The new ABC television musical special Encore!, which reunites former classmates to rehearse and perform their high school musical one more time, premieres December 10 at 10 PM on ABC.
Frozen and The Good Place star Kristen Bell, who is a theatre kid herself, hosts and executive produces the documentary-style special that reunites a group of ex-classmates to restage their 1997 high school production of Into the Woods in its premiere episode.
Flip through photos of their high school performances below:
What Shows Did Lin-Manuel Miranda, Laura Osnes, James Monroe Iglehart, and More Star in in High School?
What Shows Did Lin-Manuel Miranda, Laura Osnes, James Monroe Iglehart, and More Star in in High School?
Members of the theatre community shared with us photos and memories from their favorite high school productions.
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Blair Goldberg: “Playing Bombalurina in our high school’s production of Cats! God, I’m a dancer!”
Lin-Manuel Miranda: As Conrad Birdie in the sixth grade production of Bye Bye Birdie. I was twelve years old and three feet tall. And all the girls in sixth grade had to pretend to be in love with me.
Jennifer Ashley Tepper: During my junior year of high school in Boca Raton, Florida, my school, Olympic Heights put on Funny Girl. I got to play the pivotal role of Polly the showgirl, one of Fanny Brice’s gal pals who appears with her at Keeney’s Music Hall. Along with Bubbles and Maude, Polly is a backup singer/dancer for Fanny, early in her career. Polly also does things like spy on the other showgirls, gossip with Fanny backstage, and throw shade at her when she makes a fool of herself in front of Nick Arnstein.
Jennifer Ashley Tepper: A few scenes later, I also played the equally pivotal role of the backstage seamstress at the New York Theatre, where Fanny first works for Florenz Ziegfeld. When Fanny tells Ziegfeld that she can’t sing her lyrics in the finale, all actors on stage were instructed to halt what they were doing, and show their alarm. I took this direction to mean: Carry a large wooden box from stage left to stage right and at whatever point Fanny says, “Mr. Ziegfeld, I can’t do this,” jump into the air and throw the box as far and as hard as you can.
Ariana DeBose: When I was 17 I was in a Wake County High School Production of A Chorus Line where I played Cassie. #Blassie It was pretty stellar.
Jose Llana: From my high school, The Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology in Alexandria, Virginia. Rumors - senior year - as Ernie Cusack. A lot of silly fun and a ton of wrinkle lines and white crap in my hair.
Jose Llana: West Side Story - senior year - as Tony. I was playing this part when I decided I wanted to pursue a career in professional theater. It meant the world to me.
Raymond J. Lee: My first HS musical Crazy For You where I played Wyatt the cowboy.
Raymond J. Lee: The annual Blast From The Past at Winston Churchill High School. This was the first year I had a solo and got to sing “Pretty Little Angel Eyes” in a white tux.
Actor Kara Lindsay first made a splash on Broadway as Newsies original Katherine opposite Tony nominee Jeremy Jordan. The whipsmart, quick-tapping talent went on to play Glinda in the long-running musical Wicked on Broadway and now flashes back to the 1960s playing Cynthia Weil in Broadway’s Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. Lindsay stopped by Playbill’s studio to give a glimpse at the secret to her success: great audition material. Watch her sing through her vocal repertoire in the video above and read below for how she chose the songs that landed her on the Great White Way.
Laurel Harris and Kara Lindsay in Beautiful (Left) and Wicked (Right)
Can you tell me a bit about each of the songs you sang in the video? For what audition did you sing it for? Why did you choose each song? “Someone to Watch Over Me” has always been one of my favorites. Its a sweet ingenue type song and one that I felt really comfortable singing. In your initial auditions for new projects many times they ask you to sing “a song in the style of” a particular composer. “Art Is Calling For Me” is a fun bouyant soprano song that shows your range. I had been singing this song since high school and quickly learned that every other girl in musical theatre had, as well! There is a fear of bringing in a song that is overdone and potentially being overlooked because of this. In the end I think you need to go with your gut. If the overdone song is one that you can really live in and feel comfortable performing, then do it! “You Don’t Own Me” is a fun ’60s song I had been singing since college. The lyric and strong pulse of this song makes for such a specific character. A strong feisty gal who takes zero BS. In the initial auditions for Beautiful, almost five years ago, casting asked us to bring in a ’60s song of our choice. My decision was easy. I wasn’t the right fit for the role back then, but I’m so grateful the opportunity came around again. The auditions you work so hard on may not initially go your way, but years later it may pay off. You just never know!
