Broadway
Art Installation in Times Square Has 10-Foot Tall Playbills
The Times Square Alliance and Playbill are bringing together a Broadway Grand Gallery exhibition. This Times Square art installation will feature 21 10-foot Playbill covers from 21 of the currently running shows.
The unveiling is set for April 7 at 11AM at the Broadway Plaza between 47th and 48th Streets, with special performances by Jessica Vosk and Alex Newell, along with remarks from Donnie Kehr, Times Square Alliance President Tom Harris, Playbill Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Alex Birsh, and Broadway League President Charlotte St. Martin. Vosk and Newell will be accompanied on the Playbill Sing for Hope Piano, emblazoned with hundreds of real Playbill covers. The entire event will be filmed for streaming on Playbill.com.
Represented in the installation, which will comprise 11 monoliths with two covers on each, with will be Playbill covers from Aladdin, The Book of Mormon, Come From Away, Company, Dear Evan Hansen, Funny Girl, Hadestown, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Jersey Boys, The Lion King, The Little Prince, Little Shop of Horrors, MJ The Musical, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Mr. Saturday Night, Mrs. Doubtfire, The Phantom of the Opera, The Play That Goes Wrong, Plaza Suite, SIX: The Musical, and Tina: The Tina Turner Musical. Each cover will include information about the show, a QR code leading to the production’s Playbill Vault page, and a QR code for buying tickets. Maps will show theatre fans where they can find their favorite show’s cover. The giant Playbill will remain on display through June 15.
Following the kick-off event, performers from the represented shows will be on hand for photo ops, including Six stars Adrianna Hicks, Keri René Fuller, and Joy Woods; and Jersey Boys‘ Jonathan Cable, CJ Pawlikowski, Tristen Buettel, John Gardner, Joey LaVarco, and Michelle Rombola. Additional Broadway favorite attendees will be announced in the coming days on playbill.com
Art
Ahead of the Broadway Opening of Lempicka The Longacre Theatre Is Showcasing Art Work By Tamara de Lempicka
The Longacre Theatre (220 W 48th St.), soon-to-be home of the sweeping new musical, Lempicka, is showcasing a curated selection of renowned artist Tamara de Lempicka’s most famous works. Eschewing traditional theatrical front-of-house advertising, the Longacre’s façade now boasts prints, creating a museum-quality exhibition right in the heart of Times Square. The musical opens on Broadway on April 14, 2024 at the same venue.
The Longacre’s outdoor exhibition includes works of Self Portrait (Tamara in a Green Bugatti) (1929), Young Girl in Green (1927), Nu Adossé I (1925), The Red Tunic (1927), The Blue Scarf (1930), The Green Turban (1930), Portrait of Marjorie Ferry (1932), Portrait of Ira P. (1930), Portrait of Romana de la Salle (1928), and Adam and Eve (1932).
Starring Eden Espinosa and directed by Tony Award winner Rachel Chavkin, Lempicka features book, lyrics, and original concept by Carson Kreitzer, book and music by Matt Gould, and choreography by Raja Feather Kelly.
Spanning decades of political and personal turmoil and told through a thrilling, pop-infused score, Lempicka boldly explores the contradictions of a world in crisis, a woman ahead of her era, and an artist whose time has finally come.
Young Girl in Green painted by Tamara de Lempicka (1927). Oil on plywood.