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Accomplished British scribe Jez Butterworth’s works Parlour Song, The Night Heron and Mojo have received New York mountings, but Jerusalem marks his first Broadway production. The show and its headliner, Tony winner and current nominee Mark Rylance, has earned raves for its quirky storyline and staging. Here, Butterworth recalls crafting the outlandish character of Johnny "Rooster" Byron (played by Rylance), the joys of bringing an English company to America, and his reaction to the show’s Best Play Tony nomination.
I’ve met several characters like Jerusalem’s Johnny "Rooster" Byron in my life. He’s a very identifiable type—not just in England, but in America as well. I’ve lost count of how many people have come up to me and said, "I know that guy! He lived near me growing up." Like Johnny, there are many figures that exist on the fringes of communities and occupy morally and socially gray areas. They’re attractive characters, so people are drawn to them but appalled at the same time. That struck me as a very dramatic idea.
Writing for Rooster was a strange experience. It’s funny, once you tap into a voice, words just ...
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Jerusalem Playwright Jez Butterworth on the Englishness of His Work, the Tonys and Writing for Mark Rylance
Marin Mazzie & Molly Ranson More Head to High School in Revamped Cult Musical Carrie at MCC
A reworked version of musical Carrie, adapted from Stephen King’s 1974 novel about a bullied teenager, will bow off-Broadway at the Lucille Lortel Theatre beginning January 31, 2012. Molly Ranson will play the title character, a shy teenage girl who discovers telekinetic powers and takes revenge on her tormenters, and three-time Tony nominee Marin Mazzie will play her overprotective mother. Both women are reprising their roles from a 2009 reading of the piece. Stafford Arima will direct the MCC Theatre production; additional casting has yet to be announced.
Carrie first bowed on a Broadway stage in 1988, featuring a score by Michael Gore and Dean Pitchford. The show became a notorious flop and closed after five performances. Arima has been overhauling the show—the new incarnation is reportedly set in the present day—with its original creators: bookwriter Lawrence D. Cohen, composer Gore and lyricist Pitchford.
Mazzie most recently co-starred with husband Jason Danieley in Broadway’s Next to Normal. Other Broadway credits include Enron, Spamalot, Man of La Mancha and Into the Woods, as well as Kiss Me, Kate; Ragtime and Passion, for which she received Tony nominations. Ranson made her Broadway debut in Tracy Letts’ August, Osage ...
Chicago Salutes New York City's Fleet Week with Some Broadway Razzle Dazzle
As a flock of U.S. Navy and Coast Guard ships docked in New York City for the annual Fleet Week festivities, the large group of sailors were greeted by some special guests: the cast of Broadway's Chicago. On May 27 the Chicago crew entertained the visitors by performing several songs from the musical including "Roxie," "They Both Reached For the Gun" and "All That Jazz." Click below to watch show stars Amra-Faye Wright, Brent Barrett and Melissa Rae Mahon salute the crowd with some sizzling dance moves.
Kelli O'Hara on Her New Solo Album, Town Hall Concert and Those Funny Girl Rumors
After a year of performing her cabaret act in various New York venues, three-time Tony nominee Kelli O’Hara (South Pacific, The Light in the Piazza) wanted a record of her endeavors. “I was selling my old album [at performances], which didn’t really represent the [current] show so I said, ‘Let’s just go in and record it so we have this little memory of where we are in time,’” O’Hara told Broadway.com, “then of course once you get involved, you get so passionate and it becomes a much bigger deal.” The result? O’Hara’s new solo album, Always, which hits stores May 31.
Unlike O’Hara’s first solo effort, Wonder in the World, the new album is mostly composed of classic showtunes and standards. “I hadn’t really made a theater album for theater fans aside from original cast recordings,” she said of her song selections. O’Hara even decided to do a little gender-bending on the album by tackling several songs traditionally sung by men. “I haven’t heard a lot of recordings of women singing these songs. It just seemed like something a little different to do.”
Among the “male” songs O ...
