Interview with creative consultant Jerry Burgin regarding the upcoming theatrical production of Evil Dead: The Musical

Is the theatrical production of Evil Dead based on the original 1981 Sam Raimi movie?
Yes.

What made you choose Evil Dead over a series of other cult horror flics, like Pumkinhead for example?
None of those have been made into musicals. Being a comedy after Little Shop and Rocky Horror it seemed like the logical choice. Bret Runyon (designer DC Theatricks) is Director, Musical Director, Costumer and Production Designer.

So this is a musical? I guess I'm only familiar with the movie.
Yes. It's a very funny musical with The New Alt Theatre Group producing.

Have you ever watched Cannibal The Musical?
I have.

When did Evil Dead first appear as a musical?
The show started at the comedy festival in Montreal and went to Toronto. I believe it first ran in 2005.

How did it make its way to Buffalo, and why is there such a cult following?
The musical is funny and it's not what everyone else is doing - it started as a 2 week run in Toronto and lasted 5 years - also the fact there is so much movement, fighting and blood being shot into the audience tickled me a bit.

So how does that work exactly? Did you guys pick it up and run with it as opposed to the production coming here?
It's the same production - it is a Samuel French licensed show. We have just added our own touches.

How do you take what could arguably be considered one of the most horrific horror movies of all time and turn it into a comedic musical?
Creative writing - they took the best part of all 3 movies, mixed in some great music like the song "Cabin in the Woods". All we did was add great talent from Buffalo.

Does the success of the production depend on interaction from the audience?
Not really... the show carries itself well. The actors that have been cast were picked from the area through audition - it is a show for adults. The stage at The Alt has been raised 3 feet in the air to accommodate people being killed and dragged under the cabin by a female demon played by Maria Droz. The set has a lot of special effects, like a talking moose head above a fireplace.

Why should people come see this?
Well it is a kind of a show not of the norm but funny as a cabin in the woods full of demons...

Show runs March 10 to April 3 (Wed to Sat). Wed and Thur 7:30pm, Fri & Sat at 8pm. General admission $25, and for the spatter zone $30. Tickets can be purchased at www.alttheatre.com or by calling the theatre directly: 716-868-6847
Source 1 & 2

For anyone that lives in the Buffalo area I would definitely recommend seeing this. I was lucky enough to see it during it's original run in Toronto and it was some of the most fun I've ever had and is a don't miss for any Raimi fan. The music is very catchy as well and I say this as a long time musical fan.

Sadly, rumors of this version of 'Evil Dead' hitting the big screen were debunked, but since Raimi has approved of the stage production (and 'Evil Dead' star Bruce Campbell has attended a performance) it is still a possibility down the line. Who knows? A movie, based on a musical, based on a movie seemed to work well enough for 'Hairspray'. Would you like to see Evil Dead: The Musical on the big screen?

posted by GossipGander \\ tags: broadway / theatre

This former stray mutt went from wags to riches.

Fred the dog, former star of the hit musical "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," now enjoys the posh life of a pampered Manhattan pooch.

But things haven't always been so good for Fred.

He was found wandering the streets of the South Bronx as an 8-month-old pup.

Enter Bill Berloni, a renowned theatrical animal agent, who proved to be this dog's best friend.

"It really is a rags-to-riches story," said Berloni, 53, of Haddam, Conn.

"It's definitely something of a freak of nature that he was to end up in a Broadway show. But he was friendly, intelligent, cute as hell - you look at him and smile."

The big-hearted manager, who has trained stray pooches for Broadway shows for more than 30 years, found Fred at an ASPCA city shelter in early 2005.


Fred the Dog (center) in 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

He spotted star quality in the pup's terrier looks and put him up against as many as 70 other canine hopefuls at the "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" auditions.

It was a labor of love for Berloni, who worked for a full year to house-train the pup.

"Most of the other dogs in the show were purebred, but they wanted a mix," added Berloni, who also is a behavior consultant for the Humane Society of New York - a no-kill shelter that supports rescued animals. "The rest, as you say, is history."

When the show closed in 2006, Berloni gave Fred another helping hand by arranging for an adoption to an upscale upper West Side home.

