Wake Up With BWW 8/27: Lara Spencer Apologizes For Comments on Prince George Taking Ballet, and More!
Today’s top stories Watch Lara Spencer’s apology for her comments on Prince George taking ballet classes, read Broadway’s reactions, and more
Playbill Vault’s Today in Theatre History: August 27
1878 Birthday of Sam S. Shubert, co-founder of the theatre-owning and producing titan, the Shubert Organization. Broadway’s Shubert Theatre is named for him.
1921 When it closes after 1,291 performances, Lightnin’ holds the record as Broadway’s longest-running play up to that time. Starring in the piece on closing night is playwright Frank Bacon.
1929 Writer Ira Levin is born in New York. In 1978, Levin writes the mother of all Broadway thrillers, Deathtrap. Other plays include No Time for Sergeants and General Seeger.
1934 Opening night of the revue Life Begins at 8:40, written by Harold Arlen, E.Y. Harburg, and Ira Gershwin. Stars include Luella Gear, Frances Williams, and future Wizard of Oz co-stars Ray Bolger and Bert Lahr. The score includes “You’re a Builder-Upper.”
1963 Following a hit Off-Broadway run and a national tour, Arthur Kopit‘s comedy Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma’s Hung You in the Closet and I’m Feelin’ So Sad opens on Broadway at the Morosco Theatre for a six-week run. Once again directed by Jerome Robbins, the production stars Hermione Gingold, Alix Elias, Sandor Szabo, and Sam Waterston.
1991 Thornton Wilder‘s The Matchmaker opens anew at Off-Broadway’s Roundabout Theatre Company‘s Haft Theatre. The original production of the play opened on Broadway December 5, 1955. The play was later adapted into the musical Hello, Dolly! by Jerry Herman and Michael Stewart.
2001 The musical Urinetown begins Broadway previews at Henry Miller’s Theatre.
2011 New York City shuts down under the threat of Hurricane (later downgraded to Tropical Storm) Irene. All Broadway and most Off-Broadway shows are canceled, and there is a system-wide shut down of New York City mass transit.
2011 Andrew Lloyd Webber‘s Love Never Dies, the much-anticipated but critically kicked sequel to The Phantom of the Opera, closes after a run of less than 18 months at London’s Adelphi Theatre.
2014 Sandy Wilson, the British composer and lyricist who was best known for the nostalgic, ’20s-style musical The Boy Friend, which was a monster hit in the 1950s and helped make a star out of Julie Andrews, dies at age 90.
More of Today’s Birthdays: Theodore Dreiser 1871. Frederick O’Neal 1905. Martha Raye 1916. David Shaw 1916. Paul Reubens 1952.
Watch highlights from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Love Never Dies, starring Sierra Boggess and Ramin Karimloo:
Meet The Cast Currently Defying Gravity In WICKED On Broadway!
Meet the Oz-some current cast of Wicked on Broadway
6 Ways to Get Tickets to Broadway’s Moulin Rouge!
Moulin Rouge! The Musical is the latest Broadway show to become an unofficial member of the “tough ticket” club. Since officially opening July 25 at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, audiences have been clamoring for the chance to the stage adaptation of Baz Luhrmann’s hit film, directed by Alex Timbers. Full-price tickets are available for purchase at the theatre box office and online via Ticketmaster and Ticketmaster re-sale (which are verified as legitimate tickets). Tickets are currently on sale for performances through July 5, 2020. Because of its popularity, the show is unlikely to appear on the boards of the TKTS booth run by TDF, or as part of TDF’s membership discount tickets. But there are a few other clever ways to score tickets to the spectacular:
ENTER THE DIGITAL LOTTERY
If you’re looking for an inexpensive way to see this opulent extravaganza, the lottery is your best bet. Enter the online lottery via Lucky Seat; this is the same platform used by Broadway’s Mean Girls, Frozen, Hadestown, Hamilton, and The Book of Mormon. If you’ve entered lotteries for any of these other shows, use the same account. Sign-up for an account is free. You’ll only pay if you win tickets through the lottery and wish to purchase them. Interested entrants can submit for online drawings for up to two tickets for the upcoming week of shows. Entries close at 11 AM ET the day before the performance. You will be notified at 12PM ET the day before the performance. If you are a winner, you have until 4 PM ET the day before the performance to purchase the tickets online. Tickets are $34.
STAND BACK
When the performance is sold out, Moulin Rouge! offers Standing Room Only tickets for $50 each. The box office sells these on a first-come, first-serve basis at the theatre box office. Standing spots are located at the back of the orchestra of the theatre, and you will have to stand for the duration of the show, but you’ll also have a great wide view of the full Moulin Rouge.
