Broadway Bound: Powerful New Musical's 'IF'

Get a first listen to "If" from DIANA: A True Musical Story, performed by Jeanna de Waal and accompanied by David Bryan. Learn more at DianaOnBroadway.com

Remembering One Of Broadway's Most Effervescent Talents!

The Broadway community mourns the loss of legendary composer, lyricist, writer, and musician Jerry Herman, who passed away on December 26, 2019 at age 88. To commemorate his life and work, the Committee of Theatre Owners will dim the lights of Broadway theatres in New York for one minute on Tuesday, January 7th at exactly 6:45pm.

“To be a Broadway fan is to be a fan of the great Jerry Herman. And each of us who had a chance to know both him and his remarkable catalog of songs feels a great loss today. We celebrate his range from the deceptively simple tunes to the anthems for which he is justly famous. And most of all we celebrate the man who cared deeply about Broadway from his remarkably early success to his enduring legacy,” said Thomas Schumacher, Chairman of The Broadway League.

On Broadway Mr. Herman’s credits include: Hello, Dolly! (2017 Revival); La Cage aux Folles (2010 Revival); La Cage aux Folles (2004 Revival); Barbara Cook's Broadway! (2004); An Evening with Jerry Herman (1998); Hello, Dolly! (1995 Revival); Jerry's Girls (1985); La Cage aux Folles (1983); Mame (1983 Revival); A Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine (1980); The Grand Tour (1979); Hello, Dolly! (1978 Revival); Hello, Dolly! (1975 Revival); Mack & Mabel (1974); Dear World (1969); Mame (1966); Ben Franklin in Paris (1964); Hello, Dolly! (1964); Milk and Honey (1961); From A to Z (1960).

In 2009, Mr. Herman received a Special Tony Award® for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre. He won Tony Awards for Best Original Score for La Cage aux Folles (1984), and for Best Composer and Lyricist and Best Musical for Hello, Dolly! (1964). He also received Tony Award nominations for The Grand Tour (1979), Mame (1966), and Milk and Honey (1962).

Mr. Herman’s work frequently appeared on television and in films and he received a Primetime Emmy Awards nomination in 1997 for Outstanding Music and Lyrics for “Mrs. Santa Claus.” He also won Grammy Awards for Best Score from an Original Cast Show Album for Mame (1967) and for Song of the Year for Hello, Dolly! (1965). Mr. Herman received many more tributes during his decades-long career on Broadway, including the naming of the Jerry Herman Awards—the Los Angeles region's National High School Musical Theatre Awards® program—in his honor.

His full Broadway biography can be found on the Internet Broadway Database.

SOLVED: The Vexing Conundrum Of Elaine Stritch!

Elaine Stritch was a mass of contradictions.

She came from a loving, intact family and said she longed to be married but she avoided commitment with all the ferocity of a confirmed bachelor.

She was a lifelong, practicing Catholic but she smoked, drank and cussed like a truck driver and went through a long list of bedmates in the course of a storied career.

She claimed she was most at home and most alive on the stage but opened her one-woman show with a string of complaints about the perils and pitfalls of show business.

She admired decent, practical midwest sensibility but avoided a return to her native Michigan until her final years.

She was said to be a devilish flirt and rarely hid her appetite for the opposite sex but insisted that sex itself was greatly overrated.

She proclaimed a love of New York but when she finally bought a home of her own she opted for a single family home on the main street of a small town.

A lifelong drinker, she joined Alcoholics Anonymous and swore off booze but reportedly continued to imbibe right up to the time of her death.

She was a scene-stealer and show-stopper who also generously mentored other actors. She was a notorious spendthrift who could be surprisingly generous. She had no children of her own and showed little or no interest in kiddies but bequeathing hundreds of thousands of dollars to a children's health program. She boldly challenged authority and scorned sacred cows but went weak kneed in the presence of greatness.

All of this and more is revealed in Alexandra Jacobs' juicy new biography, Still Here, The Madcap, Singular Life of Elaine Stritch.

To say that Elaine Stritch was a complicated person (and an often difficult personality) would be an understatement. It wasn't easy to be her friend. But people were drawn to her and her devotees were legion. She wasn't a great beauty or a melodious songstress and she couldn't dance to save her life. And though she was all the rage in London, you'd never put her in the same league with the giants of the West End.

So, what was it about Elaine Stritch? Why did she prove to be such a compelling presence, so sought after, such an indomitable star?

Here's the way Jacobs explains it (with a bit of help from Stritch's collaborator John Lahr) in Still Here:

John Lahr: “She was actually the most panic-struck person I ever knew . . . . . her real great acting talent was convincing the world that she was loosey-goosey — that was a complete act. And the world bought it!”

And Jacobs adds: "What [Lahr] recognized was someone of the old guard, someone who knew how to stop a show. Someone with no 'Plan B' . . . someone who’s very survival, psychological and economic, depended on her performance, and the audience liking her performance.
" . . for Stritch home was no place, except when she alighted on the stage. 'Honset to God, when I get into a play — even a musical,' she said, 'that was where I lived.'
"What was Stritch’s talent exactly? . . . It really was entertaining, the root of which means 'to hold together.' In a drawing room or on a stage, Stritch could command the entire space."