New owner Chris Grabenstein, an author of adult mysteries and kids' ghost stories, even created a character based on the pooch, who now gets inside-page credits.

"He's the mayor of 81st St.," said Grabenstein, 54. "Everyone knows and loves him. Every once in a while we meet a kid who says, 'I know him from that show!' It's amazing."

Grabenstein and his wife, J.J. Myers, built a rooftop dog pound with spectacular views for their beloved pet.

Yet Fred still seems to have his eyes set on Broadway.

Whenever a van pulls up near the nostalgic pooch performer, he mistakes it for the vehicle that took him to the ritzy Hilton Theatre each night to appear in the musical.

"He looks at me like, 'Why aren't we getting in?' and he'll try," Grabenstein said.

Fame can be hard to give up, especially for a mutt from the South Bronx.

Source.

posted by GossipGander \\ tags: broadway / theatre, celebrity pets

62-year old singer and actress Bernadette Peters doesn’t look a day over 40, leading Make Me Heal to wonder what her secret is. Is it good genes or good plastic surgery, or both?





At a recent book-signing event, Bernadette appeared with the same smooth, freckle-free skin and curly hair she has always had. The multiple Tony-award winning widow has only the faintest traces of crow’s feet and “creping” around her eyes. Bernadette doesn’t have an 11 stamped between her eyebrows or horizontal lines creasing her forehead. She has some parentheses around her mouth (aka nasolabial folds), but only when she smiles. Most amazingly, her neck is incredibly taut and firm and doesn’t give away her age and she doesn’t have the beginnings of jowls around her jawline, the way many people her age do. Bernadette’s eyes are wide open and free from under-eye bags and overhanging skin over the eyes. Also, her cleavage is as ample and smooth as ever.

Bernadette is notorious for staying out of the sun to help preserve her perfect cream-colored complexion, which definitely helps ward off freckles and wrinkles. But even so, she looks so good that she must have had some plastic surgery, maybe a mini facelift to keep her lower face rejuvenated. The wrinkle-free complexion may be explained by a combination of dermal injections and fillers like Botox and Restylane, as well as possibly laser treatments like CoolTouch, Active Fx, or Palomar’s Starluxe to keep her skin smooth. The eyes may have been subjected to a blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery), which would explain the lack of under-eye bags and excess skin on the lids. Of course, this is all speculative. It was a plastic surgery job well done, if it was done at all, because we can’t detect a thing, leading us to believe that Bernadette must have gotten plastic surgery done gradually throughout the years to avoid any drastic changes in her appearance. But as importantly, she inherited some amazing genes with her Italian ancestry and keeps a lifestyle that is conducive to youthfulness.

Plastic surgeon Dr. John Di Saia can’t detect any particular work on Bernadette either. On his blog, Dr. John Di Saia says, “It is likely a bit of both. I’d bet she was not a big smoker and likely employed some good or better surgical talent.”

Just goes to show you, smoking can make a big difference on your outside as well as your inside. If Bernadette is naturally flawless, it also shows just how damaging the rays of the sun can be. Bernadette likely uses a good skincare program and eats well as well as gets regular exercise.

Lohan take note!

As she has always been busty, she probably wears a supportive bra regularly. Also, she has no children, which helps as pregnancy and breast-feeding cause changes and sagging in the bosom. She may or may not have also had a breast lift to keep her girls riding high.





1973 - Bernadette at age 25



1976 - Bernadette in Mel Brooks' "Silent Movie"



1977 - Bernadette guest stars on "The Muppet Show"



1979 - Bernadette in "The Jerk", age 31



1980 - Bernadette in "Pennies From Heaven"



1981 - Attends "Pennies From Heaven" premiere with boyfriend Steve Martin, age 33



1982 - Bernadette in "Annie"



1983 - Bernadette with Liza Minnelli and Liz Smith



1984 - Bernadette with Stephen Sondheim and Mandy Patinkin



1986 - Bernadette in "Sunday in the Park with George", age 38



1987 - Bernadette attends Tony Awards



1989 - Bernadette performs on "The Tonight Show"



1991 - Bernadette in "Into the Woods"



1997 - Bernadette in "Cinderella"



1999 - Bernadette poses for a photoshoot, age 51



2003 - Bernadette in "Gypsy"



2006 - Bernadette makes appearance on "Will & Grace", age 57



2008 - Bernadette on "Grey's Anatomy"



2009 - Bernadette at Broadway Barks event, age 61



Now - Bernadette on her most recent tour

Bernadette Peters looks fantastic for 62, or any age for that matter, and her youth assures her many more years on the stage or screen.



