Behind the Scenes: GHOST: The Men Behind the Music, NEWSIES: Behind the Ensemble & a NICE WORK Nice Deal!

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Today's Blog:  (Scroll through to find the following)

• Behind the music of Ghost: The Musical; 
• Behind the Ensemble of Disney's Newsies; 
• All the details of the grand opening of the box office for Nice Work If You Can Get It; and...
• A SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT FOR JK'S THEATRESCENE READERS!

THE MEN BEHIND THE MUSIC OF GHOST THE MUSICAL
UPDATE: When the producers re-establish the link to the video below, I will re-post it!

One of the nice things about having an established (and thanks to you) successful theatre blog is that you get to meet lots of great people who share your love and curiosity about theatre. Among those that I've met are some terrific PR people who want nothing more than to get the word out there about their show.  Such is the case with the video below.

The people behind Ghost: The Musical have been kind enough to allow me to be one of just a handful of bloggers to gain access to a series of videos about the making of this new Broadway musical.  And so I am thrilled to be able to post for you a brief behind-the-scenes look at the two men responsible for the music and lyrics of this movie-turned-stage show.  And they are some pretty heavy hitters in the world of popular music.  David Stewart is probably best known as the man playing instruments behind Annie Lennox  when together they were known as Eurythmics.  A child of the 80's, I knew something of Stewart.  But I had no idea just how influential Glen Ballard is!  I mean he wrote "The Man in the Mirror," worked on Thriller, and has written, performed and/or produced such acts as Wilson Philips, Van Halen, No Doubt, Alanis Morissette and the Dave Matthews Band, among others.  While certainly not a Broadway guarantee, with a pedigree like this, the score - recorded and live - should be an awesome ear experience.





BEHIND THE SCENES WITH NEWSIES' ENSEMBLE!

The undisputed kings of PR - Disney in any of its incarnations - are playing this one VERY close to the vest. Doling out teeny tiny bits of stuff about Newsies.  And just how smart is that?  BRILLIANT, I say.  It is the talk of the town - not bad for a flop film turned stage show.  With the tickets going faster than the Ozone layer, and the (inevitable) announcement that the limited engagement will be less limited still not made, there is a sense of urgency.  It is the don't miss it show of 2012.

One of the side benefits of doling everything out in small pieces, even the stuff that usually gets ignored (like the ensemble) finds itself in the spotlight.  Enjoy!



IT'S A'''S'WONDERFUL" BOX OFFICE OPENING FOR NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT 

Thursday, March 1^st at Broadway’s Imperial Theatre

Featuring Special Prizes & Giveaways!

The producers of the new Broadway musical comedy NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT are pleased to announce a “‘S Wonderful” box office opening on Thursday, March 1^st beginning at 10 a.m. at the Imperial Theatre (249 West 45th Street).

From 10 a.m. to noon, NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT fans can win tickets to preview performances, gift certificates, signed items, and other treats through surprise giveaways and by answering trivia questions about the show's stars and songs.

o   Sprinkles Cupcakes, New York City’s newest gourmet cupcake bakery, will provide complimentary cupcakes for the first 100 people in line.

o   Broadway Dance Center, New York’s ultimate destination for dance classes in the heart of Times Square, will provide five free classes and one lucky winner will go home with a Broadway Dance Center workout top and pants.

o   Feinstein’s at Loews Regency, “The Nightclub of New York,” will provide five pairs of tickets to “The Broadway Hootenanny.” This one hour musical revue on Thursday nights at 11 p.m. features new stars and new songs each week.

o   Fishs Eddy, New York’s favorite dish and glassware shop, will provide a pair of its famous NYC skyline “212” glasses for five winners.

o   The Empire Room Cocktail Lounge, located in the Empire State Building, will provide $25 gift certificates to eight special winners.

o   Tony’s DiNapoli, New York City’s famed family-style Italian restaurant, will provide five “dinner for two” gift certificates.

Two-time Tony Award-winner Matthew Broderick and three-time Tony Award nominee Kelli O’Hara in NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT, featuring music and lyrics by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin, will begin performances on Broadway on Thursday, March 29, 2012 and officially open on Tuesday, April 24, 2012. The production is directed & choreographed by three-time Tony Award-winner Kathleen Marshall and features a book by two-time Tony Award-winner Joe DiPietro.

In addition to Matthew Broderick as Jimmy Winter and Kelli O’Hara as Billie Bendix, the production also stars Academy Award-winner Estelle Parsons as Millicent Winter, Tony Award-winner Judy Kaye as Estonia Dulworth, Tony Award nominee Michael McGrath as Cookie McGee, Tony Award nominee Jennifer Laura Thompson as Eileen Evergreen, Chris Sullivan as Duke Mahoney, Robyn Hurder as Jeannie Muldoon, Stanley Wayne Mathis as Chief Berry and Terry Beaver as Senator Max Evergreen.

The cast will also feature Cameron Adams, Clyde Alves, Kaitlyn Davidson, Jason DePinto, Kimberly Faure, Robert Hartwell, Stephanie Martignetti, Barrett Martin, Michael X. Martin, Adam Perry, Jeffrey Schecter, Jennifer Smith, Joey Sorge, Samantha Sturm, Kristen Beth Williams and Candice Marie Woods.

The creative team includes scenic design by Derek McLane, costume design by Martin Pakledinaz, lighting design by Peter Kaczorowski and sound design by Brian Ronan. The music supervisor is David Chase and the music director Tom Murray.

This new musical features a veritable hit parade of iconic George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin songs as well as some unknown gems in their catalog, and a book by Joe DiPietro. NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT follows Billie Bendix (Kelli O'Hara), a bootlegger who meets wealthy playboy Jimmy Winter (Matthew Broderick) on the weekend of his nuptials. Mayhem ensues.

NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT is produced on Broadway by Scott Landis, Roger Berlind, Sonia Friedman Productions, Roy Furman, Standing CO Vation, Candy Spelling, Freddy DeMann, Ronald Frankel, Harold Newman, Jon B. Platt, Raise The Roof 8,Takonkiet Viravan, William Berlind / Ed Burke, Carole L. Haber / Ellen Carusi, Jim Herbert/Scott Mauro, Barbara and Buddy Freitag / Sandy Robertson.

TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets for NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT are available through www.Telecharge.com, by calling 212-239-6200, and in person (beginning Thursday, March 1^st) at the Imperial Theatre box office (249 West 45th Street). Tickets range in price from $136.50 to $46.50 (all prices include a $1.50 facility fee). Premium seating is available.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

March 29 – April 28: Tuesday - Saturday @ 8pm, Wednesday & Saturday @ 2pm

Beginning April 30: Tuesday @ 7pm, Wednesday @ 2pm & 8pm, Thursday @ 7pm, Friday @ 8pm, Saturday @ 2pm & 8pm, Sunday @ 3pm

There will be additional performances on Monday - April 9 @ 8pm, Monday - April 16 @ 8pm, Monday - April 23 @ 8pm. There will be no performances on Tuesday - April 10 @ 8pm, Wednesday - April 25 @ 2pm, Sunday - June 10 @ 3pm.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT FOR JK'S THEATRESCENE READERS!

Mark your calendars!  At noon, on Monday, March 5th, a brand new contest for tickets to a brand new Broadway musical will begin at this very blog.  Not only that, but a special ticket discount will also be announced!  

REMEMBER: Monday, March 5 at NOON!

Jeff

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jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com (e-mail); @jkstheatrescene (Twitter)