Throughout her life, sometimes in spite of herself and sometimes against the most overwhelming odds, from the very start right up till the end, Elaine Stritch held it together!

Dear Evan Hansen? Isolation,Torment And Angst

Today less than 24 hours after we saw Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway another high school shooting occurred, this time in Santa Clarita, California. The details are still being sorted out but the alleged shooter is a 16-year-old and today was his birthday.

I mention this because Dear Evan Hansen is about adolescent isolation in the age of the internet. And it deals frankly with high school alienation, the longing for attention and acceptance, and teenage suicide.

But if you're looking for any real insight into what's knawing at high school kids these days from Dear Evan Hansen, you're likely to be disappointed. In fact, it would be generous to call this show a musical attempt at pop psychology.

Evan Hansen comes from a family that consists of just him and a single mom. His parents are divorced and his dad started a new family somewhere else. At school he is bullied and disconnected and can count but a single friend, the terminally nerdy Jared. A hostile student named Connor Murphy badgers Evan and throws him to the ground. Shortly thereafter, Connor (who has his own set of problems, including drug use) commits suicide. And that's where the internet and Evan's ten minutes of fame come into play.

We won't tell you anymore than that.

Dear Evan Hansen consists of a mostly bare stage, eight players, lots of high-tech projections that pose as scenery, a tinny nine-piece band and street clothes in place of costumes. The characters frequently appear solitary and lit by a single spotlight. Often, when they speak to one another they look straight ahead at the audience instead of at one another. When they sing, they simply shout out their feelings in shrill, declarative sentences. In Evan's case, he occasionally switches from a faux tenor to a falsetto without explanation. OK, he's a teenager and he's awkward. Maybe his voice hasn't completely changed. One powerful song (Waving Through A Window) defines Evan's dilemma. Most of the other songs in the show take their cue from "Waving" (or the second-act anthem You Will Be Found) and they sound pretty much the same.

Evan is a senior at his school but we don't know exactly where he lives. We never meet any of his teachers. If he has any goals or occupational aspirations they're never shared with us. His mom is needy, clingy and often whiney. Connor's parents are presumably successful but unhappy and all but estranged. They've spent so much time worrying about Connor that they've apparently neglected his sister, Zoe. All this has made Zoe feel alienated and resentful of Connor. But Evan's got a crush on Zoe.

Dear Evan Hansen is so saturated with incoherent detachment that you come to feel that you're about to drown in a sea of free floating anxiety. There's nothing subtle or nuanced about this show -- so much so that it sometimes seems assaultive. Plus, it's more than cheerless, it's damned near tortuous.

So, why did it win the Tony Award and why is it still running after almost three years with no signs of abatement? Well, for one thing it's been exceptionally well hyped and cleverly marketed. But it also seems to have struck a chord in an America where all the traditional guideposts have sunk into the quicksand of moral relativity. Nobody seems to know right from wrong, good from bad, truth from falsehood, hero from villain, or anything else anymore.

And Broadway doesn't seem to know a series of barely-melodic, angst-filled monologues from an actual musical.

Hear It Like You've Never Heard It Before!

Brian Stokes Mitchell in South Pacific in Concert at Carnegie Hall in 2005.
Perhaps the finest rendition of this song ever!

Broadway Will Dim Lights For One Of The Greats!

The Broadway community mourns the loss of beloved performer, pioneer, and Tony Award® winner Diahann Carroll, who passed away on October 4, 2019 at age 84. To commemorate her life and work, the Committee of Theatre Owners will dim the lights of the American Airlines, Broadhurst, Helen Hayes, Hudson, Marquis, New Amsterdam, Samuel J. Friedman, St. James, and Vivian Beaumont Theatres in New York for one minute on Wednesday, October 16th at exactly 7:45pm.

“Much has been made of Ms. Carroll’s groundbreaking role shattering racial barriers in film and on Broadway,” said Thomas Schumacher, Chairman of The Broadway League. “That she was a pioneer is undeniable. But she was first and foremost a gifted, Tony-winning actress of enormous warmth and charm. She made just three visits to Broadway – in two musicals and a turbulent drama – but the breadth of those roles is a measure of her range and craft.”

On Broadway Ms. Carroll appeared in Agnes of God (1982), No Strings (1962), and House of Flowers(1954). Winner of the 1962 Tony Award for Best Actress in A Musical for her performance in No Strings, she was the first African-American woman to win this award. On the road, Ms. Carroll toured with the production of Same Time, Next Year (1977) and starred as Norma Desmond in the Toronto production of Sunset Boulevard (1995).

Ms. Carroll, well known for her groundbreaking starring roles in the television series “Julia” and “Dynasty,” had an extensive television and film career with credits including: “White Collar;” “Diary of a Single Mom,” “Grey's Anatomy,” “Soul Food,” “Livin' for Love: The Natalie Cole Story,” “Sally Hemings: An American Scandal,” “Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years,” “Eve’s Bayou,” “Touched By An Angel,” “Lonesome Dove: The Series,” “Evening Shade,” “A Different World,” The Five Heartbeats, “The Colbys,” “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” “Roots: The Next Generations,” “The Love Boat,” Claudine, Paris Blues, Porgy and Bess, and Carmen Jones among many others.

