VIDEO: Laura Benanti Returns as Melania Trump to Sing a Parody of ‘Belle’ From BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
Laura Benantireprised her role as First LadyMelania Trumpone last time on lastnight’s episode of The Late Show withStephen Colbert.
VIDEO: HAMILTON Cast Members Reunite For the SAG Nominating Committee
Original cast members from Hamilton reunited on Zoom fora Screen Actors Guild QA this weekend. The Zoom call featuredLin-Manuel Miranda, Daveed Diggs, Rene Elise Goldsberry and Leslie Odom Jr came together along with Jonathan Groff, Christopher Jackson, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Okieriete Onaodowan, Phillipa Soo and director Thomas Kail.
Stars In The House Welcomes Reunions of Star Search and Dreamgirls’ Effies
We keep hauling out the reunions on Stars In The House, and, boy, are they great money raisers. We’re now up to $370,000 raised for The Actors Fund! Last week we had a reunion of women who played the role of Effie in Dreamgirls after Jennifer Holliday. So many amazing stories about how everyone got the gig, and, hilariously, we decided that they all got cast because at some point they acted like Effie at their audition.
Yvette Cason came in numerous times for the part, and at the fourth call back, Michael Bennett asked what she was going to sing. She told him, annoyed, “I don’t know…you’ve already heard everything!” Well, after that comment, he told her she didn’t have to sing, she had the part.
Fuschia Walker told us that she was in NYC auditioning for the film version of Little Shop of Horrors and the late, great casting director Vinnie Liff told her she wasn’t going to go further for Little Shop but she should audition for Dreamgirls. She had never heard of it, but her friends told her to learn “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” and go to the audition. At the time, she was doing a show in Atlantic City and took the bus in on the day of the audition. She was sick that day and walked in and said, annoyed, “I’m tired and I don’t feel well. What do you want me to sing?” That sass, plus her amazing talent, got her the part.
Contrasting Fuschia, there was Kecia Lewis who actually coveted the role as soon as she saw the show. Her teacher at the High School of Performing Arts (now Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts) told her she was right for the show and her friend got her a ticket when she was 16. She soon started auditioning. Sometimes she’d sing 8 measures and sometimes she’d be typed out, but she kept coming back. She wound up getting the phone number of Liff and would call once a month to say, “Hi! I’m your next Effie!” Finally, when she was 18, she got to audition for Bennett and Michael Peters.
After she sang “And I Am Telling You…”, Bennett asked her to “step, touch.” She didn’t know what he meant. He got up from the table, held her hand and step-touched with her. Then he told her to go faster, then he told her to add her hips. Bennett told her that was it and she went into the hallway where there was another young lady who auditioned. Vinnie came out and told them there was a decision and asked if they wanted to know now or later. The other young lady said “later,” but Kecia said “now.” Vinnie said, “Well, because the young lady who got it said ‘now,’ I’ll say it…Kecia, it’s you!” That night, she went to the theatre to start watching and learning the show, at just 18-years-old.
Sharon Catherine Brown had another experience. Rather than auditioning over and over again, she did one long all-day audition. She could have fit into different roles, so she wound up auditioning for all the female roles that day, but ended up being offered Effie, which she did all over the US and in Japan and never missed a show. I found this amazing clip of her doing the song “Move.” This is the song the group does at an early talent contest. They supposedly choreographed it in their basement so it’s supposed to have a lack of professionalism/rawness to it. I am obsessed with how aggressive and over-the-top Sharon is on the mini-dance in the middle of the song. So good!
The night before Effies, we had another Michael Bennett–themed show with Donna McKechnie coming on to talk about this amazing video she put together with Doug Denoff and American Dance Machine. It’s a multi-person “The Music and The Mirror” from A Chorus Line using the orchestra tracks from the Original Broadway Cast recording. It was so great talking to the dancers who performed it and getting scoop from Donna about the creation of the dance.
Near the end, she has to do four sets of double pirouettes and asked Michael Bennett, “Can’t it be just three sets?” because she felt like she was going to collapse. Michael said “Perfect!” because he wanted the audience to feel like she was going to collapse. Yay? It’s such a perfect time for the video to come out because it’s about someone begging for the chance to perform again—basically what every artist is feeling.
Then I had a reunion of some amazing contestants from Stars Search, the talent contest that began in 1983. Rosie O’Donnell told us that she was doing her act in a comedy club on Long Island when a woman approached her and said she was Ed McMahon’s daughter, and then told her she was going to get her on Star Search. Rosie didn’t believe it until she got the call at her house (she was living with her dad at the time) asking her to come to L.A.!
They told her to bring two outfits to wear in case she won, which she did. But then she kept winning and had to get more and more clothes. Rosie kept winning each week, which was great, but that also meant she had to keep staying in L.A., where she didn’t know anyone and she didn’t have any money to buy clothes. The show gave her a per diem, which is really just to cover food, but she used it to buy her clothes for each week. (She would go to Esprit which was near her motel and try to find clothes that fit). She wound up losing the grand prize but it changed her career because all she had ever done was stand up in New York. The exposure on Star Search allowed her to get gigs all over the country and eventually led to her getting a role on the TV show Gimme a Break. After she did that TV show, she made another appearance on Star Search. Here it is.
I also talked to Michael Berresse and Scott Fowler, who were Broadway dancers and formed the group “Boys Back East” with their Broadway pals in the early 90s, and wound up winning the grand prize. They’re so amazing and daring. It’s relentless splits, layouts, and acrobatics and they always keep their positioning even though they only had one shot each show. So much pressure!
Then we had Marty Thomas who has since done Wicked and Xanadu on Broadway, but did Star Search when he was 12-years-old. He won against a 10-year-old girl—Britney Spears. When they tally the scores at the end, he thought he should wait for the result the way they do on Miss America, by having a plastic smile on his face the whole time. Britney wound up getting a good score, and he thought that meant he lost, so you can see his smile start fading. But the smile comes back in full force when he wins and he follows-through on the Miss America reaction by making sure he buries his face in his hands. Watch here.
First year male vocalist winner Sam Harris came on and told his amazing story, too, but you can see it in his one-man musical show that just went online. Get thee to BroadwayHD to watch it! Here’s a promo.
I also had Penny Mealing on the show, who was close friends with my brother, so I remember watching and loving all of her appearances back in the ’80s. She sounded amazing every week—truly incredible. She didn’t win the grand prize, she wound up losing to Alyssa Guise (who’s also amazing). What I love is that Peggy said the show didn’t have the meanness of current reality shows. When she lost, she walked backstage and Alyssa immediately came up to her and comforted her by saying it was just the beginning of her career. Alyssa wound up being an amazing Deena in Dreamgirls with two of the Effies who did our show last week, Sharon Catherine Brown and Lillias White. Here she is with Arnetia Walker and Lillias.
Here’s Penny’s amazing performance of “And I Am Telling You…” and here’s her beautiful performance of “Home”. What’s even more impressive is that while she was singing it, she noticed a girl in the audience who looked so sweet and supportive that it made Penny start crying. So she was sounding this amazing through tears!
And finally, I have a live concert coming up this Sunday night, January 17, The amazing Kelli O’Hara is joining me at 8PM ET. You can get tix at TheSethConcertSeries.com, and you can get the concert I did with Alex Brightman on demand there as well. If you haven’t seen Kelli’s amazingness, watch this, then peace out!
VIDEO: Kelli O’Hara Visits Backstage LIVE with Richard Ridge- Watch Now!
Watch as Richard chats with Broadway’s favorite soprano, Kelli O’Hara, who will soon joinSeth Rudetskyfor two very special concerts on Sunday, January 178pm and Monday, January 183pm.
Interactive Bollywood Kitchen Begins January 15 at Geffen Stayhouse
Previews for Bollywood Kitchen begin January 15, the latest virtual and interactive production at Geffen Playhouse as part of its Stayhouse programming. Led by filmmaker Sri Rao, and inspired by his cookbook of the same name, the show invites audiences to partake in a culinary journey from India to America.
“The two questions I get asked most often at cocktail parties are, ‘Can I get one of your mom’s recipes for homemade Indian food?’ and ‘I’ve never seen a Bollywood movie before, can you recommend one to me?,’” says Rao. “Well, the Geffen is giving me the opportunity to answer both questions at once, and this time, the cocktail party is at my place! Bollywood Kitchen is my way of introducing audiences to two of my passions—Indian food and films—while taking them on a personal journey of my family’s immigrant experience.”
Bollywood Kitchen is directed by Arpita Mukherjee and produced in association with Hypokrit Theatre Company. Serving on the creative team are scenic designer Neil Patel, costume designer Arjun Bhasin, lighting designer Amith Chandrashaker, sound designer Sharath Patel, and video designer David Bengali. Opening night is set for January 23.
Multiple tiers of ticketing options allow audiences to choose their own level of participation, including a livestream viewing-only option. For audience members who prefer an interactive experience, a special “Bollywood Box” will be delivered to their doorstep in advance of the performance. Each box includes an assortment of specially curated Indian spices, recipe cards, and other items they’ll need for the show. A shopping list of perishable items that are easy to find in a local grocery store will also be included to complete the dinner menu.
The show joins the currently running Geffen Stayhouse productions of David Kwong’s Inside the Box, Chelsea Marcantel’s Citizen Detective, and Helder Guimarães’ The Future.
For more information, visit GeffenPlayhouse.org.
Laura Osnes, CAMELOT, and More to Headline Asolo Rep 2021 Outdoor Season
The season kicks off withLaura Osnes in Concerton February 5 and 6, with music direction by Fred Lassen.
In the News: Aleshea Harris Awarded Hermitage Greenfield Prize, New Honor Named in Memory of Rebecca Luker, More
Read on for some recent theatre headlines you may have missed in today’s news.
Aleshea Harris Awarded the 2021 Hermitage Greenfield Prize
The OBIE Award-winning playwright of Is God Is and What to Send Up When It Goes Down has been named the recipient of the 2021 Hermitage Greenfield Prize, from the Hermitage Artist Retreat in collaboration with the Greenfield Foundation. Harris will receive a six-week residency at the Hermitage and a $30,000 commission for a new work to be presented at Asolo Repertory Theatre in 2023. The prize is awarded annually, rotating between the fields of music, theatre, and visual art. Past winners in theatre include Martyna Majok, Nilo Cruz, John Guare, and Craig Lucas. This year’s finalists, who will also receive a Hermitage residency, are Donja R. Love, Nikkole Salter, and Whitney White.
New Victory Theater Announces 2020–2021 LabWorks Artists
New Victory names nicHi douglas, ChelseaDee Harrison, Nambi E. Kelley, and Christopher Rudd as the theatre’s 2020–2021 New Victory LabWorks Artists, all returning for a second year in the new work development program creating theatre for young audiences. In addition to new works development resources, the artists each receive a $15,000 stipend. New Victory has dedicated this year and future years to serving BIPOC artists, including artists with disabilities and artists who identify as LGBTQIA+. Applications for the next cohort of LabWorks Artists is currently open through February 17. A virtual informational session about the program and application process will be held at 5 PM ET on January 19. For more information and to RSVP for the info session, visit NewVictory.org.
