Tell us what you want to see on the blog! Is it more behind-the-scenes with Broadway shows like WICKED and Disney’s The Lion King, Q&As with performers like Harry Connick, Jr. or a look at what’s hot in New York? We are listening!
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We tend to think of new Broadway shows in the spring during the run up to the Tony Awards, but there are exciting new performances happening right now. Star-studded casts are taking the stage in a number of shows. Read and watch the previews below, and tell us, which Hollywood star do you hope to see in the Broadway spotlight?
Dead Accounts led the way this fall with oodles of buzz about its leading stars: actress Katie Holmes and two-time Tony Award® winner Norbert Leo Butz. Written by Theresa Rebeck and directed by Jack O’Brien, the comedic plot is said to have no shortage of curve balls (including a $27 million secret) as a self-made New Yorker returns to Cincinnati to catch up with his sister.
Wisconsin’s own golden boy, Tony Shalhoub plays the father of a young violin prodigy and would-be boxer named Joe. Joe, played by War Horse’s Seth Numrich, takes a chance with every punch, risking his musical fingers as he searches for his ticket to success. Seventy-five years after its premiere on Broadway, Director Bartlett Sher has brought this sweeping Depression Era back to life in grand fashion.
Al Pacino takes on the role of Shelly Levine in David Mamet’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Glengarry Glen Ross. It’s a 30th Anniversary production, but the quest for the American dream in a cutthroat real estate office rings as true as ever. With tickets in hot demand, Pacino’s star power is drawing a lot of attention, but according to Variety, the real show-stopper is actor Bobby Cannavale, most recently seen in HBO’s “Broadwalk Empire.”
Actress Laurie Metcalf (“Roseanne,” “The Big Bang Theory”) stars as Juliana Smithton in this Broadway thriller written by Sharr White and directed by Joe Mantello (WICKED, Other Dessert Cities). Juliana’s successful life as a neurologist comes apart at the seams as the facts of her life begin to blur and the truth finally comes out.
Roundabout Theater Company’s latest revival, Picnic, sets the stage as a group of Midwestern women prepare for a Labor Day picnic, just as a handsome young drifter becomes the center of attention. Roundabout’s Artistic Director Todd Haimes describes William Inge’s characters as living quiet lives which, “quickly move from a simmer to a boil, and all it takes is one tiny spark… to make everything explode.” Watch for reviews of this exciting revival in January 2013!
The 2012 Tony Awards® aired nationwide last night on CBS,
bringing Broadway to your living room for one night only.
To start the evening, the show opened with a special “Hello”
from the cast of TheBook of Mormon, which won Best Musical
in 2011. Neil Patrick Harris returned as host for the third time, introducing featured
performances, special star appearances and, of course, the awards for Broadway’s
biggest accomplishments this season. Once
walked away with eight awards including Best Musical, and Peter and the Starcatcher, a prequel to the Peter Pan story took
home five awards. With all that and more, what’s not to love?
In case you missed the 2012 Tony Awards, you can...
Watch the full broadcast for a limited time on
cbs.com – all 140 minutes of Broadway’s best
Hear the acceptance speeches on TonyAwards.com.
Be sure to check out a few of our favorites – Audra McDonald (Best Actress –
Musical), Steve Kazee (Best Actor – Musical) and Nina Arianda (Best Actress – Play).
Read all about it in The New York Times at
nytimes.com!
Did
you tune in to the Tonys? Tell us your favorite moments and which shows you
hope will head out on tour next season.
You see them
highlighting the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center’s posters, but just what
does it mean that a show’s “award-winning?” Is there only one award? Which
awards count for what? Here’s a quick breakdown of some of the most high
profile awards and what they might mean for your next trip to the theater.
The Tony Awards, named for Antoinette Perry, launched in 1947 and took the
national spotlight in 1967 when it was first televised nationwide. Nominees
each year are selected from among shows that have opened in an eligible
Broadway theater. A nominating committee of 35 theater professionals sees every
show before making nominations, and awards are based on input from
approximately 750 Tony voters, like the Center’s president Susan Stockton.