What other songs are in your book? I sing a lot from Baby. I sang “Story Goes On” for Newsies since they also asked for a “high belt” song. This is hilarious to me because in the song the character is singing about her pregnancy and I was auditioning to play a teenage girl in a new Disney musical. I also use “Two People In Love,” which is normally a duet from Baby. It’s a great uptempo 16 bars that makes me smile. I also have a couple of songs from my college friends Michael Kooman and Chris Dimond. They are a brilliant duo and I’ve been a ginormous fan of their work.
What is the song you sang to book your first professional job? Why did you choose it? What about it spoke to you? I sang “I’m Not Afraid of Anything” by Jason Robert Brown for my first professional audition. I listened to Lauren Kennedy’s JRB album religiously (still do) and became an intense superfan of his music. I worked on a lot of JRB music throughout college since it was rangy for me and most auditions asked for 16 bars of a high belt song. The storytelling in his music is what spoke to me. If you can have a solid beginning middle and end for your 16 bars, the easier it will be to take them on some sort of journey in your short time allowed in the audition. And the more you will be thinking about what you are saying rather than the notes you are singing. First professional job at West Virginia Public Theatre booked!
What is a song that you love and have always wanted to sing at an audition, but hasn’t been right for any role or show you’ve tried out for so far? I love Adam Guettel. “Migratory V” from Myths and Hymns has also been in my book since college. I sang it in a couple concerts but not yet for an audition. I think the roles I generally go in for are a bit more bouncy which calls for an uptempo type song. “Migratory V” is my anthem. I just love it.
Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty’s Tony Award-nominated musical Once On This Island returned to Broadway November 9 ahead of a December 3 opening night at Circle in the Square.
Tony-nominated director Michael Arden (Spring Awakening) conceived this compelling new approach to the musical that emphasizes the storytelling traditions at the heart of Once On This Island’s deeply affecting message about the power of the human spirit.
Once On This Island unfolds as a group of storytellers—caught in the midst of an unrelenting storm—recount the tale of Ti Moune, a Caribbean island country girl in love with an aristocrat who is sent on a transformative journey by the gods.
The cast of storytellers who transform into gods, peasants, and wealthy island dwellers is led by Miss Saigon Tony Award winner Lea Salonga as Erzulie, Goddess of Love; Glee groundbreaker Alex Newell as Asaka, Mother of the Earth; Merle Dandridge (Greenleaf) as Papa Ge, Demon of Death; and Quentin Earl Darrington (Cats) as Agwe, God of Water. Broadway newcomer Hailey Kilgore stars in the breakout role of Ti Moune.
Playbill asked Salonga, Newell, Dandridge, Darrington, and Kilgore about their own unique connection to Once On This Island, and to share why they “tell the story.”
Emerson Davis, Lea Salonga, Alex Newell, Quentin Earl Darrington, and Merle Dandridge Joan Marcus
What was it about this production that you immediately connected with and made you say “yes” to this revival of Once on This Island? Merle Dandridge:Once On This Island was the first show in which I saw myself represented on the stage. It was also one of the first musicals I’d ever seen live. This piece was a great inspiration in my deciding on this career path. The chance to bring it back to Broadway was a no-brainer. Quentin Earl Darrington:Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty are among the greatest musical theatre writers and theatre practitioners in history. I regard them, not only for their brilliance and excellence within the craft, yet also for their continued empathy, pursuit of understanding, and active love for people and detailing an authentic human experience. Alex Newell: The fact that our social climate really needs to hear a story like this. It made me want to say yes! Lea Salonga: I had previously seen a production in Manila that starred a bunch of my friends. One of them, Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo who played Erzulie, then asked me to help her with the Ti Mounes, and I said yes. Doing so meant getting intimately acquainted with the score as it was originally created, and falling in love with the story of this peasant girl. I ended up seeing the show a gajillion times, which etched the score into my head. So learning this incarnation with all the brand new orchestrations was such a treat. A challenge for sure, but so fantastic. Also, Michael Arden called and very nicely asked. Hee hee! Hailey Kilgore: The story is absolutely timeless. When I first heard about how the production would be done and how authentically the story would be portrayed, I was STUCK to the show.
