Reviews are in for the new staging of Disney Theatrical Productions and Cameron Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins, which opened November 13 in the musical’s original West End home, the Prince Edward Theatre.
Zizi Strallen stars as the title nanny, having previously led an international tour; starring opposite her is Charlie Stemp (Hello, Dolly!) as Bert. The production is helmed by Richard Eyre, with co-direction and choreography by Matthew Bourne.
Rounding out the cast are Joseph Millson as George Banks, Petula Clark as the Bird Woman, Amy Griffiths as Winifred Banks, Claire Moore as Miss Andrew, Claire Machin as Mrs. Brill, Jack North as Robertson Ay, and Barry James as Bank Chairman and Admiral Boom.
Mary Poppins originally opened in the West End 14 years ago. The new production features co-choreography by Stephen Mear, set and costume designs by Bob Crowley, lighting design by Natasha Katz, sound design by Paul Gatehouse, and orchestrations by William David Brohn.
The stage production is co-created by Mackintosh and has a book by Oscar-winning screenwriter and Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes. The score by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman includes the classic songs “Jolly Holiday,” “Step in Time,” “Feed the Birds,” and “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” with new songs and additional music and lyrics by the Olivier award-winning team of George Stiles and Anthony Drewe.
The Olivier Award-winning, international sensation SLAVA’S SNOWSHOW returns to Broadway for a limited holiday engagement at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre 124 W 43rd St., NYC through January 5, 2020.
1833 Birthday of master actor Edwin Booth, a major interpreter of Shakespeare and brother to actor Junius Brutus Booth and presidential assassin John Wilkes Booth. Broadway’s Booth Theatre is named for him.
1906Alla Nazimova makes her Broadway debut in the title role of Hedda Gabler at the Princess Theatre. A major interpreter of Ibsen’s female central characters for three decades, she plays Hedda a total of four times on Broadway, and inspires two generations of actors.
1922George S. Kaufman and Marc Connolly send up the nascent Hollywood phenomenon in the comedy Merton of the Movies, about a bumpkin who stumbles his way into becoming a movie star. It runs 398 performances at the Cort Theatre.
1929 Val Gielgud, John’s brother, premieres his new play, Chinese White, at the Arts Theatre in London.
1930Grand Hotel, by W.A. Drake and Vicki Baum, opens a 459-performance run at the National Theatre. The story of guests and employees at a Berlin hotel, whose lives intersect at random producing unexpected results, is later made into a film and, in 1989, a Broadway musical.
1963 Movie star Kirk Douglas stars as rebellious mental patient Randle P. McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, based on the Ken Kesey novel. The production at the Cort Theatre is a flop, running just 82 performances. But an Off-Broadway production in the late 1960s proves a huge hit, leading to an Oscar-winning film, and a Tony-winning 2001 Broadway revival.
1997 Disney opens its second musical on Broadway: The Lion King, an adaptation of its animated film musical, with a score by Elton John, Lebo M, Tim Rice, and others. Making spectacularly innovative use of masks and puppets designed by director Julie Taymor, the show wins the 1998 Tony Award for Best Musical.
1997 Banquo and a banquet are yours for the taking at a special performance of Macbeth, opening at Off-Broadway’s New Perspectives Theatre Company. A medieval banquet is served to audience members during the course of the play. The play-cum-banquet takes place at The Cathedral of St. John the Divine. The three course meal is created by Vibeke Fazakerley, the founder of the historical catering firm Primary Sauces in North London, England. Her sourcebooks for this particular meal include a 12th century Danish translation of the oldest-known European cooking document; the first course consists of Rostyd Beef, Buttered Wortys, Fysshe Hattes, and Brede.
2001Roadside, the latest musical from Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt, opens Off-Broadway at the York Theatre Company. It closes in late December within a month of the closing of their first musical, The Fantasticks, after a phenomenal 42-year run.