Nominated for various entertainment industry awards throughout her career including an Oscar in 1975, Ms. Carroll received the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work - Biography / Auto-biography (2009), the TV Land Groundbreaking Show Award (2003), the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture (1975), and the Golden Globe Award for Best TV Star – Female (1969).

Her full Broadway biography can be found on the Internet Broadway Database: https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/diahann-carroll-34679#Credits

A Wild, Raucous, Laugh-Filled Carnival Ride With Music!

I knew next-to-nothing about Beetlejuice before I saw the new Broadway musical of the same name.
I never saw the movie. At the time, the film really didn't interest me. It seemed silly -- ridiculous, pure and simple.
But in the past, I've gone to see musicals based on movies or books or even TV shows I knew nothing about and I often found myself enjoying them in a way that others who were more familiar with the material could not.
Well, Beetlejuice was created by Tim Burton so you know it's dark and peppered with abnormal characters.
For those of you who don't know by now, the story goes something like this: After Barbara and Adam (a wholesome young couple) die in an accident, they find themselves stuck haunting their new country residence, unable to leave the house. When the unbearable Deetzes and teen daughter Lydia buy the home, the ghost/former residents attempt to scare them away without success. Their efforts soon attract Beetlejuice, a rambunctious, outrageous character whose "help" quickly becomes dangerous for all involved, especially Lydia.
Playwrights Anthony King and Scott Brown have now brought Beetlejuice to Broadway's cavernous Winter Garden theater with music and lyrics by Eddie Perfect and they've created a show that unfounds like a carnival ride meandering through a hall of mirrors, fun house and parachute drop all rolled into one.

The costumes by William Ivey Long are beyond imaginative; the sets by David Korins are three-dimensionally beguiling and wonderfully animated; the special effects byJeremy Chernick are nothing less than eye-popping and the direction by Alex Tmbers is crisp and snappy.

But, of course, none this would work without the actors And Beetlejuice is blessed with a great ensemble cast. In the title role Alex Brightman is outrageous, vulgar, insulting, profane and altogether delightful. He's simply irrepressible. He will not be denied his opportunity to be downright assaultive.

And let us add that Sophie Ann Caruso as Lydia is every bit Brightman's equal. Plus there are also send-up performances by the appealing Rob McClure as Adam and the menacing Leslie Kritzer as Delia. There are more than 20 in this energetic cast and they're all wonderful.

We heard that Beetlejuice had serious problems on the road. In fact, the show was mostly panned by the DC critics. But somewhere along the way torn edges were mended, loose ends were tightened, paths were unblocked so the show could flow smoothly and, perhaps most importantly, the timing was perfected so that every funny line (and there are plenty of them) could pop like a firecracker.

And yes, Beetlejuice is thoroughly preposterous, mostly inane and often ludicrous.

But it also announces itself as a show about death and, in a raucous way it forces you to confront the absurdities of life including your own mortality and whatever may or may not lie beyond.

For example, there's a great song called "The Whole Being Dead Thing . . . " and that's right at the top of the show.

Go. See. And laugh at the often wretched conundrum we call life.

A Captivating Tune, Lost In A 'Failed' Show . . .

In 1997 I saw the musical Steel Pier on Broadway with Gregory Harrison, Karen Ziemba and Daniel McDonald. It was a beautiful show with an unusual story. It was melodic and nostalgic and romantic. And it was a Kander and Ebb show, so the music was terrific. Since the story revolved around the marathon dances of the 1930s, the dancing was also first rate.
One particular song, Dance With Me/The Last Girl stayed with me over all these years. Here's how it was performed on the Today Show while Steel Pier attempted to attract an audience during what was a very busy year for musicals, as I recall. Titanic won best musical that year while Chicago took best revival of a musical. In fact, Chicago and Titanic dominated the awards while Steel Pier was left in the dust. It closed after a relatively short run.
But this number remains as fresh and captivating as the moment it was first performed!

Top Dozen Stage To Movie Musicals

Broadway now seems addicted to turning movies into musicals.

But what about the other way around? How successful has Hollywood been at turning musicals into movies? To be sure, some non-musical movies became Broadway musicals and then their musical versions later became movies again. 

In any event, for a musical, the transition from stage to film has never been easy. But when it works, the movie can become a blockbuster hit. In fact, some of these have not only become some of the biggest grossers of all time but have also garnered scads of Oscars.

In no particular order, here are a dozen of the best:

Chicago

The longest-running American musical of all time became a dazzlingly memorable movie with the twist of major characters imagining some of their musical numbers. It worked!

Sweeney Todd

The movie was way, way better than its reviews and it should have garnered more traffic and a fair number of awards. But, the subject matter was difficult, to be sure.

The Sound of Music

A instant classic, it endures because the timing was right, the story remains inspiring and its big screen debut was nothing less than breathtaking.

West Side Story

Not a particular favorite of ours but the transition to the screen seemed seamless and the show never seems to lose its appeal. In fact, it's headed back to Broadway and a new screen version is in the works.

Dream Girls

In many ways the screen version was a bigger hit than the stage musical. The story just seemed right for the screen and the cast was splendid.

Grease

Another example where stage and screen versions seem to actually feed off one another. Without Grease, where would the 50s be?

Fiddler on the Roof

Yes, we missed Zero Mostel. But could the big screen really contain him? In any event, the story adapted beautifully and proved universal.