Source.





HAPPY 62ND BIRTHDAY, BERNADETTE!!!!

posted by GossipGander \\ tags: broadway / theatre

62-year old singer and actress Bernadette Peters doesn’t look a day over 40, leading Make Me Heal to wonder what her secret is. Is it good genes or good plastic surgery, or both?





At a recent book-signing event, Bernadette appeared with the same smooth, freckle-free skin and curly hair she has always had. The multiple Tony-award winning widow has only the faintest traces of crow’s feet and “creping” around her eyes. Bernadette doesn’t have an 11 stamped between her eyebrows or horizontal lines creasing her forehead. She has some parentheses around her mouth (aka nasolabial folds), but only when she smiles. Most amazingly, her neck is incredibly taut and firm and doesn’t give away her age and she doesn’t have the beginnings of jowls around her jawline, the way many people her age do. Bernadette’s eyes are wide open and free from under-eye bags and overhanging skin over the eyes. Also, her cleavage is as ample and smooth as ever.

Bernadette is notorious for staying out of the sun to help preserve her perfect cream-colored complexion, which definitely helps ward off freckles and wrinkles. But even so, she looks so good that she must have had some plastic surgery, maybe a mini facelift to keep her lower face rejuvenated. The wrinkle-free complexion may be explained by a combination of dermal injections and fillers like Botox and Restylane, as well as possibly laser treatments like CoolTouch, Active Fx, or Palomar’s Starluxe to keep her skin smooth. The eyes may have been subjected to a blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery), which would explain the lack of under-eye bags and excess skin on the lids. Of course, this is all speculative. It was a plastic surgery job well done, if it was done at all, because we can’t detect a thing, leading us to believe that Bernadette must have gotten plastic surgery done gradually throughout the years to avoid any drastic changes in her appearance. But as importantly, she inherited some amazing genes with her Italian ancestry and keeps a lifestyle that is conducive to youthfulness.

Plastic surgeon Dr. John Di Saia can’t detect any particular work on Bernadette either. On his blog, Dr. John Di Saia says, “It is likely a bit of both. I’d bet she was not a big smoker and likely employed some good or better surgical talent.”

Just goes to show you, smoking can make a big difference on your outside as well as your inside. If Bernadette is naturally flawless, it also shows just how damaging the rays of the sun can be. Bernadette likely uses a good skincare program and eats well as well as gets regular exercise.

Lohan take note!

As she has always been busty, she probably wears a supportive bra regularly. Also, she has no children, which helps as pregnancy and breast-feeding cause changes and sagging in the bosom. She may or may not have also had a breast lift to keep her girls riding high.





1973 - Bernadette at age 25



1976 - Bernadette in Mel Brooks' "Silent Movie"



1977 - Bernadette guest stars on "The Muppet Show"



1979 - Bernadette in "The Jerk", age 31



1980 - Bernadette in "Pennies From Heaven"



1981 - Attends "Pennies From Heaven" premiere with boyfriend Steve Martin, age 33



1982 - Bernadette in "Annie"



1983 - Bernadette with Liza Minnelli and Liz Smith



1984 - Bernadette with Stephen Sondheim and Mandy Patinkin



1986 - Bernadette in "Sunday in the Park with George", age 38



1987 - Bernadette attends Tony Awards



1989 - Bernadette performs on "The Tonight Show"



1991 - Bernadette in "Into the Woods"



1997 - Bernadette in "Cinderella"



1999 - Bernadette poses for a photoshoot, age 51



2003 - Bernadette in "Gypsy"



2006 - Bernadette makes appearance on "Will & Grace", age 57



2008 - Bernadette on "Grey's Anatomy"



2009 - Bernadette at Broadway Barks event, age 61



Now - Bernadette on her most recent tour

Bernadette Peters looks fantastic for 62, or any age for that matter, and her youth assures her many more years on the stage or screen.