What drew you to playing this particular character? Kilgore: For me, this was an opportunity to tell the story of a strong, young, [black] female who is just a fun-loving and adventurous character. Darrington: The fact that this show highlights the divine. It provides a glimpse into the supernatural or spiritual relationships between that which is human and that which is spirit. This is a very important aspect of my personal, day to day life; my relationship with God. Dandridge: I’d always felt there was a little more story to tell with Papa Ge… a bit more juice to be squeezed. Changing the gender automatically released me to make it my own and come at it differently. It’s also a different battle when Erzulie has to battle another woman instead of a man. It’s delicious storytelling! Salonga: I have no idea! The funny thing is, whenever I told any of my friends that I was doing the show, without fail all of them said, “Erzulie!” Maybe they know something I don’t. Newell: [Asaka] is the most fun to play and there are different things that I find in her that I didn’t see in the performance before, so she’s constantly changing.
How are you seeing Once On This Island resonate with audiences today? Newell: It’s a story about love winning and how strong it is. We get too wrapped up in ourselves that we forget to just take the time to love and care! Darrington: It provides the listener a door to consider forgiveness, and offers hope in the ability to start again. Dandridge: I can feel hearts opening. Our culture is so fractured and bleeding right now, it’s a privilege to bring a message of hope. Salonga: Because our cast feels like an actual community and family, perhaps that energy will transfer to the audience at every performance. Doing the show is immersive not just for the audience, but also for us. It never feels like we’re onstage, and that the audience is in a separate area. It feels like one shared space, which makes for a truly communal experience. Kilgore: The issues that the characters face in the story are everything that we are facing right now. People, who are the same as you and me, are given a certain amount of power over others. They can use it and abuse it as they please. But acts of kindness and love can make a change in everyone.
“Singin’ in the Rain is the most famous and beloved movie musical ever made,” Robert Carsen says. “And what you don’t want is an audience going into the theatre playing the movie in their head and wondering why the stage version isn’t as good as that.”
Carsen is talking about his stage version, a huge hit when it first opened in March 2015 at Paris’ Théâtre du Châtelet. While Châtelet is closed for renovations, the show is being brought to life again November 28 through January 11 at Paris’ famed Grand Palais (presented by Châtelet in English with French surtitles).
To make his audience focus on theatre rather than cinema, Carsen says, he looked at the theme of the movie, “which is about major changes in the movie industry, in the late 1920s, when the world of Hollywood was moving, in some cases painfully, from silent movies to sound. And of course the plot centers on Lina Lamont, a silent star who can’t make the transition because she has a terrible voice, and the Cinderella story of Kathy Selden, this nobody who becomes a star because she can sing. I realized that the shift to talkies took place before the shift from black-and-white to color, so I thought that maybe a rigorous way of holding this all together, and having fun with the late 1920s, was to make a stage production almost entirely in black-and-white and at least reflect the silver screen that way.”
Carsen, 63, who directed productions of Candide and My Fair Lady at Châtelet but is primarily known for directing opera—his work includes critically hailed stagings of Eugene Onegin, Falstaff and Der Rosenkavalier at New York’s Metropolitan Opera—says the production at the Grand Palais, in a 2,400-seat theatre built expressly for the musical, will be the same as that at Châtelet. It will have the same 40-member cast and more than 20-piece orchestra. The cast includes many British musical performers: Dan Burton as Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly in the movie), Daniel Crossley as his sidekick, Cosmo Brown (Donald O’Connor in the film), Monique Young as Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds on screen) and Emma Kate Nelson as Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen in the film).
Sets are by two-time Tony winner Tim Hatley (Private Lives, Shrek the Musical). Anthony Powell, a Tony and three-time Oscar winner (Travels With My Aunt, Death on the Nile,Tess) designed the costumes. The choreography, including the signature prevalence of tap, was created by Tony nominee Stephen Mear (Mary Poppins). Musical direction is by Gareth Valentine, a West End veteran.