Les Miserables

This was a huge challenge. And there were many naysayers right from the start. But Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried and Eddie Redmayne exceeded all expectations.

My Fair Lady

Positively sumptuous! Sure, Audrey Hepburn wasn't really singing but Julie Andrews still got the Oscar so it all worked out in the end -- and so did he movie.

Cabaret

Under the able direction of the quirky, manic, difficult, demanding Bob Fosse, this became an updated classic. And Liza Minelli was nothing less than stratospheric. It's still compelling!

Oliver!

It literally pops off the screen with musical numbers that envelop the audience and a classic (though nonetheless complicated) story that touches the heart. Added plus: a powerful social message.

Little Shop of Horrors

What is it about this show? We don't know. Maybe it's just the allure of the nerd. A "small" story with a big impact. It's the exception to the rule, we suppose.

Now, go ahead -- add and subtract to and from the list at your leisure.

All ideas and suggestions welcomed!

How The Tonys Got This One All Wrong!

Broadway has changed.
And those changes were  much in evidence during the recent Tony Awards telecast.
But not all of the changes have been for the better. New, smaller, supposedly more intimate musicals eschew big sets, strong production numbers, glitzy show stoppers and anything even vaguely resembling choreography. And they've been joined by more jukebox musicals that chuck original compositions for a rehash of already popularized top-charting standards in tribute to some performer, group of performers or noted tunesmith.
The latest of these, Ain't Too Proud actually snagged the best choreography award simply for recreating the synchronized moves of The Temptations.
In opting for Ain't Too Proud, the Tonys committed an unforgivable sin. They snubbed the best-choreographed show to hit Broadway in a long time -- Kiss Me, Kate.
In fact, nothing tops Kiss Me Kate's irrepressibly high-stepping numbers including Tom, Dick or Harry; I Hate Men and, above all, Too Darn Hot. If you saw the Too Darn Hot number on the Tony telecast you know it was absolutely breathtaking.
Kiss Me, Kate closes at the end of June but as far as we're concerned it deserves to run forever because it's one of the best revivals to hit Broadway in years -- far better than the 1999 revival which we also saw.
This grand, witty Cole Porter musical has not only been lovingly recreated by the Roundabout Theater Company but it's also been updated just enough with superb direction by the masterful Scott Ellis, music direction by the legendary Paul Gemignani and choreography by Warren Carlyle.
This is a big, bawdy, roughhousing backstage musical that requires perfect timing for all its rapid-fire jokes, clever asides, physical antics and tongue-in-cheek sentimentality. It's tuneful, raucous, romantic and highly theatrical, sometimes all at once.
Kelli O'Hara is not only the perfect Lilli/Kate but she's matched moment-for-moment by Will Chase as Fred/Petruchio. They are this season's Broadway Dream Duo. O'Hara excels with So In Love and I Hate Men. And Chase soars with Were Thine That Special Face and Where Is The Life That Late I Led.
But let's not forget Corbin Bleu without whom the haunting Bianca and the rousing Too Darn Hot would not exist.
The program states that with this production, Kiss Me, Kate "comes back to masterful life with intensity, passion, delight -- and perspective."
We couldn't have said it better ourselves.
This is/was the season's best revival of a musical!

Are These Classic Broadway's 15 Most Lushly Romantic Moments?

Broadway can go romantic from shy and subtle to double-decibel level rapture.
And that makes it's hard to choose classic Broadway's most romantic musical moments. But we've wattles our list down to 15 with the sincere hope that you'll remind us what we're missing so we can grow to 20, 25, 30, maybe even 50.
Most of our choices are lovelorn duets and we've tried to be representative with selections from Rodgers and Hammerstein (the masters of the genre) Frank Loesser, Lerner and Loewe, Cole Porter, Bernstein, Sondheim, Kurt Weill, Irving Berlin Llyod Webber and Meredith Willson.
So, here there are in no particular order:

Here I’ll Stay 

From Kurt Weill's Love Life, it's rarely heard these days but the musical is soon to be revived by City Center's Encores.

All I Ask of You 

A sweet and tender moment from Phantom of the Opera, it literally soars into a full-throated lovefest.
If I Loved You 

If, if, if  . . . if only we could bottle the magic of Carousel. A dreamy love-at-first-sight moment from a musical centered around a tragic figure.
Happiness 

Passion is hardly our favorite musical but [So Much] Happiness expresses the joy of young love via a mesmerizing melody in such a way that it had to make the cut.

The Last Night of the World 

Love amidst the horror of war in Miss Saigon. It brings hope in the midst of despair and a dash of light into a dark world.
People Will Say We’re In Love 

Meant to be sung as it was in the original, this song conjures up the innocence of new love on the fresh, open plains of Oklahoma! The most American of love songs.

Some Enchanted Evening 

From South Pacific and written for the operatic talents on Enzio Pinza, it's simply one of the most beautiful love songs ever composed.  You may see a stranger . . . . 

Tonight 

From West Sure Story, and again depicting young lovers, it's the perfect combination of the words of Sondheim and the music of Bernstein. Genius squared. "I saw you and the world went away . . . ."

A Heart Full of Love 

Here  we go again, love and war from Les Miserables. The lead up to the lovers' revelation is near excruciating but it's all miraculously worth it.