Source.





HAPPY 62ND BIRTHDAY, BERNADETTE!!!!

posted by GossipGander \\ tags: broadway / theatre

Today was the first preview of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical sequel to Phantom of the Opera.  "Love Never Dies: Phantom 2 The Story Continues..."  Technical difficulties with the set caused a 10 minute delay and a restart. 

And, what you probably all want to know... what the HELL is this musical about?  Well, let's read the reviews shall we?   [I have taken the time to bold the fucked up parts.  But the whole review is from a neutral side  And, there are spoilers behind the LJ cut, you have been warned!.]  And, yes, I still don't care for the musical.  And I made the horrible picture you see above. 


Hi all

I just returned from the premiere of Love Never Dies - Andrew Lloyd Webber's much-anticipated sequel to Phantom of the Opera - at the Adelphi Theatre in London.

For those who want to avoid the spoilers - read no further.


With tonight's performance being the first of the previews - the audience was truly buzzing ... all clearly being fans of Lloyd Webber curious to see whether this would be train wreck or smash hit.

In this, the sequel - the Phantom escapes Paris to travel to Coney Island where he setups Phantasmaland - an otherworldly paradise of rides, amusements and freaks ... and invites Christine to New York to sing in his latest creation.

The show gets off to an unusual start with no overture but straight to the drama with an aged Madame Giry returning to the remains of the Coney Island fairground ... setting the scene of what history has gone by.

Projection plays an enormous role in the show - and the system in use is truly world class ... full screen projection the length and width of the entire stage scrim - high definition quality that adds a whole new dimension to modern theatre making.

Clouds billow across the stage in a whirlwind of action - both on projection and on stage - as we go back in time and see the once-defunct Phantasmaland come to life before our eyes. The video sequence is amazing ...

Unfortunately things came to an abrupt halt at this point - 10 minutes in ... curtains fall and technical difficulties stop play. The show's director comes on stage - apologies profusely and so we wait - hoping that they do indeed continue ( Saturday night's performance was cancelled )

Thankfully they fix the problem - and so we continue.

Scott Penrose is the show's magic creator and he has included some true beauties.

Highlights include a full-size horse-pulled carriage made completely of glass - automaton style. You can see completely inside - empty. Instantly the carriage is filled with cast members - a beautiful appearance, unexpected and magical.

Other notable pieces include the walking skeleton - human legs, skeleton torso - last seen in Siegfried & Roy's show at The Mirage ( except their skeleton smoked cigarettes ) ... and a rock playing guerilla autamaton atop a mirror box.

The lead role is played by Ramin Karimloo - who last played Phantom in the original London production. His voice is quite simply INCREDIBLE and he literally owns the stage - without him the show would be no where. Sierra Boggess plays Christine - who too, has the most angelic of voices.

As with any sequel - your audience comes into the show with certain ideas, knowledge & pre-conceptions. And Love Never Dies is no different ... unfortunately - to make this plot work - the creators have been fairly liberal in their creative licence leaving many to scratch their heads wondering if they perhaps missed something in the original Phantom production ... and what possibly happened to their favourite characters.

In this continuation - Raoul is a drunken, wife abuser with gambling debts - Christine has a child - Meg Giry turns kidnapper and murderer - and the Phantom turns family man - after discovering that the child is really his ( "Luke, I am your father") Don't remember them consummating that relationship on stage ?

Phantom lures Christine to Coney Island, Phantom wagers Raoul that he will get Christine to sing for him, Christine sings, Raoul leaves, Meg is jealous, Phantom discovers child is his, Meg kidnaps child - shoots Christine and Phantom becomes a single dad.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Now that's an interesting plot line.

Will this show likely be running in ten years time - no. Will it ever achieve the same success as Phantom - never.

Despite all this - there are some true moments of brilliance that one could only wish they were better able to capture ... closing the first half - the Phantom lures the child to his lair in a scene filled with the gorilla automaton, walking skeleton and a hanging chandelier of 20+ Medusa like skulls that come to life in song. The Phantom is discovering that the boy's love of music & the bizarre mirrors his own life - against a backdrop of symphonic rock that is in a word - breathtaking. The scene is so unlike any other number in the show - sheer "rock opera" - it is eery, scary and brilliant. But over far too soon ...