But Carsen’s homage to the black-and-white film era still has flexibility to match the vibrancy of the musical. “Of course, we bend that rule. We use sepia toning sometimes. If it’s in a garden, it’s tinted green. If it’s indoors, it’s tinted pink. In the fantasy section, when it’s not in Los Angeles anymore or making a movie but dreaming of being on Broadway, in the Broadway melody, that all goes into gold and warm tungsten stage lights.” (The lighting is by Carsen and Giuseppe di lorio.)
“And then, at the very end, when it’s all resolved, we do a big reprise of ‘Singin’ in the Rain,’ and suddenly we have moved forward in time and we’ve gone from black-and-white into full color.”
Cast Marie-Noëlle Robert
The production also recognizes the silver screen with use of video. “Starting from the overture, which is done as if we’re actually watching a movie in a cinema rather than a legitimate theatre, we do the overture with a whole montage as if you’re actually watching the opening credits of a black-and-white movie,” Carsen says.
Shifting the production to the Grand Palais—a Beaux-Arts architectural marvel constructed for the 1900 Universal Exposition—is challenging, he says. “We’re actually building a theatre inside the Grand Palais, which is being specially built for this production, so that the original sets can be used and moved.”
One thing that will be different, he says, is what happens before the show begins. Beginning two hours before curtain time, several options will be offered: tap-dance classes by Victor Cuno of Paris’s SwingTap school (one hour, 10 euros – about $11.60 – reservation only, tap shoes provided); free karaoke with musical tunes; a photo call to pose like Gene Kelly; a beauty salon with a makeup artist and hairdresser; and video projections. All the activities are designed to immerse audiences in what Châtelet describes as “the atmosphere of a movie studio backstage.”
Produced by Arthur Freed at MGM, the original movie was directed and choreographed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, with a screenplay by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, who adapted their film work for a 1985 Broadway version choreographed by Twyla Tharp that ran for 367 performances. With songs by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed, Singin’ in the Rain harkens back to a bygone era.
A production of Singing in the Rain starring Derek Hough had been projected for Broadway, but never materialized. What about the fate of this Paris production?
“We would love to bring Singin’ in the Rain to Broadway,” says Carsen. “If we’re lucky somebody will come and see it during its run and be interested. In taking a show to Broadway, there’s always the trouble about being able to find the right theatre at the right time. And hopefully that might be able to happen this time.”
A Look at the Paris Production of Singin’ in the Rain at Théâtre du Châtelet
Spamilton is set to end its Off-Broadway run at the 47th Street Theatre/The Puerto Rican Traveling Theater January 7, 2018 according to The New York Times. On November 14, the show celebrated 500 performances since opening in July 2016.
Dan Rosales and Lin-Manuel Miranda Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic
Penned by Forbidden Broadway creator Gerard Alessandrini, Spamilton is a musical parody of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s smash hit Hamilton musical. The show debuted last fall at The Triad, where it was originally scheduled to play only 18 performances, but continued to extend due to popular demand.
The production moved from The Triad to its new theatre district home on June 2 of this year, where it was scheduled to play an open-ended run. A representative for the show told NYT that main reason for the show’s closing is that the theatre will no longer be available after January 7.
The current cast is made up of Dan Rosales, Nicole Vanessa Ortiz, Chris Anthony Giles, Aaron Michael Ray, and Tristan J. Shuler.
After a successful launch in New York, productions of Spamilton opened on the west coast and in Chicago. The Los Angeles production of Spamilton at the Kirk Douglas Theatre celebrated its opening November 12 and has been extended through January 7 due to popular demand. The Chicago production closed this fall after a seven-month run.
According to the Times, a national tour of Spamilton is in the works, with cities and dates yet to be announced. A London production is reportedly also on the horizon.
In addition to Alessandrini, Spamilton’s general management team includes Laura Cronin and Scott Newsome from Brierpatch Productions and the creative team includes Gerry McIntyre (choreography), Dustin Cross (costume design), Richard Danley and Fred Barton (musical arrangements), and Michael Cassara (casting director).