Now Bulls fans know how the other side feels
Under Commissioner David Stern, the National Basketball Association has been a star-making machine to rival Hollywood. It has taken its elite players and promoted them, protected them, and profited by them.…
[ Read more ]
Jeff Conaway, Star of Grease on Stage and Screen, Dies at 60
Jeff Conaway, best known for playing bad boy Kenickie in the movie adaptation of musical Grease, died on May 27. He was taken off life support following two weeks in a coma at a Los Angeles hospital. The actor was found unconscious at his home on May 11, following a reported drug overdose. He was 60 years old.
New York native Conaway made his Broadway debut in the 1960 play All the Way Home. He went on to be an understudy in the 1972 cast of Grease on Broadway, and eventually took over the leading role of Danny Zuko. Conaway went on to play Zuko’s second-in-command, Kenickie, in the 1978 film adaptation, starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. Conaway is also well known for his role in ‘70s TV hit Taxi, in which he starred as out-of-work actor Bobby Wheeler. In recent years, Conaway appeared on VH1 shows Celebrity Fit Club and Celebrity Rehab.
Conaway is survived by a son, Emerson, with ex-wife Rona Newton-John (sister of Olivia Newton-John).
Source: http://www.broadway.com/buzz/156570/jeff-conaway-star-of-grease-on-stage-and-screen-dies-at-60/
What's Up, Marc Kudisch? The Minister's Wife Star Preaches About Stereotyping and Vows to Set a Wedding Date
Marc Kudisch is a versatile musical star who can go “light” or “dark” with equal ease. A three-time Tony nominee for expert comic performances in Thoroughly Modern Millie, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and 9 to 5, he explored his villainous side in shows such as The Witches of Eastwick and The Apple Tree. Kudisch is currently giving a typically intense performance as the Rev. James Morell, a Socialist Christian minister and self-satisfied husband in A Minister’s Wife at Lincoln Center Theater. In conversation, Kudisch is equally intense as he discusses the show (a musical adaptation of Shaw’s Candida), his vow to set a wedding date with fiancee Shannon Lewis (currently in The People in the Picture) and the role he has always longed to play.
Are you enjoying starring in a musical that’s full of big, philosophical ideas about religion, politics and love?
Absolutely. It’s a play that invites people to become involved. In any piece of theater, audiences have a job: They are the final cast member. Sometimes people forget that. Audiences are paying a lot of money to see a show nowadays, so it surprises me when they don’t realize that their job ...
Bottoms up for Craft Beer Week at Maria's Packaged Goods & Community Bar and Co-Prosperity Sphere
During the nine-day blur that was Craft Beer Week, a doubleheader party in Bridgeport on May 20 just about tapped us out. Cohosted at Maria's Packaged Goods & Community Bar and at Co-Prosperity Sphere, the beer flowed freely (not that that's a bad thing) and the drinking started early (ditto).… [ Read more ]
A Month of Mormon Day 15: Choreographer Casey Nicholaw on Making Mormons Dance
May is Mormon month at Broadway.com as we continue our daily The Book of Mormon video series. In today's entry, the show's Tony-nominated director and choreographer Casey Nicholaw discusses the impressive, old-fashioned Broadway dance moves featured in the musical. While choreographing the show, Nicholaw tapped into Mormon's usual cheery disposition to create "bubbly, optimistic" dances. He also reveals why he wasn't afraid to occasionally pull from "cheesy theme-park choreography." From dancing devils, marching missionaries and top hats and tails, take a look at what the Mormon team has to say about their fancy footwork below!
For more videos, click here.
Love Never Dies Star Celia Graham on Her Phantom History and Broadway Dreams
Love Never Dies is now well into its second year at the Adelphi, where Celia Graham has replaced Olivier nominee Sierra Boggess as Christine Daae. Graham, a 35-year-old from Glasgow, has been with the production from the beginning, which means participating in the transition as Andrew Lloyd Webber’s sequel to The Phantom of the Opera changed directors (Bill Kenwright in, Jack O’Brien out) and choreographers (Bill Deamer in, Jerry Mitchell out). Being part of a show in flux, as well as reprising a character Graham had played before in the first Phantom, were among the topics aired in a chat with Broadway.com.
