Broadway
Theatre News: The Drama Book Store, NY Pop-Up, tick, tick…BOOM!, To Kill a Mockingbird, Show of Titles and Broadway’s Back
The Drama Book Shop reopened yesterday at 266 West 39th Street. In late 2018, The Drama Bookshop announced it was closing their doors, which was then on 40th Street. Within hours Lin-Manuel Miranda, director Thomas Kail, producer Jeffrey Seller, and theatre owner James L. Nederlander announce they had purchased the store, saving the theatrical institution in a last-minute move.
Store hours will be 9 AM–8 PM on weekdays, 10 AM–8 PM on Saturdays, and Noon–6 PM Sundays. Shoppers are encouraged to book a priority entrance time at DramaBookShop.com.
A New York Pop will celebrate a Brand New Day with stars of Broadway and film, along with fashion to Times Square. The event will feature musical performances, a fashion runway show, and dancing in the streets live (West 43rd Street & 7th Avenue) tomorrow Friday, June 11th at 11 AM.
Jonathan Larson’s “tick, tick…BOOM!” drops their trailer. Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner Lin-Manuel Miranda makes his directorial debut. The film follows Jon (Academy Award nominee and Tony Award winner Andrew Garfield), a young theater composer who’s waiting tables at a New York City diner in 1990 while writing what he hopes will be the next great American musical. With the clock ticking, Jon is at a crossroads and faces the question everyone must reckon with: What are we meant to do with the time we have? Starring Academy Award nominee and Tony Award winner Andrew Garfield, Alexandra Shipp, Tony Award nominee Robin de Jesús, Tony Award nominee Joshua Henry, MJ Rodriguez, Emmy Award winner Bradley Whitford, Tariq Trotter, with Emmy/ Tony Award winner Judith Light, and Vanessa Hudgens. tick, tick…BOOM! is on Netflix this Fall.
Producer Barry Diller announced today that Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the most successful American play in Broadway history, is set to resume performances on Broadway on Tuesday, October 5, 2021, at the Shubert Theatre. Tony Award nominee and Emmy Award winner Jeff Daniels will reprise his originating iconic role as ‘Atticus Finch’ and Celia Keenan-Bolger returns in her Tony Award-winning performance as ‘Scout Finch’ in Aaron Sorkin’s new play with direction by Bartlett Sher.
It was also announced that Orin Wolf has been named Executive Producer of To Kill a Mockingbird, effective immediately.
To Kill a Mockingbird has amassed a total gross of more than $125,000,000, and before the Broadway shutdown, continuously played to standing-room-only houses. Since performances began on Thursday, November 1, 2018, the production has not played to an empty seat, with capacity remaining over 100% for every performance. On February 26, 2020, the cast of To Kill a Mockingbird gave a history-making performance of the play at Madison Square Garden, for 18,000 New York City school kids. This was the largest single performance of a theatrical work in the history of world theater. In 2019, to culminate National “Theatre In Our Schools” month, Mr. Sorkin, Mr. Daniels, Mr. Sher, and members of the Broadway cast of To Kill a Mockingbird took the play to Washington, D.C. for an unprecedented special presentation at the Library of Congress, in partnership with the Educational Theatre Association. Speaker Nancy Pelosi was the special guest, opening the event alongside Dr. Carla Diane Hayden, Librarian of Congress (the first woman in our nation’s history to hold the coveted position).
Tickets for To Kill a Mockingbird are now available via Telecharge at 212 239 6200, and on Telecharge.com.
Complete cast and other To Kill a Mockingbird news will be announced soon.
Broadway’s Best Shows musical extravaganza “Show of Titles” will premiere on Sunday, June 13, 2021 at 7pm ET and be available for four days only. The show features dozens of Broadway stars performing the title songs from over 20 beloved musicals. Among the songs included are: Anything Goes, Hallelujah, Baby!, Sweet Charity, Man of La Mancha, The Happy Time, The Sound of Music, Fade Out — Fade In, She Loves Me, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, Oh, Lady Be Good!, Cabaret, Camelot and many more.
All proceeds will benefit The Actors Fund.