The show's Coney Island story make it a must-see for magicians ... if only to experience that scary freak world of yester-year. But for musical theatre lovers - it takes the Phantom to where he was never meant to go - out of the mysterious and into the realm of mere mortal normality.


Here are some other bits that people have confirmed on elsewhere:

Comment:  Yes, Meg steals Gustave because she is jealous. Giry and Meg have helped the Phantom for 10 years and given their lives to get him where he is, yet as soon as Christine arrives they are dropped like hot cakes. So Meg wants to drown the boy so the Phantom will notice her again. After they get the boy the Phantom does a good job of talking the gun out of Meg's hands until he, genius that he is (!), says "not everyone can be like Christine"! Talk about winding Meg up!!! So, the guns goes off, and Christine's gown develops an unfortunate red stain.

Comment:  The moment she dies, while she's laying in the Phantom arms is actually quite moving - and he continues to kiss her after her lifeless arms drops to her side. If they had wrapped the show up pretty quickly after that it would have been good. But it gets dragged out for ages while the Phantom and Gustave become best buddies (Gustave touches his face like Christine does in the original) and it just plods on until any emotion you felt is replaced by boredom!

Comment:  There are some good bits like when u first see the phantom. He's feeling up one of the christine dummies like in the first one and suddenly she is bathed in coloured lights and her dress spins up into the air and flies off. Is weird but good. I juts felt like the pahntom was an old pervert that should just move on. I thought he was creepy - not in a good way - like a perve. Not ramisns fault - just the implausability of it.

EDIT:  MAX IS HERE!



Review is here: Click
Comments about the show can be found  here:  Click
An anti-Love Never Dies group:  Click

posted by GossipGander \\ tags: broadway / theatre

SIR ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER is convinced his ex-wife SARAH BRIGHTMAN should never walk down the aisle again – because she isn’t the “marrying sort”.

The theatre impresario wed the famed soprano in 1984 after they met when Brightman auditioned for a role in his hit musical Cats.

They split after six years, and Webber, who is still on friendly terms with his former partner, is adamant the break-up was for the best – because twice-wed Brightman can’t settle down.

He tells Britain’s Daily Mail, “It was clear pretty quickly that she was not someone who was going to make a huge home.

“Sarah is a gypsy. She shouldn’t marry anyone because she’s not the marrying sort. Her world is performing, travelling. She wants to get around, always did, and I have to say she’s achieved in spades everything she wanted to and more.”

Source | Andrew Lloyd Webber: I'm just incredibly lucky to be alive

I don't even know what to make of this.

posted by GossipGander \\ tags: broadway / theatre

 

As most know, the sequel for the Phantom of the Opera is fast approaching.  And apparently on Sunday (Feb 7th, 2009) the Amazon.co.uk featured 30 second previews of the songs on it's website.  The Really Useful Group, Andrew Lloyd Webber's company, discovered such mess and asked Amazon.co.uk to remove tracks from the website.

Rumours began that it was part of a publicity stunt... But, before the songs dissapeared, a fan took the song "The Beauty Underneath" (Ramin Karimloo's answer to Music of the Night) and put it to a video.  You can listen to the song here:

 

From the 30 second clips, fans have transcripts and rundowns of what was discovered in each of the tracks.  Including, the biggest spoiler of them all!  (Which was featured in the last track, "Christine Confronts the Phantom".)

Click below to read! 

The Phantom:  ...."I want the truth, right now... if so!"
Christine:  "Once upon a time/You went off and left me alone/But that's not all you did/You left me with a son."

