Exclusive: Scott Bakula will return to the New York stage this winter in an Off Broadway, world premiere production of the new musical The Connector, conceived and directed by Daisy Prince with music and lyrics by Tony winner Jason Robert Brown (Parade) and a book by Jonathan Marc Sherman.
A production of the acclaimed Off Broadway non-profit company McC Theater, The Connector will begin performances at McC Theater’s Newman Mills Theater on January 12, 2024, with an opening night set for February 6. The limited engagement will run through February 18, 2024.
Set in the rapidly changing media and magazine worlds of the late 1990s (the title refers to a revered publication), The Connector also will feature choreography by Karla Puno Garcia, co-choreographer of the Broadway-found Days of Wine and Roses.
In addition to Bakula, who will play a character named Conrad, the large cast of The Connector will include Sweeney Todd‘s Joanna Carpenter,...
A production of the acclaimed Off Broadway non-profit company McC Theater, The Connector will begin performances at McC Theater’s Newman Mills Theater on January 12, 2024, with an opening night set for February 6. The limited engagement will run through February 18, 2024.
Set in the rapidly changing media and magazine worlds of the late 1990s (the title refers to a revered publication), The Connector also will feature choreography by Karla Puno Garcia, co-choreographer of the Broadway-found Days of Wine and Roses.
In addition to Bakula, who will play a character named Conrad, the large cast of The Connector will include Sweeney Todd‘s Joanna Carpenter,...
- 10/5/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
André Bishop will conclude his 33-year leadership tenure at Lincoln Center Theater in June 2025 at the conclusion of the non-profit theater company’s 40th anniversary 2024-25 season.
Bishop, whose celebrated tenure as Lct’s Artistic Director and more recently Producing Artistic Director included the premieres of such acclaimed new works as Tom Stoppard’s The Coast of Utopia and Arcadia, Christopher Durang’s Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Wendy Wasserstein’s The Sisters Rosensweig, and The Light in the Piazza by Craig Lucas and Adam Guettel, to name a very few, announced his intended departure today.
“My years at Lincoln Center Theater have been happy ones,” he said in a statement, “and I will miss working with all my friends and colleagues. But the time has come, as it inevitably does, for the next generation to step in and step up. I look forward to that. Lct has...
Bishop, whose celebrated tenure as Lct’s Artistic Director and more recently Producing Artistic Director included the premieres of such acclaimed new works as Tom Stoppard’s The Coast of Utopia and Arcadia, Christopher Durang’s Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Wendy Wasserstein’s The Sisters Rosensweig, and The Light in the Piazza by Craig Lucas and Adam Guettel, to name a very few, announced his intended departure today.
“My years at Lincoln Center Theater have been happy ones,” he said in a statement, “and I will miss working with all my friends and colleagues. But the time has come, as it inevitably does, for the next generation to step in and step up. I look forward to that. Lct has...
- 9/22/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
André Bishop will step down from his role as producing artistic director of Lincoln Center Theater next year, after having worked at the nonprofit theater company for 33 years.
Bishop will depart at the end of the theater’s 2024-2025 season and the board of Lincoln Center Theater will launch a search for his successor “in due course.” The move from Bishop, who has held the position of producing artistic director at the Lincoln Center theater since July 2013, after serving as artistic director since January 1992, marks the latest shake-up in Broadway’s nonprofit realm, which consists of four theater companies.
On Wednesday, Second Stage founder Carole Rothman announced she would leave the company after 45 years. Longtime Roundabout Theatre Company CEO and Artistic Director Todd Haimes died in April, and Manhattan Theatre Club Executive Producer Barry Grove announced his departure in January after 48 years with the organization.
Chris Jennings, who had previously...
Bishop will depart at the end of the theater’s 2024-2025 season and the board of Lincoln Center Theater will launch a search for his successor “in due course.” The move from Bishop, who has held the position of producing artistic director at the Lincoln Center theater since July 2013, after serving as artistic director since January 1992, marks the latest shake-up in Broadway’s nonprofit realm, which consists of four theater companies.
On Wednesday, Second Stage founder Carole Rothman announced she would leave the company after 45 years. Longtime Roundabout Theatre Company CEO and Artistic Director Todd Haimes died in April, and Manhattan Theatre Club Executive Producer Barry Grove announced his departure in January after 48 years with the organization.
Chris Jennings, who had previously...
- 9/22/2023
- by Caitlin Huston
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive Stage director and choreographer Chase Brock, who choreographed the Broadway productions of Be More Chill and Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark, has signed with Verve for representation in all areas.
Brock recently choreographed Be More Chill‘s West End transfer, and in 2019 choreographed the Public Works/Free Shakespeare in the Park production of Disney’s Hercules.
Brock made his Broadway debut at age 16 in the original cast of Susan Stroman’s revival of The Music Man. His other choreography credits include William Inge’s Picnic on Broadway, and the North American, German and Japanese productions of Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Brock also serves as the Artistic Director of Brooklyn-based The Chase Brock Experience, where he has created over 30 original works of dance theater during the past 15 years, including The Girl with the Alkaline Eyes with original score and scenario by Eric Dietz, American Sadness to the songs of Gabriel Kahane,...
Brock recently choreographed Be More Chill‘s West End transfer, and in 2019 choreographed the Public Works/Free Shakespeare in the Park production of Disney’s Hercules.
Brock made his Broadway debut at age 16 in the original cast of Susan Stroman’s revival of The Music Man. His other choreography credits include William Inge’s Picnic on Broadway, and the North American, German and Japanese productions of Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Brock also serves as the Artistic Director of Brooklyn-based The Chase Brock Experience, where he has created over 30 original works of dance theater during the past 15 years, including The Girl with the Alkaline Eyes with original score and scenario by Eric Dietz, American Sadness to the songs of Gabriel Kahane,...
- 10/1/2021
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
This week, Dramatists Play Service's social media channel, 'Dps On Air,' features readings by Dps playwrights Michael John Lachiusa 'Hello Again,' 'The Wild Party,' 'See What I Wanna See' performing the song 'Dance While You Can' from his new musical 'The Gardens of Anuncia,' Kate Scelsa 'Everyone's Fine with Virginia Woolf' and more...
- 4/6/2020
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
In this episode, Ben and Daniel talk to actor and singer Nathan Lee Graham about Lena Horne's 1981 live album 'Lena Horne The Lady and Her Music.' They also discuss Andr De Shields, Billy Porter, 'Mame,' Robin de Jess, 'Showboat,' Angela Lansbury, 'Jesus Christ Superstar,' Judy Garland, Jenifer Lewis, James Brown III, Hal Prince, Susan Stroman, and Eartha Kitt. Nathan talks about social activism through art and how performers like Lena and Eartha have influenced his career. Nathan has starred on Broadway in beloved shows such as 'Priscilla, Queen of the Desert' and Michael John Lachiusa's 'The Wild Party.' He's appeared in the hit films 'Zoolander,' 'Sweet Home Alabama,' and 'Hitch,' and on TV shows such as 'The Comeback,' 'Absolutely Fabulous,' and 'Katy Keene.'...
