In the end, all you have to do to win Broadway’s Masked Singer is throw on a whale costume and inflatable crown, get into a hot tub, and sing “I’ll Be Back” from Hamilton. At least that’s what audiences decided April 30 in the Season 1 finale of the digital series.
The Whale ultimately raised over $3,000 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. The nonprofit was the beneficiary of the series, which will get a check for $11,867 when all eight contestant’s efforts are combined.
As for the finale itself, the crown-worthy puns reached new heights. After being eliminated, The Potato was saved by the skin of their spud before being unmasked and allowed to stay in the competition. They joined The Elephant, The Chicken, The Bee, and The Whale in a head-to-head, five-way round.
The Potato first sang “1, 2 Step,” with guesses ranging from Laura Benanti to Christy Altomare and Izzy McCalla. The latter picked up speed as a contender and nearly everyone was onboard with the guess as The Prom’s original Alyssa Greene popped out of the costume to much applause. “I am thrilled that I got to actualize my life as a couch potato into a real, live potato,” said McCalla.
Next up was The Elephant, who sang “Rainbow Connection.” In a twist, the trunk-tastic pachyderm was later revealed to be one of the panelists, Nic Cearly. The performer had been guessed by Melissa Rosen, but few of the other panelists agreed. “I said it, you all laughed at me,” said Rosen in a video upon the reveal. “But I know that voice like the back of your tushy, and the whole world knows the back of that tushy!” Cearly is best known as one-half of the underwear-clad cabaret act The Skivvies.
The Potato and The Elephant only performed once in the finale after coming in fourth and fifth place, respectively.
The Chicken then took the stage embodying the pop divas of today with “Call It What You Want” and later “Unconditionally.” Taking home third place—as many had correctly called—was Jessica Vosk. The feathered friend encouraged viewers to continue donating to Broadway cares before bobbing off-stage, remaining true to character in typical Vosk fashion.
The Bee flew all the way back to the 90’s with “Roll to Me” and “Because You Loved Me,” landing the winged favorite in second place. Last minute guesses included Jeremy Pope, Ephraim Sykes, and Kevin Smith Kirkwood—but in the end, Jelani Remy was hiding underneath the fuzzy costume. “I had too much fun…it was un-bee-lieveable,” said the Ain’t Too Proud star.
Last to sing was The Whale, who sang “Something to Hold Onto” from the upcoming musical Between the Lines. After their hot tub Hamilton moment, the time had come to discover who was hiding under the sea. Was it Stark Sands? James Snyder? No! The winner of Broadway’s Masked Singer Season 1 was indeed Nic Rouleau! The The Book of Mormon star thanked everyone who was on #TeamWhale. “From my blowhole to my tailfin, I really felt the love tonight,” the star said.
That’s all for Season 1 of Broadway’s Masked Singer. Stay tuned for an interview with Nic Rouleau and Jelani Remy—plus unseen performance videos from The Dalmatian, The Flamingo, and more. In the meantime, you can read the recaps for Episode 1 and Episode 2.
BroadwayWorld Events is bringing you incredible talent right into your home This week includes Jeremy Jordan and Marilyn Maye at 54 Below, and Christine Pedi on The Seth Concert Series
On this day in 1984, Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s art-world masterpiece, Sunday in the Park with George, opened on Broadway starring Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters.
Pray Tell, Blanca, and the House of Evangelista are not going down without a fight in the third and final season of FX’s Pose, debuting May 2 at 10 PM ET. The premiere will be preceded by The Final Pose – An Exhibition Ball at 8 PM, featuring messages from the cast, guest judges, ball performances, and more.
Check out Billy Porter, Mj Rodriguez, and more in a trailer above, offering a sneak peek at Jeremy Pope’s character, looking stunned by the ballroom scene he’s stumbled upon.
Season 3 flashes-forward to 1994 after Season 2 explored the early ’90s. As AIDS becomes the leading cause of death for Americans ages 25 to 44, Pray Tell contends with unexpected health burdens. Meanwhile, Blanca struggles to balance being a mother and a nurse’s aid. Together with the House of Evangelista, they will fight to keep ballroom culture alive—and get fair treatment during the HIV/AIDS crisis.
