On Friday, April 12th, the Dance Theatre of Harlem hosted their most anticipated event of the year, The Vision Gala.
Anna Glass, Janet Jackson, Robert Garland at The Vision Gala
Credit/Copyright: Dance Theatre of Harlem
The event honored esteemed ballet dancer Misty Copeland with the Arthur Mitchell Vision Award and civic leaders and philanthropists Terri Prettyman Bowles and Alvin Bowles with the Virtuoso Award. The organization raised $1.3 Million to further their mission of providing arts education, maintaining a world-class school, and presenting a ballet Company of African American and other racially diverse artists.
“Let’s continue to dance, to dream, and to build a world where every child has the opportunity to discover their passion and reach for the stars through dance,” Misty Copeland said on stage while accepting her award.
The honorary committee included Peg Alston, Reginald Van Lee, Susan Taylor, Derrick “D Nice” Jones, Jalen Rose, Kenny Leon,...
Anna Glass, Janet Jackson, Robert Garland at The Vision Gala
Credit/Copyright: Dance Theatre of Harlem
The event honored esteemed ballet dancer Misty Copeland with the Arthur Mitchell Vision Award and civic leaders and philanthropists Terri Prettyman Bowles and Alvin Bowles with the Virtuoso Award. The organization raised $1.3 Million to further their mission of providing arts education, maintaining a world-class school, and presenting a ballet Company of African American and other racially diverse artists.
“Let’s continue to dance, to dream, and to build a world where every child has the opportunity to discover their passion and reach for the stars through dance,” Misty Copeland said on stage while accepting her award.
The honorary committee included Peg Alston, Reginald Van Lee, Susan Taylor, Derrick “D Nice” Jones, Jalen Rose, Kenny Leon,...
- 4/17/2024
- Look to the Stars
Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal are slated to star in Othello on Broadway in spring 2025.
The production, which will see Washington in the title role and Gyllenhaal as Iago, will be directed by Kenny Leon, who directed this season’s Purlie Victorious and previously directed Washington in A Raisin in the Sun and Fences, opposite Viola Davis.
In addition to those stage credits and a lengthy film career, Washington has previously starred on Broadway in Julius Cesar, Checkmates and most recently, the 2018 revival of Iceman Cometh, in a large cast which also included Austin Butler. His upcoming film credits include Gladiator 2.
Gyllenhaal has starred in three Broadway shows, including Sunday in the Park with George and most recently in the 2019 production of A Life, a one-person monologue, which was paired with Tom Sturridge in Sea Wall. His next movie, the action thriller Road House, is due to premiere at...
The production, which will see Washington in the title role and Gyllenhaal as Iago, will be directed by Kenny Leon, who directed this season’s Purlie Victorious and previously directed Washington in A Raisin in the Sun and Fences, opposite Viola Davis.
In addition to those stage credits and a lengthy film career, Washington has previously starred on Broadway in Julius Cesar, Checkmates and most recently, the 2018 revival of Iceman Cometh, in a large cast which also included Austin Butler. His upcoming film credits include Gladiator 2.
Gyllenhaal has starred in three Broadway shows, including Sunday in the Park with George and most recently in the 2019 production of A Life, a one-person monologue, which was paired with Tom Sturridge in Sea Wall. His next movie, the action thriller Road House, is due to premiere at...
- 3/6/2024
- by Caitlin Huston
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Lea Michele, the star of Funny Girl, ends her stay today in the Broadway revival. She noted the milestone with an Instagram post that touted the show’s recoupment of its $16.5 million capitalization.
“For the past year, I’ve had the honor and privilege of playing the iconic Fanny Brice in Funny Girl on the August Wilson Stage,” she wrote. “An opportunity my younger self could have only dreamed of. And did.”
The musical opened in April 2022 at the August Wilson Theatre, starring Beanie Feldstein in the title role of Fanny Brice. Although fans initially showed great enthusiasm and ticket-buying, critics and Tony Award nominators found her performance lackluster, and the production soon saw a drop-off in sales. Feldstein made an unusually public leaving of the show, and was immediately replaced by producers with Glee star Lea Michele, who had her own strong fan base and who wowed critics. Box office receipts surged.
“For the past year, I’ve had the honor and privilege of playing the iconic Fanny Brice in Funny Girl on the August Wilson Stage,” she wrote. “An opportunity my younger self could have only dreamed of. And did.”
The musical opened in April 2022 at the August Wilson Theatre, starring Beanie Feldstein in the title role of Fanny Brice. Although fans initially showed great enthusiasm and ticket-buying, critics and Tony Award nominators found her performance lackluster, and the production soon saw a drop-off in sales. Feldstein made an unusually public leaving of the show, and was immediately replaced by producers with Glee star Lea Michele, who had her own strong fan base and who wowed critics. Box office receipts surged.
- 9/3/2023
- by Bruce Haring and Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Funny Girl, the Broadway revival with one of the strangest casting histories in recent theatrical memory, has recouped its $16.5 million capitalization, producers announced today.
The musical opened in April 2022 at the August Wilson Theatre starring Beanie Feldstein in the title role of Fanny Brice, and although her fans initially showed great enthusiasm and ticket-buying, critics and Tony Award nominators found her performance lackluster and the production soon saw a drop-off in sales. Feldstein made an unusually public leaving of the show, and was immediately replaced by producers with Glee star Lea Michele, who had her own strong fan base and who wowed critics. Box office receipts surged.
In fact, the show began setting box office records at the Wilson, including in January 2023, when the show set a weekly record with a gross of $2,062,739, a record at the venue for an eight-performance week.
Other house records were set for the week...
