The New York City Ballet has scrapped its entire Spring 2020 season, which was due to kick off April 21 and run through May 31. The cancellation affects all performance and events, including workshops and the May 7 gala “In Pursuit of Beauty.”
All performers and additional staff will receive pay and benefits through the spring performance schedule; dancers and musicians are still expected to resume rehearsals in the coming months for summer engagements.
In response to the financial blow (a projected $8 million) caused by the shutdown, NYBC will launch a relief fund and encourage patrons to contribute; the organization is also in talks with its labor unions (including dancers’ AGMA, musicians’ Local 802, and stagehands’ Local 1) for continued protections.
Ticketholders for affected performance will be contacted shortly with refund, exchange, and donation information.
Despite the cancellations, some members have gone digital to reach an audience. Tiler Peck, a NYCB principal dancer and Broadway alum, teaches classes every weekday via Instagram.
The Actors Fund has teamed with SiriusXM Broadway hostSeth Rudetskyand his husband, producerJames Wesley, to produce a daily mini-online show, entitled Stars in The House, featuring stars of stage and screen singing and performing live from home on social media to promote support for The Fund’s services for those most vulnerable to the effects of Coronavirus COVID-19.
Terrence McNally, a five-time Tony Award recipient whose plays often featured explorations of contemporary gay life and a reverence for classical music, died March 24 at Sarasota Memorial Hospital in Florida. He was 81.
McNally, who was the recipient of the 2019 Tony Awards’ Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre Honor, frequently explored history and the queer experience in his work. “I love it when I remember the artists who try to help us understand the devastation of AIDS even when they were stricken with it themselves. I love it when I remember theatre changes hearts. That secret place where we all truly live,” he said while accepting his Lifetime Achievement Honor at the 2019 Tony Awards. “I love my playwright years—past, present, and especially future.”
In honor of the prolific, Tony Award-winning writer, Playbill takes a look back at the shows he brought to Broadway throughout his six decade career. Read his full obituary here.
Look Back at the Shows Terrence McNally Brought to Broadway
After beginning previews February 25, 2016, Bright Star opened on Broadway at the Cort Theatre March 24. With music by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, lyrics by Brickell, and book by Martin, the production played 30 previews and 109 performances before closing on June 26, 2016. The musical garnered five Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical.
Based on true events, Bright Star tells the story of successful literary editor Alice Murphy, who meets an ambitious young soldier just home from World War II who inspires Alice to confront her past.
The production starred Carmen Cusack as Alice Murphy, Paul Alexander Nolan as Jimmy Ray Dobbs, Michael Mulheren as Mayor Josiah Dobbs, A.J. Shively as Billy Cane, Hannah Elless as Margo Crawford, Stephen Bogardus as Daddy Cane, Dee Hoty as Mama Murphy, Stephen Lee Anderson as Daddy Murphy, Emily Padgett as Lucy Grant, Jeff Blumenkrantz as Daryl Ames, Allison Briner-Dardenne as County Clerk, Max Chernin as Max, Patrick Cummings as Stationmaster, Sandra DeNise as Edna, Michael X. Martin as Dr. Norquist, Sarah Jane Shanks as Florence, William Youmans as Stanford Adams, and Tony Roach.
Directed by Walter Bobbie with choreography by Walter Rhodes, Bright Star featured scenic design by Eugene Lee, scenic design supervision and associate4 scenic design by Edward Pierce, costume design by Jane Greenwood, lighting design by Japhy Weideman, and sound design by Nevin Steinberg.
Stars in The House continues today 2pm with a Sondheim birthday celebration and tonight 9pm- note the time change withthe cast of Company and Jason Alexander
James Wesley and Seth Rudetsky Joseph Marzullo/WENN
New shows air daily at 2 PM ET and 8 PM ET (9 PM March 22), featuring performances by stars of stage and screen and conversations with Rudetsky between each tune. Rudetsky will encourage live viewers to donate, and Wesley will give updates from The Fund as well as shout-outs to people donating in real time. Dr. Jonathan LaPook, chief medical correspondent for CBS News, will also make frequent appearances to answer questions and offer best practices.
Tony winner Jason Alexander, also part of the cast of the original Broadway production of Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along, and members of the cast of the 2020 revival of Company are the March 22 at 9 PM (note the later time) guests. Watch previous Stars in the House concerts here.
“Our main concern is raising spirits and helping The Fund help those who are suffering,” Rudetsky said. “We’re hoping that everyone watching will not only enjoy the amazing singing and the inside Broadway stories, but also donate to the Actors Fund. And, because social distancing is so important right now, every star will be singing from his or her own home!”
“Now more than ever, people in our community are depending on The Fund’s vital services,” said Mitchell. “It’s critical that we be there for those in need, in particular our seniors and the immuno-compromised individuals who need our help, as well as those in financial distress.”
Stars in the House will stream daily until Broadway re-opens.
As the situation surrounding the coronavirus outbreak continues to evolve, The Actors Fund will provide services online and via phone. These services include Artists Health Insurance Resource Center, The Career Center, Housing Resources, Addiction & Recovery, HIV/AIDS and Senior Services, Counseling and Emergency Financial Assistance, as well as The Friedman Health Center for the Performing Arts in New York City.
Netflix’s original series Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker is now available to stream! Based on A’Lelia Bundles’ book On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C. J. Walker, the four-part series stars Oscar winner Octavia Spencer and Golden Globe nominee Blair Underwood (recently on Broadway in A Soldier’s Play).
According to production notes, the series tells the story of “the trailblazing African American hair care entrepreneur who was America’s first female self-made millionaire. Against all odds, Walker overcame post-slavery racial and gender biases, personal betrayals, and business rivalries to build a ground-breaking brand that revolutionized black haircare, as she simultaneously fought for social change.”
The production also stars Tiffany Haddish as Walker’s daughter, Carmen Ejogo as business rival Addie Munroe, Garrett Morris as Walker’s father-in-law, Kevin Carroll as her longtime lawyer Freeman Ransom, and Bill Bellamy as Ransom’s cousin Sweetness.
A First Look at Octavia Spencer and Blair Underwood in Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker
