“I think it’s just the stark reality of all the things that happened to this one person and the level of clearheaded determination she had,” shares Nikki M. James of what surprised her the most about Ida B. Wells, the suffragist she portrays in the new musical “Suffs” on Broadway. An early version of the musical by writer and composer Shaina Taub described the civil rights icon as “unflinching,” which the actress says is the “perfect word” for Wells. In addition to her “huge hutzpah,” the Tony Award winner admires how she balanced “all of her unbelievable work” with motherhood, which is something she herself is doing now, opening a new musical in New York while raising an 18-month-old child. “I just am in total awe of her and it’s a connection I think we share,” she adds. Watch our exclusive video interview above.
James’ journey with “Suffs...
James’ journey with “Suffs...
- 4/23/2024
- by David Buchanan
- Gold Derby
The 2016 Tony Awards were something of a rout: With its 11 wins, Hamilton was the only new musical to take home any trophies at all. But it wasn’t the only Broadway smash of the season. Waitress, the smaller-scale, utterly lovely adaptation of writer-director Adrienne Shelly’s 2007 film, ran for nearly four years, finally closing in January 2020.
Like Hamilton, Waitress’s composer-lyricist would come to also star in the production: Singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles appeared for three short stints in the lead role, causing the box office to surge each time. When theaters reopened, so, too, did Waitress, in a limited remounting in late 2021, designed in part to allow the cameras to capture Bareilles’s performance. This film was no doubt inspired by the artistic and commercial success of Hamilton’s “pro-shot,” as official films of stage performances have come to be known in the theater community.
As a film, this pro-shot...
Like Hamilton, Waitress’s composer-lyricist would come to also star in the production: Singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles appeared for three short stints in the lead role, causing the box office to surge each time. When theaters reopened, so, too, did Waitress, in a limited remounting in late 2021, designed in part to allow the cameras to capture Bareilles’s performance. This film was no doubt inspired by the artistic and commercial success of Hamilton’s “pro-shot,” as official films of stage performances have come to be known in the theater community.
As a film, this pro-shot...
- 12/3/2023
- by Dan Rubins
- Slant Magazine
"When there's a whisk, there's a way." Bleecker Street has revealed an official trailer for the film version of the hit Broadway show Waitress: The Musical, which is coming to movie theaters nationwide in early December. Based on the 2007 movie written by Adrienne Shelly (and starring Keri Russell), the Waitress musical was one of the longest-running shows in recent Broadway history, playing a total of more than 1500 performances at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. It first opened in Broadway in 2016. The show returned for a limited engagement at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre to celebrate Broadway's re-opening in the fall of 2021. The Broadway show stars Sara Bareilles (who also wrote the music & lyrics) as Jenna, who's joined by Drew Gehling, Charity Dawson, Dakin Matthews, Christopher Fitzgerald, Eric Anderson, and Anastacia McCleskey. Jenna is a pregnant, unhappily married small-town pie baker with big dreams. She meets a newcomer to her town and falls...
- 10/19/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Boop! The Betty Boop Musical will have its world premiere production in Chicago at the end of the year and full casting has been announced!
Newcomer Jasmine Amy Rogers is taking on the lead role of Betty Boop.
“Those are huge shoes to fill, but I’m in such a great company. I have so many people around me that are helping me find her and bring her to life, and so it’s really, really exciting,” she told the Associated Press.
Tony winner Faith Prince, Madam Secretary actor Erich Bergen, Aladdin‘s Ainsley Melham, Boardwalk Empire‘s Stephen DeRosa, and Waitress actress Anastacia McCleskey round out the lead cast for the upcoming pre-Broadway run.
The music for the show was written by 16-time Grammy-winning composer David Foster and Tony-nominated lyricist Susan Birkenhead. The show features a book by Tony-winning writer Bob Martin, best known for The Drowsy Chaperone and The Prom.
Newcomer Jasmine Amy Rogers is taking on the lead role of Betty Boop.
“Those are huge shoes to fill, but I’m in such a great company. I have so many people around me that are helping me find her and bring her to life, and so it’s really, really exciting,” she told the Associated Press.
Tony winner Faith Prince, Madam Secretary actor Erich Bergen, Aladdin‘s Ainsley Melham, Boardwalk Empire‘s Stephen DeRosa, and Waitress actress Anastacia McCleskey round out the lead cast for the upcoming pre-Broadway run.
The music for the show was written by 16-time Grammy-winning composer David Foster and Tony-nominated lyricist Susan Birkenhead. The show features a book by Tony-winning writer Bob Martin, best known for The Drowsy Chaperone and The Prom.
- 9/28/2023
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
Sara Bareilles won’t be the only Waitress cast member with prior stage-diner experience when the musical reopens on Broadway in September: Producers announced today that Waitress vets Drew Gehling, Eric Anderson, Charity Angel Dawson, Christopher Fitzgerald, Caitlin Houlahan, Dakin Matthews and Joe Tippett will be back for at least part of the show’s limited engagement.
Producers Barry and Fran Weissler previously announced that Bareilles, the actress and the musical’s composer, will take the title role for a limited run at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre from September 2 through October 17. The production will continue without Bareilles until January 9, 2022.
Exactly how long the other cast members will stay with the engagement wasn’t specified, but given their busy careers and other Broadway commitments, limited stays are more than likely. Fitzgerald, who will play Ogie, is expected to return to Broadway’s Company this fall, and Matthews, cast as Joe, plays...
Producers Barry and Fran Weissler previously announced that Bareilles, the actress and the musical’s composer, will take the title role for a limited run at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre from September 2 through October 17. The production will continue without Bareilles until January 9, 2022.
Exactly how long the other cast members will stay with the engagement wasn’t specified, but given their busy careers and other Broadway commitments, limited stays are more than likely. Fitzgerald, who will play Ogie, is expected to return to Broadway’s Company this fall, and Matthews, cast as Joe, plays...
- 8/3/2021
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
This week's performers included Chicago Donna Marie Asbury, David Bushman, Jessica Ernest, Terra C. MacLeod, Barrett Martin, Katie Mitchell, Drew Nellessen, Beth Johnson Nicely, Brian O'Brien, Jermaine Rembert, and Michael Scirrotto, SpongeBob SquarePants Danny Skinner, Jesse Jp Johnson, Brian Ray Norris, and Jai'Len Christine Li Josey, Stomp Alan Asuncion, Ivan Salazar, John Gavin, Josh Cruz, Kayla Cowart, Marivaldo Dos Santos, Simeon Weedall, and Taylor Lee, and Waitress Katharine McPhee, Erich Bergen, Anastacia McCleskey, Brandon Kalm, Kayla Davion, Law Dunford, Molly Jobe, Tiffany Hobbs, and Tyrone Davis.
- 7/13/2018
- by Genevieve Rafter Keddy
- BroadwayWorld.com
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