Thursday, August 28, 2014

Broadway Ladies: Ms. August 2014: Carole Shelley

Ms. August 2014
Carole Shelley


WHY SHE'S MS. BROADWAY: In a way, it is fitting that I am announcing this month's Ms. Broadway honoree on a "Throwback Thursday," considering what an amazing early career she had.  She made her debut in the original Broadway cast of the now classic Neil Simon comedy The Odd Couple. Along the way in her almost 50 year career on the boards on New York, she's done comedy, drama, classic and modern, play and musical.  She has amassed five Tony Award nominations, winning one for her work in the original cast of The Elephant Man. Of course, today's audiences know her from her last three roles: Fraulein Schneider in Cabaret (she's one of the best I've ever seen), as the very first Madame Morrible in Wicked, and as Grandma in Billy Elliot.  And with yesterday's announcement that Carole Shelley will be joining the A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder company - her 20th Broadway show, I can't really call her a "throwback" can I? She's timeless.

CANDIDS AND HEAD SHOTS:



BROADWAY: The Odd Couple, The Elephant Man, The Last Night of Ballyhoo, Cabaret, Wicked, Billy Elliot














Jeff
5.226

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Broadway Boys: Mr. August 2014: Norm Lewis

Mr. August 2014
Norm Lewis

WHY HE'S MR. BROADWAY: There sure has been a lot of press lately about the impending cast changes over at Cinderella.  And a few months ago, there was quite the ballyhoo over Norm Lewis becoming Broadway's first African-American Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera.  Anyone who is a Broadway fan - a Norm Lewis fan - probably wasn't surprised that he handled that spotlight with grace and dignity.  Grace and dignity are the hallmarks of both the actor and the man.  Of course, those of us who have been following his career since his Broadway debut in The Who's Tommy know that he has been blazing the non-traditional casting trail long before he donned the mask.  He's famously played Inspector Javert in Les Miserables, Billy Flynn in Chicago, King Triton in The Little Mermaid on the Main Stem, as well as Bobby in Company and Sweeney in Sweeney Todd, regionally.  Other roles of his that fans have loved - flop or it - include Jake in Side Show, roles in Sondheim on Sondheim, The Wild Party, Amour, and his Tony-nominated turn in Porgy and Bess. You may call him a trailblazer or just a hard working artist.  Is it any wonder that he's Mr. Broadway?

HEAD SHOTS AND CANDIDS:





REGIONAL WORK: Baby, Company, Sweeney Todd





OFF-BROADWAY: Della Rose, BROADWAY BARES:



BROADWAY: The Who's Tommy, Side Show, The Little Mermaid, Sondheim on Sondheim, Les Miserables (London, too)Porgy and Bess, The Phantom of the Opera

(At the 15th Anniversary Concert for Tommy
"Jake and the Twins" backstage at Next to Normal)











Jeff
5.225

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

CONTEST! WIN TICKETS TO RED EYE OF LOVE!

THIS CONTEST IS OVER!  THANKS TO ALL WHO ENTERED!  
THE SHOW DISCOUNT IS STILL AVAILABLE - SEE BELOW.

We are in the last week of "traditional" summer, so why not celebrate the end of one season with a show that will open off-Broadway at the start of the new one?  This one will be another quick one, open to all who wish to enter!  Here's your chance to check out some new musical theatre called Red Eye of Love!  And it stars Broadway favorites Josh Grisetti and Alli Mauzey!

THIS CONTEST IS EASY AND FAST!!! (Don't want to enter, but still want to see the show? Scroll down for a discount!) 

Answer the two questions below the article and email the answers to jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com, along with your name.  Put RED EYE in the subject heading.  The first three entries with the correct answers received will win a prize voucher for TWO tickets to the show!  (The contest will end when three correct entries are collected!)


WIN TWO TICKETS TO RED EYE OF LOVE!

Amas Musical Theatre at the Dicapo Opera Theatre
184 East 76th Street
New York, NY 10021

A GIRL-MEATS-BOY LOVE STORY
Selma Chargesse is torn between her love of money and her passion for idealism and the two men who offer her one or the other—Wilmer, the naïve young dreamer and O.O. Martinas, the proprietor of the world’s largest meat department store. Could she have both?  Don’t miss this rare musical ready for prime time that tugs at the heart and tickles the funny bone.  Any way you slice it, this is red meat for musical theater lovers and that’s no bum steer! 

Winner will receive a ticket voucher redeemable for two tickets to a performance of his/her choice. 
Blackout dates and other restrictions may apply.

CONTEST QUESTIONS: 
1.  What musical features Mrs. Lovett's MEAT pies?
2.  What Tony-winning Broadway musical features "Guy" and "Girl"?

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

RED EYE OF LOVE – SPECIAL OFFER
If you don’t win tickets, you can still see the show at a great deal!

Special Offers:
Previews (August 27th through September 3rd)
$35 (reg. $45) use code LAMBRR
$25 (reg. $35) use code MEATRR Wh

Post Opening (beginning September 5)
$45 (reg. $55) use code RIBSRR
$35 (reg. $45) use code LAMBRR
$25 (reg. $35) use code MEATRR 

TO REDEEM:
ONLINE: CLICK HERE and enter appropriate code from above
PHONE: Call 212-868-4444 and mention appropriate code from above

RESTRICTIONS: Subject to availability. Not valid on prior purchase.
Offer cannot be combined with other discounts or promotions.  Additional blackout dates and
restrictions may apply. No refunds or exchanges. Offer may be revoked at any time.

Standard service fees apply to all phone and internet orders.  Limit 6 tickets per customer.  Good for performances through 9/28/14 only.  

Jeff
5.224

Thursday, August 21, 2014

TBT: La Cage aux Folles

I've written before about my first experience with La Cage aux Folles, a 17 year-old closeted guy in New York with my very first (and equally closeted) boyfriend.  It was the original Broadway cast, shortly after it opened.  It wasn't my first show that depicted openly gay characters (that was A Chorus Line), but I never felt more connected to the whole "gay experience," such as it was in 1983.  Protesters lined Times Square decrying the "SIN" of the show.  I felt so proud to break that picket line.  I remember the lights going down and feeling the thrill of a fully-orchestrated overture wash over me.  And I remember feeling my boyfriend stealthily take my hand.  We held hands in a public place and I never felt more alive or more me.

31 years ago tonight, the now-classic Jerry Herman-Harvey Fierstein-Arthur Laurents opened at the Palace Theatre, where it stayed for nearly four and a half years.  The show was nominated for 9 Tony Awards, winning 6 including Best Musical.  Of the three Broadway productions so far, the original ran the longest - an impressive 15 previews and 1,716 performances.


LES CAGELLES

George Hearn as Albin/Zsa Zsa

Gene Berry as Georges

It was an historical achievement from the minute it opened..  Today, it is the perfect Throwback!


Jeff
5.223
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