The Broadway Musical Blog – Musical theater news and gossip from the Great White Way
Dishing out daily (or almost daily) Broadway musical news and gossip. The companion site to The Broadway Musical Home (broadwaymusicalhome.com), a directory of Broadway musicals with the story, songs, merchandise, video clips, lyrics, tickets, rights & awards for almost 200 shows.Archive for Cast album
Enter to Win the New West Side Story Cast Album!
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A Flop Immortalized, A Tony Award Eliminated
Cast Albums Aren’t Just for Hits and Award Winners…
Glory Days, a show about four high school friends reuniting, both opened and closed on Broadway on the same night but will nevertheless be getting a cast recording to preserve its score. With a book by James Gardiner, score/lyrics by Nick Blaemire and a cast featuring the talents of Steven Booth, Andrew Call, Jesse JP Johnson, and Adam Halpin, the show only lasted at the Circle in the Square Theatre on Broadway one night. Along with a CD release, the show will be also be available for licensing…so, anyone want to produce a Broadway flop?
And in Tony News (Yes, We’re Not Quite Done Yet)…
The Tony Awards administration and management have just announced that they will retire the Special Theatrical Event category next year. Established in 2001, the following shows will now be the only ones to have walked away with the now extinct category awards: Blast!, Elaine Stritch at Liberty, Russell Simmons’ Def Poetry Jam, Billy Crystal 700 Sundays, Jay Johnson: The Two and Only and Liza’s at the Palace.
But there is some light at the end of the tunnel – now shows that might have been nominated in this category are elligible in all categories, so they could take home the award for best lighting design or best direction or even best musical next year. Traditionally the budgets for these shows have been less substantial than many of the Broadway blockbusters that normally make the nominees list…but who knows? Perhaps it will be a good thing for Broadway’s special theatrical events after all.
Shrek many not have won many Tonys, but it’s doing something right!
Last week, Shrek saw the biggest gain of any Broadway show, with gross up $182,798! Maybe you think (like many in the industry have) that theirs was one of the worst presentations at the Tony Awards (watch the video here), but with numbers like that, you have to give them due credit – they know how to appeal to their audience.
The show stars Brian d’Arcy James (Outer Critic’s Circle winner), Sutton Foster (Outer Critic’s Circle winner), John Tartaglia, Daniel Breaker (Drama Desk Award winner) and Christopher Sieber, and has won awards for Costume Design (Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critic’s Circle) and Set Design (Drama Desk, Outer Critic’s Circle).
I also recently stumbled upon a video of the making of the Shrek cast album.
Headed to Broadway, eyeing Broadway and cast albums
A couple new shows are officially headed to Broadway…
Fela!, based on the life of African composer and activist Fela Anikulapo Kuti, played Off Broadway last fall for a limited engagement to great success. Spring Awakening’s Bill T. Jones directs, with a lot of the same cast lined up for the fall 2008 Broadway run at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre. Previews start Oct 19, Opening night is Nov. 23.
Also announced yesterday was Trevor Nunn’s London revival of A Little Night Music, which is on its way to the Jujamcyn Theatre. According to a casting notice, all roles are open for the Broadway run and dates are still “tentative.” Carolyn Humphris, Tom Murray, Lynne Page, who all worked on the West End production will be joining Nunn in NYC. The London cast stars Hannah Waddingham as Desiree, Maureen Lipman as Madame Armfeldt, Alexander Hanson as Fredrik, Kelly Price as Countess Charlotte Malcolm and Jessie Buckley as Anne Egerman.
Eyeing Broadway…
It appears that the Kennedy Center’s Ragtime is eyeing a Broadway run, under the supervision of Marcia Milgrom Dodge, who directed and choreographed the D.C. production and music director James Moore. It will be produced on Broadway by The Kennedy Center, Kevin McCollum, Emanuel Azenberg, Max Cooper, Maberry Theatricals, Jeffrey Sine, Scott Delman, Roy Furman and Roger Berlind. No dates have been announced and the audition notice claims that all roles are currently available.
In cast album land…
The cast album for 9 to 5 will be released on July 14 by Dolly’s own record label.
And according to USA Today, the cast recording for Rock of Ages is doing very well in digital land – entering the digital albums chart at #34 charting at #193 on the Top 200. The non-digital version will be released in stores on July 7, pre-order it now!
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