You’ve taken over the role of Christine before in the first Phantom and now here you are doing it again in the sequel. How have the experiences compared?
With Phantom 1, as we call it, Sarah [Brightman] solidified the character, along with Hal [director Harold Prince], of course, so there was no changing, no messing. When we came in to play Christine, we were told where to stand because there was a formulaic characterization that they wanted to try and keep. That was a challenge in its own way, whereas with this, there ...
This Week's Movie Action
Oh, the grief we've given Woody Allen over the years. Year after year, dud after dud, pan after pan, he never quits and neither do we.…
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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2011/05/26/this-weeks-movie-action
Monday, May 30, 2011
What's Up, Marc Kudisch? The Minister's Wife Star Preaches About Stereotyping and Vows to Set a Wedding Date
Marc Kudisch is a versatile musical star who can go “light” or “dark” with equal ease. A three-time Tony nominee for expert comic performances in Thoroughly Modern Millie, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and 9 to 5, he explored his villainous side in shows such as The Witches of Eastwick and The Apple Tree. Kudisch is currently giving a typically intense performance as the Rev. James Morell, a Socialist Christian minister and self-satisfied husband in A Minister’s Wife at Lincoln Center Theater. In conversation, Kudisch is equally intense as he discusses the show (a musical adaptation of Shaw’s Candida), his vow to set a wedding date with fiancee Shannon Lewis (currently in The People in the Picture) and the role he has always longed to play.
Are you enjoying starring in a musical that’s full of big, philosophical ideas about religion, politics and love?
Absolutely. It’s a play that invites people to become involved. In any piece of theater, audiences have a job: They are the final cast member. Sometimes people forget that. Audiences are paying a lot of money to see a show nowadays, so it surprises me when they don’t realize that their job ...
Three Beats: Jazz great Eddie Johnson gets a posthumous CD release; experimental duo Cleared celebrates the cassette; Rockford emo band Joie de Vivre says au revoir
by Peter Margasak, Bill Meyer and Leor Galil A posthumous CD release for the
great Eddie Johnson Tenor saxophonist Eddie Johnson, who died last year on April 7 at age 89, was one of Chicago's greatest jazz musicians, a pure embodiment of the classic swing he'd grown up playing.… [ Read more ]
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Three Beats: Jazz great Eddie Johnson gets a posthumous CD release; experimental duo Cleared celebrates the cassette; Rockford emo band Joie de Vivre says au revoir
by Peter Margasak, Bill Meyer and Leor Galil A posthumous CD release for the
great Eddie Johnson Tenor saxophonist Eddie Johnson, who died last year on April 7 at age 89, was one of Chicago's greatest jazz musicians, a pure embodiment of the classic swing he'd grown up playing.… [ Read more ]
This Week in Food & Drink: The Aviary, Key Ingredient pork cheeks, neighborhood food councils, and more
Mike Sula reviews the Aviary, the Fulton Market lounge cum restaurant next to Next. Working under partners Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas, executive chef Craig Schoettler has devised a menu of eye-popping cocktails like the Blueberry, a porthole-shaped vessel filled with a rye-based liquid in which bob fruits and botanicals.…
[ Read more ]
Trey Parker, Matt Stone and The Book of Mormon Cast Set Out on a NYC Sightseeing Adventure for People
Like any good Manhattan tourists, the Salt Lake City citizens of The Book of Mormon recently took a double-decker bus tour of New York City courtesy of People Magazine. A spread in the June 4 issue features the cast of Broadway's smash hit dressed as their missionary and African villager characters, ecstatically cramming onto the top level of the tour bus.The musical's Tony-nominated stars Josh Gad, Andrew Rannells, Nikki M. James and Rory O'Malley grabbed front row seats and the show's co-creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone were also on hand for the fun photo shoot. Take a look at the hilarious pic by Matthias Clamer, then be sure to plan your own adventure to catch Mormon at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre.