- 3/9/2020
- by Ben Rimalower
- BroadwayWorld.com
In this episode, Ben and Daniel talk to two-time Tony nominee Alison Fraser about her 1996 album 'A New York Romance.' They also discuss Rusty Magee, James Taylor, Benjamin Dreyer, Bill Finn, 'In Trousers,' 'March of the Falsettos,' 'The Music Man,' Rebecca Luker, Oliver, Eydie Gorm, 'My Fair Lady,' Harry Nilsson, John Cameron Mitchell, Stephen Trask, Bernadette Peters, 'Gigi,' Mary Testa, Annie Golden, Daisy Eagan, Laura Nyro, Linda Rondstadt, Michael John Lachiusa, 'First Daughter Suite,' Elvis Costello, Aaron Mark, Rammstein, Patty Darcy, and Lena Horne. Alison has appeared in numerous Broadway shows, including 'The Secret Garden' and 'RomanceRomance,' both of which earned her Tony nominations. She also appeared alongside Patti LuPone in the 2008 revival of 'Gypsy.'...
- 3/2/2020
- by Ben Rimalower
- BroadwayWorld.com
Martha Plimpton (Raising Hope) is set as a lead in half-hour dramedy Generation, HBO Max’s pilot from 17-year-old Zelda Barnz, her father Daniel Barnz and executive producer Lena Dunham.
Written by Zelda and Daniel Barnz, Generation is a dark yet playful half-hour dramedy that follows a group of high school students whose exploration of modern sexuality (devices and all) tests deeply entrenched beliefs about life, love and the nature of family in their conservative community.
Plimpton will play Megan, the mother of the leading two roles that have yet to be cast. Megan is a magnetic Adderall-fueled type-a Orange County mother whose core convictions clash with the values of her children’s generation.
Dunham executive produces for Good Thing Going Productions, with Daniel and Ben Barnz for We’re Not Brothers Productions. Zelda Barnz is co-executive producer. Marissa Diaz produces for Good Thing Going Productions.
Plimpton earned two Emmy...
Written by Zelda and Daniel Barnz, Generation is a dark yet playful half-hour dramedy that follows a group of high school students whose exploration of modern sexuality (devices and all) tests deeply entrenched beliefs about life, love and the nature of family in their conservative community.
Plimpton will play Megan, the mother of the leading two roles that have yet to be cast. Megan is a magnetic Adderall-fueled type-a Orange County mother whose core convictions clash with the values of her children’s generation.
Dunham executive produces for Good Thing Going Productions, with Daniel and Ben Barnz for We’re Not Brothers Productions. Zelda Barnz is co-executive producer. Marissa Diaz produces for Good Thing Going Productions.
Plimpton earned two Emmy...
- 9/3/2019
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Transport Group has announced that its annual A Toast to the Artist gala will honor Tony Award-winning orchestrator Michael Starboin and composer Carmel Dean with the Transporting American Theatre Award. The evening takes place Monday, March 11 at 630pm at The Current, Pier 59 Chelsea Piers, and includes a cocktail party, seated dinner, performances, dessert reception, and silent and live auctions. The Transporting American Theatre Award recognizes significant contributions to the American Theatre. Past recipients of the Transporting American Theatre Award include Dick Scanlan, Mary- Mitchell Campbell, Michael John Lachiusa, Gretchen Shugart, Barbara Whitman, Beth Williams, Sue Frost, Christian Borle, Paul Huntley, Douglas Carter Beane, Lewis Flinn, A.R. Gurney, Liz Smith, Barbara Frietag, Terrence McNally, and Joe Mantello among others. Tickets are now on sale and may be purchased at transportgroup.org.
- 2/13/2019
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Concord Music has acquired 188-year-old theater publisher and licensing mainstay Samuel French, combining it with other assets in its burgeoning Concord Theatricals unit.
The deal, whose terms were not disclosed, “fulfills a significant and ongoing commitment to theater,” the company said.
Concord Theatricals represents a list of top-shelf musicals from the catalogs of Rodgers & Hammerstein, Cole Porter, Rodgers & Hart, George and Ira Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Kurt Weill and Irving Berlin. Its roster also includes younger musical theater talent such as Lin-Manuel Miranda, Adam Guettel, Jason Robert Brown, Shaina Taub and Michael John Lachiusa, as well as classics like A Chorus Line, Hello Dolly!, Bye Bye Birdie and Dreamgirls.
Through a joint venture called The Music Company, Concord Theatricals also works with Andrew Lloyd Webber and the Really Useful Group to license the composer and his collaborators’ shows including Cats, Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita.
In announcing the deal, Concord Theatricals...
The deal, whose terms were not disclosed, “fulfills a significant and ongoing commitment to theater,” the company said.
Concord Theatricals represents a list of top-shelf musicals from the catalogs of Rodgers & Hammerstein, Cole Porter, Rodgers & Hart, George and Ira Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Kurt Weill and Irving Berlin. Its roster also includes younger musical theater talent such as Lin-Manuel Miranda, Adam Guettel, Jason Robert Brown, Shaina Taub and Michael John Lachiusa, as well as classics like A Chorus Line, Hello Dolly!, Bye Bye Birdie and Dreamgirls.
Through a joint venture called The Music Company, Concord Theatricals also works with Andrew Lloyd Webber and the Really Useful Group to license the composer and his collaborators’ shows including Cats, Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita.
In announcing the deal, Concord Theatricals...
- 12/17/2018
- by Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
Williamstown Theatre Festival recently celebrated the playwright Martyna Majok. Majok's play Cost of Living won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the 2018 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play. Michael John Lachiusa will create a musical adaptation of Cost of Living under the auspices of Williamstown Theatre Festival's Andrew Martin-Weber New Play amp Musical Commissioning Program, with special funding from The Ted amp Mary Jo Shen Charitable Gift Fund.
- 7/12/2018
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
It is always a shock when a fan meets the object of his fandom. However, when You are the object of the fan to whom you are also a fan, the mutual fandom is off the chain. I recently met the amazing Tony Award nominated composerlyricist, Michael John Lachiusa, at the after party for the premiere of the film adaptation of his musical, Hello Again.
- 11/21/2017
- by Keith Price's Curtain Call
- BroadwayWorld.com
La Ronde has a lot to answer for. Arthur Schnitzler's classic play depicting a series of interconnected sexual liaisons has been adapted innumerable times since its 1920 premiere. It also has inspired an equally countless number of film, theater and literary works, including Michael John Lachiusa's 1993 musical that debuted at Lincoln Center. That work has now been adapted into a film version directed by Tom Gustafson featuring an array of veteran theater talents. But while Hello Again has been brought to the big screen, it has not been brought to anything resembling cinematic life. The movie does, however, offer...
- 11/8/2017
- by Frank Scheck
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Due to remarkable demand, Hello Again, the highly anticipated film adaptation of Michael John Lachiusa's acclaimed musical, will be seen in multiple new theater locations around the country. Screenvision Media, a national leader in cinema advertising, in association with Kaos Connect and SPEAKproductions, has announced that Hello Again will now be shown in over 230 theaters nationwide, with 80 recently added AMC locations and top DMAs including Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, and Orlando beginning November 8.
- 11/3/2017
- by Movies News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Quick takes from the 25th Raindance Film Festival, with public screenings in London through October 1st, 2017.