The musical opened in April 2022 at the August Wilson Theatre starring Beanie Feldstein in the title role of Fanny Brice, and although her fans initially showed great enthusiasm and ticket-buying, critics and Tony Award nominators found her performance lackluster and the production soon saw a drop-off in sales. Feldstein made an unusually public leaving of the show, and was immediately replaced by producers with Glee star Lea Michele, who had her own strong fan base and who wowed critics. Box office receipts surged.
In fact, the show began setting box office records at the Wilson, including in January 2023, when the show set a weekly record with a gross of $2,062,739, a record at the venue for an eight-performance week.
Other house records were set for the week...
- 8/7/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Kandi Burruss can’t escape the good news — the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter is having the best week ever: She scored an Emmy nomination on Monday and earned a Tony nod on Tuesday, while the 15th season of The Real Housewives of Atlanta returns Sunday.
“I’m overjoyed right now. This is kind of unbelievable,” Burruss told The Hollywood Reporter. “You know how you’ve been speaking things into existence in your life and praying for it and doing all that. But when it actually starts happening in a major way, you’re almost like, ‘Whoa, is this happening?’”
“To have the two nominations happening back-to-back within 24 hours — it was just unbelievable,” she continued.
Burruss, a member of the platinum-selling R&b group Xscape, won the best R&b song Grammy Award in 2000 for co-writing TLC’s pop culture hit “No Scrubs.” As a producer, she’s getting closer to Egot status:...
“I’m overjoyed right now. This is kind of unbelievable,” Burruss told The Hollywood Reporter. “You know how you’ve been speaking things into existence in your life and praying for it and doing all that. But when it actually starts happening in a major way, you’re almost like, ‘Whoa, is this happening?’”
“To have the two nominations happening back-to-back within 24 hours — it was just unbelievable,” she continued.
Burruss, a member of the platinum-selling R&b group Xscape, won the best R&b song Grammy Award in 2000 for co-writing TLC’s pop culture hit “No Scrubs.” As a producer, she’s getting closer to Egot status:...
- 5/5/2023
- by Mesfin Fekadu
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The long-running The Phantom of the Opera was once again Broadway’s highest grossing show last week, taking in a mighty 2,483,532 for the week ending Jan. 29, outpacing runners-up Funny Girl and Hamilton by a noticeable margin.
The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical at the Majestic has experienced a remarkable resurgence in interest (and box office) since announcing a closing date last year. Earlier this month, Phantom reported its 20 millionth audience member since opening in 1988.
Overall, the 23 Broadway shows on the boards last week held steady with the previous week, grossing 25,705,039, with attendance of 206,578 at about 94 of capacity. The average ticket price for all the shows was 124.43, reflecting the discount pricing of some shows during the annual NYC Broadway Week promotion (which continues through Feb. 12).
Samuel L. Jackson, Ray Fisher, ‘The Piano Lesson’
In its final week of performances, August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson,...
The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical at the Majestic has experienced a remarkable resurgence in interest (and box office) since announcing a closing date last year. Earlier this month, Phantom reported its 20 millionth audience member since opening in 1988.
Overall, the 23 Broadway shows on the boards last week held steady with the previous week, grossing 25,705,039, with attendance of 206,578 at about 94 of capacity. The average ticket price for all the shows was 124.43, reflecting the discount pricing of some shows during the annual NYC Broadway Week promotion (which continues through Feb. 12).
Samuel L. Jackson, Ray Fisher, ‘The Piano Lesson’
In its final week of performances, August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson,...
- 1/31/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
As Broadway moves through its first full season since the pandemic began, new content is pouring in and the industry continues to hope for a rebound.
But amid the spate of new shows, producers are also facing higher costs due to inflation and extra understudies, as well as the added stressors of unpredictable and changing audience behavior. There’s optimism that the industry will move past this moment, if audiences return in greater numbers, but the timeline and the exact method for getting there isn’t yet clear.
“If the productions are roughly 15 percent to 20 percent down, and they’re costing 10 percent more, you can see that we’re not out of this yet by any means,” said Sonia Friedman, a producer on many West End and Broadway productions, including Funny Girl, new play Leopoldstadt and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
While...
As Broadway moves through its first full season since the pandemic began, new content is pouring in and the industry continues to hope for a rebound.
But amid the spate of new shows, producers are also facing higher costs due to inflation and extra understudies, as well as the added stressors of unpredictable and changing audience behavior. There’s optimism that the industry will move past this moment, if audiences return in greater numbers, but the timeline and the exact method for getting there isn’t yet clear.
“If the productions are roughly 15 percent to 20 percent down, and they’re costing 10 percent more, you can see that we’re not out of this yet by any means,” said Sonia Friedman, a producer on many West End and Broadway productions, including Funny Girl, new play Leopoldstadt and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
While...
- 11/10/2022
- by Caitlin Huston
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Update, with Lynch Playbill comments: Jane Lynch will depart Broadway’s Funny Girl even earlier than expected, producers announced Tuesday. The former Glee actor will end her run as “Mrs. Brice” on Sunday, August 14, several weeks earlier than the Sept. 4 date most recently announced.
According to producers, Lynch had a long-scheduled vacation set to begin on Monday, August 15 and was set to return to the show on Tuesday, August 23, before departing for the Creative Arts Emmys on Thursday, September 1. “Rather than return for one week of performances, the producers have agreed to adjust her final performance to Sunday, August 14,” according to a statement.
Lynch is an Emmy nominee in the Best Comedy Guest Actress category for her work on Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building.
Lynch’s “Mrs. Brice” standby, Liz McCartney, is scheduled to play the role from Tuesday,...
According to producers, Lynch had a long-scheduled vacation set to begin on Monday, August 15 and was set to return to the show on Tuesday, August 23, before departing for the Creative Arts Emmys on Thursday, September 1. “Rather than return for one week of performances, the producers have agreed to adjust her final performance to Sunday, August 14,” according to a statement.