Make Believe 

Our personal favorite, from Show Boat, it's the grandaddy of them all-- the one from which all the others emerged. It reminds us that a breathless leap of love requires the suspension of disbelief.

I’ve Never Been In Love Before 

Not a big, soaring song but the sweet melody turns a tough guy tender; and his dreams and surprising sense of romance are universal in Guys n Dolls.

They Say It’s Wonderful

From Annie Get Your Gun, Irving Berlin takes a page from Rodgers and Hammerstein. then turns it into a song that's all about being in love and wanting the whole world to know it. 

Too Many Mornings 

From Follies, Sondheim explains that the "lovers" here are really engaging in a sham as they try to convince themselves that everything would have been wonderful if they'd only wound up together in the first place. From this folly emerges a nonetheless beautiful love song.

So In Love 

We just heard it again in the glorious Broadway revival of *Kiss Me Kate and in context it's haunting, bittersweet and altogether unforgettable. But it works just as well on its own. 

*Kelli O'Hara and Will Chase pictured above from the new production.

Till There Was You 

From  The Music Man, it reminds us of the transformative power of love. Indeed, Love changes everything. But, wait -- wasn't that a love song from the  musical of the same name? 😉

A few more? Ten Minutes Ago from Cinderella, My Heart Is So Full of You from The Most Happy Fella, On the Street Where You Live from My Fair Lady, If Ever I Would Leave You from Camelot, Song on the Sand La Cage Aux Folles, Married from Cabaret.

Oh, What An Abundance Of Riches!

Classic Broadway's 10 Totally Exuberant Moments!

Exuberance?
It's something ebullient, buoyant and breezy.
An exuberant Broadway moment make your heart beat a bit faster and leaves you feeling renewed and ready to click up your heels.
Here, we dig into classic Broadway and relive ten exuberant moments from a wide range of composers and lyricists -- moments that pump things up and tempt you to believe anything is possible. This list is meant to be representative -- not definitive.
So, here goes:

Hello Dolly!

From the musical of the same name, can anything top Dolly's walk down  that staircase and into the Harmonia Gardens? Anything?

I'm Flying

From Peter Pan, a youthful, magical Broadway moment when spirits really do soar.

Shall We Dance?

From The King and I, it's more than lushly romantic; it's a blissful polka that eliminates the boundaries between worlds and cultures.  [Photo shows Yul Brynner and Gertrude Lawrence in the original production.]

Beautiful Girls

From Follies, it builds to a crescendo that defies time and glamorizes nostalgia via a bittersweet pastiche that is quintessential Sondheim.

Seventy-Six Trombones

From The Music Man; how did the good "professor" ever pull this River City miracle off? Your guess is as good as ours!

Everything’s Coming Up Roses

Was Mama Rose really manic-depressive? Compulsive? Abusive? Oh, who cares? With one song in Gypsy she conjures up a vision that soars into the stratosphere.

I Can Do That

And that, and that, and that . . . in A Chorus Line. The number is full of childlike wonder and the sort of demonstrative self-confidence that makes you want to yell: Hire that guy!"

Razzle Dazzle ‘Em

From Chicago, this number captures the pretense of the popular culture with such rat-a-tat giddiness that it makes you believe in smoke 'n mirrors all over again.

Be Our Guest

Yeah, it's Disney and it was originally written for a movie but so what? This Beauty and the Beast show-stopper is Broadway magic through and through.

Anything Goes

In its own time, it's every bit as relevant as Razzle Dazzle 'Em and just as incisive. But it still leaves you with an adrenaline rush that makes you want to plunge into a veritable sea of modernity. 

Others we could mention: It's Not Where You Start, It's Where You Finish from Seesaw, Walking Happy from the show of the same name, I Could Have Danced All Night from My Fair Lady, We'll Take A Glass Together from Grand Hotel, She Loves Me from the musical of the same name, I'm A Brass Band from Sweet Charity, (I'm In Love With) A Wonderful Guy from South Pacific, Hey Look Me Over from Wildcat, It's Today from Mame, She Likes Basketball from Promises, Promises, As If We Never Said Goodbye from Sunset Boulevard. But we urge you to suggest your own!

First Song From New Back To The Future Musical!

OK, are you ready for this? Back to the Future: The Musical. You got that right.

The show will have its world premiere early next year in England. 

Now, the production has released a first look at one of the songs, written by Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard. Here is "Put Your Mind to It"

Tony Picks Correct In ALL Acting Categories!

We scored high last night as we correctly predicted the Tony award winners in EVERY acting category and also correctly picked Best Musical, Best Play and Best Musical Revival.
Among 26 categories overall, we got 20 right. That's a score of nearly 80%

Asterisks (*) indicates shows we've seen of have tickets to. Our correct picks are all highlighted in bold below:
Best Sound Design, Musical: Hadestown

Best Sound Design, Play: Network*
Best Lighting Design, Musical: Hadestown

Best Lighting Design, Play: Network*
Best Costume Design, Musical: The Cher Show

Best Costume Design, Play: Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus

Best Scenic Design, Musical: Beetlejuice*
Best Scenic Design, Play: The Ferryman

Best Choreography: Kiss Me, Kate*
Best Orchestration: Hadestown

Best Musical Book: Tootsie*

Best Musical Score: Hadestown

Best Director, Play: The Ferryman

Best Director, Musical: Hadestown

Best Featured Actor, Play: Bertie Carvel, Ink

Best Featured Actress, Play: Celia Keenan-Bolger, To Kill A Mockingbird

Best Featured Actor, Musical: Andre De Shieds, Hadestown

Best Featured Actress, Musical: Ali Strocker, Oklahoma!