In Another Life
British filmmaker Jason Wingard went to the Jungle, the refugee camp in Calais, intending to make a documentary about life there. But after befriending those living in squalor out of desperation, he decided to make a narrative based on their stories instead, shot in the Jungle and with some of them playing versions of themselves. The result is an astonishingly moving film that rehumanizes people who have been dehumanized in public discourse, putting faces to the still-ongoing refugee crisis and inescapably reminding us that those we’ve Othered are not very different from us. “In another life,” Syrian refugee Adnan (French actor Elie Haddad) tells us in the touching narration through which we follow his journey, “I was a teacher.” His new friends in the Jungle are other middle-class people from such far-flung places as Sudan,...
In Another Life
British filmmaker Jason Wingard went to the Jungle, the refugee camp in Calais, intending to make a documentary about life there. But after befriending those living in squalor out of desperation, he decided to make a narrative based on their stories instead, shot in the Jungle and with some of them playing versions of themselves. The result is an astonishingly moving film that rehumanizes people who have been dehumanized in public discourse, putting faces to the still-ongoing refugee crisis and inescapably reminding us that those we’ve Othered are not very different from us. “In another life,” Syrian refugee Adnan (French actor Elie Haddad) tells us in the touching narration through which we follow his journey, “I was a teacher.” His new friends in the Jungle are other middle-class people from such far-flung places as Sudan,...
- 9/30/2017
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
The screen adaptation of Hello Again struggles in its translation from the stage...
If there was ever a stage musical difficult to transfer to screen, it was Michael John Lachiusa’s controversial Hello Again. The story (or stories) or ten sets of lovers in ten time periods told non-chronologically, director Tom Gustafson and writer Cory Krueckeberg have attempted the near-impossible with mixed results.
How do you keep a film about sex with strangers from becoming a smut-fest? Well, the answer is apparently that you strip the story of most of its inherent sensuality and emotion, resulting in a well-directed and star-studded filmic experiment in place of a coherent movie.
Be prepared - every scene of the film is a sex scene in one way or another and, while that might sound quite appealing or even daring, in practice it feels rather relentless and, in the end, entirely pointless. We move...
If there was ever a stage musical difficult to transfer to screen, it was Michael John Lachiusa’s controversial Hello Again. The story (or stories) or ten sets of lovers in ten time periods told non-chronologically, director Tom Gustafson and writer Cory Krueckeberg have attempted the near-impossible with mixed results.
How do you keep a film about sex with strangers from becoming a smut-fest? Well, the answer is apparently that you strip the story of most of its inherent sensuality and emotion, resulting in a well-directed and star-studded filmic experiment in place of a coherent movie.
Be prepared - every scene of the film is a sex scene in one way or another and, while that might sound quite appealing or even daring, in practice it feels rather relentless and, in the end, entirely pointless. We move...
- 9/26/2017
- Den of Geek
Previous | Image 1 of 4 | NextTyler Blackburn portrays Jack in ‘Hello Again.’
Chicago – Opening Night was a “reel” party as the 35th edition of “Reeling2017,” Chicago’s Lgbtq+ International Film Festival, kicked off at the historic Music Box Theatre on September 21st, 2017. The opening film was ‘Hello Again,” directed by Tom Gustafson, and featured Tyler Blackburn (“Pretty Little Liars”) and Jenna Ushkowitz (“Glee”). All three walked the Red Carpet before the screening, joined by screenwriter Cory Krueckeberg, and HollywoodChicago.com was there for Exclusive Photos and interviews.
The following audio interviews coincide with the Exclusive Photos by photographer Joe Arce of HollywoodChicago.com. Tyler Blackburn, Jenna Ushkowitz, Tom Gustafson and Cory Krueckeberg react to their Opening Night Reeling 2017 showing of “Hello Again,” a film based on Michael John Lachiusa’s celebrated 1993 Off-Broadway stage musical.
Click “Next” and “Previous” to scan through the slideshow or jump directly to individual photos with the captioned links below.
Chicago – Opening Night was a “reel” party as the 35th edition of “Reeling2017,” Chicago’s Lgbtq+ International Film Festival, kicked off at the historic Music Box Theatre on September 21st, 2017. The opening film was ‘Hello Again,” directed by Tom Gustafson, and featured Tyler Blackburn (“Pretty Little Liars”) and Jenna Ushkowitz (“Glee”). All three walked the Red Carpet before the screening, joined by screenwriter Cory Krueckeberg, and HollywoodChicago.com was there for Exclusive Photos and interviews.
The following audio interviews coincide with the Exclusive Photos by photographer Joe Arce of HollywoodChicago.com. Tyler Blackburn, Jenna Ushkowitz, Tom Gustafson and Cory Krueckeberg react to their Opening Night Reeling 2017 showing of “Hello Again,” a film based on Michael John Lachiusa’s celebrated 1993 Off-Broadway stage musical.
Click “Next” and “Previous” to scan through the slideshow or jump directly to individual photos with the captioned links below.
- 9/25/2017
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – The second-oldest Lgbtq+ international film festival in America, Reeling (Reeling17), launches its 35th edition in Chicago at the historic Music Box Theatre on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2017. The opening-night film will be the musical “Hello Again” with appearances by featured cast members Tyler Blackburn (“Pretty Little Liars”) and Jenna Ushkowitz (“Glee”) along with director Tom Gustafson and screenwriter Cory Krueckeberg.
‘Hello Again’ Opens Reeling2017 on September 21st at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago
Photo credit: Reeling2017
“Hello Again” is a movie adaptation of Michael John Lachiusa’s celebrated 1994 Off-Broadway musical, which in turn was inspired by Arthur Schnitzler’s stageplay “La Ronde” (written in 1897, with the first public performance in 1920). The 2017 film explores ten fleeting love affairs, across ten periods of New York City history, through ten lust-fueled episodes. It’s guaranteed to be saucy.
Reeling2017, the Chicago Lgbtq+ International Film Festival is in its 35th year, and has an incredible line-up of films,...
‘Hello Again’ Opens Reeling2017 on September 21st at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago
Photo credit: Reeling2017
“Hello Again” is a movie adaptation of Michael John Lachiusa’s celebrated 1994 Off-Broadway musical, which in turn was inspired by Arthur Schnitzler’s stageplay “La Ronde” (written in 1897, with the first public performance in 1920). The 2017 film explores ten fleeting love affairs, across ten periods of New York City history, through ten lust-fueled episodes. It’s guaranteed to be saucy.
Reeling2017, the Chicago Lgbtq+ International Film Festival is in its 35th year, and has an incredible line-up of films,...
- 9/21/2017
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
There is a very niche swath of Broadway lovers and lesbians who will be over the moon to see Audra McDonald and Martha Plimpton share a seductive scene in “Hello Again,” a film adaptation of Michael John Lachiusa’s 1993 musical which released its steamy new trailer today.
Read More: Why the ‘Swiss Army Man’ Directors Backed the Psychedelic Comedy-Musical ‘Snowy Bing Bongs’
“Hello Again” tells ten love affairs set in each decade of the 20th century, following the sexual escapades of characters with names like The Whore, The College Boy, and The Young Thing. Lachiusa is best known for writing “The Wild Party,” which developed a cult following in the years since its Broadway debut in 1999. “Hello Again” is based on “La Ronde,” the 1897 play by Arthur Schnitzler which caused an uproar when it first played Berlin and Vienna in 1920.