As previously announced, this is the final season of the FX series, created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Steven Canals. Murphy confirmed earlier this year that the series will conclude with the arrival of AIDS medication and increased accessibility, around 1996.
In addition to Emmy and Tony winner Porter and Rodriguez, Pose stars Dominique Jackson, Indya Moore, Ryan Jamaal Swain, Hailie Sahar, Angel Bismark Curiel, Dyllón Burnside, and Sandra Bernhard.
Photos: Go Inside the Season 2 Premiere of Pose with Billy Porter, Janet Mock, and More
Read on for some recent theatre headlines you may have missed in today’s news.
Judy Kuhn, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Nikki M. James, Ali Stroker, More Broadway Stars Join NYCLU as Artist Ambassadors Over 50 members of the Broadway and performing arts community have joined the inaugural 2021 class of Artist Ambassadors at NYCLU. The program is co-chaired by artists Shaina Taub and Arianna Afsar and coordinated by producer Ari Conte. “We believe art changes culture and culture changes policy,” said Afsar and Taub.“We have a responsibility as artists to shift the narrative, and we are so excited to be able to share this belief as a collective of Artist Ambassadors.” The list of ambassadors also includes Saheem Ali, Denée Benton, Arian Moayed, Shakina Nayfack, Eva Price, Leigh Silverman, Phillipa Soo, Rachel Sussman, Shaina Taub, and Brandon Uranowitz. In its first year of operation, the ambassadors will promote and participate in the advocacy and public education work of the NYCLU, deepen their understanding of civil liberties work in New York, and unite for the NYCLU annual benefit concert, Sing Out for Freedom. Click here for more information.
Joe Morton and Sally Murphy
Joe Morton and Sally Murphy Will Star in Digital Production of Brutal Imagination Vineyard Theatre will bring back original Brutal Imagination stars Joe Morton and Sally Murphy for a digitially staged production of Cornelius Eady’sthought-provoking play. The pair starred in a production at the Off-Broadway company in 2001 (and recently participated in an Audible recording of the work). Directed by Joe Morton, the reading includes video design by Jared Mezzocchiand will be available for on-demand streaming May 20-June 3. The Vineyard will also host an episode of The VT Show May 18 at 6 PM ET with a panel to discuss the themes of the show and how it relates to current cultural conversations. Go to VineyardTheatre.org for tickets and more information.
Hop on NY Philharmonic’s Bandwagon 2 for Spring Pop-Up Concerts The New York Philharmonic is reviving its Bandwagon pop-up concert series with four weekend-long festivals across New York City May 7-30. Using a 20-foot shipping container with a fold-out stage, more than 100 artists will present 39 performances across NYC communities. Countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo returns as Bandwagon 2‘s executive producer. The series, conceived by Costanzo, premiered last August, using the bed of a pickup truck for a stage. Partnering organizations for the series are A Better Jamaica, Casita Maria Center for Arts & Education, El Puente, Flushing Town Hall, Groundswell, and National Black Theatre. Due to health and safety guidelines, pop-ups are unticketed and will not be announced in advance. Follow NY Philharmonic’s socialmediaaccounts for any updates.
Calling All Musical Theatre Writers Looking for Their Big Break The application for the 17th annual Fred Ebb Award is now available to access, with submissions accepted June 1-31. The award includes a $60,000 prize and a showcase of the winner’s work. Sponsored by The Fred Ebb Foundation in association with Roundabout Theatre Company, the award is presented each year to a musical theatre songwriter or songwriting team that has not yet achieved significant commercial success. It is funded by royalties from the late Ebb’s catalogue of work (Cabaret, Chicago). Michael R. Jackson and the team of Ben Bonnema and Christopher Staskel were the 2020 recipients. For more information, visit FredEbbFoundation.org.
Tune in alert: Watch classic Broadway celebrities play classic television game shows on Buzzr Tv’s Broadway Matinee May 16 at 3 PM ET. Check out a trailer below, featuring Julie Andrew, Chita Rivera, Joel Grey, and more.
The Los Angeles Latino International Film Festivalwill host a Special Preview Screening of Warner Bros. Pictures upcoming In the Heights, the highly-anticipated film adaptation of Lin-Manuel Mirandas hit Broadway musical from director Jon M. Chu, on Friday June 4th 2021.