Best Actor, Play: Bryan Cranston, Network*

Best Actress, Play: Elaine May, The Waverly Gallery

Best Actor, Musical: Santino Fontana, Tootsie*

Best Actress, Musical: Stephanie J. Block, The Cher Show

Best Play Revival: All My Sons
Best Musical Revival: Oklahoma!

Best Play: The Ferryman

Best Musical: Hadestown

An Unbelievable Broadway Musical Story . . .

Here's Who Will Win The Tony Awards!

The Tony Awards recognizing the best of Broadway will be presented tomorrow night, Sunday June 8.
Here are the likely winners:

Best Sound Design, Musical: Hadestown

Best Sound Design, Play: Network

Best Lighting Design, Musical: Hadestown

Best Lighting Design, Play: Network

Best Costume Design, Musical: The Cher Show

Best Costume Design, Play: Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus

Best Scenic Design, Musical: Beetlejuice

Best Scenic Design, Play: The Ferryman

Best Choreography: Kiss Me, Kate

Best Orchestration: Hadestown

Best Musical Book: Tootsie

Best Musical Score: Hadestown

Best Director, Play: The Ferryman

Best Director, Musical: Hadestown

Best Featured Actor, Play: Bertie Carvel, Ink

Best Featured Actress, Play: Celia Keenan-Bolger, To Kill A Mockingbird

Best Featured Actor, Musical: Andre De Shieds, Hadestown

Best Featured Actress, Musical: Ali Strocker, Oklahoma!

Best Actor, Play: Bryan Cranston, Network

Best Actress, Play: Elaine May, The Waverly Gallery

Best Actor, Musical: Santino Fontana, Tootsie

Best Actress, Musical: Stephanie J. Block, The Cher Show

Best Play Revival: All My Sons

Best Musical Revival: Oklahoma!

Best Play: The Ferryman

Best Musical: Hadestown

Outer Critics Award Winners Announced

The Outer Critics Circle award winners for the 2018-19 have been announced. Broadway’s Hadestown is the top winner, with six awards including Outstanding New Broadway Musical.

The Outer Critics Circle is an association of writers and commentators who represent more than 90 newspapers, magazines, websites, radio and television stations, and theatre publications in America and abroad.

The Outer Critics Circle also awarded a Special Achievement award to the puppetry team that created the 2,000-lb puppet for King Kong on Broadway.

A Special Achievement Award also went to York Theatre Company in recognition of its 50-year history.

Here is the full list of winners:


OUTSTANDING NEW BROADWAY PLAY
The Ferryman

OUTSTANDING NEW BROADWAY MUSICAL
Hadestown

OUTSTANDING NEW OFF-BROADWAY PLAY
White Noise

OUTSTANDING NEW OFF-BROADWAY MUSICAL
Girl from the North Country

OUTSTANDING BOOK OF A MUSICAL (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Robert Horn, Tootsie

OUTSTANDING NEW SCORE (THE MARJORIE GUNNER AWARD) (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Anaïs Mitchell, Hadestown

OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A PLAY (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
All My Sons

OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Fiddler on the Roof (in Yiddish)

OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR OF A PLAY (The Lucille Lortel Award)
Sam Mendes, The Ferryman

OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL
Rachel Chavkin, Hadestown

OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHER
Warren Carlyle, Kiss Me, Kate

OUTSTANDING SCENIC DESIGN (Play or Musical)
David Korins, Beetlejuice

OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN (Play or Musical)
Bob Mackie, The Cher Show

OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN (Play or Musical)
Bradley King, Hadestown

OUTSTANDING PROJECTION DESIGN (Play or Musical)
Peter England, King Kong

OUTSTANDING SOUND DESIGN (Play or Musical)
Peter Hylenski, King Kong

OUTSTANDING ORCHESTRATIONS
Daniel Kluger, Oklahoma!

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A PLAY
Bryan Cranston, Network

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Elaine May, The Waverly Gallery

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Santino Fontana, Tootsie

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Stephanie J. Block, The Cher Show

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY
Benjamin Walker, All My Sons

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Celia Keenan-Bolger, To Kill a Mockingbird

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
André De Shields, Hadestown

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Amber Gray, Hadestown

OUTSTANDING SOLO PERFORMANCE
Mike Birbiglia, The New One

JOHN GASSNER PLAYWRITING AWARD (Presented for an American play, preferably by a new playwright)
Jeremy Kareken & David Murrell, and Gordon Farrell, The Lifespan of a Fact

Two Movie-To-Musical Shows: One Scores, One Doesn't

Broadway and the movies have been going steady for a long time.
That's because the movies often provide good, solid stories that can be turned into Broadway musicals. Since the book is often one of the weakest parts of any musical, an already available well-structured story is a godsend. And if the movie was very successful, the musical that is constructed around its story comes with its own established brand and a huge built-in audience.
But none of this necessarily guarantees success.
Recent cases in point: Groundhog Day, The Bridges of Madison County, Rocky and Honeymoon in Vegas. All of these musicals made from successful movies failed to gain a big audience on Broadway.
Adapting a movie into a musical is a tricky business. It requires just the right balance. It can't follow the movie too closely but it can't veer too far from the essence of what made the film a success. It usually needs star power but the actors cannot and should not mimic the successful stars of the original film production. And, the movie must be condensed to the confines of the stage while retaining some of the scope of the big screen. That, in itself is a huge challenge.
Two adapted movie comedies are currently running on Broadway -- one a RonCom, the other a biting social satire. One succeeds wildly, scoring a solid 10 while the other sputters a bit and can manage little more than a six or seven on the 10-point scale.