Read More: ‘Dirty Dancing’ Review: ABC Musical Event Is Decidedly Not Worth Your Time
The movie stars six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald, as well as similarly lauded theater actors Martha Plimpton, T.R. Knight, Cheyenne Jackson, and Rumer Willis. “Hello Again” is directed by Tom Gustafson from a screenplay by Cory Krueckeberg, the same pair behind the 2012 musical comedy “Mariachi Gringo.”
How many Broadway stars can you find?
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Read More: Why the ‘Swiss Army Man’ Directors Backed the Psychedelic Comedy-Musical ‘Snowy Bing Bongs’
“Hello Again” tells ten love affairs set in each decade of the 20th century, following the sexual escapades of characters with names like The Whore, The College Boy, and The Young Thing. Lachiusa is best known for writing “The Wild Party,” which developed a cult following in the years since its Broadway debut in 1999. “Hello Again” is based on “La Ronde,” the 1897 play by Arthur Schnitzler which caused an uproar when it first played Berlin and Vienna in 1920.
Read More: ‘Dirty Dancing’ Review: ABC Musical Event Is Decidedly Not Worth Your Time
The movie stars six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald, as well as similarly lauded theater actors Martha Plimpton, T.R. Knight, Cheyenne Jackson, and Rumer Willis. “Hello Again” is directed by Tom Gustafson from a screenplay by Cory Krueckeberg, the same pair behind the 2012 musical comedy “Mariachi Gringo.”
How many Broadway stars can you find?
Stay on top of the latest film and TV news! Sign up for our film and TV email newsletter here.
Related stories'Le Trou' Trailer: Jacques Becker's Nerve-Wracking Prison Break Drama Gets a Stunning Restoration -- Watch'To the Bone' Trailer: Lily Collins Stars In Marti Noxon's Deeply Personal Eating Disorder Drama -- Watch'God's Own Country' Trailer: A Taut Gay Romance With Verité Intimacy Set In The Yorkshire Countryside -- Watch...
- 6/21/2017
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Here’s a first look at Hello Again, the film adaptation by Tom Gustafson (Mariachi Gringo) of composer-lyricist Michael John Lachiusa's acclaimed 1994 musical. A new riff on La Ronde, the scandal-causing Arthur Schnitzler play from 1897 (first filmed by Max Ophüls in 1950 and subsequently by Roger Vadim with 1964’s Circle of Love and Otto Schenk with Der Reigen in 1973) about series of sexual assignations across boundaries of class and status that seem…...
- 6/21/2017
- Deadline
As Michael John Lachiusa's The Wild Party will receive its first major London production at The Other Palace, playing from Saturday 11 February to Saturday 1 April 2017, with a press night on Monday 20 February. Directed and choreographed by 2016 Olivier Award winner Drew McOnie and starring Tony Award winner Frances Ruffelle, The Wild Party will be the inaugural production at The Other Palace, formerly St. James Theatre, when it reopens in February 2017 as the newest addition to The Really Useful Theatres Group and a home for new musical theatre.
- 10/7/2016
- by Marianka Swain
- BroadwayWorld.com
It’s not often that a primetime network TV show devotes three minutes of airtime to a “Les Miserables” sendup featuring hyper-specific references to Inland Empire utility politics. But it helps when you have the right people to pull it off.
Such are the sheer, nothing-else-like-it delights of “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” the newest jewel in the CW crown. At the show’s center is Rachel Bloom, who in addition to being the show’s star and co-creator (alongside “The Devil Wears Prada” scribe Aline Brosh McKenna) is also one of “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’s” biggest fans.
When we spoke to Bloom, the talk kept turning toward the cast and crew that helps color this crazy, lovable slice of the TV landscape. From the writing staff to the songwriting team headlined by executive music producer Adam Schlesinger, she spoke about how it takes a village to raise a child (that occasionally sings therapeutic boy band parodies).
It seems like a nice added bonus that the people you’ve cast in these central roles get to have their featured moments. If you want them to grow, you can give them their own songs.
A lot of other people on our show, they’re Broadway people — they’re singers by trade. With the roles of Josh and Greg, we weren’t even necessarily looking for people who could sing. We were looking for the best actors. In the breakdowns, we were putting things like, “sing, rap, play guitar — we’ll write to your strengths.” Not in our wildest dreams could we have realized the kind of Renaissance men that we cast in both Santino and Vince — I mean, God, Vince has like three black belts.
Pete is a comedy/improv/sketch guy and would not consider himself a singer, but he has a really good voice. And he’s really in touch with his body. Vella is the same way. She’s a fantastic actress. She went to Juilliard, and I think with her training and with her natural abilities, she has the command over her voice. And so that was a really pleasant surprise for us when we realized, “Oh, we don’t have to Auto-Tune these people.”
It’s great that they’re all different kinds of voice types on this show, because you have Vince with more of a pop sound, you have Santino with the classic sound, you have Donna with the big Broadway belt, you have Pete with this twang, and then you have Vella with this like rock and roll thing that we’re so excited to write more for her. She sang at our cast party, we had a karaoke machine and she sang TLC’s “Waterfalls…”
Oh my God.
And it was so good! And Adam [Schlesinger] and I were watching her, and I was like, “We gotta write a ’90s song for Vella” and he was like, “Absolutely.” It was kind of like she was auditioning for us — except she was drunk and didn’t realize she was — and we never cease to be amazed and surprised with the talents of the actors we have on the show. It’s not what you hear about working with TV actors sometimes, where they’re afraid to be brave or they’re snobby or they’ll only film from 1 to 4:30 and then they’ll be in their trailer. We have such grateful theater people.
And people like Pete still get non-singing moments like “Having a Few People Over,” which probably wouldn’t exist if you were working with a shorter runtime.
Precisely. I really like that now, in any given episode, a lot of the time the second song is another character. And it’s about the B-story. That makes me really happy. I think that some of the most impactful storylines we’ve done come from exploring things like Darryl and [White] Josh. It’s funny because now they’re everyone else’s favorite couple, and I’m kind of like “They were my favorite couple first!” I was on set for their first kiss. I got to sit on set, and I was like, “Done! They’re my favorite couple, they’re the ones I root for. Don’t give a fuck about anyone else.” Next season we’re going to deal with them more.
One of my favorite moments was when you brought back the grocery clerk at the end of the season.
This is actually pretty great. We were writing the song “I Have Friends” and I had a rough draft written and I was brainstorming with Aline, our other executive producer, Erin Ehrlich, and our co-executive producer Michael Hitchcock. “I Have Friends” is all about those fun specifics, like “a janitor that lives in an Rv behind the school.” And Hitchcock just busted out “grocery clerk with half an eyelid,” and I was like, “Done. Yes.” There was something so B-52’s about it and when I think of B-52’s I think of this kind of like nasal voice, which made me think of my friend Ben, who I did stuff at Ucb with and was also on an improv team with our writer’s assistant Elisabeth [Kiernan Averick]. Before he even auditioned or knew we were thinking of him, we just started writing the lines in his voice. We had such a great deleted scene from Episode 3 of him and Pete just going on an improv run. It was one of the funniest things to watch all season, and hopefully we’ll release it on a DVD extra.
When you’re shooting scenes, it’s easy to toss lines in. Is there a lyric or musical moment that came kind of at the last minute?