2003 There is as much drama offstage as on at one of the most talked-about shows of the fall, Taboo. Three-time Tony host Rosie O’Donnell makes her Broadway producing debut with the parable about the price of fame. Set in the ’80s punk club world, the musical biography of rocker Boy George (George O’Dowd) has an original score by O’Dowd, incorporating two of his period hits. In a twist, O’Dowd appears on stage playing, not himself, but fellow party boy Leigh Bowery. Newcomer Euan Morton plays Boy George. After receiving savage reviews, the production runs 100 performances, with financial support by O’Donnell.
2008Billy Elliot, the hit London musical based on the 2000 film about a working class boy who dreams of becoming a ballet dancer, opens on Broadway at the Imperial Theare. The show has music by Elton John and book and lyrics by Lee Hall, who wrote the film. The demanding part of Billy is rotated among young actors David Alvarez, Kiril Kulish, and Trent Kowalik. The cast also features London star Haydn Gwynne as the dance teacher, with American stars Gregory Jbara and Carole Shelley as members of Billy’s family. It runs 1,312 performances.
2010 After a heralded summer run as part of Shakespeare in the Park, the Public Theater production of The Merchant of Venice, starring Al Pacino as Shylock, opens on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre. Director Daniel Sullivan stages the dark take on the tale of greed, love, faith, and vengeance, which brings a brutal pathos to Shakespeare’s comedy.
Just last night, November 11, Manhattan Theatre Club presented its 2019 Fall Benefit, featuring performances from Olivier nominee Sierra Boggess, Tony nominee Melissa Errico, Tony nominee Norm Lewis, Tony nominee Patrick Page, Tony nominee Tony Yazbeck, Sasha Allen and Ana Villafae.
Rehearsals are underway for the Off-Broadway premiere of MsTRIAL. Christine Evangelista, who stars in the series The Arrangement, is set to lead the cast of Dep Kirkland’s drama at New World Stages. The play, in which a lawyer accuses another of sexual assault, is informed by lawyer-turned-actor-and-playwright Kirkland’s experience in the legal field, including his time as the Chief Assistant District Attorney in Savannah.
In MsTRIAL, John Paris, an internationally renowned trial lawyer, and Karen Lukoff, his associate, spend a drunken night celebrating a big win. Afterwards, Karen accuses John of sexual assault, causing the people closest to them to question what they know about desire and consent.
The cast of MsTRIAL also features playwright Kirkland, along with Janie Brookshire (The Philanthropist; Blue Bloods), Alan Trinca (Friends The Musical Parody; A Clockwork Orange), and Gayle Samuels (Children of a Leser God, Sunset Boulevard) with understudies Bill Coyne (L’il Abner) and Jeannine Kaspar (The Loudest Voice, Law & Order: SVU).
Directed by Rick Andosca, MsTRIAL begins performances November 14 ahead of a December 4 opening.
The new musical based on the life of legendary artist Tina Turner, TINA - THE Tina Turner MUSICAL just opened on Broadway last week, November 7.BroadwayWorld was on hand for the big night to ask the stars ‘What is your favorite Tina Turner song’
The Transport Group and Public Theater’s world premiere of Broadbend, Arkansas officially opens Off-Broadway November 10 after beginning performances October 25. The musical, directed by Transport Group artistic director Jack Cummings III, is scheduled to run through November 23 at the Duke on 42nd Street.
Starring Justin Cunningham (When They See Us) and Danyel Fulton (Jasper in Deadland), Broadbend, Arkansas traces three generations of an African-American family as they grapple with inequality, violence, and suppression in the South. The musical features a libretto by Ellen Fitzhugh and Harrison David Rivers with music and additional lyrics by Ted Shen.
Flip through photos of the production below:
Production Photos: Broadbend, Arkansas Off-Broadway
Deborah K. Abramson serves as musical director with lighting design by Jen Schriever, costume design by Peiyi Wong, sound design by Walter Trarbach, and orchestrations by Michael Starobin. Dane Laffrey is scenic consultant. Casting is by Nora Brennan. The production stage manager is Jason Hindelang.