Old Town's Piper's Alley screens last shows tonight
The AMC-Loews Piper’s Alley movie theater in Old Town will close its doors tonight after one final evening of screenings, set to include Cedar Rapids, I Am, The Conspirator, and Jane Eyre.
Word spread via Twitter this morning, and was first reported by Chicagoist, which expounded upon the theater’s closing.…
[ Read more ]
Kelli O'Hara on Her New Solo Album, Town Hall Concert and Those Funny Girl Rumors
After a year of performing her cabaret act in various New York venues, three-time Tony nominee Kelli O’Hara (South Pacific, The Light in the Piazza) wanted a record of her endeavors. “I was selling my old album [at performances], which didn’t really represent the [current] show so I said, ‘Let’s just go in and record it so we have this little memory of where we are in time,’” O’Hara told Broadway.com, “then of course once you get involved, you get so passionate and it becomes a much bigger deal.” The result? O’Hara’s new solo album, Always, which hits stores May 31.
Unlike O’Hara’s first solo effort, Wonder in the World, the new album is mostly composed of classic showtunes and standards. “I hadn’t really made a theater album for theater fans aside from original cast recordings,” she said of her song selections. O’Hara even decided to do a little gender-bending on the album by tackling several songs traditionally sung by men. “I haven’t heard a lot of recordings of women singing these songs. It just seemed like something a little different to do.”
Among the “male” songs O ...
3 wounded in Washington Park shooting
1 wounded in police-involved shooting on N.W. Side
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Weekend Plant Sales and Chef Demos
A few farmers' markets are already up and running and regularly scheduling chefs to show you what to do with local produce—get a few tips for your Memorial Day grilling. The weather forecasts look promising, so you can also get to work in the garden.…
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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2011/05/27/weekend-plant-sales-and-chef-demos
Soundboard: May 26-June 1
Recommended and notable shows, including Melvins, Reading Rainbow, Radian, Anna Calvi, Sloan, Chrissy Murderbot, and more by Miles Raymer, Peter Margasak, Noah Berlatsky, Brian Costello, Monica Kendrick and Bill Meyer Thursday26 Chrissy Murderbot… [ Read more ]
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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/soundboard-chicago-concerts-may-26-june-1/Content?oid=3910522
Bottoms up for Craft Beer Week at Maria's Packaged Goods & Community Bar and Co-Prosperity Sphere
During the nine-day blur that was Craft Beer Week, a doubleheader party in Bridgeport on May 20 just about tapped us out. Cohosted at Maria's Packaged Goods & Community Bar and at Co-Prosperity Sphere, the beer flowed freely (not that that's a bad thing) and the drinking started early (ditto).… [ Read more ]
Weekend Poll: Who Should Play Jesus in the Godspell Revival?
Prepare ye! After a few false starts, a revival of Stephen Schwartz's Godspell is finally heading to Broadway this fall. Performances of the production begin October 13, with opening night set for November 7, at the Circle in the Square Theatre. Casting has yet to be announced for the musical, which tells the stories of the Gospel of Matthew in song, so we're putting you in charge! It's going to take one talented star to fill the sandals of the show's main character: Jesus Christ. It's time to pick a superstar. Who do you think should play Jesus in the Godspell revival? Vote below!
Source: http://www.broadway.com/buzz/156552/weekend-poll-who-should-play-jesus-in-the-godspell-revival/
Key Ingredient: Marianne Sundquist of In Fine Spirits makes the most of pork cheeks
by Julia Thiel The Chef: Marianne Sundquist (In Fine Spirits) The challenger: Cleetus Friedman (City Provisions)… [ Read more ]
Love Never Dies Star Celia Graham on Her Phantom History and Broadway Dreams
Love Never Dies is now well into its second year at the Adelphi, where Celia Graham has replaced Olivier nominee Sierra Boggess as Christine Daae. Graham, a 35-year-old from Glasgow, has been with the production from the beginning, which means participating in the transition as Andrew Lloyd Webber’s sequel to The Phantom of the Opera changed directors (Bill Kenwright in, Jack O’Brien out) and choreographers (Bill Deamer in, Jerry Mitchell out). Being part of a show in flux, as well as reprising a character Graham had played before in the first Phantom, were among the topics aired in a chat with Broadway.com.
