Sara Bareilles, who earned Tony and Grammy nominations for her score for Waitress, returned to the musical as Jenna January 16. Bareilles made her Broadway stage debut last year in Waitress and is scheduled to perform in the show once again through February 25.
Flip through photos of the January 16 curtain call below:
See Sara Bareilles Return to Waitress on Broadway
Bareilles shares the stage for the first part of her run in Waitress with friend and collaborator, Grammy winner Jason Mraz, who stepped into the show as Dr. Pomatter November 3. While he was initially slated to appear in the musical through January 14 only, he will now star opposite Bareilles for the first two weeks of her run through February 11. Original cast member Drew Gehling will return as Pomatter beginning February 13.
Waitress is now playing the Brooks Atkinson Theatre.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend star and musical theatre enthusiast Rachel Bloom helped bring some Broadway magic to the YouTube talk show Good Mythical Morning, starring alongside hosts Rhett and Link in a variety of showtune-infused reenactments of terrible Tinder interactions.
Watch the video above as the trio sings transcripts of dating app nightmares through the lens of such shows as Hamilton, the Phantom of the Opera, and Cats—complete with costumes and sets.
Bloom frequently brings a Broadway sensibility to her CW comedy series, currently in its third season. Last year, she appeared in the Manhattan Concert Productions staging of the Broadway-bound Crazy For You.
Photos: Laura Osnes, Rachel Bloom, and Tony Yazbeck in Crazy for You
Tony-nominated actor and singer Jennifer Damiano returns to Feinstein’s/54 Below in New York City January 16 with an encore performance of Jennifer Damiano: Unplugged, the show with which she made her solo cabaret debut in the summer of 2016
The 9:30 PM concert features “an intimate, acoustic take on Damiano’s journey through her adolescence in the theater through pop music and the heartfelt musical theatre songs that have made her career. Damiano will be reunited with music director Benjamin Rauhala for the intimate concert in what will be her most personal cabaret show yet.”
Damiano made her Broadway debut in the original cast of Spring Awakening at age 15 and earned a Tony Award nomination for her performance as the daughter Natalie in Next to Normal. Her other Broadway roles include Mary Jane Watson in Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark (2011) and Jean in American Psycho (2016). Off-Broadway, she starred in Venice at the Public Theatre and a pop-up production of Cruel Intentions: The Musical.
No stranger to the cabaret world, she has taken part in eight engagements at Feinstein’s/54 Below, including her sold-out show Jennuinely in 2016, Broadway Loves Kelly Clarkson in April 2017, and her July and September stands with the current show.
Feinstein’s/54 Below is located at 254 West 54th Street, beneath Studio 54, in Manhattan. Doors open at 5:15 PM and the performance is scheduled to begin at 7 PM January 16. Tickets, which cost $25 to $60 (plus a $25 food/drink minimum), can be ordered here. Tickets on the day of performance after 4 PM are available only by calling (646) 476-3551.
Crazy For You re-entered the Broadway conversation after a one-night only concert engagement in February 2017 reignited enthusiasm for the 1992 Tony-winning musical. The musical is reportedly Broadway-bound and actor Jerry O’Connell, who performed in the concert version, told audiences on Live With Kelly & Ryan that he’s currently working on the project.
O’Connell plays Lank Hawkins. The concert starred Tony Yazbeck as Bobby Child opposite Laura Osnes as Polly Baker. The concert also featured Rachel Bloom (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), Rachel Dratch (Saturday Night Live), and Jack McBrayer (30 Rock). Directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman, who won the 1992 Tony for Best Choreography in the original production, is attached.
“These are real Broadway song and dance people. Of the whole cast I am legitimately the worst of all of them,” O’Connell confides. “I can move. If we’re in the club, you’re like Whoa who’s that guy dancing?’ On the Broadway stage you’re like Who is that guy and how did he get on that stage?’” But O’Connell has been on the Broadway stage before in Living On Love and Seminar.
No theatre or Broadway dates have been announced for Crazy For You.
Photos: Laura Osnes, Rachel Bloom, and Tony Yazbeck in Crazy for You
Playbill’s photo series Inside the Theatre captures the dazzling architecture and unseen details of the world’s most famous theatres, taking you inside all 41 of the Broadway houses. This week, we invite you into the Stephen Sondheim Theatre on 43rd Street, home to Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.
