by Webmaster | Apr 12, 2021 | New Musical News Feed
Read on for more theatre headlines you may have missed in today’s news.
Newly Elected Dramatists Guild Officers Make History
Tony-nominated lyricist-composer Amanda Green (Hands on a Hardbody, Bring It On, High Fidelity) has been elected the first woman president in the 100 year history of The Dramatists Guild alongside the newly-elected, most inclusive board yet, including Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (An Octoroon) as vice president, Kristoffer Diaz (The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity) as secretary, and Christine Toy Johnson (co-founder of AAPAC) as treasurer. Green succeeds outgoing Guild President Doug Wright. The Dramatists Guild of America is the national, professional membership trade association of theatre writers including playwrights, composers, lyricists, and librettists.
Rattestick Announces April and May Online Programming
Rattlestick Playwrights Theater’s April and May online programming includes the return of New Songs Now In Your Living Room. The unplugged concert series, presented in partnership with Rosalind Productions, Inc., features new songs from different artists each night. The lineup includes Emma Claye and AriDy Knox (A Walless Church) on May 3, Ada Westfall (Theater Mitu) featuring Jo Lampert (David Byrne’s Joan of Arc: Into the Fire) and Dawn Landes (ROW, Williamstown Theatre Festival) May 4, Richard Rodgers Award winner Zeniba Now and Rodney Bush and Jay Adana (The Woodsman) on May 5, and The Kilbanes (Weightless) and Kleban Award winners Melissa Li and Kit Yan on May 6. All performances begin at 7 PM ET. Also announced is the continuation of MTA Radio Plays, a series of audio dramas conceived and curated by playwright Ren Dara Santiago. Featuring the work of 17 playwrights, each episode is inspired by a stop along the MTA’s 2 Train line. For more information on these and additional programming, visit Rattlestick.org.
Plus: Watch the second episode of Idina’s Treehouse, Tony-winning performer (and mom) Idina Menzel, above. The family-friendly web series is filmed in the treehouse in the backyard of her California home, and features story time (reading That’s Life by Cynthia Rylant), a visit with Farmer Scotty (and his chicken, Mrs. Roper), and a performance of The Carpenters’ “Close to You” (she gets really close!).
by Webmaster | Apr 12, 2021 | New Musical News Feed
Show producers Jesse Collins, Stacey Sher and Steven Soderberghtoday announced the ensemble cast to present at the 93rd Oscars,which airs live onABC, Sunday, April 25, at 8 p.n. EDT5 p.m. PDT.
by Webmaster | Apr 10, 2021 | New Musical News Feed
On this day in 2013, the acclaimed musical adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Matilda opened at Broadway’s Shubert Theatre.
by Webmaster | Apr 10, 2021 | New Musical News Feed
Following its London debut, Claude-Michel Schönberg, Richard Maltby, Jr., and Alain Boubil’s Miss Saigon opened at the Broadway Theatre April 11, 1991. The production played 19 previews and 4,092 performances before closing January 28, 2001. The musical earned 11 Tony Award nominations and won three, most notably with Lea Salonga becoming the first Asian performer to win a Tony for Best Actress in a Musical.
Inspired by the opera Madame Butterfly, Miss Saigon tells the story of the relationship between a young Vietnamese woman and an American GI during the final days of the Vietnam War. Though noted as a showcase for Asian talent on the Broadway stage, the musical has faced criticism over the years for its lack of Asian representation in its creative teams, as well as for its portrayal of Asian people, in particular Asian women. Additionally, the original Broadway production was met with protests due to its casting of the white actor Jonathan Pryce as the Engineer, a French-Vietnamese character.
A Look Back at the Original Broadway production of Miss Saigon
In addition to Salonga as Kim and Pryce as the Engineer, the original Broadway production starred Hinton Battle as John, Willy Falk as Chris, Liz Callaway as Ellen, and Barry K. Bernal as Thuy alongside ensemble members Zar Acayan, Alan Ariano, Tony C. Avanti, Brian R. Baldomero, Jane Bodle, Raquel C. Brown, Annette Calud, Eric Chan, Marina Chapa, Mirla Criste, Francis J. Cruz, Imelda de los Reyes, Paul Dobie, Michael Gruber, JoAnn M. Hunter, Sala Iwamatsu, Leonard Joseph, Philip Lyle Kong, Darren Lee, Jason Ma, Paul Matsumoto, Sean McDermott, Thomas James O’Leary, Gordon Owens, Christopher Pecaro, Matthew Pedersen, Kris Phillips, W. Ellis Porter, Ray Santos, Jade Kaiwalani Stice, Melanie Mariko Tojio, Alton Fitzgerald White, Nephi Jay Wimmer, and Bruce Winant. Rounding out the company were Kam Cheng as the Kim alternate and Sylvia Dohi, Henry Menendez, Marc Oka, and Todd Zamarripa as swings.
Directed by Nicholas Hytner with musical staging by Bob Avian, Miss Saigon featured production design by John Napier, costumes by Andreane Neofitou and Suzy Benzinger, lighting design by David Hersey, and sound design by Andrew Bruce with stage management by Fred Hanson, Sherry Cohen, and Tom Capps. Visit the Playbill Vault for the complete cast and creative team.