You’ve taken over the role of Christine before in the first Phantom and now here you are doing it again in the sequel. How have the experiences compared?
With Phantom 1, as we call it, Sarah [Brightman] solidified the character, along with Hal [director Harold Prince], of course, so there was no changing, no messing. When we came in to play Christine, we were told where to stand because there was a formulaic characterization that they wanted to try and keep. That was a challenge in its own way, whereas with this, there ...
Sales and Events
Last month, Stephanie Sack, owner of Bucktown plus-size boutique Vive la Femme, and shoe designer Kathryn Kerrigan amicably ended their business partnership, and Sack has opened a shoe boutique called Violette in the space that formerly housed Kerrigan's shop. Located at 2031 N. Damen, Violette features "cheap and cheerful" shoes priced between $29 and $99 in sizes 7 through 12.…
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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2011/05/26/sales-and-events
Barnes, Bartha, Camp & Ritter Set for Zach Braff?s All New People at Second Stage
David Wilson Barnes, Justin Bartha, Anna Camp and Krysten Ritter make up the cast of All New People, a new play from actor and playwright Zach Braff premiering at off-Broadway’s Second Stage Theatre. Peter DuBois, who recently directed Braff in Trust at Second Stage, will helm the piece. All New People will begin previews on June 28 and open on July 25.
In All New People, it’s the dead of winter and the summer vacation getaway of Long Beach Island, New Jersey is desolate and blanketed in snow. Charlie is 35, heartbroken and just wants some time away from the rest of the world. The island ghost town seems to be the perfect escape until his solitude is interrupted by a motley parade of misfits who show up and change his plans. A hired beauty, the townie fireman, and an eccentric British real estate agent desperately trying to stay in the country suddenly find themselves tangled together in a beach house where the mood is anything but sunny.
Barnes has been seen on Broadway in The Lieutenant of Inishmore and off-Broadway in Second Stage’s Becky Shaw as well as Lady, St. Crispin’s Day, Vengance, The Attic ...
Rod Blagojevich was not good in Little League
Taking the stand in his defense yesterday, Rod Blagojevich delved into an hours-long biography, filled with tales of triumph, tragedy, love, fashion, and the summer he warmed the bench for his Little League team. Also, he said he never tried to shake down U.S. rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. or Mayor Rahm Emanuel, a former congressman.…
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2 wounded in drive-by on Near South Side
3 robbers get cash, goods from jewelry store
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Ozzie's daring move
Adam Dunn is still missing on all cylinders. With just under a third of the season gone, the Big Breeze is more than a third of the way to the White Sox club record for strikeouts in a season—he has 65 already, and the record is 175.…
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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2011/05/27/ozzies-daring-move
Jeff Conaway, Star of Grease on Stage and Screen, Dies at 60
Jeff Conaway, best known for playing bad boy Kenickie in the movie adaptation of musical Grease, died on May 27. He was taken off life support following two weeks in a coma at a Los Angeles hospital. The actor was found unconscious at his home on May 11, following a reported drug overdose. He was 60 years old.
New York native Conaway made his Broadway debut in the 1960 play All the Way Home. He went on to be an understudy in the 1972 cast of Grease on Broadway, and eventually took over the leading role of Danny Zuko. Conaway went on to play Zuko’s second-in-command, Kenickie, in the 1978 film adaptation, starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. Conaway is also well known for his role in ‘70s TV hit Taxi, in which he starred as out-of-work actor Bobby Wheeler. In recent years, Conaway appeared on VH1 shows Celebrity Fit Club and Celebrity Rehab.
Conaway is survived by a son, Emerson, with ex-wife Rona Newton-John (sister of Olivia Newton-John).