Lynch is an Emmy nominee in the Best Comedy Guest Actress category for her work on Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building.
Lynch’s “Mrs. Brice” standby, Liz McCartney, is scheduled to play the role from Tuesday,...
- 8/11/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Broadway’s upcoming revival of Funny Girl, starring Beanie Feldstein, Jane Lynch, Ramin Karimloo and Jared Grimes has completed casting, with Peter Francis James, Ephie Aardema, Debra Cardon and Toni Dibuono among those joining the cast.
The complete casting was announced today by producers Sonia Friedman, Scott Landis and David Babani. The complete creative team also was announced, including Susan Hilferty as costume designer, Kevin Adams as lighting designer and Brian Ronan as sound designer.
Rehearsals for the musical are expected to begin today, with previews set to start Saturday, March 26, at Broadway’s August Wilson Theatre, with an official opening on Sunday, April 24.
The Jule Styne/Bob Merrill/Isobel Lennart musical, directed by Michael Mayer will star the previously announced Feldstein as Fanny Brice, Karimloo as Nick Arnstein, Lynch as Mrs. Rosie Brice and Grimes as Eddie Ryan.
The newly announced cast includes Peter Francis James (Hillary and Clinton) as Florenz Ziegfeld,...
The complete casting was announced today by producers Sonia Friedman, Scott Landis and David Babani. The complete creative team also was announced, including Susan Hilferty as costume designer, Kevin Adams as lighting designer and Brian Ronan as sound designer.
Rehearsals for the musical are expected to begin today, with previews set to start Saturday, March 26, at Broadway’s August Wilson Theatre, with an official opening on Sunday, April 24.
The Jule Styne/Bob Merrill/Isobel Lennart musical, directed by Michael Mayer will star the previously announced Feldstein as Fanny Brice, Karimloo as Nick Arnstein, Lynch as Mrs. Rosie Brice and Grimes as Eddie Ryan.
The newly announced cast includes Peter Francis James (Hillary and Clinton) as Florenz Ziegfeld,...
- 2/7/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Updated: Waitress, the Broadway musical featuring music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles, has canceled its remaining performances at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, producers announced tonight. The decision was made after new cases of Covid were detected among the company and crew. The production was to have run through January 9.
Likewise, producers of the groundbreaking Thoughts of a Colored Man at the Golden Theatre announced that the December 22 performance of the show was its last. When Thoughts of a Colored Man opened in October, it made history as the first Broadway show to be written, directed by, starring and lead-produced by Black men. Like others, the Keenan Scott II play, directed by Steven H. Broadnax III, tried to navigate the rising Covid crisis in New York to no avail.
Producers Brian Moreland, Ron Simons, Diana Dimenna, Kandi Burruss, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Samira Wiley issued the following statement:
While this is...
Likewise, producers of the groundbreaking Thoughts of a Colored Man at the Golden Theatre announced that the December 22 performance of the show was its last. When Thoughts of a Colored Man opened in October, it made history as the first Broadway show to be written, directed by, starring and lead-produced by Black men. Like others, the Keenan Scott II play, directed by Steven H. Broadnax III, tried to navigate the rising Covid crisis in New York to no avail.
Producers Brian Moreland, Ron Simons, Diana Dimenna, Kandi Burruss, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Samira Wiley issued the following statement:
While this is...
- 12/24/2021
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
Refresh for updates…Broadway’s Waitress and David Byrne’s American Utopia have canceled performances until Thursday, Dec. 23, as the Omicron surge continues to take a toll on New York City.
Waitress producers tweeted late yesterday afternoon that the Dec. 21 and 22 performances were canceled “out of an abundance of caution.” The news did not come a surprise to some: Calling into Stars in the House Monday night, Waitress star Ciara Renée said she had chosen not to participate in that evening’s performance of her show due to breakthrough Covid cases within the production.
Out of an abundance of caution, the December 21st and 22nd performances of Waitress on Broadway has been cancelled. The show is expected to resume on Thursday, December 23rd at 7pm. Ticket holders for tonight’s performance will be contacted by their point of purchase.
— Waitress Musical (@WaitressMusical) December 21, 2021
Also today, the Michael Jackson musical Mj updated its cancellations through Dec.
Waitress producers tweeted late yesterday afternoon that the Dec. 21 and 22 performances were canceled “out of an abundance of caution.” The news did not come a surprise to some: Calling into Stars in the House Monday night, Waitress star Ciara Renée said she had chosen not to participate in that evening’s performance of her show due to breakthrough Covid cases within the production.
Out of an abundance of caution, the December 21st and 22nd performances of Waitress on Broadway has been cancelled. The show is expected to resume on Thursday, December 23rd at 7pm. Ticket holders for tonight’s performance will be contacted by their point of purchase.
— Waitress Musical (@WaitressMusical) December 21, 2021
Also today, the Michael Jackson musical Mj updated its cancellations through Dec.
- 12/22/2021
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
The Broadway revival of David Mamet’s American Buffalo starring Laurence Fishburne, Sam Rockwell and Darren Criss – postponed from 2020 due to the Covid shutdown – will open at Circle in the Square Theatre on Wednesday, April 14, 2022, two years to the day after its original target.
Previews for the strictly limited 16-week engagement will begin the week of March 22. The play will be directed, as originally planned, by Neil Pepe.
Following the 2020 cancellation, lead producer Jeffrey Richards said the producing team intended to stage the production in spring 2021 but only if Covid vaccines were widely available. At the time – summer 2020 – Richards became the first Broadway producer to insist that a return to the stage would be predicated on vaccinations.
Broadway currently requires all audiences and theater workers to be vaccinated, a policy in place through at least the end of this year.
The revival will mark...