For “Sexy Getting Ready Song,” the lyric “whisper your dick hard” originally was something else. We were in the recording studio, and Jack, who produced the song, was directing me and he was just like “Okay, this next take, I want you to whisper someone’s dick hard,” and I was like, “Jack! That’s a lyric!”
CBS hasn’t gotten into the live musical game yet. But if they do, is there a particular show that you’d like for them to do?
Well, I’m pretty indie musical theatre. So if they did anything Sondheim, if they did a live version of “Assassins” or “Company”? God, if you’re gonna do a live show, doing “Rent” would be just fun.
Would you want to be Maureen?
Oh, yeah. Yes, I’d want to be Maureen. [laughs]
I mean, anything Kander and Ebb. “Chicago,” “Cabaret.” For any Jewish comedian who can sing, I mean “Funny Girl” is kind of the ultimate, right?
As a big musical theater fan, do you have a go-to underrated show that, if someone was really digging deeper, you would point them toward?
For comedy, “Gutenberg! the Musical.” That soundtrack is amazing. It’s just such a great example of comedy musical theater that should be mentioned more. And “Light in the Piazza” is just brilliant. I love “Whatever I Dream” from “A New Brain.” Michael John Lachiusa’s “The Wild Party,” which I actually directed in college, is one of the most underrated musical theater scores. The way the genre changes as the show gets darker, it’s absolutely brilliant.
There’s another musical he wrote called “Hello Again.” The song “Tom” from Hello Again is just one of the greatest songs ever written in musical theater. “Tom,” “Safe,” and “Mistress of the Senator,” every song on “Hello Again” is a winner and I feel like no one ever talks about it.
Obviously, you have a deep love of musical theater and now have people asking for the sheet music to use for audition songs in the future. That has to be an exciting feeling.
Oh, it’s so exciting. If you could be in on all the emails! I am bugging people constantly because I want the musical theater kids out there to have sheet music and karaoke tracks! So everything that the fans ask, chances are I’ve already asked about 6,000 times. It’s really exciting for me to interact with fans because fans of the show are people that I would want to be friends with. This is a show that I would watch.
[Editor’s Note: IndieWire’s Consider This campaign is an ongoing series meant to raise awareness for Emmy contenders our editorial staff and readership find compelling, fascinating and deserving. Running throughout awards season, Consider This contenders may be underdogs, frontrunners or somewhere in between. More importantly, they’re making damn good television we all should be watching, whether they’re nominated or not.]
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Related storiesTV Creators Agree the State of Lgbtq Characters is Slowly But Surely ImprovingDaily Reads: The Genius of 'Girls' Lies in Its Unlikeable Characters, How 'Crazy Ex-Girlfriend' Brought the Asian Bro to TV, and MoreDoes the CW Have a Season Two Problem?...
Such are the sheer, nothing-else-like-it delights of “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” the newest jewel in the CW crown. At the show’s center is Rachel Bloom, who in addition to being the show’s star and co-creator (alongside “The Devil Wears Prada” scribe Aline Brosh McKenna) is also one of “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’s” biggest fans.
When we spoke to Bloom, the talk kept turning toward the cast and crew that helps color this crazy, lovable slice of the TV landscape. From the writing staff to the songwriting team headlined by executive music producer Adam Schlesinger, she spoke about how it takes a village to raise a child (that occasionally sings therapeutic boy band parodies).
It seems like a nice added bonus that the people you’ve cast in these central roles get to have their featured moments. If you want them to grow, you can give them their own songs.
A lot of other people on our show, they’re Broadway people — they’re singers by trade. With the roles of Josh and Greg, we weren’t even necessarily looking for people who could sing. We were looking for the best actors. In the breakdowns, we were putting things like, “sing, rap, play guitar — we’ll write to your strengths.” Not in our wildest dreams could we have realized the kind of Renaissance men that we cast in both Santino and Vince — I mean, God, Vince has like three black belts.
Pete is a comedy/improv/sketch guy and would not consider himself a singer, but he has a really good voice. And he’s really in touch with his body. Vella is the same way. She’s a fantastic actress. She went to Juilliard, and I think with her training and with her natural abilities, she has the command over her voice. And so that was a really pleasant surprise for us when we realized, “Oh, we don’t have to Auto-Tune these people.”
It’s great that they’re all different kinds of voice types on this show, because you have Vince with more of a pop sound, you have Santino with the classic sound, you have Donna with the big Broadway belt, you have Pete with this twang, and then you have Vella with this like rock and roll thing that we’re so excited to write more for her. She sang at our cast party, we had a karaoke machine and she sang TLC’s “Waterfalls…”
Oh my God.
And it was so good! And Adam [Schlesinger] and I were watching her, and I was like, “We gotta write a ’90s song for Vella” and he was like, “Absolutely.” It was kind of like she was auditioning for us — except she was drunk and didn’t realize she was — and we never cease to be amazed and surprised with the talents of the actors we have on the show. It’s not what you hear about working with TV actors sometimes, where they’re afraid to be brave or they’re snobby or they’ll only film from 1 to 4:30 and then they’ll be in their trailer. We have such grateful theater people.
And people like Pete still get non-singing moments like “Having a Few People Over,” which probably wouldn’t exist if you were working with a shorter runtime.
Precisely. I really like that now, in any given episode, a lot of the time the second song is another character. And it’s about the B-story. That makes me really happy. I think that some of the most impactful storylines we’ve done come from exploring things like Darryl and [White] Josh. It’s funny because now they’re everyone else’s favorite couple, and I’m kind of like “They were my favorite couple first!” I was on set for their first kiss. I got to sit on set, and I was like, “Done! They’re my favorite couple, they’re the ones I root for. Don’t give a fuck about anyone else.” Next season we’re going to deal with them more.
One of my favorite moments was when you brought back the grocery clerk at the end of the season.
This is actually pretty great. We were writing the song “I Have Friends” and I had a rough draft written and I was brainstorming with Aline, our other executive producer, Erin Ehrlich, and our co-executive producer Michael Hitchcock. “I Have Friends” is all about those fun specifics, like “a janitor that lives in an Rv behind the school.” And Hitchcock just busted out “grocery clerk with half an eyelid,” and I was like, “Done. Yes.” There was something so B-52’s about it and when I think of B-52’s I think of this kind of like nasal voice, which made me think of my friend Ben, who I did stuff at Ucb with and was also on an improv team with our writer’s assistant Elisabeth [Kiernan Averick]. Before he even auditioned or knew we were thinking of him, we just started writing the lines in his voice. We had such a great deleted scene from Episode 3 of him and Pete just going on an improv run. It was one of the funniest things to watch all season, and hopefully we’ll release it on a DVD extra.
When you’re shooting scenes, it’s easy to toss lines in. Is there a lyric or musical moment that came kind of at the last minute?
For “Sexy Getting Ready Song,” the lyric “whisper your dick hard” originally was something else. We were in the recording studio, and Jack, who produced the song, was directing me and he was just like “Okay, this next take, I want you to whisper someone’s dick hard,” and I was like, “Jack! That’s a lyric!”
CBS hasn’t gotten into the live musical game yet. But if they do, is there a particular show that you’d like for them to do?
Well, I’m pretty indie musical theatre. So if they did anything Sondheim, if they did a live version of “Assassins” or “Company”? God, if you’re gonna do a live show, doing “Rent” would be just fun.