Source: http://www.broadway.com/buzz/156570/jeff-conaway-star-of-grease-on-stage-and-screen-dies-at-60/
Musical Version of From Here to Eternity to Hit the London Stage in 2012
Award-winning lyricist Tim Rice will bring a musical adaptation of James Jones’ 1951 novel From Here to Eternity to the London stage in 2012. The score feature music by Stuart Brayson, lyrics by Brayson and Rice and a book by Bill Oakes. Tamara Harvey will direct the production. No theater or dates have been announced.
From Here to Eternity was Jones' debut novel, based loosely on his own experiences as a member of the 27th Infantry during World War II. It tells an extraordinary story of passion and honor on the Hawaiian island of Oahu shortly before and during the Pearl Harbor attack of December 7, 1941. It won the National Book Award for fiction in 1952 and was adapted into a 1953 film starring Burt Lancaster, Frank Sinatra, Montgomery Clift, Ernest Borgnine, Deborah Kerr and Donna Reed, which won eight Academy Awards.
Rice is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber on smash-hit musicals like Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita. The pair recently reunited to contribute new songs to current West End revival The Wizard of Oz.
Rice is producing the show with Lee Menzies.
Yorkville deputy chief charged in theft of drugs from department
See Pics of Spider-Man's Reeve Carney, Bono and The Edge Weave Their Musical Web on American Idol
The music industry's biggest names were on hand for American Idol's season finale, but one of the last performances before Scotty McCreery was named the show's latest winner was reserved for an extra special guest: Broadway's Spider-Man! The show's star, Reeve Carney, joined by Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark composers Bono and The Edge, rocked out to the musical's blazing anthem "Rise Above." Take a look below at Carney's exciting cross-country adventure to Los Angeles as he performed for a TV audience of nearly 30 million viewers!
Skulls! Evil Queens! Brad Oscar Keeps Things Kooky Backstage at The Addams Family
As a member of Broadway's most ghoulish clan, The Addams Family's Brad Oscar (who plays Uncle Fester) maintains the musical's macabre motif in his dressing room at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. Oscar invited Broadway.com backstage to check out his obsession with skulls and collection of famous Disney villains. Not every item in his room is eerie though, the actor also decorated his space with photos of loved ones and his favorite sports team. Take a look below!
Musical Version of From Here to Eternity to Hit the London Stage in 2012
Award-winning lyricist Tim Rice will bring a musical adaptation of James Jones’ 1951 novel From Here to Eternity to the London stage in 2012. The score feature music by Stuart Brayson, lyrics by Brayson and Rice and a book by Bill Oakes. Tamara Harvey will direct the production. No theater or dates have been announced.
From Here to Eternity was Jones' debut novel, based loosely on his own experiences as a member of the 27th Infantry during World War II. It tells an extraordinary story of passion and honor on the Hawaiian island of Oahu shortly before and during the Pearl Harbor attack of December 7, 1941. It won the National Book Award for fiction in 1952 and was adapted into a 1953 film starring Burt Lancaster, Frank Sinatra, Montgomery Clift, Ernest Borgnine, Deborah Kerr and Donna Reed, which won eight Academy Awards.
Rice is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber on smash-hit musicals like Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita. The pair recently reunited to contribute new songs to current West End revival The Wizard of Oz.
Rice is producing the show with Lee Menzies.
Workers' compensation overhaul set for vote
The state Senate is poised to vote Saturday on a major overhaul of the state's workers' compensation system, a push aimed at saving Illinois business at least $500 million a year and addressing possible abuses.
