VIDEO: On This Day, April 21- Happy Birthday, Patti LuPone!
On this day we celebrate the birthday of two-time Tony Award winner Patti LuPone
Jimmy Smits and Daphne Rubin-Vega Reunite with Nilo Cruz for Two Sisters and a Piano April 21
The new streaming theatre company New Normal Rep reunites Emmy Award winner Jimmy Smits and two-time Tony Award nominee Daphne Rubin-Vega for an online presentation of Nilo Cruz’s Two Sisters and a Piano. The production, also directed by Cruz, premieres 7 PM ET April 21.
The play, set in 1991 Cuba, centers on Maria Celia (played by Florencia Lozano), a writer and her younger sister Sofia (Rubin-Vega), a pianist, who have spent two years under house arrest for speaking out against the political regime. Passion infiltrates politics when a lieutenant (Smits) assigned to their case becomes infatuated with Maria Celia, whose literature he has been reading. Gary Perez also stars.
Smits and Rubin-Vega starred together on Broadway in Cruz’s 2003 Pulitzer Prize-winning play Anna in the Tropics, which garnered Tony nominations for Best Play and Rubin-Vega for Featured Actress.
New Normal Rep, under the direction of Artistic Director Jack Canfora and Executive Producer Sally Kilingenstein-Martell, aims to digitally present new and lesser known plays from diverse perspectives. The company launched in March with with Jack Canfora’s Jericho, starring another L.A. Law alum, Jill Eikenberry. Dates have not been announced for the remaining two shows of the inaugural season—Lines in the Dust by Nikkole Salter and F.I.R.E. by Julia Blauvelt.
Two Sisters and a Piano will be available through May 23. A Happy Hour Q&A with the cast and creative team will follow the premiere at 9:30 PM. For ticketing, visit NewNormalRep.org.
VIDEO: Watch Lesli Margherita, Brad Oscar, Patti LuPone & More in THE MUSICAL OF MUSICALS (THE MUSICAL!)…and More!
Just last night, The York Theatre Companypresented an All-Singing, All-Talking, All-Virtual special benefit presentation of the Off-Broadway hit THE MUSICAL OF MUSICALS THE MUSICAL…and More, available to view on demand through April 21, 2021.
American Conservatory Theater, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Irish Repertory Theatre Partner on Streaming Platform for Major Regional Theatres
Broadway On Demand has partnered with American Conservatory Theater, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, and Irish Repertory Theatre to create the National Theatre Network, a new digital platform created to allow major regional theatres to stream productions worldwide.
The enterprise will debut May 15 with a filmed adaptation of The Bushwick Starr’s Animal Wisdom, written by Heather Christian and co-presented by Woolly Mammoth and ACT. The performance was filmed at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in Washington, D.C., with a cast including Sasha Brown, Eric Farber, B.E. Farrow, and Maya Sharpe. The film is directed by Amber McGinnis, with Emilyn Kowaleski providing stage direction.
The platform will be capable of streaming both live and recorded performances, along with classes, galas, awards ceremonies, and more. The hope is that it will allow theatres to exponentially increase their reach, all while maintaining the professional standards that in-person patrons have come to expect.
“We are thrilled and honored to be supporting the mission of America’s great regional theatre institutions at this very challenging moment in history,” says Broadway Licensing—parent company of Broadway On Demand—CEO and President Sean Cercone. “With great disruption comes great opportunity, and to be a small part of helping these visionary organizations evolve and expand is tremendously rewarding for our Broadway on Demand team.”
For more information, visit NationalTheatreNetwork.com.
VIDEO: On This Day, April 18- THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE Opens On Broadway
On this day in 2002, a star was born as the musical adaptation of the classic film Thoroughly Modern Millie opened on Broadway, launching the career ofthe great Sutton Foster
Audra McDonald, Chita Rivera, Mandy Patinkin, More Celebrate The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!) April 18
A streaming version of the Off-Broadway hit The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!) is presented April 18 at 7 PM ET to benefit The York Theatre Company, which was severely damaged by a water main break in January.
Directed by Tom D’Angora and Michael D’Angora, with music direction and arrangements by Deniz Cordell and associate music direction by Annie Pasqua, the cast includes Victoria Clark, Jackie Hoffman, Gerry McIntyre, Christy Altomare, Colleen Ballinger, Alexandra Billings, Betty Buckley, Charles Busch, Robert Creighton, André De Shields, Ana Gasteyer, Richard Kind, Kevin Smith Kirkwood, Beth Leavel, Lauren Molina, Brad Oscar, Christine Pedi, Randy Rainbow, Jelani Remy, Chita Rivera, Soara-Joye Ross, Jackie Sanders, Ethan Slater, Sarah Stiles, Michael West, and Lillias White.
Viewers can also expect appearances by Iain Armitage, Matthew Broderick, Lewis Black, Giancarlo Esposito, Joel Grey, Perez Hilton, Megan Hilty, Jane Krakowski, Amanda Lopez, Darlene Love, Audra McDonald, Debra Messing, Isaac Mizrahi, Julianne Moore, Mandy Patinkin, Bernadette Peters, Martha Plimpton, Anthony Rapp, Mercedes Ruehl, Brooke Shields, Renée Taylor, John Tartaglia, Ben Vereen, Gerard Alessandrini, Sara Bareilles, Debra Barsha, Nell Benjamin, Douglas J. Cohen, Gretchen Cryer, Nancy Ford, Amanda Green, Sheldon Harnick, Erik Haagensen, Joe Iconis, Tom Jones, Peter Kellogg, Richard Maltby, Jr., Alan Menken, Laurence O’Keefe, Stephen Schwartz, Marc Shaiman, David Shire, Charles Strouse, Stephen Temperley, John Weidman, David Yazbek, Maury Yeston, Gale Brewer, Tim Guinee, Julie Halston, and Billy Recce.
The evening will conclude with remarks from Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Original director Pamela Hunt serves as artistic supervisor.
With music by Eric Rockwell, lyrics by Joanne Bogart, and a book by Bogart and Rockwell, The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!) is a parody and homage to Broadway’s Golden Age. The production is made up of five mini-musicals telling the same story in the style of legendary musical theatre writers: Rodgers and Hammerstein, Stephen Sondheim, Jerry Herman, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Kander and Ebb.
The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!), which The York helped develop and create, received its Off-Broadway premiere there in 2003, where it enjoyed an extended run. Melanie Herman and The York transferred it to New World Stages in 2005 for a 500-performance commercial run. The original cast album is on JAY Records.
The York Theatre Company, in association with Tom D’Angora, Michael D’Angora, and Tim Guinee, present the benefit.
The free stream, which will be on demand through April 21, is available at YorkTheatre.org. Donations may be made by visiting the GoFundMe link here. This event is presented through The Theatre Authority, Inc.
(Updated April 18, 2021)