A bootleg video of Kristen Chenowith performing "Popular" for the last time. She goes off-script; I won't say any more…. Bonus YouTube video… "Wickeder"
Theatrical Archives
Pretty cool: The theater where "The Merchant of Venice" and "Romeo and Juliet" likely debuted and where William Shakespeare himself may have trodden the boards has likely been discovered in east London, archaeologists at the Museum of London said Wednesday.
Everything Old Is New Again
(1) MTV is going to do a remake of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show". Possibly with new songs added. (2) John Waters is doing the treatment for a sequel to "Hairspray", but not his "Hairspray". Rather, it will be a movie musical sequel to the movie musical version of the Broadway musical adaptation. Water’s original non-musical movie version.
“The Mediator Of The Head And The Heart”
If you consider yourself a science fiction movie fan, and have never heard of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis, then you are no science fiction movie fan. Metropolis is widely-considered the first serious science fiction film (the Georges Méliès’ 1902 short A Trip to the Moon cannot be considered high science fiction), and most science fiction classics, from Blade Runner to Star … Read More
70’s Movies On Broadway
Two to look forward to: (1) 9 To 5: The Musical. Could be cute. The Joe Mantello-directed production will begin Broadway previews March 24, 2009, and open April 23, 2009. Dolly Parton wrote the music and lyrics. Will star four-time Emmy Award winner (West Wing) and Tony Award nominee Allison Janney as Violet (I love her!), Stephanie J. Block as … Read More
Latest Buzz On Movie Musicals
Wicked, Nine, remake of Jesus Christ Superstar… Marc Platt has extended his contract with Universal Pictures for five years, according to Variety. Marc Platt Productions currently has several projects of interest to theatre plans in the works, including a film version of the international hit Wicked, a remake of the 1973 Andrew Lloyd Webber-Tim Rice film "Jesus Christ Superstar" and … Read More
What I Learned From Rehearsing Musicals
Selections from Ken Levine’s HuffPo post today: The director must encourage everyone to share ideas. He must then discard 80% of them… You need six weeks to rehearse a musical. But if you have six weeks, you’ll need eight. If the choreographer had her way, seven of the eight hours of rehearsal everyday would be devoted to the dance numbers. … Read More
EW’s Top 50 New Stage Classics
These are the best new plays (1983 – present) according to the folks at Entertainment Weekly: 1. Angels in America (1993-94) 2. Rent (1996) 3. August: Osage County (2007) 4. Doubt (2004) 5. Jersey Boys (2005) 6. Fences (1987) 7. Glengarry Glen Ross (1984) 8. Avenue Q (2003) 9. The Heidi Chronicles (1988) 10. The Producers (2001) 11. The Coast … Read More
Non-Tony-Winning Casualties
Heather is right: "No Tony Awards = Kiss Of Death" Crybaby and A Catered Affair are casualties.
Liveblogging The Tonys
8:00 — Opening with The Lion King. We’ve seen this before, haven’t we? 8:04 — And it’s still going…. 8:07 — Original cast of Rent? Cool. 8:09 — Best Featured Actress in a Play — I picked Laurie Metcalf (November), but it’s Rondi Reed (August: Osage County). She was pretty good, but not the best in the cast. 8:15 — … Read More
The Beginning Of The End oF Civilization
(1) Clay Aiken breeds. (2) They’re making a sequel to Phantom of the Opera: The sequel to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera is aiming for a bow in London’s West End in November 2009. The Stage reports that the working title for Lloyd Webber’s new musical is Phantom: Once Upon Another Time. The celebrated composer told BBC, … Read More
Final Performance Of Rent To Be Shown Nationwide
Playbill: The final performance of the Pulitzer and Tony-winning musical Rent, scheduled for Sept. 7 at the Nederlander Theatre, will be filmed for future screenings in movie theatres around the country. The filming is part of a new business venture launched by Sony Pictures Releasing, which is entitled The Hot Ticket. The Hot Ticket, according to a press release, will … Read More
WTF? Taylor Hicks To Join Cast of Grease?
No, no, no. He’s a soul singer, not a song-and-dance man…. NEW YORK (AP) — Taylor Hicks is going from "Idol" to "Angel." The "American Idol" alum will join the Broadway cast of "Grease" on June 6, playing Teen Angel in the revival of the popular musical. The gray-haired singer — whose "Idol" fan base was called "The Soul Patrol" … Read More