Champaign man gets 10 years for spitting on guard
This Week in Food & Drink: The Aviary, Key Ingredient pork cheeks, neighborhood food councils, and more
Mike Sula reviews the Aviary, the Fulton Market lounge cum restaurant next to Next. Working under partners Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas, executive chef Craig Schoettler has devised a menu of eye-popping cocktails like the Blueberry, a porthole-shaped vessel filled with a rye-based liquid in which bob fruits and botanicals.…
[ Read more ]
Chicago magazine's outgoing editor: 'You can't feel like Lear raging against the storm'
by Michael Miner When Richard Babcock took over as editor of Chicago magazine in April 1991, it was a time to worry. My column marking the occasion began:… [ Read more ]
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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/chicago-magazine-richard-babcock/Content?oid=3905623
Friday, May 27, 2011
Trey Parker, Matt Stone and The Book of Mormon Cast Set Out on a NYC Sightseeing Adventure for People
Like any good Manhattan tourists, the Salt Lake City citizens of The Book of Mormon recently took a double-decker bus tour of New York City courtesy of People Magazine. A spread in the June 4 issue features the cast of Broadway's smash hit dressed as their missionary and African villager characters, ecstatically cramming onto the top level of the tour bus.The musical's Tony-nominated stars Josh Gad, Andrew Rannells, Nikki M. James and Rory O'Malley grabbed front row seats and the show's co-creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone were also on hand for the fun photo shoot. Take a look at the hilarious pic by Matthias Clamer, then be sure to plan your own adventure to catch Mormon at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre.
See Pics of Spider-Man's Reeve Carney, Bono and The Edge Weave Their Musical Web on American Idol
The music industry's biggest names were on hand for American Idol's season finale, but one of the last performances before Scotty McCreery was named the show's latest winner was reserved for an extra special guest: Broadway's Spider-Man! The show's star, Reeve Carney, joined by Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark composers Bono and The Edge, rocked out to the musical's blazing anthem "Rise Above." Take a look below at Carney's exciting cross-country adventure to Los Angeles as he performed for a TV audience of nearly 30 million viewers!
Love Never Dies Star Celia Graham on Her Phantom History and Broadway Dreams
Love Never Dies is now well into its second year at the Adelphi, where Celia Graham has replaced Olivier nominee Sierra Boggess as Christine Daae. Graham, a 35-year-old from Glasgow, has been with the production from the beginning, which means participating in the transition as Andrew Lloyd Webber’s sequel to The Phantom of the Opera changed directors (Bill Kenwright in, Jack O’Brien out) and choreographers (Bill Deamer in, Jerry Mitchell out). Being part of a show in flux, as well as reprising a character Graham had played before in the first Phantom, were among the topics aired in a chat with Broadway.com.
You’ve taken over the role of Christine before in the first Phantom and now here you are doing it again in the sequel. How have the experiences compared?
With Phantom 1, as we call it, Sarah [Brightman] solidified the character, along with Hal [director Harold Prince], of course, so there was no changing, no messing. When we came in to play Christine, we were told where to stand because there was a formulaic characterization that they wanted to try and keep. That was a challenge in its own way, whereas with this, there ...
Montego Glover, Phylicia Rashad & More Join Broadway Inspirational Voices for Wondrous Grace Concerts
Broadway Inspirational Voices, a popular gospel choir made up of Broadway singers, will perform two concerts at Central Presbyterian Church in June. The show, a "summer celebration of song" called Wondrous Grace, can be seen on Sunday, June 19 at 8 pm and Monday, June 20 at 7 pm.
Tony Award winners Phylicia Rashad (A Raisin in the Sun) and Adriane Lenox (Doubt) will appear in the concert, along with Montego Glover from Memphis and cast members from Broadway shows including The Lion King, The Book of Mormon, Baby, It’s You, Mamma Mia!, Priscilla Queen of the Desert and Sister Act.
Founded by Tony-nominated actor Michael McElroy (Rent, Big River) in 1994 as the Broadway Gospel Choir, the group was reincarnated as the Broadway Inspirational Voices in 1999. The mission of the choir is to bring people of all races and religious backgrounds together to explore and perform traditional American musical art forms with an emphasis on gospel music.
Tickets range from $20 to $100 and can be purchased by clicking here.