Previews for the strictly limited 16-week engagement will begin the week of March 22. The play will be directed, as originally planned, by Neil Pepe.
Following the 2020 cancellation, lead producer Jeffrey Richards said the producing team intended to stage the production in spring 2021 but only if Covid vaccines were widely available. At the time – summer 2020 – Richards became the first Broadway producer to insist that a return to the stage would be predicated on vaccinations.
Broadway currently requires all audiences and theater workers to be vaccinated, a policy in place through at least the end of this year.
The revival will mark...
- 10/8/2021
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Thoughts of a Colored Man, the new Broadway play by Keenan Scott II and directed by Steve Broadnax III, is moving up its official Broadway opening by more than two weeks, with the new opening date now on Wednesday, October 13.
The play at Broadway’s Golden Theatre had previously been set to open Oct. 31. No reason was giving for the date change, but such moves have been relatively commonplace this fall season as numerous Broadway productions juggle their openings and re-openings following the industry’s recent return from the Covid pandemic shutdown.
Thoughts of a Colored Man features an ensemble cast including Dyllón Burnside (Pose), Bryan Terrell Clark (Hamilton), Da’Vinchi (Starz’s upcoming Black Mafia Family), Luke James (The Chi), Forrest McClendon (The Scottsboro Boys), Tristan Mack Wilds (The Wire) and Esau Pritchett (Prodigal Son). The play is produced by Brian Moreland, Ron Simons, Diana Dimenna, Kandi Burruss, Sheryl Lee Ralph,...
The play at Broadway’s Golden Theatre had previously been set to open Oct. 31. No reason was giving for the date change, but such moves have been relatively commonplace this fall season as numerous Broadway productions juggle their openings and re-openings following the industry’s recent return from the Covid pandemic shutdown.
Thoughts of a Colored Man features an ensemble cast including Dyllón Burnside (Pose), Bryan Terrell Clark (Hamilton), Da’Vinchi (Starz’s upcoming Black Mafia Family), Luke James (The Chi), Forrest McClendon (The Scottsboro Boys), Tristan Mack Wilds (The Wire) and Esau Pritchett (Prodigal Son). The play is produced by Brian Moreland, Ron Simons, Diana Dimenna, Kandi Burruss, Sheryl Lee Ralph,...
- 10/4/2021
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Prodigal Son actor Esau Pritchett has joined the cast of Broadway’s upcoming Thoughts of a Colored Man, replacing Keith David, who is leaving the production due to a private family matter.
The cast change was announced today by producers Brian Moreland, Ron Simons, Diana Dimenna, Kandi Burruss, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Samira Wiley, The Shubert Organization, and The Nederlander Organization.
“The company of Thoughts of a Colored Man supports The David Family during this time,” Moreland said in a statement, “and we are also elated to welcome a new member to the family.” Details about David’s family matter were not disclosed.
Pritchett, who made his Broadway debut in a 2010 Lincoln Center Theater production of John Guare’s A Free Man Of Color, is best known to TV audiences for his recurring roles on Fox’s Prodigal Son and the Starz Network drama Power: Book II Raising Kanaan.
Thoughts of a Colored Man,...
The cast change was announced today by producers Brian Moreland, Ron Simons, Diana Dimenna, Kandi Burruss, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Samira Wiley, The Shubert Organization, and The Nederlander Organization.
“The company of Thoughts of a Colored Man supports The David Family during this time,” Moreland said in a statement, “and we are also elated to welcome a new member to the family.” Details about David’s family matter were not disclosed.
Pritchett, who made his Broadway debut in a 2010 Lincoln Center Theater production of John Guare’s A Free Man Of Color, is best known to TV audiences for his recurring roles on Fox’s Prodigal Son and the Starz Network drama Power: Book II Raising Kanaan.
Thoughts of a Colored Man,...
- 9/22/2021
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Thoughts of a Colored Man, the new play by Keenan Scott II, will begin performances at Broadway’s Golden Theatre on Friday, October 1, opening Sunday, Oct. 31, with an ensemble cast that includes Dyllón Burnside (FX’s Pose), Bryan Terrell Clark (Hamilton), Da’Vinchi (Showtime’s upcoming Black Mafia Family), Luke James (Showtime’s The Chi), Forrest McClendon (The Scottsboro Boys), Tristan “Mack” Wilds (HBO’s The Wire), and Keith David.
The dates and cast were announced today by producers Brian Moreland, Ron Simons, Diana Dimenna, Samira Wiley, Sheryl Lee Ralph, The Shubert Organization, and The Nederlander Organization.
The limited engagement, directed by Steve H. Broadnax III, will be the first new play on Broadway following the shutdown.
Tickets for the production will go on sale to the general public on Friday, June 18.
As described by the production: “As the sun rises on a single day in the pulsing heart of Brooklyn,...
The dates and cast were announced today by producers Brian Moreland, Ron Simons, Diana Dimenna, Samira Wiley, Sheryl Lee Ralph, The Shubert Organization, and The Nederlander Organization.
The limited engagement, directed by Steve H. Broadnax III, will be the first new play on Broadway following the shutdown.
Tickets for the production will go on sale to the general public on Friday, June 18.
As described by the production: “As the sun rises on a single day in the pulsing heart of Brooklyn,...
- 5/24/2021
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: A group of prominent Broadway theater producers, whose shows include The Band’s Visit, Mj: The Musical, Waitress and August: Osage County to name a few, are teaming with the Black Theatre Coalition and Columbia University’s Prince Fellowship to launch a major new nonprofit initiative to train and mentor a new generation of Black theater industry leaders.
