Nicole Rosky - Page 341

Welcome to our first edition of "Cutting-Edge Composers In the Studio" exclusively on Broadwayworld.com! Today, we are in the studio with Joe Iconis, and his collaborators Jason Sweettooth Williams and Lance Rubin. You can hear Joe discuss his inspiration for writing, his experience with SMASH, what it's like to work with the Joe Iconis Family, and his upcoming projects. These talented gentlemen also shared a live performance of the song "Outlaw" from their show Bloodsong of Love and a song from their new musical in progress entitled Annie Golden: Bounty Hunter, Yo! Joe sent us this synopsis for his latest creative endeavor: What if musical theater legend Annie Golden starred in a show as a bad-ass action hero?' That was the idea that led to this musical, Annie Golden: Bounty Hunter, Yo, which uses the conventions---both theatrical and musical---of 70's blaxploitation films to tell the story of a widowed down-on-her-luck theatre actress who becomes a bounty hunter and goes on a journey of self-discovery and serious ass-kicking.

Happy Birthday, Charles Strouse! Strouse's first Broadway musical was the 1960 hit Bye Bye Birdie, with lyrics by Lee Adams, who would become his long time collaborator. Following this was Golden Boy (1964, also with Adams), starring Sammy Davis, Jr. and It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman (1966, based on the popular comic strip) which introduced the song 'You've Got Possibilities' sung by Linda Lavin. In 1970, Applause (starring Lauren Bacall, with book by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and lyrics by Adams) won Strouse his second Tony Award. In 1977, Strouse adapted another comic strip for the stage, creating the hit Annie, which garnered him his third Tony Award and two Grammy Awards. Other Strouse musicals include Charlie and Algernon (1979), Dance a Little Closer (1983, with lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner), Rags (1986), Nick & Nora (1993), and An American Tragedy (1995, with lyrics by David Shaber).

The 2013 Tony Awards are just days away and the best of Broadway has been hard at work this week at Radio City Music Hall to prepare for the ceremony. BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge was invited for a sneak peek at the venue, where he got to chat with nominee Patina Miller and host Neil Patrick Harris about readying for the big night. Check out what they had to say below!

Kinky Boots opened on Broadway at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre on April 4, 2013. In Kinky Boots, Charlie Price (Tony Award nominee Stark Sands) has suddenly inherited his father's shoe factory, which is on the verge of bankruptcy. Trying to live up to his father's legacy and save his family business, Charlie finds inspiration in the form of Lola (Billy Porter). A fabulous entertainer in need of some sturdy stilettos, Lola turns out to be the one person who can help Charlie become the man he's meant to be. As they work to turn the factory around, this unlikely pair finds that they have more in common than they ever dreamed possible... and discovers that when you change your mind about someone, you can change your whole world. The cast visited 'The View' earlier today and you can check out their performance of 'The Sex is in the Heel' below!

Set to cast a spell over Australia, Glinda the Good Witch of the North, Kristin Chenoweth, comes south for her Australian debut in June at the 2013 Adelaide Cabaret Festival. Presented by Arts Centre Melbourne in association with Adelaide Cabaret Festival, Kristin Chenoweth will take to the stage at Arts Centre Melbourne's Hamer Hall at 8pm Wednesday 12 June as part of a national tour to Adelaide, Sydney and Brisbane. Kristin Chenoweth will enchant audiences at this once-in-a-lifetime concert traversing pop, opera and the Broadway classics that have made her a star. In the video below, Chenoweth stops by 'Sunrise' to chat about the concerts. Check it out below!

MCC Theater recently announced that Neil LaBute's new play, Reasons to Be Happy, also directed by LaBute, will now extend through Saturday, June 29th. In the video below, the cast and creative team chat about the play.

Theatre World Award Alumni Courtney B. Vance, Anika Noni Rose, Ben Vereen, Christine Lahti, Tony Sheldon, Lea Salonga, Isabel Keating, Phillip Boykin, Jessie Mueller, Jackie Hoffman, Wesley Taylor, Patricia Elliott, Meg Bussert, Crystal A. Dickinson, with special guestNathan Lane, all took part in the 69th Annual Theatre World Awards Ceremony last night, June 3, 2013 at the Music Box Theatre (239 West 45th Street), home of the current Broadway revival of Pippin. BroadwayWorld was there for the celebration and you can check out highlights and interviews with the honorees below!

Today in 1980, The Music Man opened at City Center, where it ran for 21 performances. The Music Man is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. The plot concerns con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys' band organizer and leader and sells band instruments and uniforms to naive townsfolk before skipping town with the cash. In 1957, the show became a hit on Broadway, winning five Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and running for 1,375 performances.