Chicago magazine's outgoing editor: 'You can't feel like Lear raging against the storm'
by Michael Miner When Richard Babcock took over as editor of Chicago magazine in April 1991, it was a time to worry. My column marking the occasion began:… [ Read more ]
[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]
Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/chicago-magazine-richard-babcock/Content?oid=3905623
Hard-Nosed Soft Rock
David Browne's new Fire and Rain
proposes 1970 as the year the counterculture had to learn to do business by Michaelangelo Matos The relationship between the late-60s rock counterculture and Madison Avenue was never entirely a one-sided affair, as easy as it is to imagine packs of predatory suits hungrily circling starry-eyed flower children. The great lie of 60s rock is that it was untainted by commerciality.… [ Read more ]
Musical Version of From Here to Eternity to Hit the London Stage in 2012
Award-winning lyricist Tim Rice will bring a musical adaptation of James Jones’ 1951 novel From Here to Eternity to the London stage in 2012. The score feature music by Stuart Brayson, lyrics by Brayson and Rice and a book by Bill Oakes. Tamara Harvey will direct the production. No theater or dates have been announced.
From Here to Eternity was Jones' debut novel, based loosely on his own experiences as a member of the 27th Infantry during World War II. It tells an extraordinary story of passion and honor on the Hawaiian island of Oahu shortly before and during the Pearl Harbor attack of December 7, 1941. It won the National Book Award for fiction in 1952 and was adapted into a 1953 film starring Burt Lancaster, Frank Sinatra, Montgomery Clift, Ernest Borgnine, Deborah Kerr and Donna Reed, which won eight Academy Awards.
Rice is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber on smash-hit musicals like Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita. The pair recently reunited to contribute new songs to current West End revival The Wizard of Oz.
Rice is producing the show with Lee Menzies.
Pippen: LeBron may be greater than MJ
Man shot in drive-by on North Side
Sales and Events
Last month, Stephanie Sack, owner of Bucktown plus-size boutique Vive la Femme, and shoe designer Kathryn Kerrigan amicably ended their business partnership, and Sack has opened a shoe boutique called Violette in the space that formerly housed Kerrigan's shop. Located at 2031 N. Damen, Violette features "cheap and cheerful" shoes priced between $29 and $99 in sizes 7 through 12.…
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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2011/05/26/sales-and-events
Man claims sex addiction led to child abuse
On the eve of the Blackout's return, foggy memories from the original run of Chicago's most notorious raunch 'n' roll fest
by Miles Raymer When Brett Cross and Todd Novak—who founded the raunchy rock 'n' roll zine Horizontal Action in 1997—put on the first Blackout in 2001, garage rock occupied a tiny niche in the underground music scene. By the festival's farewell installment in 2006—also the year Cross and Novak launched their zine's online replacement, Victim of Time, and the label HoZac Records—garage had exploded.… [ Read more ]
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Glee Poll: What's Your Favorite Broadway Song Performed During Glee's Second Season?
That's a wrap! As the curtain came down on season two of Glee, the New Directions crew headed to New York City for the nationals competiton. Not surprisingly, there were plenty of nods to Broadway as two-time Tony winner Patti LuPone made a guest appearance and Rachel (Lea Michele) and Kurt (Chris Colfer) broke into the Gerswhin Theatre to tackle the Wicked ballad "For Good." The endearing performance got us thinking about some of the other great showtunes the singing teens have belted out this season. From classic shows like Gypsy to a rocking ode to The Rocky Horror Show, the series has covered an array of Broadway standards over the last year. We want to know: which season two performance of a Broadway showtune is your favorite? Vote below!
Blago testifies: Tells life story, denies shakedowns
Rod Blagojevich gave what amounted to the campaign speech of his life today directed at just 12 voters -- members of the jury that will decide whether he misused his powers as governor.
Don't waive safety, boating experts warn
The fishing boat was filling with water and the men aboard cupped hands and tried to get rid of the overflow as the U.S. Coast Guard approached.
The 20 months that made Mayor Emanuel
by Ben Joravsky and Mick Dumke On May 16 Rahm Emanuel took the oath of office as mayor, promising to topple the status quo. "The city of Chicago is ready for change," he proclaimed.… [ Read more ]
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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/making-of-mayor-rahm-emanuel/Content?oid=3913757