The Brits have their
own version of Broadway known as the West End and their own awards show named
after Sir Laurence Olivier. There’s some give and take across the pond, so
you’ll often hear Olivier references for shows with dual citizenship like Billy Elliot the Musical.
The Obie Awards
Created by The Village Voice, The Obie Awards honor excellence in off-Broadway
and off-off Broadway productions. Around since 1955, the Obies play a
significant role in promoting the off-Broadway and off-off Broadway theater
scene. For many familiar titles, off-Broadway is an important evolutionary step
as the show grows and develops.
The Drama Desk Awards The Drama Desk Awards take into account Broadway, off-Broadway
and off-off Broadway shows playing in New York City. Founded in 1949, the Drama
Desk Awards are unique in that the voters are comprised of media professionals, hence the name.
The Pulitzer Prize
Wait a second… Isn’t the Pulitzer Prize awarded for writers? The Pulitzer Prize
honors excellence in journalism and art, including an award for drama. Shows
like Clybourne Park, Next to Normal and even South Pacific have been honored by
Pulitzer. Interestingly, if submissions in any particular
year do not meet a degree of excellence expected by Colombia University’s
Pulitzer Board, the honor is simply not bestowed on a lesser work.
This fall Broadway is opening its arms wide to shows with personality.
Fifteen productions include everything from outlawed couples to civil rights
leaders to Broadway legends. Which will be on your must see list?
Follies
Opened: September 12
Originally
produced on Broadway in 1971 with music by Stephen Sondheim, Follies
returned to Broadway earlier this month with an all-star cast including
“Broadway Baby” Bernadette Peters. Winner of seven Tony® Awards,
Follies is the story of two couples reuniting
and reminiscing on their past and younger selves the night before their
theater’s demolition. Need a visual? The show’s video montage
highlights some favorite moments on the stage. The
Mountaintop
Opening: October 13 The
Mountaintop is a new play that fictionalizes the night before the
assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Samuel L Jackson, who brings Dr.
King to life onstage, stars with Angela Bassett. Jackson hopes that this play
will “enlighten a lot of young people” and share the history of Dr. King’s assassination.
Other Desert Cities
Opening: November 3
Other Desert Cities is the story of writer Brooke Wyeth who returns
home after six years to celebrate Christmas with her wealthy Republican parents.
During her trip home, she announces she is going to publish a memoir of a tragic
event in the family’s history during the Reagan administration. Doesn’t sound
like the happiest of holidays. Moving from the Lincoln Center Theatre to
Broadway this November, Other Desert Cities is bringing a strong cast
of Broadway veterans including Stockard Channing (“Grease”), Judith Light
(Lombardi) and Stacy Keach. Did you get a chance to see Stacy Keach
when he starred in Frost/Nixon at the Fox Cities P.A.C.? Bonnie & Clyde
Opening: December 1
This brand new production follows the infamous Depression era outlaws
Bonnie & Clyde. Leading man Jeremy Jordan, who plays Clyde Barrow,
is going to be having a busy fall season starring in Disney’s Newsies prior to the
opening of Bonnie & Clyde. Can’t wait for December to hear some of
the rockabilly-and-blues music from the show? Broadway.com has the sound clips for you! I am loving “This
World Will Remember Us.”
It’s opening week for the 2010/11 Broadway season at the Fox Cities P.A.C. with Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific, but we’re not the only ones celebrating Broadway’s return! In New York this month, it’s officially Back2Broadway, and even “Late Night” host Jimmy Fallon is in on the fun.
Throughout the week, catch a glimpse of Broadway’s hottest shows on NBC’s “Late Night.” Tony® Award-nominee Sean Hayes and Tony Goldwyn will perform “Our Little Secret” from the Broadway revival of Burt Bacharach's Promises, Promises on September 14.
On Wednesday, Green Day front man Billie Joe Armstrong will introduce the cast of his Tony-nominated musical American Idiot, and the cast of the emo-rock musical Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, including leading man Benjamin Walker, will perform on Thursday, September 16.
Which Broadway shows are you most excited about this season?