READ: Broadway Rush, Lottery, and Standing Room Only Policies
DONATE TO BROADWAY CARES/EQUITY FIGHTS AIDS
Broadway Cares is one of the country’s leading industry-based non-profit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations, and one of the best-known charities in the theatre industry. You may have heard of Broadway Cares during the big fall and spring fundraising seasons, when the casts of Broadway shows and national touring companies compete to see which show can raise the most money for the cause. Cast members collect donations in their signature red buckets and auction off signed Playbills, posters and more to raise money. The winning shows are crowned in the fall at the annual Red Bucket Follies and in the spring at the annual Easter Bonnet Competition. Broadway Cares runs a program called Care-Tix. Through the program, supporters can get house seats to Moulin Rouge!. Care-Tix has dedicated seats to every performance of the production. To make a house seat request, click here. Not only do you get to see the show and donate to a worthy cause, Care-Tix operates like any other high level concierge service with customer service reps providing tailored assistance.
BECOME A MEMBER OF THE ACTORS FUND
The Actors Fund is a national organization that provides social services for those working in the performing arts and entertainment industry.By becoming a member of The Actors Fund at the $100 level and up, you can gain access to their house seat program. For every performance of every commercial production on Broadway, two pairs of house seats are reserved for The Actors Fund to sell at cost plus an additional tax deductible donation. This long-standing arrangement (started by Hal Prince) between theater owners, producers and The Actors Fund means that our members have access to purchase hard-to-get tickets in prime locations with the added benefit of supporting the performing arts and entertainment community. At the $100 level, members can purchase two house seats once a year (higher membership levels offer more access). With a $100 membership, you can purchase a house seat to Moulin Rouge! for face value and an additional $100 tax deductible donation. The total single ticket cost (not inclusive of membership fees) typically ranges from $299–349, though prices are subject to change based on the box office.
TRY THE CANCELLATION LINE
At times, there are people who bought tickets in advance and (for one reason or another) can no longer use them, so they return their seats to the box office. These tickets are then available for purchase at the theatre box office. This is for last-minute availability only for day-of performances. It is a first-come, first-serve system—and there is no guarantee that tickets will be available. But it’s worth the ask. Tickets are sold at face value.
USE YOUR MASTERCARD
Moulin Rouge! has a partnership with MasterCard. Limited seats are available at each performance specifically for MasterCard holders. Find offers for cardholders on the Mastercard offer page on Ticketmaster and via MasterCard’s own channels.
Production Photos: Moulin Rouge! on Broadway
BWW Flashback: WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME Will Take Final Broadway Bow Today
As BroadwayWorld previously reported, the two-time Tony Award-nominated, Pulitzer Prize Finalist, and Obie Award-winning Best New American Play What the Constitution Means to Me will play its final Broadway performance today,August 24th at the Helen Hayes Theater.
Inside Pip’s Island—the New Immersive Theatre Experience for Kids
Set in a 15,000-square-foot, custom-built space in Times Square is Pip’s Island. The completely original theatrical experience transferred from its temporary home at Skylight Modern in Chelsea, to the massive $20 million theatre-set-meets-playground this past May—and has quickly become go-to theatre for families.
While celebrities such as Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka, Cynthia Nixon, Megyn Kelly, and more have brought their families, Pip’s Island has welcomed hundreds of “explorers” with a thirst for immersive theatre.
READ: 14 Broadway Shows Great for Families
On Pip’s Island, explorers must travel through nine regions—from the woodland to the deep sea to the polar range—to save the land from the villainous Joules Volter, who has taken over the island’s energy source: the lighthouse. In every room, adventurers must perform a task that will ultimately lead them to conquer Volter and rescue the day. “During the experience, kids are asked to steer Pebble’s flying ship by wrangling handles and levers, decorate faux cakes in Grumble’s bakery, and find hidden crystals to activate a transmission device,” says Rania Ajami, one of the founders who conceived of Pip’s Island.
And though Pip’s Island shares the scale and imagination of a children’s museum, the original story and actors who bring it to life elevate the experience to a new type of children’s theatre. The settings combine live performance, puppets, animation, and objectives to conquer in this vibrant, sensory world conceived by brother-sister duo Rania and Rami Ajami. Designed for kids ages four to 10, the hour-long journey is a transportive one.
“At Pip’s Island, children are not simply being told a story, but they are active participants in the narrative,” says Ajami. “Unlike children’s museums and traditional theatre experiences, Pip’s Island takes you on a live adventure. Children step inside the story and go on an expedition through a magical world.”
Here, creative director Walter Krudop takes us inside the Meadow of Pip’s Island with secrets behind the innovative design.
