Photo Credit: Gordon Donovan/Yahoo News
Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 has been hailed as one of the most innovative musicals of the decade. The show, inspired by a part of Leo Tolstoy’s “War and Peace,” came to Broadway in the fall of 2016, and turned the Imperial Theatre into Imperial Russia—with a modern twist.
Yahoo Global News Anchor Katie Couric sat down with the Tony nominated stars Josh Groban, Denée Benton, and Lucas Steele as well as Tony nominated director Rachel Chavkin and creator Dave Malloy to talk about the show, the Tonys and diversity on Broadway.
Watch on Yahoo: https://yhoo.it/2r5fYKF
Interview highlights include:
- Josh Groban and ‘The Great Comet’ cast talk their 12 Tony nominations—“I don’t know, I think it is a genius thing that has never really happened on a Broadway stage and to me Award Ceremonies are worth it because they should honor innovation” [Denée Benton] “My heart is filled with joy beyond measure to be on this journey with people I have been with for a while and also incredibly new wonderful artists” [Lucas Steele] “It’s a long time coming for those of us who have loved this since we were little kids, it’s a long time coming for a show that has had so many years of development and family around it […] deep nostalgia just for our paths to this moment.’ [Josh Groban]
- Josh Groban on his Broadway debut – “My dream wasn’t just to do theatre… it was to do something new, it was to do something fresh, it was to be able to come into something new at least on Broadway. I wanted to bring something that I knew would be an educated risk for me, something that was a little out of that box that people may not have expected and something that I could grow from […] I wanted it to be something that would provide me with vulnerability and failing and getting back up.” [CLIP]: Josh Groban waited for a show like ‘The Great Comet’ for Broadway debut
- Denée Benton on diversity on Broadway- “I think you walk away from a show and you remember how a character made you feel and what they represented […] As humans, we want that right. So for me, it’s a paradigm shift in the direction of justice, it’s not like a cool trend […] So I think that it’s gratifying in the sense that I know how much and how much devastation has gone into this path so that I have the right to do it and how many shoulders I’m really standing on.” [CLIP]: Denée Benton on ‘Great Comet,’ diversity: It’s a shift in the direction of justice
- Creator Dave Malloy on his ‘War and Peace’ inspiration for ‘The Great Comet’- “People sometimes ask me how I picked this section of ‘War and Peace’ but it was never a matter of that, it was always this section that immediately called out to me as I was reading it. On the cruise ship, I was in a very Pierre state of mind, I was feeling very lost […] but just socially very awkward […] So, when I read this section I was really communicating with Pierre, but then the way that Tolstoy really paired these two stories in parallel […] and the way that these two stories only collide at the very end in this very simply interaction between the two of them, and then Pierre sees the comet… it just immediately sang to me.” [CLIP]: How ‘War and Peace’ on a cruise ship led to Broadway’s ‘The Great Comet’
- Josh Groban and ‘Great Comet’ cast on getting intimate with the audience – “It’s interesting when there’s actors too that you notice that you recognize or something, and when you wind up looking into the eyes of another actor that’s watching the show – they’re in it with you. John Lithgow was with us, Cynthia Erivo was with us.” [CLIP]: Josh Groban and ‘Great Comet’ cast talk getting intimate with the audience
T2C would like to thank Yahoo news for sharing this with us and with you.
2o days to go! Every year people panic to find the perfect gift. We at T2C have been collecting idea’s all year long to bring you the perfect gift guide at all price levels. When you’re at the end of your rope trying to find the perfect Christmas present this year, come to this guide for some great suggestions.
Chita & Patrick Pacheco at Drama Book Shop event May 15, 2023 Photo by Merle Frimark
There are a lot of books out there this year but we highly recommend Chita: A Memoir , the critically-acclaimed book is written by the legendary Broadway icon Chita Rivera with arts journalist Patrick Pacheco. Chita takes fans behind-the-scenes of all her shows and cabaret acts, she shares candid stories of her many colleagues, friends, and lovers. She speaks with empathy and hindsight of her deep associations with complicated geniuses like Fosse and Robbins, as well as with the mega-talent Liza Minnelli, with whom she co-starred in The Rink. She openly discusses her affair with Sammy Davis, Jr. as well as her marriage to Tony Mordente and her subsequent off-the-radar relationships. Chita revisits the terrible car accident that threatened to end her career as a dancer forever. Center stage to Chita’s story are John Kander and Fred Ebb, the songwriters and dear friends indelibly tied to her career through some of her most enduring work: Chicago, The Rink, Kiss of the Spider Woman, and The Visit.
Chita’s love of performing began as a child in Washington, D.C., when her mother enrolled her in a local ballet school to channel her boundless energy. Still a teenager, she moved to New York to attend the School of American Ballet after an audition for George Balanchine himself and winning a scholarship. But Broadway beckoned, and by twenty she was appearing in the choruses of Golden Age shows like Guys and Dolls and Can-Can. In the latter, she received special encouragement from its star Gwen Verdon, forging a personal and professional friendship that would help shape her career. The groundbreaking West Side Story brought her into the orbit of Leonard Bernstein, Jerome Robbins, Arthur Laurents, Hal Prince, and Stephen Sondheim. After Bye Bye Birdie further burnished her rising star, she reunited with Verdon and her then-husband Bob Fosse to work on the film version of Sweet Charity and the celebrated original Broadway production of Chicago.
Chita: A Memoir was published in English and Spanish and the English audio version of the Memoir was recorded by Chita. A Spanish audio version is also available.
“Chita Rivera blazed a trail where none existed so the rest of us could see a path forward. She has been part of some of the greatest musicals in the history of the form, from Anita in the trailblazing West Side Story through Claire Zachanassian in the underrated masterpiece The Visit, over 60 years later. She is a Puerto Rican Broadway icon and the original ‘triple threat.’ We’re so lucky to be alive in the same timeline as Chita Rivera.” — Lin-Manuel Miranda.
“A frank and fascinating memoir from one of the truly great artists of the American Theater. Lots of stories … Lots of insight … and quite a few caustic statements from Chita’s alter ego, Dolores. An illuminating history and a guaranteed pleasure!” — John Kander
Broadway legend and national treasure Chita Rivera, multi-Tony Award winner, Kennedy Center honoree, and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom – has taken no prisoners on stage or screen for seven decades. From her trailblazing performance as the original Anita in West Side Story—for which she tapped her own Puerto Rican roots—to her haunting 2015 star turn in The Visit. Chita has proven to be much more than just a captivating dancer, singer, and actress beloved by audiences and casts alike. In her equally captivating and one-of-a-kind memoir, Written with Patrick Pacheco, the woman born Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero shares an incomparable life, both on stage and behind the curtain.
By the way this Memoir has won a Gold Medal for “Best Autobiography – English” at the 2023 International Latino Book Awards. https://www.latinobookawards.org/
Click here to buy your copy.
Here is the amazing cast of Spamalot. Christopher Fitzgerald as Patsy, James Monroe Iglehart as King Arthur, Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer as The Lady of the Lake, Ethan Slater as The Historian/Prince Herbert, Jimmy Smagula as Sir Bedevere, Michael Urie as Sir Robin, Nik Walker as Sir Galahad andTaran Killam as Lancelot.
I was so inspired I drew the whole cast.
To read T2C’s review click here.
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.