Called The Theatre Leadership Project (Ttlp), the organization will offer a program of three-year fellowships designed to diversify commercial theater’s leadership. Founding producers of the Project are Barbara Broccoli, Lia Vollack, Alecia Parker, Patrick Daly and Travis LeMont Ballenger in partnership with Btc and the Prince Fellowship (formerly known as Columbia’s T. Fellowship).
The fellowships are geared specifically for Black applicants. On its website Ttlp writes, “It is our belief that by focusing on one of the most marginalized groups of people, we will ultimately create space for professionals of all races and ethnicities.
Called The Theatre Leadership Project (Ttlp), the organization will offer a program of three-year fellowships designed to diversify commercial theater’s leadership. Founding producers of the Project are Barbara Broccoli, Lia Vollack, Alecia Parker, Patrick Daly and Travis LeMont Ballenger in partnership with Btc and the Prince Fellowship (formerly known as Columbia’s T. Fellowship).
The fellowships are geared specifically for Black applicants. On its website Ttlp writes, “It is our belief that by focusing on one of the most marginalized groups of people, we will ultimately create space for professionals of all races and ethnicities.
- 4/28/2021
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Keenan Scott II’s play Thoughts of a Colored Man has officially landed a venue – the Golden Theatre – becoming the first new, non-revival show to take up Broadway residence since the industry’s pandemic shutdown last March.
The play, which enjoyed critically acclaimed runs in 2019 at Syracuse Stage and Baltimore Center Stage, will be directed by Steve H. Broadnax III. Producing are Brian Moreland, Ron Simons, Diana Dimenna, Samira Wiley, Sheryl Lee Ralph, The Shubert Organization, and The Nederlander Organization.
Casting, first preview, opening night, and ticket information will be announced in the coming weeks.
The production will mark the Broadway debuts of Scott and Broadnax. Scott’s new play The Migration LP is in development at New York Stage & Film, while Broadnax most recently directed Katori Hall’s new play The Hot Wing King at Signature Theatre.
Set over the course of a single day in Brooklyn, Thoughts of...
The play, which enjoyed critically acclaimed runs in 2019 at Syracuse Stage and Baltimore Center Stage, will be directed by Steve H. Broadnax III. Producing are Brian Moreland, Ron Simons, Diana Dimenna, Samira Wiley, Sheryl Lee Ralph, The Shubert Organization, and The Nederlander Organization.
Casting, first preview, opening night, and ticket information will be announced in the coming weeks.
The production will mark the Broadway debuts of Scott and Broadnax. Scott’s new play The Migration LP is in development at New York Stage & Film, while Broadnax most recently directed Katori Hall’s new play The Hot Wing King at Signature Theatre.
Set over the course of a single day in Brooklyn, Thoughts of...
- 2/26/2021
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Last spring, in the early days of Broadway’s Covid-19 pandemic shutdown, news reports and industry chatter referred to an eventual reopening as if a light switch would be flipped and the marquees of all 41 theaters would light up the Midtown night. Actors had left their dressing rooms full of the usual personal stuff — street clothes, photos, charms — as if they’d soon be back from a long holiday weekend.
The optimism was short lived, as the shutdown was extended time and again — April, June, September, January, June again. News got grim, and then more grim. The National Endowment for the Arts recently released figures indicating that while the overall unemployment rate has averaged 8.5 percent, the average among actors was 52 percent.
But the arrival of two Covid-19 vaccines this fall has reignited at least some of that optimism, with Broadway insiders now expressing confidence that at...
The optimism was short lived, as the shutdown was extended time and again — April, June, September, January, June again. News got grim, and then more grim. The National Endowment for the Arts recently released figures indicating that while the overall unemployment rate has averaged 8.5 percent, the average among actors was 52 percent.
But the arrival of two Covid-19 vaccines this fall has reignited at least some of that optimism, with Broadway insiders now expressing confidence that at...
- 12/30/2020
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
The newly formed Theatre Producers of Color organization announced today its first educational program to support and mentor the next generation of Bipoc producers. The 10-week, limited-space program will be tuition free.
“Producers 101″ will feature a guest speaker roster of top Broadway producers to teach what Tpoc says are the fundamentals of commercial producing, including securing rights, marketing and advertising, development paths, financing, and budgeting. The weekly course begins Jan. 25, 2021.
“Oftentimes, the opportunities for learning how to become a commercial producer are inaccessible and out of reach,” said Tpoc founder Miranda Gohh in a statement. “We’ve observed many barriers keeping Bipoc out of commercial producing, and Tpoc strives to break these down and make producing more accessible for a variety of voices. By making all of our programs free, we are allowing any Bipoc regardless of background, level of education, training, or previous accomplishment to join us.”
Rashad V. Chambers,...
“Producers 101″ will feature a guest speaker roster of top Broadway producers to teach what Tpoc says are the fundamentals of commercial producing, including securing rights, marketing and advertising, development paths, financing, and budgeting. The weekly course begins Jan. 25, 2021.
“Oftentimes, the opportunities for learning how to become a commercial producer are inaccessible and out of reach,” said Tpoc founder Miranda Gohh in a statement. “We’ve observed many barriers keeping Bipoc out of commercial producing, and Tpoc strives to break these down and make producing more accessible for a variety of voices. By making all of our programs free, we are allowing any Bipoc regardless of background, level of education, training, or previous accomplishment to join us.”
Rashad V. Chambers,...
- 12/1/2020
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Slave Play, Sea Wall/A Life, Grand Horizons, The Inheritance and The Sound Inside will compete in the Tony Awards’ Best Play category, with Moulin Rouge!, Jagged Little Pill and Tina: The Tina Turner Musical up for Best Musical.
In the Best Revival of a Play category, Betrayal will compete with Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune and A Soldier’s Play.
See below for complete list of nominees.
The nominations for the 2020 Tony Awards are being announced virtually by actor James Monroe Iglehart. Deadline will keep you up to speed on the nominations as they happen.