The evening will feature performances by Annaleigh Ashford, Stephanie J. Block, Kerry Butler, Len Cariou, Glenn Close, Gavin Creel, Darren Criss, Dame Edna, Santino Fontana, Kelsey Grammar, David Alan Grier, Jake Gyllenhaal, Isabelle Huppert, Norm Lewis, Patti LuPone, Rob McClure, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Melba Moore, Jessie Mueller, Eva Noblezada, Kelli O’Hara, Laura Osnes, Steven Pasquale, Michael Rupert, Ernie Sabella, Lea Salonga, Phillipa Soo, Will Swenson, Aaron Tveit, Leslie Uggams, Vanessa Williams & Patrick Wilson and special appearances by Debbie Allen, Broadway Inspirational Voices, Candice Bergen, Danny Burstein, Bryan Cranston, Tony Goldwyn, Adam Guettel, John Kander, Angela Lansbury, John Leguizamo, John Lithgow, Lindsay Mendez, Phylicia Rashad, Chita Rivera, Ben Stiller, Charles Strouse, Richard Thomas, Blair Underwood, BD Wong & Florian Zeller.
“Show of Titles” will be a rousing and memorable celebration of title songs from more than two dozen Broadway musicals spanning nine decades, ranging from “Lady Be Good” to “The Light in the Piazza.” But is the original title song disappearing from the theatrical map? What used to be the norm has become a rarity. Tony nominees, for example, from the 60’s frequently had title songs. Contrast the 1965-1966-67-68 seasons when 75% of the nominated musicals had title songs, with the three most recent seasons when there was no original title song from a Tony-nominated Broadway musical.
“Show of Titles” is directed by Emmy Award winner Lonny Price (“Best Worst Thing That Ever Happened,” PBS’ “Harold Prince: The Director’s Life,” Sunset Boulevard starring Glenn Close) and Emmy & Grammy Award winner Jason Howland (PBS’ “Handel’s Messiah Rocks” & Broadway’s Little Women & Beautiful) is the Music Director/Supervisor.
For more information and more exclusive content, go to Broadway’s Best Shows.
“Show of Titles” will be livestreamed on Stellar at 7PM EST/4PM PST and available for a strictly limited amount of time. Tickets are $39. Proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to The Actor’s Fund.
Jimmy and Lin-Manuel Miranda perform a song about every musical they can’t wait to see when Broadway returns and sing a parody of Hamilton’s “You’ll Be Back” with the help of special guest Broadway legends Olga Merediz, Phylicia Rashad, Kristin Chenoweth, Christopher Jackson, Laura Benanti and Jimmy Smits.
As we head into the holiday season, The Algonquin Hotel’s December event lineup is open to both hotel guests and New York City locals. The hotel will spread holiday cheer with a variety of festive performances, cocktails, and experiences including:
- Cocoa and Carols Happy Hour: Daily, 5-8PM, Every evening this December, all are invited to enjoy Specialty Cocoa while Christmas carols chime at the Blue Bar. Drinks will include Mexican Hot Chocolate spiked with mezcal
- KT Sullivan Cabaret: December 5th, 12th and 19th, Sullivan will perform her iconic Christmas Cabaret. As noted by The New York Times, Sullivan is a thrilling Off-Broadway performer with over eight published albums
- Rocco Dellaneve’s Rat Pack Christmas: December 7th, 14th and 21st, Rocco Dellaneve will perform iconic songs from the Rat Pack Christmas album with special inclusions of Santa with Sinatra, Rocco of the Snow, Rudolph and the Rat pack
- The Serafina’s and Broadway Vocalists: December 8th, 15th and 22nd, enjoy the high kicking – precision line dancing Christmas tradition around The Algonquin tree. The Serafina’s will be available for pictures and autographs from 6pm to 7pm, followed by special Broadway vocalists
A portion of proceeds from all events will be donated to Toys for Tots.
Beyond the December events, The Algonquin Hotel is located in a prime position nestled in the heart of Times Square and Fifth Avenue, making it the perfect launchpad for a New York City holiday experience. The hotel is a historical jewel that emphasizes the importance of making unique, storied experiences. Since its opening in 1902, The Algonquin Hotel is famous for its timeless style and desire to honor the literary and cultural elite. The distinguished Round Table Restaurant and Blue Bar offer tasteful dining inclusions and curated cocktails that are sure to excite everyone.
Photo credit: The Algonquin Hotel, Autograph Collection
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.