The show is produced by John Freedson, Christine Pedi, David Zippel, and Alessandrini.
First Look at Hamilton Parody Spamilton
First Look at Hamilton Parody Spamilton
Take a first glimpse at Spamilton, the new satirical musical by the creator of Forbidden Broadway, Gerard Alessandrini. Inspired by the Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning Hamilton, the show will both celebrate and parody the landmark musical.
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Dan Rosales, Chris Anthony Giles, Nicholas Edwards, Juwan Crawley and Nora Schell in SpamiltonCarol Rosegg
Nora Schell, Nicholas Edwards and Juwan Crawley in SpamiltonCarol Rosegg
Chris Anthony Giles, Dan Rosales, Juwan Crawley, Nora Schell and Nicholas-Edwards in SpamiltonCarol Rosegg
Dan Rosales in SpamiltonCarol Rosegg
Dan Rosales in SpamiltonCarol Rosegg
Chris Anthony Giles, Nicholas Edwards, Dan Rosales, Juwan Crawley and Nora Schell in SpamiltonCarol Rosegg
Nora Schell in SpamiltonCarol Rosegg
Nicholas Edwards in SpamiltonCarol Rosegg
Nicholas Edwards, Nora Schell, Chris Anthon Giles, Juwan Crawley and Dan Rosales in SpamiltonCarol Rosegg
The award-winning Serenbe Playhouse has announced its 9th season of immersive, site-specific productions, which will include The Little Mermaid, a world-premiere adaptation of Peter Pan, Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull, and a large-scale production of the Tony-winning musical Titanic.
Located 30 Southwest of Atlanta, Georgia, Serenbe Playhouse operates within the the 40,000 acre community of Serenbe, a progressive new model for community living centered around organic farming and environmental sustainability located in Georgia’s Chattahoochee Hill Country. Homes are built to have little environmental impact, and more than 70 percent of Serenbe’s land is protected as green space.
Niki Badua BreeAnne Clowdus
Artistic Director Brian Clowdus incorporates the natural settings of the Serenbe community to create highly theatrical and immersive experiences. In addition to site-specific productions of Oklahoma and The Secret Garden, in recent years Clowdus has re-staged Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel within an actual carnival, and Grease at a Drive-In movie. His 2016 production of Miss Saigon, during which an actual Huey Helicopter landed nightly mid-show, made headlines—garnering national attention and critical acclaim.
Clowdus revealed the 2018 Serenbe season program during an exclusive live stream on Playbill’s Facebook page. Titled Voyage, the season offers a collection of classic plays and musicals, all of which will incorporate natural bodies of water located within Serenbe.
Watch the full season announcement below.
“Every production in our season is actually set on the shore or in the water,” Clowdus explains. Large lakes throughout the Serenbe community will serve as staging grounds for the season. The centerpiece will be the Tony Award-winning Maury Yeston-Peter Stone musical Titanic, which will incorporate an actual sinking of the luxury liner each night.
Serenbe’s season opens with Disney’s The Little Mermaid, running March 28–April 22, 2018, under the direction of Ryan Oliveti. “We are taking a look at how to find the beauty in every day trash,” Clowdus says. “The entire set and all of the costumes for The Little Mermaid are created from found objects from the ocean.” A world-premiere adaptation of Peter Pan will follow May 31-August 26. Audiences will be seated on a dock constructed over the water for the performances that will use a floating Pirate Ship for a stage.
Clowdus will direct Titanic, which runs July 20–August 12. He is collaborating with scenic designer Adam Koch, who designed Carousel and Miss Saigon for Serenbe, to create the production that will incorporate an actual sinking of the luxury liner each night. “We have a concept that allows the entire production to rise from the water. It’s a huge undertaking, but the concept brings a human scale to it as well.”
The season closes with a modern take on Chekhov’s The Seagull running September 5-30. The play, which takes place on a sprawling Russian country estate (and features an outdoor staging of a play within a play), will be directed by Elizabeth Dinkova on the shores of another Serenbe lake.
The season also includes Serenbe’s annual stagings of The Sleepy Hollow Experience (September 26-November 4) and The Snow Queen (November 28–December 30).