Would you want to be Maureen?
Oh, yeah. Yes, I’d want to be Maureen. [laughs]
I mean, anything Kander and Ebb. “Chicago,” “Cabaret.” For any Jewish comedian who can sing, I mean “Funny Girl” is kind of the ultimate, right?
As a big musical theater fan, do you have a go-to underrated show that, if someone was really digging deeper, you would point them toward?
For comedy, “Gutenberg! the Musical.” That soundtrack is amazing. It’s just such a great example of comedy musical theater that should be mentioned more. And “Light in the Piazza” is just brilliant. I love “Whatever I Dream” from “A New Brain.” Michael John Lachiusa’s “The Wild Party,” which I actually directed in college, is one of the most underrated musical theater scores. The way the genre changes as the show gets darker, it’s absolutely brilliant.
There’s another musical he wrote called “Hello Again.” The song “Tom” from Hello Again is just one of the greatest songs ever written in musical theater. “Tom,” “Safe,” and “Mistress of the Senator,” every song on “Hello Again” is a winner and I feel like no one ever talks about it.
Obviously, you have a deep love of musical theater and now have people asking for the sheet music to use for audition songs in the future. That has to be an exciting feeling.
Oh, it’s so exciting. If you could be in on all the emails! I am bugging people constantly because I want the musical theater kids out there to have sheet music and karaoke tracks! So everything that the fans ask, chances are I’ve already asked about 6,000 times. It’s really exciting for me to interact with fans because fans of the show are people that I would want to be friends with. This is a show that I would watch.
[Editor’s Note: IndieWire’s Consider This campaign is an ongoing series meant to raise awareness for Emmy contenders our editorial staff and readership find compelling, fascinating and deserving. Running throughout awards season, Consider This contenders may be underdogs, frontrunners or somewhere in between. More importantly, they’re making damn good television we all should be watching, whether they’re nominated or not.]
Stay on top of the latest TV news! Sign up for our TV email newsletter here.
Related storiesTV Creators Agree the State of Lgbtq Characters is Slowly But Surely ImprovingDaily Reads: The Genius of 'Girls' Lies in Its Unlikeable Characters, How 'Crazy Ex-Girlfriend' Brought the Asian Bro to TV, and MoreDoes the CW Have a Season Two Problem?...
- 6/13/2016
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
MasterVoices raised more than 220,000 to fund the company's Artistic and Education Programs at its 2016 Spring Benefit which featured Dido and Aeneas by Henry Purcell and Nahum Tate starring Kelli O'Hara, Victoria Clark, Elliot Madore, Anna Christy, and Sarah Mesko, with a World Premiere prologue by Michael John Lachiusa, directed and choreographed by Doug Varone, and conducted by Ted Sperling at Le Parker Meridien and New York City Center on April 28, 2016. BroadwayWorld brings you look inside the big night below...
- 5/5/2016
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Victoria Clark, Michael John Lachiusa, Chuck Cooper & More Set for Symphony Space's Spring 2016 Gala
Symphony Space will honor philanthropists Ted and Mary Jo Shen at their 2016 Spring Gala on May 9th. Hosted by James Naughton, the evening will feature performances by Victoria Clark, Lilli Cooper, Chuck Cooper, Ricky Ian Gordon, Michael John Lachiusa, Ted Sperling, Katie Thompson and many others. Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director at The Public Theater, will present the award to the Shens.
- 5/4/2016
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Today in 2000, The Wild Party opened at the Virginia Theatre now the August Wilson Theatre, where it ran for 68 performances. The Wild Party is a musical with a book by Michael John Lachiusa and George C. Wolfe and music and lyrics by Lachiusa. It is based on the 1928 Joseph Moncure March narrative poem of the same name. The Broadway production coincidentally opened during the same theatrical season 1999-2000 as an off-Broadway musical with the same title and source material. Its plot centers on a party - fueled by bathtub gin, cocaine, and uninhibited sexual behavior - hosted by Queenie and Burrs, whose relationship is disintegrating. The cast included Toni Collette making her Broadway debut as Queenie, Mandy Patinkin as Burrs, and Yancey Arias as Black.
- 4/13/2016
- by Stage Tube
- BroadwayWorld.com
The Old Globe welcomes Globe Artistic Director Barry Edelstein, making his musical directing debut with Rain, a sumptuous world premiere musical by one of the most significant teams working in theatre today composer and lyricist Michael John Lachiusa and book writer Sybille Pearson. Based on the short story by Somerset Maugham, Rain will play now through May 1, 2016 on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the Old Globe Theatre, part of theConrad Prebys Theatre Center. BroadwayWorld has a first look at Eden Espinosaand the company in action below...
- 4/8/2016
- by Stage Tube
- BroadwayWorld.com
The Old Globe welcomes Globe Artistic Director Barry Edelstein, making his musical directing debut with Rain, a sumptuous world premiere musical by one of the most significant teams working in theatre today composer and lyricist Michael John Lachiusa and book writer Sybille Pearson.Based on the short story by Somerset Maugham, Rain will play now through May 1, 2016 on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the Old Globe Theatre, part of the Conrad Prebys Theatre Center. Opening night is this Friday, April 1. BroadwayWorld has a first look at Eden Espinosa and the company in action below...
- 3/30/2016
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
The Old Globe welcomes Globe Artistic Director Barry Edelstein, making his musical directing debut with Rain, a sumptuous world premiere musical by one of the most significant teams working in theatre today composer and lyricist Michael John Lachiusa The Wild Party, Giant and book writer Sybille Pearson Giant. Based on the short story by Somerset Maugham, Rain will play tonight, March 24, through May 1, 2016 on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the Old Globe Theatre, part of the Conrad Prebys Theatre Center. Opening night is Friday, April 1 at 800 p.m. BroadwayWorld has a sneak peek at the stars in character, plus the full company, below...
- 3/24/2016
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
The Old Globe welcomes Globe Artistic Director Barry Edelstein, making his musical directing debut with Rain, a sumptuous world premiere musical by one of the most significant teams working in theatre today composer and lyricist Michael John Lachiusa and book writer Sybille Pearson. Below, BroadwayWorld presents a first listen to the tune 'Sunshine' from the new musical, sung by star Eden Espinosa...
- 3/18/2016
- by Stage Tube
- BroadwayWorld.com
The Old Globe welcomes Globe Artistic Director Barry Edelstein, making his musical directing debut with Rain, a sumptuous world premiere musical by one of the most significant teams working in theatre today composer and lyricist Michael John Lachiusa The Wild Party, Giant and book writer Sybille Pearson Giant. Based on the short story by Somerset Maugham, Rain will play March 24 - May 1, 2016 on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the Old Globe Theatre, part of the Conrad Prebys Theatre Center. Previews run March 24 - 31. Opening night is Friday, April 1 at 800 p.m. BroadwayWorld has a sneak peek at the stars in character, plus the full company, below...
- 2/29/2016
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Happy Birthday, Graciela Daniele As a performer, Daniele made her Broadway debut in What Makes Sammy Run in 1964. She studied with Martha Graham and Merce Cunningham while working with such luminaries as Bob Fosse, Agnes de Mille, and Michael Bennett, who hired her to assist him with Follies in 1971. Her first credit as a full-fledged choreographer was the 1979 revival of The Most Happy Fella. She has directed andor choreographed several musicals of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, including, most recently, The Glorious Ones 2007 and Dessa Rose 2005 at the Off-Broadway Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater at Lincoln Center. She has directed andor choreographed several musicals of Michael John Lachiusa Off-Broadway, most recently Bernarda Alba 2006 and Little Fish 2003.