There's almost a cult surrounding Pretty Woman, the 1990 Cinderella story that starred Richard Gere and Julia Roberts. This now classic megahit has kept is loyal audience and added new followers over a period of nearly three decades.
Now, along comes the musical with Samantha Barks and Andy Karl. Somehow, the whole thing comes off as surprisingly tinny. Overall, the music and lyrics by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance make for a not-particularly-memorable nor fully integrated score. And the book by Garry Marshall and J. F. Lawton follows the movie scenario so closely as to be all too predictable.
While we love Andy Karl and have admired his performances in several other musicals, despite his best efforts there seems to be no real chemistry between him and Samantha Barks. Karl's wife Ofeh is also in the show in a supporting role and, though she has a powerful voice, she comes across as shrill and imposing.
There are some bright spots. In a dual role, Eric Anderson steals several scenes and probably should have garnered a Tony nomination. And some of the numbers (like On A Night Like Tonight, Freedom, Something About Her and I Could Get Used to This) really pack a punch. And, it's not as if the show is a dud. In fact, it's been running for almost a year now and seems to have found an audience. But it charts no new ground and garnered no award nominations.

And the show suffers by comparison with the season's big new hit, the movie-to-musical Tootsie starring Santino Fontana in a role that allows him to knock it out of the park. Based on the 1982 movie, the adapted Tootsie musical digs deep to find new relevance in this trailblazing gender-blending story.
When it comes to praising Tootsie, we almost don't know where to begin. Veteran director Scott Ellis has mined pure comedy gold with Tootsie. But, with a book by Robert Horn we also have a fully woke Tootsie that is up-to-the-minute with zingers that are as fresh as the morning's headlines. No question about it, this is the funniest show on Broadway right now and it truly breathes new life into Broadway musical comedy. In fact, we haven't heard such sustained laughter from the audience of a musical in years. And the show manages to be aware and meaningful without being peachy or doctrinaire.
Much of this has to do with the impeccable timing and the superb performances of Fontana, Lilli Cooper, Sarah Stiles, Andy Grotelueschen. Michael McGrath, John Behlmann and the entire cast. Stiles' staccato delivery of the hilarious number What's Gonna Happen literally takes your breath away. Ditto for Gotelueschen's Jeff Sums it Up. And Behlmann's take on the hunky, clueless Max Van Horn comic heaven. But it's Fontana who pulls it all together via a tour-de-force performance that brings back memories of the best of shows such as La Cage Aux Folles, Hirspray and Victor, Victoria. Fontana manages to be sagacious, funny, neurotic, ingenious, poignant, endearing and exasperating from one moment to the next. And it all works.
Beyond all this, the show's production values are superb. Tootsie is not only blessed with great tunes by the hugely talented David Yazbek but also a large cast; a full, rich, resonant orchestra; great costumes by the legendary William Ivey Long; sets by David Rockwell and choreography by Denis Jones. The show acts looks and sounds like a big, real, live Broadway musical.
No wonder it has attracted huge raves and 11 Tony award nominations. This is the one to see!

2019 Tony Nominees: Complete List!

Following is the complete list of the 2019 Tony Award nominees, just announced:

Best Musical
Ain’t Too Proud—The Life and Times of The Temptations
Beetlejuice
Hadestown
The Prom
Tootsie

Best Play
Choir Boy by Tarell Alvin McCraney
The Ferryman by Jez Butterworth
Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus by Taylor Mac
Ink by James Graham
What the Constitution Means to Me by Heidi Schreck

Best Revival of a Musical
Kiss Me, Kate
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!

Best Revival of a Play
Arthur Miller’s All My Sons
The Boys in the Band by Mart Crowley
Burn This
Torch Song by Harvey Fierstein
The Waverly Gallery by Kenneth Lonergan

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Brooks Ashmanskas, The Prom
Derrick Baskin, Ain’t Too Proud
Alex Brightman, Beetlejuice
Damon Daunno, Oklahoma!
Santino Fontana, Tootsie

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Stephanie J. Block, The Cher Show
Caitlin Kinnunen, The Prom
Beth Leavel, The Prom
Eva Noblezada, Hadestown
Kelli O’Hara, Kiss Me, Kate

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Paddy Considine, The Ferryman
Bryan Cranston, Network
Jeff Daniels, To Kill a Mockingbird
Adam Driver, Burn This
Jeremy Pope, Choir Boy

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Annette Bening, All My Sons
Laura Donnelly, The Ferryman
Elaine May, The Waverly Gallery
Janet McTeer, Bernhardt/Hamlet
Laurie Metcalf, Hillary and Clinton
Heidi Schreck, What the Constitution Means to Me