Happy Birthday, Mary Testa! Testa is a two-time Tony Award nominee, for performances in revivals of Leonard Bernstein's On the Town (1998) and 42nd Street (2001). She made her debut as Miss Goldberg in William Finn's one-act musical In Trousers (1979), part one of his 'Marvin Trilogy,' winning audiences over with her rendition of 'Set Those Sails' and 'I Am Wearing a Hat,' as well as 'The Rape of Miss Goldberg by Marvin.' She returned to Broadway in July, 2007 in the musical-theater remake of the 1980 film Xanadu for which she received a Drama Desk Award nomination.

Roger O. Hirson and Stephen Schwartz's beloved coming-of-age musical comedy PIPPIN returns to Broadway in an all new production directed by Diane Paulus featuring choreography by Chet Walker in the style of Bob Fosse and circus creation by Gypsy Snider of the Montreal-based circus company Les 7 doigts de la main (also known as 7 Fingers). In the video below, go behind the scenes of 'Glory' with the cast!

Tickets for the new Broadway musical Big Fish will go on sale to the general public onSunday, June 16 at Ticketmaster.com (866-870-2717). An exclusive two-week pre-sale for Audience Rewards members and partners launches on Monday, June 3, during which members can earn 2,000 bonus points when they purchase a ticket to Big Fish at AudienceRewards.com. Directed by five-time Tony Award winner Susan Stroman (Contact, The Producers, The Scottsboro Boys), with music and lyrics by Grammy and Tony Award nominee Andrew Lippa (The Wild Party, The Addams Family), and a book by Grammy and BAFTA Award nominee John August (Frankenweenie, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), Big Fish begins performances on Thursday, September 5, 2013 and will open Sunday, October 6, 2013 at the Neil Simon Theatre. Check out just-released highlights from the show below!

The Pasadena Playhouse, in association with David Shor Productions, presents SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE - THE MUSICAL. The world premiere presentation began May 24 and opened last night, June 2, 2013, at The Pasadena Playhouse.

In the video below,

Broadway actor/singer and Epic Records recording artist Morgan James(Motown: The Musical, Godspell, The Addams Family, her recent debut CD release 'Morgan James Live, a celebration of Nina Simone'), Tony Award winner Nikki M. James (The Book of Mormon), Tony Award nominee Judy Kuhn (Passion, Les Miserables, Chess, Rags, Sunset Boulevard, the upcoming album 'All This Happiness'), six-time Emmy Award-winner Bruce Vilanch (TV's 'Hollywood Squares,' Broadway's Hairspray) recently previewed their upcoming 54 Below shows. Check out a sneak peek of their angagements below!

Let's see what the critics had to say...

Today in 1975, Chicago opened at the 46th Street Theatre (now the Richard Rogers Theatre), where it ran for 936 performances. Chicago is a musical set in Prohibition-era Chicago, with music is by John Kander with lyrics by Fred Ebb and a book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. The story is a satire on corruption in the administration of criminal justice and the concept of the 'celebrity criminal'. The original cast starred Chita Rivera as Velma Kelly, Gwen Verdon as Roxie Hart, Jerry Orbach as Billy Flynn and Barney Martin as Amos Hart.

This week's featured composer is Benjamin Velez. Benjamin Velez is a composer/lyricist and recent Columbia University graduate where he studied film and wrote the 114th Annual Varsity Show. He is a member of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theater workshop where he was named the Jerry Harrington award winner for the 2nd year workshop. His work has been featured as part of AWOL's 8 Minute Musicals at NYMF, The Platform concert series, and in last year's NEO concert. He is currently workshopping his original musical Afterland with collaborator Kathryn Hathaway, and recently premiered the title song at Joe's Pub as part of the latest CEC concert. While originally from Miami, he is now happy to call New York home sweet home.

Examining the power struggle between two legendary monarchs, Mary Stuart offers a timely exploration of the often dangerous relationship between religion and politics. Directed by the Festival's Artistic Director, Antoni Cimolino, Friedrich Schiller's gripping historical drama, in a new version by Peter Oswald, begins previews on Friday, May 3, at the Tom Patterson Theatre. Check out highlights below!

Twenty years after its Broadway premiere, Tommy returns to the stage in a new production helmed by its co-creator and original director, Des McAnuff at the Stratford Festival. The spectacular musical that swept the Tony Awards in 1993 started previews on Saturday, May 4, at the Avon Theatre, and plays through October 19. Check out 'Pinball Wizard' and 'I'm Free' below!

Earlier this week, the cast of Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark, including Reeve Carney, Robert Cuccioli, Rebecca Faulkenberry, and Christina DeCicco celebrated the show's 1,000 performance on Broadway with special surprise guests. For the exciting event, creators Bono and the Edge visited to Foxwoods Theatre for the milestone performance, and BroadwayWorld brings you highlights from the festivities below!