Eighteen productions have been deemed eligible for Tony nominations this year, a fraction compared to last season’s 34, the slimmed-down roster due of course to Broadway’s Covid-19 pandemic shutdown.
When theaters went dark on March 12, the usual deluge of spring openings were postponed or canceled altogether. Three productions – the musicals Six,...
In the Best Revival of a Play category, Betrayal will compete with Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune and A Soldier’s Play.
See below for complete list of nominees.
The nominations for the 2020 Tony Awards are being announced virtually by actor James Monroe Iglehart. Deadline will keep you up to speed on the nominations as they happen.
Eighteen productions have been deemed eligible for Tony nominations this year, a fraction compared to last season’s 34, the slimmed-down roster due of course to Broadway’s Covid-19 pandemic shutdown.
When theaters went dark on March 12, the usual deluge of spring openings were postponed or canceled altogether. Three productions – the musicals Six,...
- 10/15/2020
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Broadway League Adds Brian Moreland & Kendra Whitlock Ingram To Board, Boosting Bipoc Representation
The Broadway League, the trade group representing Broadway and regional theater owners and producers, has added producer Brian Moreland and Kendra Whitlock Ingram, president and CEO of Milwaukee’s Marcus Performing Arts Center, to its Board of Governors.
Both new board members are people of color, and the announcement comes at a time when organizations representing Black theater workers are demanding an increased presence both onstage and offstage within the industry community.
“As Broadway looks to deepen audience engagement and plan for the future, the Board of Governors is pleased to welcome Kendra and Brian,” said Charlotte. St. Martin, President of the Broadway League. They share a profound commitment to the theatre, a passion for the performing arts, and wide ranging experience in the industry.”
According to Martin, both Moreland and Ingram are serving on the League’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee, with Ingram having served on the organization...
Both new board members are people of color, and the announcement comes at a time when organizations representing Black theater workers are demanding an increased presence both onstage and offstage within the industry community.
“As Broadway looks to deepen audience engagement and plan for the future, the Board of Governors is pleased to welcome Kendra and Brian,” said Charlotte. St. Martin, President of the Broadway League. They share a profound commitment to the theatre, a passion for the performing arts, and wide ranging experience in the industry.”
According to Martin, both Moreland and Ingram are serving on the League’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee, with Ingram having served on the organization...
- 8/7/2020
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
The Broadway revival of American Buffalo, orignally set to star Laurence Fishburne, Sam Rockwell and Darren Criss, and the Steppenwolf production of Tracy Letts’ The Minutes are targeting Spring 2021 openings, though producers say the development of a coronavirus vaccine is “essential” to the plans.
Both productions had been scheduled to open during Spring 2020 prior to Broadway’s coronavirus shutdown in March. The casts have not been confirmed.
In a statement, producers of both shows (they share lead producer Jeffrey Richards), said, “It is the intent to open these plays — both powerful, funny and relevant dissections of Americana — in the spring of 2021, on the exact dates they were scheduled to open in 2020. However, we will only do so knowing that there are safeguards in place that will encourage audiences to return to the theatre, and that our government will allow us to have gatherings of more than 500 people. We, the producing team,...
Both productions had been scheduled to open during Spring 2020 prior to Broadway’s coronavirus shutdown in March. The casts have not been confirmed.
In a statement, producers of both shows (they share lead producer Jeffrey Richards), said, “It is the intent to open these plays — both powerful, funny and relevant dissections of Americana — in the spring of 2021, on the exact dates they were scheduled to open in 2020. However, we will only do so knowing that there are safeguards in place that will encourage audiences to return to the theatre, and that our government will allow us to have gatherings of more than 500 people. We, the producing team,...
- 6/25/2020
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Editors’ Note: With full acknowledgment of the big-picture implications of a pandemic that already has claimed thousands of lives, cratered global economies and closed international borders, Deadline’s Coping With Covid-19 Crisis series is a forum for those in the entertainment space grappling with myriad consequences of seeing a great industry screech to a halt. The hope is for an exchange of ideas and experiences, and suggestions on how businesses and individuals can best ride out a crisis that doesn’t look like it will abate any time soon. If you have a story, email mike@deadline.com.
Ricky Gervais hasn’t used the ongoing coronavirus crisis as an excuse to hunker down and stay silent. With a new season of his Netflix sitcom After Life, shot before the world shut down, ready to roll out, Gervais has been engaging heavily on social media, serving up a series of bitesized...
Ricky Gervais hasn’t used the ongoing coronavirus crisis as an excuse to hunker down and stay silent. With a new season of his Netflix sitcom After Life, shot before the world shut down, ready to roll out, Gervais has been engaging heavily on social media, serving up a series of bitesized...
- 4/24/2020
- by Joe Utichi
- Deadline Film + TV
Keshet, best known for turning Israeli drama Hatufim (Prisoners of War) into the long-running Showtime hit Homeland, has had to tackle the Covid-19 crisis on a number of fronts. It operates a broadcast network in Israel, runs a slew of non-scripted production companies across Europe and has a burgeoning scripted division run out of Los Angeles by Peter Traugott.
The latter is responsible for shows including The Baker and the Beauty, the romantic musical-comedy that launched on ABC earlier this month, and was in the middle of putting together drama pilot La Brea, from The Enemy Within’s David Applebaum, when the production shutdown happened. This was on top of the fact that its English-language remake of Israeli drama False Flag, starring Uma Thurman for Apple, was also mid-shoot.
More from DeadlineCoping With Covid-19 Crisis: Vice TV & Anand Giridharadas Accelerate Weekly Talk Show To Deal With Power Balance In Pandemic...