Best Book of a Musical
Ain’t Too Proud, Dominique Morisseau
Beetlejuice, Scott Brown and Anthony King
Hadestown, Anaïs Mitchell
The Prom, Bob Martin and Chad Beguelin
Tootsie, Robert Horn

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Be More Chill, Joe Iconis
Beetlejuice, Eddie Perfect
Hadestown, Anaïs Mitchell
The Prom, Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin
To Kill a Mockingbird, Adam Guettel
Tootsie, David Yazbek

Best Direction of a Musical
Rachel Chavkin, Hadestown
Scott Ellis, Tootsie
Daniel Fish, Oklahoma!
Des McAnuff, Ain’t Too Proud
Casey Nicholaw, The Prom

Best Direction of a Play
Rupert Goold, Ink
Sam Mendes, The Ferryman
Bartlett Sher, To Kill a Mockingbird
Ivo van Hove, Network
George C. Wolfe, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Andre De Shields, Hadestown
Andy Grotelueschen, Tootsie
Patrick Page, Hadestown
Jeremy Pope, Ain’t Too Proud
Ephraim Sykes, Ain’t Too Proud

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Lilli Cooper, Tootsie
Amber Gray, Hadestown
Sarah Stiles, Tootsie
Ali Stroker, Oklahoma!
Mary Testa, Oklahoma!

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Bertie Carvel, Ink
Robin De Jesús, The Boys in the Band
Gideon Glick, To Kill a Mockingbird
Brandon Uranowitz, Burn This
Benjamin Walker, All My Sons

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Fionnula Flanagan, The Ferryman
Celia Keenan-Bolger, To Kill a Mockingbird
Kristine Nielsen, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
Julie White, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
Ruth Wilson, King Lear

Best Choreography
Camille A. Brown, Choir Boy
Warren Carlyle, Kiss Me, Kate
Denis Jones, Tootsie
David Neumann, Hadestown
Sergio Trujillo, Ain't Too Proud

Best Orchestrations
Michael Chorney and Todd Sickafoose, Hadestown
Larry Hochman, Kiss Me, Kate
Daniel Kluger, Oklahoma!
Simon Hale, Tootsie
Harold Wheeler, Ain’t Too Proud

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Robert Brill and Peter Nigrini, Ain’t Too Proud
Peter England, King Kong
Rachel Hauck, Hadestown
Laura Jellinek, Oklahoma!
David Korins, Beetlejuice

Best Scenic Design of a Play
Miriam Buether, To Kill a Mockingbird
Bunny Christie, Ink
Rob Howell, The Ferryman
Santo Loquasto, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
Jan Versweyveld, Network

Best Costume Design of a Musical
Michael Krass, Hadestown
William Ivey Long, Beetlejuice
William Ivey Long, Tootsie
Bob Mackie, The Cher Show
Paul Tazewell, Ain’t Too Proud

Best Costume Design of a Play
Rob Howell, The Ferryman
Toni-Leslie James, Bernhardt/Hamlet
Clint Ramos, Torch Song
Ann Roth, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
Ann Roth, To Kill a Mockingbird

Best Sound Design of a Musical
Peter Hylenski, Beetlejuice
Peter Hylenski, King Kong
Steve Canyon Kennedy, Ain’t Too Proud
Drew Levy, Oklahoma!
Nevin Steinberg and Jessica Paz, Hadestown

Best Sound Design of a Play
Adam Cork, Ink
Scott Lehrer, To Kill a Mockingbird
Fitz Patton, Choir Boy
Nick Powell, The Ferryman
Eric Sleichim, Network

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Kevin Adams, The Cher Show
Howell Binkley, Ain’t Too Proud
Bradley King, Hadestown
Peter Mumford, King Kong
Kenneth Posner and Peter Nigrini, Beetlejuice

Best Lighting Design of a Play
Neil Austin, Ink
Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
Peter Mumford, The Ferryman
Jennifer Tipton, To Kill a Mockingbird
Jan Versweyveld and Tal Yarden, Network

The final tally follows:
Hadestown - 14
Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations - 12
Tootsie - 11
The Ferryman - 9
To Kill a Mockingbird - 9
Beetlejuice - 8
Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma! - 8
Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus - 7
The Prom - 7
Ink - 6
Network - 5
Choir Boy - 4
Kiss Me, Kate - 4
Arthur Miller's All My Sons - 3
Burn This - 3
The Cher Show - 3
King Kong - 3
Bernhardt/Hamlet - 2
The Boys in the Band - 2
Torch Song - 2
The Waverly Gallery - 2
What the Constitution Means to Me - 2
Be More Chill - 1
Hillary and Clinton - 1
King Lear - 1

A number of honorary 2019 Tony Award recipients have already been announced. Terrence McNally, Rosemary Harris, and Harold Wheeler will each receive a Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre distinction; Judith Light has been named this year’s Isabelle Stevenson Award honoree; the Regional Theatre Tony Award will go to TheatreWorks Silicon Valley; Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre will go to Broadway Inspirational Voices, Peter Entin, Joseph Blakely Forbes, and FDNY Engine 54; and Special Tony Awards will be given to Jason Michael Webb, Sonny Tilders, and the late Marin Mazzie.