VIDEO: On This Day, April 7- OKLAHOMA! Returns to Broadway
On this day in 2019, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma returned to Broadway in a radically reimagined production from Tony-nominated director Daniel Fish.
Look Back at the Original Broadway Production of Rock of Ages
Rock of Ages opened on Broadway at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre April 7, 2009. The jukebox musical, directed by Kristin Hanggi with choreography by Kelly Devine, played 22 previews and 2,328 performances before closing January 18, 2015, earning five Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical.
With a book by Chris D’Arienzo, Rock of Ages tells the story of a small-town girl who meets a big-city rocker on the Sunset Strip at L.A.’s most famous rock club in 1987.
Rock of Ages on Broadway With Constantine Maroulis, Amy Spanger, and More
The original Broadway cast starred Constantine Maroulis as Drew, Amy Spanger as Sherrie, James Carpinello as Stacee Jaxx/Father, Adam Dannheisser as Record Company Man/Dennis, Mitchell Jarvis as Record Company Man/Lonny, Michele Mais as Mother/Justice, Lauren Molina as Regina/Candi, Paul Schoeffler as Hertz,Wesley Taylor as Franz, and Ericka Hunter as the Offstage Voice. Roudning out the ensemble were Angel Reed, Katherine Tokarz, André Ward, Tad Wilson, Savannah Wise, and Jeremy Woodard with Jeremy Jordan, Bahiyah Hibah, and Michael Minarik as swings.
Rock of Ages featured set design by Beowulf Boritt, costume design by Gregory Gale, lighting design by Jason Lyons, sound design by Peter Hylenski, and projection design by Zachary Borovay with stage management by Claudia Lynch, Marisha Ploski, and Matthew DiCarlo. Visit the Playbill Vault for the complete cast and creative team.
In addition to the musical’s Broadway run, it was adapted into a film in 2012 and later returned Off-Broadway in a 10th anniversary production in 2019.
In the News: Fran Drescher Teases The Nanny Musical Developments, Jeremy Jordan to Headline Streaming 54 Below Show, More
Read on for more theatre news you may have missed in today’s headlines.
Jeremy Jordan’s Carry On Streams From Feinstein’s/54 Below
54 Below Premieres continues in May with Jeremy Jordan: Carry On. All productions in this performance series from NYC supper club Feinstein’s/54 Below are filmed live from the venue, sans audience, and have been designed exclusively for streaming. Jordan, Tony-nominated for his role in Newsies, most recently appeared on Broadway in Waitress opposite Shoshana Bean. His show Carry On explores the performer’s new life as a father, featuring an array of musical styles and some never-before-heard songs. Musical direction is by Benjamin Rauhala. Carry On premieres 8 PM ET on May 6, then will be available on demand until May 27. For more information and ticketing, click here.
Drama League Digital Theater Nominee The Last Five Years Returns
Out of the Box Theatrics and Holmdel Theatre Company’s production of Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years will return for another virtual run, streaming April 12–25. Featuring a book, music, and lyrics by three-time Tony winner Brown (Parade, The Bridges of Madison County), the two-hander stars Nasia Thomas (Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations) and Nicholas Edwards (Frozen). The production recently ran online in March and received a nomination for a 2021 Drama League Award for Outstanding Digital Theater, Individual Production. Tony winner Jason Michael Webb directs the production, which was filmed in a New York City apartment. For more information and ticketing, click here.