- 12/8/2015
- by Stage Tube
- BroadwayWorld.com
Tony, Grammy, and Emmy Award-winner Audra McDonald is currently shooting a film adaptation of “Hello Again,” based an Off Broadway musical by composer Michael John Lachiusa, TheWrap has learned. McDonald is joined by Emmy winner Martha Plimpton, former “Grey’s Anatomy” star T.R. Knight, Rumer Willis (“Sorority Row”) and “Glee”‘s Jenna Ushkowitz in the film, directed by Tom Gustafson (“Were the World Mine”). The musical was originally staged in 1994 by Lincoln Center Theatre, where it earned eight Drama Desk nominations. It’s since been performed in numerous languages by companies around the world. Also Read: 'Grease: Live' First Teaser Sees Julianne Hough,...
- 12/2/2015
- by Matt Donnelly
- The Wrap
The cast is set for Hello Again, an indie feature adaptation of Michael John Lachiusa’s 1994 chamber musical. Audra McDonald, Martha Plimpton, T.R. Knight, Rumer Willis, Jenna Ushkowitz, Nolan Gerard Funk, Sam Underwood, Tyler Blackburn and Al Calderon will star in the pic for director Tom Gustafson. Cory Krueckeberg wrote the screenplay, with music and lyrics by Lachiusa. The logline: Hello Again follows 10 lost souls who skip across 10 periods in New York…...
- 12/1/2015
- Deadline
The Public Theater is presentingFirst Daughter Suite, a world premiere musical by Michael John Lachiusa. Directed by Kirsten Sanderson, First Daughter Suitebegan previews on Tuesday, October 6 and was originally scheduled to close on Sunday, November 15. It will now run an additional week through Sunday, November 22. Ghostlight Records recently recorded the original cast recording ofFirst Daughter Suite to be released later this season.Below, watch as Barbara Walsh Performs 'Happy Pat.'...
- 11/3/2015
- by Stage Tube
- BroadwayWorld.com
The Public Theater has announced a one-week extension for the critically acclaimed First Daughter Suite, a world premiere musical by Michael John Lachiusa, BroadwayWorld has confirmed. Directed by Kirsten Sanderson, First Daughter Suite began previews on Tuesday, October 6 and was originally scheduled to close on Sunday, November 15. It will now run an additional week through Sunday, November 22. Ghostlight Records recently recorded the original cast recording of First Daughter Suite to be released later this season.
- 10/30/2015
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
From Tony nominee Michael John Lachiusa comes a musical fantasia about mothers, daughters and the surprising discoveries we make about one another as we grow. Directed by Kirstin Sanderson and inspired by four pivotal moments of the presidency, First Daughter Suite imagines the secret lives of Pat Nixon and daughters Tricia and Julie, Rosalynn and Amy Carter, Betty and Susan Ford, Patti Davis and mom Nancy Reagan, and Barbara Bush and daughter-in-law Laura as they navigate complex private relationships while living in the public eye.
- 10/23/2015
- by Contests - Broadway
- BroadwayWorld.com
Like the M34 bus, Michael John Lachiusa never disappoints for long: If you don’t enjoy one show, another will come by soon. At 53, he remains probably the most prolific of his cohort of theater composers, also writing his own lyrics and often his own books. In addition to his operas and song cycles and out-of-town experiments, eleven of his musicals have received full-scale New York productions, starting with First Lady Suite, at the Public, in 1993. By my taste buds, the results are delicious about half the time: I’m a fan of Hello Again, The Wild Party, and See What I Wanna See, among others. But even when I haven’t warmed to his work I’ve admired it; his intent is never less than to use the full resources of the genre, and his own questing musical voice, to explore serious themes. If the execution is sometimes unconvincing,...
- 10/22/2015
- by Jesse Green
- Vulture
The Public Theater follows its “Hamilton” success with another look at American politics at the highest level, Michael John Lachiusa’s new musical, “First Daughter Suite,” which opened Wednesday. The big difference is that “Suite” is much more contemporary and female; in fact, every character on stage is a woman, and every one of them (except for a maid played by Isabel Santiago) is the wife or daughter of a U.S. president. There’s drama in the White House, and Lachiusa offers four very different scenarios that bring together the distaff side of the Nixons, the Carters, the Fords,...
- 10/22/2015
- by Robert Hofler
- The Wrap
Saturday nights are no longer for going out - The X Factor is finally returning to our small screens this weekend with new hosts, a fresh judging panel and a fair few format shake-ups.
But whatever happened to the finalists of the first ever series - "barking bloody mad" Rowetta Satchell, red-haired wannabe rocker Tabby Callaghan, cheesy best friend duo 2 to Go and eventual winner Steve Brookstein?
Roberta Howett
Roberta Howett went from unhappy telecommunications worker to Louis Walsh's Dublin darling after her successful X Factor audition. But perhaps it was the curse of the Walsh that resulted in her early exit from the series when she became the first act to be eliminated.
Now 33, Roberta appeared on the debut album of Spanish composer Toni Castells in 2007. She finally released her debut album in 2010, its lead single 'Beautiful Lies' became her first Top 40 single in the Irish Singles Chart,...
But whatever happened to the finalists of the first ever series - "barking bloody mad" Rowetta Satchell, red-haired wannabe rocker Tabby Callaghan, cheesy best friend duo 2 to Go and eventual winner Steve Brookstein?
Roberta Howett
Roberta Howett went from unhappy telecommunications worker to Louis Walsh's Dublin darling after her successful X Factor audition. But perhaps it was the curse of the Walsh that resulted in her early exit from the series when she became the first act to be eliminated.
Now 33, Roberta appeared on the debut album of Spanish composer Toni Castells in 2007. She finally released her debut album in 2010, its lead single 'Beautiful Lies' became her first Top 40 single in the Irish Singles Chart,...
- 8/28/2015
- Digital Spy
Are you Team Lippa or Team Lachiusa? For theater types, the dueling musicals of The Wild Party — one by Andrew Lippa, one by Michael John Lachiusa, both somehow given their premieres in the spring of 2000 — provide an opportunity for personal branding and group identification that others may get from, say, The Hunger Games. Both derive from Joseph Moncure March’s seedy Jazz Age narrative poem about a gin-soaked debauch chez Queenie and Burrs, a vaudeville siren and her abusive lover. Both musicals use (to varying degrees) vaudeville itself as a framing device and a metaphor for the disjointed, sensation-oriented experiences that pass for their characters’ lives. And both musicals flopped, Lippa’s off Broadway and Lachiusa’s on, despite stellar casts and scores memorable enough to become quick cult items when recorded. But in almost every other way the two parties are entirely different, and for me the sensational mounting...
