/* Mobile Menu Retract ---------------------------------*/

The Theatre Community Reacts to Election Day(s)

by | Nov 6, 2020 | New Musical News Feed

November 3 marked Election Day, by now a misnomer as ballots continue to be counted in battleground states with no clear timeline as to when a victory might be called. In the meantime, the theatre community has taken to social media to share their thoughts, experiences, and comparisons between the election and theatre life.

Audra McDonald

Rachel Brosnahan

Kyle Jarrow

Gideon Glick

Diep Tran

Stephanie J. Block

Jason Robert Brown

Keala Settle

Patti Murin

Michael Park

Alex Brightman

Jennifer Ashley Tepper

Rory O’Malley

Playbill Vault’s Today in Theatre History: November 5

by | Nov 4, 2020 | New Musical News Feed

1895 Birthday of Charles MacArthur, newsman-turned-playwright, whose wisecracking oeuvre includes The Front Page, Twentieth Century (the play on which the musical On the Twentieth Century is based), Johnny on a Spot, Lulu Belle, Ladies and Gentlemen, and the libretto to the Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart musical Jumbo. He was also married to Helen Hayes.

1918 Miss 1917 opens at the Century Theatre featuring comedian Lew Fields performing a score by Victor Herbert, Guy Bolton, and P.G. Wodehouse. It runs 48 performances.

1931 Raymond Massey stars as Hamlet for 28 performances at the Broadhurst Theatre.

1941 Summoned by a medium, the spirit of a wife returns in ghost form to flirt with her still-living husband, and bedevil his new wife in Noël Coward‘s sparkling comedy, Blithe Spirit, which opens at the Morosco Theatre, and brightens wartime Broadway for 650 performances.

1943 Birthday of playwright Sam Shepard, one of the cornerstones of the Off-Off-Broadway movement in the 1960s, with plays like The Unseen Hand and The Tooth of Crime, who goes slightly more mainstream with works including True West, All for Love, and Pulitzer-winner Buried Child. He also contributes a sketch to the long-running revue Oh! Calcutta!

1951 Ginger Rogers appears on the cover of Life, “Back On Broadway” in Love and Let Love. However, the show, plagued by feuding in its tryout period, plays only 51 performances, losing about $30,000.

1952 Margaret Sullavan stars in Terrence Rattigan‘s play The Deep Blue Sea, which opens at the Morosco Theatre and stays for 132 performances.

1959 Paddy Chayefsky‘s supernatural thriller The Tenth Man, opens at the Booth Theatre, beginning a 623-performance run.

1963 Birthday of Andrea McArdle, who creates the title role in the musical Annie, and goes on to play roles in musicals including Starlight Express, State Fair, and Beauty and the Beast.

1973 Peter Hall succeeds Laurence Olivier as director of the English National Theatre, leading the company through many successful years and a Queen-appointed change of name to the Royal National Theatre.

1980 Christopher Reeve, Swoosie Kurtz, and Amy Wright are the stars in Fifth of July by Lanford Wilson, which opens at the New Apollo Theatre. The show was a success Off-Broadway as a Circle Rep production in 1978, and repeats its success on Broadway, running for 511 performances and winning Kurtz a Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award.

1987 Stephen Sondheim‘s elaborate interweaving of many fairy tales, Into the Woods, opens on Broadway at the Martin Beck Theatre. The famous score includes the hits “No One Is Alone” and “Children Will Listen,” along with the title song. James Lapine, who also wrote the book, directs a cast that includes Joanna Gleason, Chip Zien, and Bernadette Peters. It runs 765 performances.

1995 Master Class, Terrence McNally‘s play about opera diva Maria Callas, opens on Broadway at the Golden Theatre. Zoe Caldwell stars as Callas, with Audra McDonald playing one of her students. It goes on to win Tony Awards for Caldwell, McDonald, and Best Play. Dixie Carter and Patti LuPone take on the role of Callas later in the 598 performance run.

2003 The Landmark Conservancy names actor Elaine Stritch and composing duo John Kander and Fred Ebb “Living Landmarks.”

2012 The New York City premiere of Samuel D. Hunter’s The Whale, a harrowing character study of the roots of dysfunction in the life of a morbidly-obese 600-pound man, opens Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons‘ Peter Jay Sharp Theater. Shuler Hensley stars as Charlie, the mentally vibrant but emotionally (and mostly couch-bound) lost soul.

2015 On Your Feet!, the musical based on the lives of Gloria and Emilio Estefan, opens on Broadway at the Marquis Theatre, where it runs for 746 performances. Ana Villafañe and Josh Segarra star as Gloria and Emilio.

2018 Christopher Demos-Brown’s American Son opens at Broadway’s Booth Theatre. Kerry Washington, Steven Pasquale, Jeremy Jordan, and Eugene Lee star in the drama, about a separated, interracial couple reuniting in a police station and grappling with the disappearance of their teenage son. Director Kenny Leon later helms a filmed version for Netflix as well, with the four reprising their performances.

More of Today’s Birthdays: Natalie Schafer (1900–1991). Vivien Leigh (1913–1967). Donald Madden (1928–1983). Harris Yulin (b. 1937). Howard McGillin (b. 1953). Sam Rockwell (b. 1968). Keala Settle (b. 1975). Sebastian Arcelus (b. 1976).