Additional Casting Announced for Amas Musical Theatre Gala
Amas Musical Theatre has announced additional casting for Amas—You Love!: A Heart to Heart Virtual Celebration, a benefit gala commemorating the company’s 52nd Anniversary. The previously announced gala will honor Lillias White with the 2021 Rosie Award and will include performances from four Amas musicals: 4 Guys Named José…and una mujer named María!, featuring Danny Burgos, Mauricio Martinez (On Your Feet!), Eliseo Roman, and Vincent Ortega; Distant Thunder, MĀYĀ featuring Marissa Quinn and Shaun Taylor-Corbett; Kuhoo Verma, Amy Bhandari, Hana Bookman, Kimberly Chatterjee, Meetu Chilana, Catherine Gloria, Jamen Nanthakumar, Cheeyang Ng, Akash Seeramreddi, and Vishal Vaidya; and Hip Hop Cinderella, featuring Amas Academy Teens: Alexis Aguilar, Cassandra Barkett, Jamiel Tako L. Burkhart, Brian Criado, Emily Lang, and Lexy Piton. The event streams 7 PM ET on May 10. For more information, visit AmasMusical.org.
Plus: Fran Drescher teased a couple of details about The Nanny musical currently in development in her recent Marie Claire interview. Look forward to feather-duster dance numbers and the possibility of Fran herself appearing as Syliva Fine (Fran Fine’s mother). As for who will take on the mantle of the titular nanny, Drescher has a “particular unnamed pop star who has crossed over into movies” in mind. Tell us!
BWW Exclusive: Meet the 2021 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize Finalists- Glace Chase
Ahead of the announcement of the 2021 The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize winner, BroadwayWorld is excited to spotlight each ofthis year’s finalists. Learn more about Glace Chase and read an excerpt form her play, Triple X.
Theater Stories: ROCK OF AGES, LOBBY HERO, WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME & More About The Hayes Theater
Today’s Theater Stories features the Hayes Theater Learn about Broadway’s smallest theater, which has presented shows including Rock of Ages, Lobby Hero, What the Constitution Means to Me, Grand Horizons and many more
Listen to Celia Keenan-Bolger and Kelli O’Hara in Sunday Pancakes
The latest episode of Celia Keenan-Bolger’s podcast Sunday Pancakes, featuring Tony winner Kelli O’Hara, drops April 4. In “Having A Hard Conversation (And The Healing That Accompanies It),” the pair talk about their friendship since The Light in the Piazza and how they were able to move through complicated and vulnerable feelings of the show.
Keenan-Bolger developed the role of Clara in the Adam Guettel musical’s pre-Broadway engagements alongside O’Hara as Franca. When the show made the leap to Broadway, O’Hara had been shifted into the role of Clara while Keenan-Bolger was released from the production. Keenan-Bolger would go on to receive a Tony nomination for her performance in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee the same year, nominated alongside O’Hara for her performance in Piazza.
In addition to the one-on-one discussion, Keenan-Bolger continues her weekly round-up of what she’s reading, watching, and listening to as well as any specific works that help enhance and contextualize the listening experience.
This week, the Tony winner suggests reading Big Friendship by Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman; the Vanity Fair piece, “Roxanne Gay on How to Write About Trauma” by Monica Lewinsky; and the Bon Appétit article, “How Writing a Cookbook Helped Me Break Free From Diet Culture” by Julia Turshen. In addition, she recommends listening to the On Being podcast episode, “The Soul in Depression” with Andrew Solomon.
New episodes of Sunday Pancakes are released Sundays at 9 AM ET. You can listen and subscribe at Playbill.com/SundayPancakes and everywhere podcasts are available. The podcast is produced by Plate Spinner Productions, edited and mixed by Apples and Oranges Arts, and distributed by Playbill.
Photos: Celebrate Kelli O’Hara on the Broadway Stage
Can You Name These Musicals From Just 1 Song?, Vol. 2
You can sing along to every lyric when you listen to the cast album—but out of context, do you know what shows these songs belong to? Test your knowledge with the quiz below.
Can You Name These Musicals From Just 1 Song?, Vol. 2
Quiara Alegria Hudes and Dascha Polanco to Appear in Conversation at The Strand Next Week
Join Quiara Alegria Hudes as she presents her newest bookMy Broken Language. Joining Quiara in conversation is SAG award winning actress Dascha Polanco. This event will be held on Crowdcast.io and will be live streamed to The Strand’s Facebook Page.