- 7/16/2015
- by Jesse Green
- Vulture
The Tony Awards Administration Committee has announced that John Cameron Mitchell will receive the 2015 Special Tony Award. John's return to 'Hedwig and the Angry Inch' is one for the history books. He not only wrote and co-created the role with Stephen Trask - before directing and starring in the film - but returned to Broadway to star as Hedwig this season after a series of rave performances by Neil Patrick Harris, Andrew Rannells and Michael C. Hall. This is a remarkable undertaking, and we are honored to recognize his outstanding success with this honor, Heather Hitchens, President of the American Theatre Wing, and Charlotte St. Martin, Executive Director of The Broadway League, said. John Cameron Mitchell's New York stage appearances included Broadway's Big River, and the original casts of The Secret Garden Drama Desk nomination and Six Degrees of Separation. Off-Broadway Larry Kramer's The Destiny of...
- 4/27/2015
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Today in 2000, The Wild Party opened at the Virginia Theatre now the August Wilson Theatre, where it ran for 68 performances. The Wild Party is a musical with a book by Michael John Lachiusa and George C. Wolfe and music and lyrics by Lachiusa. It is based on the 1928 Joseph Moncure March narrative poem of the same name. The Broadway production coincidentally opened during the same theatrical season 1999-2000 as an off-Broadway musical with the same title and source material. Its plot centers on a party - fueled by bathtub gin, cocaine, and uninhibited sexual behavior - hosted by Queenie and Burrs, whose relationship is disintegrating. The cast included Toni Collette making her Broadway debut as Queenie, Mandy Patinkin as Burrs, and Yancey Arias as Black.
- 4/13/2015
- by Stage Tube
- BroadwayWorld.com
Today we are talking to an instantly recognizable stage stalwart who has lit up Broadway and beyond for more than three decades since her debut in William Finn's In Trousers - the one and only Mary Testa. Discussing all aspects of her exemplary new album created in collaboration with acclaimed orchestrator Michael Starobin, Have Faith, Testa imparts the impetus behind the concept album and outlines what motivated the wildly eclectic song choices included on the release - ranging from the Beach Boys, Prince and Aerosmith to Michael John Lachiusa, William Finn, Jill Sobule and many more. Furthermore, Testa eloquently describes the fascinating and compelling theme upon which the album is based - the journey of a soul through life ostensibly a search for faith - and relates the sonic experience to her own spiritual pursuits. Additionally, Testa clues us in on what we can expect from her upcoming promotional...
- 1/2/2015
- by Pat Cerasaro
- BroadwayWorld.com
Happy Birthday, Graciela Daniele As a performer, Daniele made her Broadway debut in What Makes Sammy Run in 1964. She studied with Martha Graham and Merce Cunningham while working with such luminaries as Bob Fosse, Agnes de Mille, and Michael Bennett, who hired her to assist him with Follies in 1971. Her first credit as a full-fledged choreographer was the 1979 revival of The Most Happy Fella. She has directed andor choreographed several musicals of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, including, most recently, The Glorious Ones 2007 and Dessa Rose 2005 at the Off-Broadway Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater at Lincoln Center. She has directed andor choreographed several musicals of Michael John Lachiusa Off-Broadway, most recently Bernarda Alba 2006 and Little Fish 2003.
- 12/8/2014
- by Stage Tube
- BroadwayWorld.com
Having seen Mary Testa in a cabaret concert in Houston, I feel I had an idea of what to expect from her and Michael Starobin's album Have Faith. While I expected it to be eccentrically eclectic and haunting, nothing could have prepared me for how it was beautifully hypnotizing and simultaneously so unlike anything I've ever heard before. The unique album utilizes well-known pop songs hits from The Beach Boys to Alanis Morissette and songs written by William Finn and Michael John Lachiusa to explore thoughts on faith and doubt in ways that are equally alluring and unexpected.
- 12/8/2014
- by David Clarke
- BroadwayWorld.com
There are two upcoming movie musicals that, for a long time, I've wanted to make into motion pictures, should someone with money be willing to give me the funds to make them -- Into The Woods and The Last 5 Years. I'm both nervous and excited to see how directors Rob Marshall and Richard Lagravenese, respectfully, have interpreted the material I hold so close to my heart. I am especially nervous for Into The Woods, given Marshall's less than impressive track record. If someone is going to screw up something I cherish, it should be me. Of course, there are far more than two musicals I have a deep connection to. Some have already been made into films, like Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and Les Miserables, but there is a vast collection of musicals I have thought could make fantastic films, but have never been made.
- 10/20/2014
- by Mike Shutt
- Rope of Silicon
All the news stories we didn't get to and/or articles we like with a wee slant toward the stage this morning... itching to see a show again.
Guardian on the homophobic charges against the MPAA. That über obnoxious organization has struck again. Pride is the second gay movie this year without sex scenes or nudity to be slapped with an R rating.
/Film The Twilight Saga may well be back after some short films. When I first heard this news I groaned and rolled my eyes but then I read the plan and it's sort of a support young female filmmakers thing so it sounds kind of cool, actually. Pit that Twilight is so obnoxious
The Playlist ranks all 35 of David Fincher's music videos. I used to be so obsessed with him because of Madonna. It's possible that I already linked this? I don't know. But their rankings are fairly good.
Guardian on the homophobic charges against the MPAA. That über obnoxious organization has struck again. Pride is the second gay movie this year without sex scenes or nudity to be slapped with an R rating.
/Film The Twilight Saga may well be back after some short films. When I first heard this news I groaned and rolled my eyes but then I read the plan and it's sort of a support young female filmmakers thing so it sounds kind of cool, actually. Pit that Twilight is so obnoxious
The Playlist ranks all 35 of David Fincher's music videos. I used to be so obsessed with him because of Madonna. It's possible that I already linked this? I don't know. But their rankings are fairly good.
- 10/3/2014
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Tonight, September 29 8 pm, Symphony Space will present Sundance...Sings, spotlighting songs from groundbreaking shows developed with support from the Sundance Institute Theatre Program, sung by a stellar cast. Christine Ebersole, Ann Harada, Annie Golden, Joshua Henry, and fourteen other notables will take the stage at the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre in selections from the Broadway oeuvre of Stew Heidi Rodewald, Scott Frankel, Adam Guettel, Lisa Kron, Michael John Lachiusa, Bill Finn, Steven Lutvak, Duncan Sheik, and others.
- 9/29/2014
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
• Boardwalk Empire actor Jack Huston will take the chariot reins as the title role in the upcoming remake of Ben-Hur. Previously, Tom Hiddleston had been in talks for the role of slave Judah Ben-Hur in the Paramount and MGM picture. Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted) is directing the film adapted by John Ridley (12 Years a Slave) and Keith Clarke (The Way Back) that is said to be based more on Lew Wallace’s 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ than the 1959 film that starred Charlton Heston. Morgan Freeman has already been cast as Ildarin, the teacher who helps make the slave Ben-Hur into chariot racer champion.
- 9/18/2014
- by Jake Perlman
- EW - Inside Movies
On Monday, September 29 8 pm, Symphony Space will present SundanceSings, spotlighting songs from groundbreaking shows developed with support from the Sundance Institute Theatre Program, sung by a stellar cast. Christine Ebersole, Ann Harada, Annie Golden, Joshua Henry, and fourteen other notables will take the stage at the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre in selections from the Broadway oeuvre of Stew Heidi Rodewald, Scott Frankel, Adam Guettel, Lisa Kron, Michael John Lachiusa, Bill Finn, Steven Lutvak, Duncan Sheik, and others.
- 9/9/2014
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
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