Rebecca Luker Award to Be Given as Part of the Lotte Lenya Competition
The Kurt Weill Foundation has announced the creation of the Rebecca Luker Award as part of its annual Lotte Lenya Competition, which recognizes talented singer and actors of all nationalities, ages 19–32, who are dramatically and musically convincing in repertoire ranging from contemporary Broadway scores to opera/operetta, including the works of Kurt Weill. The new award honors the late Rebecca Luker, who has served several times as a judge for the competition. It will be given for an outstanding performance of a selection from the Golden Age of American musical theatre by a finalist in the competition. The competition was founded In 1998, to honor the centenary of the birth of Lotte Lenya, one of the foremost interpreters of the music of her husband, Kurt Weill.
2020–2021 Gilder/Coigney International Theatre Award Program to Be Presented Online
The International Committee of The League of Professional Theatre Women, in collaboration with Martin E. Segal Theatre Center via Howlround, will present a week-long series of events in conjunction with the award, given every three years in order to acknowledge the exceptional work of theatre women around the world. This year’s honorees will include the Gilder/Coigney International Theatre Award recipient Hanane Hajj Ali of Lebanon and the Gilder/Coigney Lifetime Achievement Award recipient: the late Franca Valeri of Milan. For more information and program scheduling, visit TheatreWomen.org.
Plus: Check out the trailer for 9 to 5: The Story of a Movement, a new documentary about the women’s workplace equality movement that inspired the hit song and movie. Stars of the Broadway adaptation, including Megan Hilty, Stephanie J. Block, Allison Janney, and Kathy Fitzgerald, join the film’s stars and women’s rights activists to discuss how the themes of 9 to 5 are still relevant today. The documentary airs on PBS in February.
Jay Armstrong Johnson, Jonathan Burke, Jelani Remy, More Join Anjou: The Musical Horror Tale
Broadway alums Jay Armstrong Johnson, Jonathan Burke, Jelani Remy, and Adam Roberts, along with Roberto Araujo, have joined the cast of Anjou: The Musical Horror Tale, sharing the role of Henry of Anjou. The stars join a previously announced cast that includes Javier Muñoz, Eden Espinosa, and Shereen Pimentel in the streaming benefit performance.
The event streams on Playbill and YouTube January 29 at 8 PM ET, and will be available to watch through February 2. While free to enjoy, donations are encouraged to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
Anjou is a modern Mexican opera with music by Guillermo Mendez M. and lyrics by Mendez and Guadalupe Sandoval, in a new English translation by Javier Vilalta.
Performed in the style of a Broadway concept album, actors will split roles throughout the performance. The cast includes Espinosa (Wicked), Bianca Marroquín (In The Heights), Julia Murney (Wicked), and Kristie Dale Sanders (Oklahoma!) as Catherine de’ Medici; Caroline Bowman (Wicked), Pimentel (West Side Story), and Eva Tavares (The Phantom of the Opera national tour) as Margot de Valois; Muñoz (Hamilton) as Charles IX; Austin Colby (Jersey Boys) as Arthur; and Nathan Cockroft, Kevin Curtis (Moulin Rouge!), Gabriel Hyman (Hamilton national tour), and Michael Perrie Jr. (Million Dollar Quartet national tour) as Spirit/Mignon. Marroquín also serves as the Narrator.
As Charles IX is crowned as the new monarch, the Catholic church puts pressure on Queen Catherine de’ Medici to eradicate Protestantism in France. The treacherous queen has a plan of her own: to remain in power through her beloved and overly-conceited son, Henry of Anjou, and to plan her daughter’s wedding with a Protestant knight, while executing one of the bloodiest events in history. Fusing Renaissance-inspired melodies, modern orchestrations, and Latinx-influenced tunes, Anjou turns this tragic moment in history into a exploration of kindness and acceptance against today’s backdrop of injustice.
The streaming production is directed and edited by Araujo with Grammy and Emmy winner John McDaniel (Annie Get Your Gun, The Rosie O’Donnell Show) as music director. Araujo and Vilalta produce.
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is one of the nation’s leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations. By drawing upon the talents, resources and generosity of the American theatre community, since 1988 Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS has raised more than $300 million for essential services for people with HIV/AIDS, COVID-19 and other critical illnesses across the United States.
