composers. More from the San Diego Gay & Lesbian News: Mr. Musical Theatre Mash, or as he likes to be …

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Stars Of Broadway Unite For Orlando Charity Single: What The World Needs Now Is Love [VIDEO]

I can’t even imagine how many Tonys this ensemble has between them.  Via Playbill: Broadway’s biggest stars united to raise their voices in support of the victims and those wounded in the Orlando shooting massacre, the worst in U.S. history, that took place at Pulse nightclub June 12—an act that targeted LGBTQ individuals and their allies. The new benefit single, …

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Coming In 2019: Wicked The Movie

Via the Hollywood Reporter: Universal’s Wicked is finally a go. The studio announced Thursday that the musical adaptation of the hugely popular Broadway show and book will open in theaters Dec. 20, 2019. That puts Wicked in direct competition with a yet-to-be-revealed live-action fairy-tale movie from Disney. Stephen Daldry has long been set to direct Wicked for producer Marc Platt …

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Pharma Douche, The Musical

For real. Via Yahoo News: Auditions are being held this weekend to play Martin Shkreli in a upcoming musical about the infamous millionaire, hoverboard-riding pharma bro called “Martin Shkreli’s Game.” “Remember when the internet thought that Bill Murray could legally steal back the $2 million Wu-Tang Clan album, Once Upon A Time In Shaolin, from that pharma bro Martin Shkreli? …

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