The musical returned to Broadway in 2017 in a Tony-nominated revival starring Eva Noblezada, Jon Jon Briones, Alistair Brammer, Katie Rose Clarke, Nicholas Christopher, Devin Ilaw, and Rachelle Ann Go.
by Webmaster | Apr 10, 2021 | New Musical News Feed
Following its London debut, Claude-Michel Schönberg, Richard Maltby, Jr., and Alain Boubil’s Miss Saigon opened at the Broadway Theatre April 11, 1991. The production played 19 previews and 4,092 performances before closing January 28, 2001. The musical earned 11 Tony Award nominations and won three, most notably with Lea Salonga becoming the first Asian performer to win a Tony for Best Actress in a Musical.
Inspired by the opera Madame Butterfly, Miss Saigon tells the story of the relationship between a young Vietnamese woman and an American GI during the final days of the Vietnam War. Though noted as a showcase for Asian talent on the Broadway stage, the musical has faced criticism over the years for its lack of Asian representation in its creative teams, as well as for its portrayal of Asian people, in particular Asian women. Additionally, the original Broadway production was met with protests due to its casting of the white actor Jonathan Pryce as the Engineer, a French-Vietnamese character.
A Look Back at the Original Broadway production of Miss Saigon
In addition to Salonga as Kim and Pryce as the Engineer, the original Broadway production starred Hinton Battle as John, Willy Falk as Chris, Liz Callaway as Ellen, and Barry K. Bernal as Thuy alongside ensemble members Zar Acayan, Alan Ariano, Tony C. Avanti, Brian R. Baldomero, Jane Bodle, Raquel C. Brown, Annette Calud, Eric Chan, Marina Chapa, Mirla Criste, Francis J. Cruz, Imelda de los Reyes, Paul Dobie, Michael Gruber, JoAnn M. Hunter, Sala Iwamatsu, Leonard Joseph, Philip Lyle Kong, Darren Lee, Jason Ma, Paul Matsumoto, Sean McDermott, Thomas James O’Leary, Gordon Owens, Christopher Pecaro, Matthew Pedersen, Kris Phillips, W. Ellis Porter, Ray Santos, Jade Kaiwalani Stice, Melanie Mariko Tojio, Alton Fitzgerald White, Nephi Jay Wimmer, and Bruce Winant. Rounding out the company were Kam Cheng as the Kim alternate and Sylvia Dohi, Henry Menendez, Marc Oka, and Todd Zamarripa as swings.
Directed by Nicholas Hytner with musical staging by Bob Avian, Miss Saigon featured production design by John Napier, costumes by Andreane Neofitou and Suzy Benzinger, lighting design by David Hersey, and sound design by Andrew Bruce with stage management by Fred Hanson, Sherry Cohen, and Tom Capps. Visit the Playbill Vault for the complete cast and creative team.
The musical returned to Broadway in 2017 in a Tony-nominated revival starring Eva Noblezada, Jon Jon Briones, Alistair Brammer, Katie Rose Clarke, Nicholas Christopher, Devin Ilaw, and Rachelle Ann Go.
by Webmaster | Apr 10, 2021 | New Musical News Feed
Following its London debut, Claude-Michel Schönberg, Richard Maltby, Jr., and Alain Boubil’s Miss Saigon opened at the Broadway Theatre April 11, 1991. The production played 19 previews and 4,092 performances before closing January 28, 2001. The musical earned 11 Tony Award nominations and won three, most notably with Lea Salonga becoming the first Asian performer to win a Tony for Best Actress in a Musical.
Inspired by the opera Madame Butterfly, Miss Saigon tells the story of the relationship between a young Vietnamese woman and an American GI during the final days of the Vietnam War. Though noted as a showcase for Asian talent on the Broadway stage, the musical has faced criticism over the years for its lack of Asian representation in its creative teams, as well as for its portrayal of Asian people, in particular Asian women. Additionally, the original Broadway production was met with protests due to its casting of the white actor Jonathan Pryce as the Engineer, a French-Vietnamese character.
A Look Back at the Original Broadway production of Miss Saigon
In addition to Salonga as Kim and Pryce as the Engineer, the original Broadway production starred Hinton Battle as John, Willy Falk as Chris, Liz Callaway as Ellen, and Barry K. Bernal as Thuy alongside ensemble members Zar Acayan, Alan Ariano, Tony C. Avanti, Brian R. Baldomero, Jane Bodle, Raquel C. Brown, Annette Calud, Eric Chan, Marina Chapa, Mirla Criste, Francis J. Cruz, Imelda de los Reyes, Paul Dobie, Michael Gruber, JoAnn M. Hunter, Sala Iwamatsu, Leonard Joseph, Philip Lyle Kong, Darren Lee, Jason Ma, Paul Matsumoto, Sean McDermott, Thomas James O’Leary, Gordon Owens, Christopher Pecaro, Matthew Pedersen, Kris Phillips, W. Ellis Porter, Ray Santos, Jade Kaiwalani Stice, Melanie Mariko Tojio, Alton Fitzgerald White, Nephi Jay Wimmer, and Bruce Winant. Rounding out the company were Kam Cheng as the Kim alternate and Sylvia Dohi, Henry Menendez, Marc Oka, and Todd Zamarripa as swings.
Directed by Nicholas Hytner with musical staging by Bob Avian, Miss Saigon featured production design by John Napier, costumes by Andreane Neofitou and Suzy Benzinger, lighting design by David Hersey, and sound design by Andrew Bruce with stage management by Fred Hanson, Sherry Cohen, and Tom Capps. Visit the Playbill Vault for the complete cast and creative team.
The musical returned to Broadway in 2017 in a Tony-nominated revival starring Eva Noblezada, Jon Jon Briones, Alistair Brammer, Katie Rose Clarke, Nicholas Christopher, Devin Ilaw, and Rachelle Ann Go.