The Sondheim Theatre was constructed by architect H.C. Ingalls and originally owned by Henry Miller. It opened in 1918 as Henry Miller’s Theatre, and the following year, was home to George Gershwin’s first complete Broadway score: La, La, Lucille. The venue has showcased stars such as Noel Coward, Leslie Howard, Helen Hayes, and Ruth Chatterton. The longest-running show to play the theatre was Urinetown The Musical from 2001–2004.
Flip through photos of the theatre below:
Step Inside Broadway’s Stephen Sondheim Theatre
Step Inside Broadway’s Stephen Sondheim Theatre
Inside the Theatre, the photo feature series that documents Broadway’s historic playhouses, continues with the Stephen Sondheim Theatre.
15 PHOTOS
The Stephen Sondheim Theatre opened on April 1, 1918 as Henry Miller’s Theatre after the London-born actor and producer. Marc J. Franklin
Henry Miller inaugurated his namesake playhouse with Louis Evan Shipman’s romantic comedy The Fountain of Youth starring himself. Marc J. Franklin
Designed by Architects Allen, Ingalls, and Hoffman, the 950-seat theatre was made after to feel like a cozy, intimate venue for audiences. Marc J. Franklin
Stephen Sondheim Theatre lobby Marc J. Franklin
Early in its history, the theatre showcased the work of legends such as Noel Coward, Leslie Howard, Helen Hayes, and Ruth Chatterton. Marc J. Franklin
One of Broadway’s all-time greatest talents marked a milestone at Henry Miller’s Theatre: composer George Gershwin wrote his first complete score to a musical, La, La, Lucille, which opened in 1919. Marc J. Franklin
In addition, the theatre premiered many iconic plays including Thornton Wilder’s Our Town and R.C. Sherriff’s Journey’s End. Marc J. Franklin
In 1968, the Nederlanders sold the theatre to developer Seymour Durst. As Durst set out to purchase and rebuild an entire city block, the theatre played movies and became a discotheque in the 1970s. Marc J. Franklin
In 1998, the theatre was renovated by the Roundabout Theatre Company and re-opened with an acclaimed Broadway revival of Cabaret. Marc J. Franklin
In 2004, the Durst Organization and Bank of America demolished the building, leaving only the building’s original façade, in order to create a new state of the art “green” theatre, designed to minimize its energy use and contribution to environmental pollution. Marc J. Franklin
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical currently plays the Sondheim Theatre, where it opened January 12, 2014. With a book by Tony and Academy Award nominee Douglas McGrath, direction by Marc Bruni, and choreography by Josh Prince, Beautiful details the life and career of Carole King.
Escape to Margaritaville, the new musical featuring the hit songs of singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett, officially opens at the Marquis Theatre on Broadway March 15. Previews begin February 16.
With a book by Emmy Award winner Greg Garcia (My Name Is Earl, Raising Hope) and Emmy Award nominee Mike O’Malley, the musical tells the story of a part-time bartender, part-time singer and full-time charmer named Tully who thinks he’s got life all figured out until a beautiful career-minded tourist steals his heart and makes him question everything.
Paul Alexander Nolan (Bright Star), who originated the role of Tully in the musical’s world premiere at La Jolla Playhouse last summer, reprises his role on Broadway. He leads a cast that also includes Alison Luff (Les Misérables) as Rachel, Lisa Howard (It Shoulda Been You) as Tammy, Rema Webb (The Color Purple) as Marley, Don Sparks (Take Me Out) as J.D., and Andre Ward (Something Rotten!) as Jamal.
The musical reunites Come From Away‘s Tony-winning director Christopher Ashley and Tony-nominated choreographer Kelly Devine. The two will be featured in a panel discussion after a performance from the cast at the exclusive pop-up preview event at Renaissance New York Times Square Hotel on January 22.
Enter the contest below for your chance to be part of this one-night-only event at the Renaissance New York Times Square Hotel.
The contest entry period begins Monday, January 8 at 5 PM ET, and will end Monday, January 15 at 5 PM ET. Winners will be announced on Playbill.com January 17. Restrictions apply. Winners must be able to provide their own transportation to and lodging.
First Look at the World Premiere of Escape to Margaritaville