PHOTO ARCHIVE: Zoe Caldwell, Patti LuPone, Dixie Carter, Faye Dunaway and Tyne Daly in Terrence McNally’s Master Class

Just Some of Our Favorite Moments From Stars in the House’s All-Day Vote-a-Thon

by | Nov 3, 2020 | New Musical News Feed

Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley have gone live nearly every day since the theatre shutdown to offer some light, hope, and belting during the pandemic, but they perhaps take on their most ambitious stream November 3 to commemorate Election Day. Join them for the special, 10-hour “Vote-a-Thon” edition of Stars in the House.

The streaming event, scheduled to run until 7 PM, features several stage and screen stars who stop by from their homes around the world, their polling places, and more. During their appearances the artists are offering tales and tunes, revisiting performance clips from Rudetsky’s trove, and getting out one final plea to make your voice heard.

Check out just some of our favorite moments (so far!) below, and tune in right here on Playbill.

Stars in the House launched March 16 to promote support for The Actors Fund and its services in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. It has also raised funds for the NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. To make a tax-deductible donation, visit ActorsFund.org.

Alice Ripley, having gotten up bright and early to cast her ballot, serenaded voters in line with a rendition of “American Pie” (all eight minutes!)

SITH Vote-a-thon_Alice Ripley

Andrea Martin demonstrated her failed attempt at singing with open vowels for Marc Shaiman.

SITH_Vote-a-thon_AndreaMartin

Jenna Russell, from across the pond, showed off her “revolutionary” new hobby that keeps her occupied—and staunch—during quarantine.

SITH_Voteathon_Jenna Russell

Karen Olivo nerded out over LA Law stars Jill Eikenberry and Michael Tucker.

SITH_Vote-a-thon_Karen Olivo

During a quick Fun Home reunion, Judy Kuhn revealed the time Beth Malone almost (accidentally) got her high backstage.

SITH_Vote-a-thon_Fun Home

Darius de Haas belted out “One Less Angel,” as he performed as the singing voice of Shy Baldwin on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

SITH_Vote-a-thon_Darius de Haas

Annette Bening read off names of those who donated to the Actors Fund during the stream, including a touching note from “Bill from New York City,” who gave $10,000 in honor of his mother.

SITH_Vote-a-thon-Annette Bening

Gavin Creel took a break from his poll worker shift to revisit a Millie option-up that must be heard to believe.

SITH_Vote-a-thon_Gavin Creel

Carousel favorites Lindsay Mendez and Jessie Mueller put up with non-stop sass from the two hosts (and each other)

Sith_Vote-a-thon_Mendez Mueller

Brenda Braxton (sorry, that’s Lady Braxton) made her dramatic entrance as guest host, channeling her inner Kamala Harris.

SITH_Vote-a-Thon_Lady Braxton

Melissa Errico dazzled with a rendition of “Over the Rainbow.”

SITH_Vote-a-thon_Melissa

They finally stumped Marilu Henner!

SITH_Vote-a-thon_Marilu Henner

Laurie Metcalf showed off her new puppy, Connie

SITH_Vote-a-thon_Laurie Metcalf

Charlotte d’Amboise said a little trans-Atlantic “Hello” to husband Terrence Mann, who’s in Ireland for a gig (He voted absentee.)

SITH_Charlotte D'Amboise Terrence Mann_Vote-a-Thon

Vanessa Williams goes down memory lane with the many presidents she’s met/performed for.

SITH_Vote-a-Thon_Vanessa Williams

Julia Murney stress-baked chocolate chip cookies while chatting with her former Chess co-star Josh Groban.

SITH_Julia Murney Josh Groban_Vote-a-Thon

Christine Pedi has shared her support for Biden, but her shirt suggests otherwise…

SITH_Vote-a-Thon_Christine Pedi

The full lineup includes Brenda Braxton (who guest hosts the 2–3 PM hour), Iain Armitage, Colleen Ballinger, Laura Benanti, Annette Bening, Stephanie J. Block, Betty Buckley, Laura Bell Bundy, Andréa Burns, Ann Hampton Callaway, Liz Callaway, Tom Cavanagh, Michael Cerveris, Will Chase, Javier Colon, Gavin Creel, Marcia Cross, Charlotte d’Amboise, Darius DeHaas, Dana Delany, Colin Donnell, Jill Eikenberry, Melissa Errico, Victor Garber, Peri Gilpin, Josh Groban, Sean Hayes, Marilu Henner, Megan Hilty, Carly Hughes, Jeremy Jordan, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Judy Kuhn, Anika Larsen, Laura Leighton, Beth Malone, Melissa Manchester, Terrence Mann, Andrea Martin, Michael McElroy, Lindsay Mendez, Laurie Metcalf, Ingrid Michaelson, Lisa Mordente, Jessie Mueller, Patti Murin, Julia Murney, Kelli O’Hara, Karen Olivo, Adam Pascal, Lauren Patten, Christine Pedi, Rosie Perez, Anthony Rapp, Caroline Rhea, Chita Rivera, Jenna Russell, Lea Salonga, Glenn Scarpelli, Marc Shaiman, Martin Short, Elizabeth Stanley, Ben Stiller, Michael Tucker, Jenna Ushkowitz, Vanessa Williams, Schele Williams, Marissa Winokur, BD Wong, Tony Yazbeck, and Bellamy Young.