The latter is responsible for shows including The Baker and the Beauty, the romantic musical-comedy that launched on ABC earlier this month, and was in the middle of putting together drama pilot La Brea, from The Enemy Within’s David Applebaum, when the production shutdown happened. This was on top of the fact that its English-language remake of Israeli drama False Flag, starring Uma Thurman for Apple, was also mid-shoot.
More from DeadlineCoping With Covid-19 Crisis: Vice TV & Anand Giridharadas Accelerate Weekly Talk Show To Deal With Power Balance In Pandemic...
- 4/22/2020
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Editors’ Note: With full acknowledgment of the big-picture implications of a pandemic that already has claimed thousands of lives, cratered global economies and closed international borders, Deadline’s Coping With Covid-19 Crisis series is a forum for those in the entertainment space grappling with myriad consequences of seeing a great industry screech to a halt. The hope is for an exchange of ideas and experiences, and suggestions on how businesses and individuals can best ride out a crisis that doesn’t look like it will abate any time soon.
Producer Brian Moreland waited well over a year for a Broadway theater to open up for his production of Charles Randolph-Wright’s 2000 dramedy Blue. It didn’t happen. Moreland, a producer on recent Broadway productions The Sound Inside starring Mary-Louise Parker, Sea Wall/A Life starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Tom Sturridge, and the shutdown-interrupted American Buffalo with Laurence J. Fishburne, Sam Rockwell and Darren Criss,...
Producer Brian Moreland waited well over a year for a Broadway theater to open up for his production of Charles Randolph-Wright’s 2000 dramedy Blue. It didn’t happen. Moreland, a producer on recent Broadway productions The Sound Inside starring Mary-Louise Parker, Sea Wall/A Life starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Tom Sturridge, and the shutdown-interrupted American Buffalo with Laurence J. Fishburne, Sam Rockwell and Darren Criss,...
- 4/21/2020
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
AMC is making some scheduling changes for its upcoming series. The network has pushed the Season 2 premiere date for supernatural horror series NOS4A2. The 10-episode second season, initially set to premiere on June 1, will now debut on Sunday, June 21 at 9 pm Et/8c The full season will still simulcast on BBC America.
Additionally, Season 1 of Creepshow, the popular horror anthology series currently available on Shudder, now will air over six weeks on AMC instead of three. It will premiere at 10 p.m. Monday, May 4, and run on consecutive Mondays through June 8. It was originally scheduled to run back-to-back episodes from May 4-18.
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Additionally, Season 1 of Creepshow, the popular horror anthology series currently available on Shudder, now will air over six weeks on AMC instead of three. It will premiere at 10 p.m. Monday, May 4, and run on consecutive Mondays through June 8. It was originally scheduled to run back-to-back episodes from May 4-18.
More from DeadlineAMC Networks 'Upfront Connect' Plan Aims To Help Ad Clients During Virus ShiftMTV Revives 'Club MTV' With One-Night Musical Special Amid Coronavirus CrisisCoping With Covid-19 Crisis: Producer Brian Moreland, Phylicia Rashad And John Legend Were Set To Take Broadway To The Apollo, And Then The Pandemic...
- 4/21/2020
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Today, producers Brian Moreland, Ron Simons, Eric Falkenstein, Mike Jackson and singer John Legend announced complete casting for Blue, a play by Charles Randolph-Wright and directed by Phylicia Rashad which will play a 16-week limited engagement at New York's legendary Apollo Theater 253 West 125th Street in Harlem starting Monday, April 27 with opening night set for May 10.. Blue will run through August 16.
- 2/11/2020
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
The previously announced revival of Charles Randolph-Wright’s play Blue, directed by Phylicia Rashad, will play a 16-week engagement at Harlam’s legendary Apollo Theater, with Tony winner Leslie Uggams and Emmy winner Lynn Whitfield heading the cast.
The production was announced last spring with the intention of finding a Broadway opening, a task that proved impossible in a very crowded Broadway landscape (the popular Beetlejuice is being booted from the Winter Garden Theatre in June to make way for The Music Man with Hugh Jackman).
Blue, a play with a jazzy score by Nona Hendryx and Randolph-Wright, will begin previews at the Apollo on April 27, with opening night on May 10. The engagement will run through August 16.
The announcement was made today by producers Brian Moreland, Ron Simons, Mike Jackson, Eric Falkenstein and singer John Legend.
Rashad starred in the play’s 2000 premiere at Arena Stage in Washington D.C.
The production was announced last spring with the intention of finding a Broadway opening, a task that proved impossible in a very crowded Broadway landscape (the popular Beetlejuice is being booted from the Winter Garden Theatre in June to make way for The Music Man with Hugh Jackman).
Blue, a play with a jazzy score by Nona Hendryx and Randolph-Wright, will begin previews at the Apollo on April 27, with opening night on May 10. The engagement will run through August 16.
The announcement was made today by producers Brian Moreland, Ron Simons, Mike Jackson, Eric Falkenstein and singer John Legend.
Rashad starred in the play’s 2000 premiere at Arena Stage in Washington D.C.
- 1/22/2020
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Producers Brian Moreland, Ron Simons, Mike Jackson, John Legend and Eric Falkenstein announced today that Blue, the play by Charles Randolph-Wright with music by Nona Hendryx and lyrics by Charles Randolph-Wright, will play a 16-week engagement at New York's Apollo Theater 253 West 125th Street, under the direction of Tony Award winner Phylicia Rashad who starred in both the play's 2000 world premiere at Arena Stage and 2001 New York premiere at Roundabout Theatre Company.
- 1/22/2020
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Exclusive: Sea Wall/A Life, the Broadway production of two solo one-acts starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Tom Sturridge became the first show of the 2019-2020 Broadway season to recoup its initial investment, producers said today.
