BWW Morning Brief January 22th, 2018: THE HOMECOMING QUEEN and PARTY FACE Open Tonight, and More!

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Because we know all our readers eat, sleep and breathe Broadway, what could be better than waking up to it? Scroll down for the latest news, and click HERE to learn more about how we've revamped our morning brief for 2017! Want our morning reports delivered via email? Subscribe here!

1) VIDEO: Welcome to the Rock! Watch the Toronto Cast of COME FROM AWAY Perform the Opening Number for Canada's Hockey Day
by Stage Tube - January 21, 2018

Sportsnet has released a video of the Toronto cast of Come From Away performing the opening number 'Welcome to the Rock' in honor of Canada's Hockey Day, which takes place in Newfoundland this year.. (more...)

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2) Everybody Say Yeah! KINKY BOOTS Celebrates 2,000 Performances on Broadway
by BWW News Desk - January 21, 2018

The Tony Award-winning musical Kinky Boots celebrated 2,000 performances on Broadway at Saturday's matinee performance, January 20, 2018. Led by Scissor Sisters front-man Jake Shears as Charlie Price and J. Harrison Ghee as Lola, the matinee audience took part in a full-theater photograph to commemorate the show's milestone performance.. (more...)

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3) BWW Review: Split Britches Invites Audience Members To Join Their Council of Elders in UNEXPLODED ORDNANCES (UXO)
by Michael Dale - January 21, 2018

As the ground-breaking theatre troupe Split Britches - which they founded with former member Deb Margolin in 1980 - Peggy Shaw and Lois Weaver have been challenging both gender norms and theatrical norms for nearly four decades, ranking them among the respected elders of America's performance art movement.. (more...)

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4) Backstage with Richard Ridge: Keegan-Michael Key Talks Sketch Comedy, Shakespeare, Steve Martin and Beyond!
by Backstage With Richard Ridge - January 21, 2018

In just a year, he's gone from comedy icon, to Shakespearean player to bonafide Broadway star. And he's not done yet!. (more...)

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5) BWW's On This Day - January 21, 2018
by - January 21, 2018

Here are the Broadway, Off-Broadway and West End shows which opened on January 21 along with all of the upcoming show openings, closings and special events! . (more...)

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Today's Call Sheet:

- THE THING WITH FEATHERS opens tonight at The Barrow Group!

- Atlantic Theater Company's THE HOMECOMING QUEEN opens tonight!

- PARTY FACE officially opens tonight at City Center!

- Roundabout Underground reading series presents graveyard shift by Korde Arrington Tuttle tonight!

- Benefit concert WE GO HIGH: Singing Out For Reproductive Justice is at The Triad tonight!

- Johanna Day and Ed Asner-led THE SOAP MYTH reading tour kicks off today in Miami!

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BWW Exclusive: Check out our photos from Broadway's Big Hug Day in Times Square yesterday!

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What we're geeking out over: We got our first look at Bernadette Peters in HELLO, DOLLY! on Friday ahead of her first performance on Saturday!

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What we're watching: THE ASSASSINATION OF GIANNI VERSACE: AMERICAN CRIME STORY includes Broadway stars such as Darren Criss, Will Chase, Annaleigh Ashford, Judith Light, and more!

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Social Butterfly: BroadwayWorld brought you the winners for the SAG Awards live last night on Twitter! If you haven't yet, watch the ceremony and follow along with us here!

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And a Happy Birthday shout-out to Katie Finneran, who turns 47 today!

Katie Finneran played a "lovely but dim fashion model" in the original Broadway production of Neil Simon's Proposals in 1997-98, Sally Bowles in the 1998 Broadway revival of Cabaret (from November 21, 2000 to January 18, 2001), and call girl Cora in the 1999 Broadway revival of The Iceman Cometh. She also has appeared in My Favorite Year with Tim Curry and John Guare's Bosoms and Neglect and Smell of the Kill, with Kristen Johnson.

She won the Tony Award and the Drama Desk Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play in 2002 for her role as Brooke Ashton in the Broadway revival of Noises Off.

Finneran appeared Off-Broadway at the Laura Pels Theater in the Greg Kotis play Pig Farm, in the original opening cast as Tina. She also appeared in the original cast of Love, Loss, and What I Wore, which opened Off-Broadway at the Westside Theater in September 19, 2009 for a four-week engagement ending on October 18, 2009. Finneran returned to the show (after her initial four-week engagement) on November 18, 2009, to fill in for Kristen Chenoweth, and continued on in the play in the next four-week rotation as well (from December 14, 2009 to January 3, 2010). She appeared in the first Broadway revival of the musical Promises, Promises as Marge MacDougall, opposite Kristin Chenoweth and Sean Hayes. She won the 2010 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for this role.

Finneran originated the role of Miss Hannigan in the Broadway 2012 revival of the musical Annie. She left the role in May 2013 to pursue a TV pilot. Finneran returned to Broadway in 2015 to star in Terrence McNally's It's Only A Play as Julia Budder.

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See you bright and early tomorrow, BroadwayWorld!