The $2.8 million production, which closed this past Sunday, had a limited engagement of only nine weeks – 74 performances – at Broadway’s Hudson Theatre, and went out on a high note: The final week of performances grossed $854,678, the highest in the show’s run.
Produced by Gyllenhaal’s Nine Stories, Ambassador Theatre Group, Seaview Productions, and Benjamin Lowy Productions, Sea Wall/A Life completed a sold-out Off Broadway run at the Public Theater last winter before making the jump to Broadway over the summer. Previews at the Hudson began July 26, with an official opening of Aug. 8, making for a total of 14 previews and 60 regular performances.
Written by Simon Stephens and Nick Payne, with both directed by Carrie Cracknell, the pair of one acts received universal critical acclaim, with the Hudson 96% full, on average, throughout the run.
According to Ambassador Theatre Group, which owns the Hudson, 73% of ticket
buyers were first time Hudson attendees, suggesting an unusually large percentage of young or first-time theater-goers. The producers said that, according to TodayTix figures, about 65% of purchases for the production on that particular platform were made by buyers under 44 years old.
“Simon, Nick, Carrie, Jake, and Tom created a daring and unforgettable piece of art that critics and audiences responded to, with many returning multiple times,” said Riva Marker, producer, president and co-founder (with Gyllenhaal) of Nine Stories. “The great success of Sea Wall/A Life proved that storytelling in its most elemental form – a single actor, alone on stage – can connect with people and create a must-see theatrical experience. Opening on Broadway during the season’s toughest months of summer for a limited run and returning our investment in nine weeks is nothing short of a coup. We are incredibly grateful to the audiences, many first-time theatergoers to Hudson Theatre.”
During previews, Gyllenhaal and Sturridge began hosting weekly talkbacks with audiences on the plays’ topics of “love, faith, family, and loss,” a no-doubt popular attraction given the stars’ popularity. In the production’s final weeks, audience members were invited to share their personal stories, which were then posted on the production’s social media.
Gyllenhaal and Sturridge also recorded Sea Wall/A Life as an Audible Original production, Deadline reported last month, for an upcoming release.
The creative team for Sea Wall/A Life included Laura Jellinek (scenic design), Kaye Voyce (costume design), Christopher Peterson (costume design), Guy Hoare (lighting design), Daniel Kluger (sound design), Luke Halls (projection design), and Stuart Earl (original music).
Sea Wall/A Life was produced on Broadway by Nine Stories, Ambassador Theatre
Group, Seaview Productions, Benjamin Lowy Productions, Lfg Theatrical,
Audible, Gavin Kalin Productions, Glass Half Full Productions, Jacob Langfelder, Brian Moreland, Roth-Manella Productions, Salman Vienn Al-Rashid Friends, Slsm Theatricals, Teresa Tsai in association with Dunetz Restieri Productions, Morwin Schmookler, Jane & Mark Wilf and The Public Theater.
The $2.8 million production, which closed this past Sunday, had a limited engagement of only nine weeks – 74 performances – at Broadway’s Hudson Theatre, and went out on a high note: The final week of performances grossed $854,678, the highest in the show’s run.
Produced by Gyllenhaal’s Nine Stories, Ambassador Theatre Group, Seaview Productions, and Benjamin Lowy Productions, Sea Wall/A Life completed a sold-out Off Broadway run at the Public Theater last winter before making the jump to Broadway over the summer. Previews at the Hudson began July 26, with an official opening of Aug. 8, making for a total of 14 previews and 60 regular performances.
Written by Simon Stephens and Nick Payne, with both directed by Carrie Cracknell, the pair of one acts received universal critical acclaim, with the Hudson 96% full, on average, throughout the run.
According to Ambassador Theatre Group, which owns the Hudson, 73% of ticket
buyers were first time Hudson attendees, suggesting an unusually large percentage of young or first-time theater-goers. The producers said that, according to TodayTix figures, about 65% of purchases for the production on that particular platform were made by buyers under 44 years old.
“Simon, Nick, Carrie, Jake, and Tom created a daring and unforgettable piece of art that critics and audiences responded to, with many returning multiple times,” said Riva Marker, producer, president and co-founder (with Gyllenhaal) of Nine Stories. “The great success of Sea Wall/A Life proved that storytelling in its most elemental form – a single actor, alone on stage – can connect with people and create a must-see theatrical experience. Opening on Broadway during the season’s toughest months of summer for a limited run and returning our investment in nine weeks is nothing short of a coup. We are incredibly grateful to the audiences, many first-time theatergoers to Hudson Theatre.”
During previews, Gyllenhaal and Sturridge began hosting weekly talkbacks with audiences on the plays’ topics of “love, faith, family, and loss,” a no-doubt popular attraction given the stars’ popularity. In the production’s final weeks, audience members were invited to share their personal stories, which were then posted on the production’s social media.
Gyllenhaal and Sturridge also recorded Sea Wall/A Life as an Audible Original production, Deadline reported last month, for an upcoming release.
The creative team for Sea Wall/A Life included Laura Jellinek (scenic design), Kaye Voyce (costume design), Christopher Peterson (costume design), Guy Hoare (lighting design), Daniel Kluger (sound design), Luke Halls (projection design), and Stuart Earl (original music).
Sea Wall/A Life was produced on Broadway by Nine Stories, Ambassador Theatre
Group, Seaview Productions, Benjamin Lowy Productions, Lfg Theatrical,
Audible, Gavin Kalin Productions, Glass Half Full Productions, Jacob Langfelder, Brian Moreland, Roth-Manella Productions, Salman Vienn Al-Rashid Friends, Slsm Theatricals, Teresa Tsai in association with Dunetz Restieri Productions, Morwin Schmookler, Jane & Mark Wilf and The Public Theater.
- 10/1/2019
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
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