You can visit the following sites for rundows of what went on in the tracks:
BroadwayWorld.com (The Article)
BroadwayWorld.com
Amazon.co.uk

posted by GossipGander \\ tags: broadway / theatre

Wow, in just her first on stage production, Keira has scored a major theater nomination. The Laurence Olivier Award nominations were announced and Keira scored a best supporting actress nom. Kudos to her and to the rest which include Jude Law for Best Actor, Rachel Wiesz for Best Actress. The awards are the equivilant to the Tony's or Oscars in the UK




List of Nominees: After the Cut

BEST ACTRESS

• Gillian Anderson for A DOLL’S HOUSE at the Donmar
• Lorraine Burroughs for THE MOUNTAINTOP at Trafalgar Studios 1
• Imelda Staunton for ENTERTAINING MR SLOANE at Trafalgar Studios 1
• Juliet Stevenson for DUET FOR ONE at the Almeida and Vaudeville
• Rachel Weisz for A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE at the Donmar

BEST ACTOR

• James Earl Jones for CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF at the Novello
• Jude Law for HAMLET, Donmar at Wyndham’s
• James McAvoy for THREE DAYS OF RAIN at the Apollo
• Mark Rylance for JERUSALEM at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court and now at the Apollo
• Ken Stott for A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE at the Duke of York’s
• Samuel West for ENRON at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court and now at the Noel Coward

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

• Hayley Atwell for A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE at the Duke of York’s
• Michelle Dockery for BURNT BY THE SUN at the Lyttelton
• Alexandra Gilbreath for TWELFTH NIGHT at the Duke of York’s
• Keira Knightley for THE MISANTHROPE at the Comedy
• Rachael Stirling for THE PRIORY at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court
• Ruth Wilson for A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE at the Donmar

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

• Mackenzie Crook for JERUSALEM at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court and now at the Apollo
• Rory Kinnear for BURNT BY THE SUN at the Lyttelton
• Tim Pigott-Smith for ENRON at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court and now at the Noel Coward
• Eddie Redmayne for RED at the Donmar

BEST NEW PLAY

• ENRON by Lucy Prebble at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court and now at the Noel Coward
• JERUSALEM by Jez Butterworth at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court and now at the Apollo
• THE MOUNTAINTOP by Katori Hall at Trafalgar Studios 1
• RED by John Logan by at the Donmar Warehouse
  

BEST NEW COMEDY

• CALENDAR GIRLS by Tim Firth at the Noël Coward
• ENGLAND PEOPLE VERY NICE by Richard Bean at the Olivier
• PARLOUR SONG by Jez Butterworth at the Almeida
• THE PRIORY by Michael Wynne at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court
  

BEST MUSICAL REVIVAL

• Irving Berlin’s ANNIE GET YOUR GUN music and lyrics by Irving Berlin, book by Herbert and Dorothy Fields at the Young Vic
• HELLO DOLLY! book by Michael Stewart, music and lyrics by Jerry Herman, based on the play ‘The Matchmaker’ by Thornton Wilder at the Open Air
• A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by Hugh Wheeler, suggested by a film by Ingmar Bergman, originally produced and directed on Broadway by Harold Prince at the Garrick
• Lionel Bart’s OLIVER! based on the original production by Sam Mendes at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
  

BEST NEW MUSICAL

• DREAMBOATS AND PETTICOATS book by Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran at the Savoy
  
• PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT – THE MUSICAL book by Stephan Elliott and Allan Scott, based on the Latent Image/Specific Films motion picture distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. at the Palace
  
• SPRING AWAKENING music by Duncan Sheik, book and lyrics by Steven Sater, based on the play by Frank Wedekind at the Novello
  
• SISTER ACT music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Glenn Slater, book by Cheri Steinkellner and Bill Steinkellner at The London Palladium
  

BEST ENTERTAINMENT

• Arturo Brachetti: CHANGE written and directed by Sean Foley, original concept by Serge Denoncourt, based on the repertoire of Arturo Brachetti at the Garrick
  
• Derren Brown: ENIGMA written by Derren Brown and Andy Nyman at the Adelphi 
• MORECAMBE by Tim Whitnall at the Duchess
  

BEST ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL OR ENTERTAINMENT

• Melanie C for BLOOD BROTHERS at the Phoenix
  
• Patina Miller for SISTER ACT at the London Palladium
  
• Samantha Spiro for HELLO DOLLY! at the Open Air
  
• Hannah Waddingham for A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC at the Garrick
  
• Charlotte Wakefield for SPRING AWAKENING at the Novello

BEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL OR ENTERTAINMENT

• Rowan Atkinson for OLIVER! at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
  
• Aneurin Barnard for SPRING AWAKENING at the Novello
  
• Bob Golding for MORECAMBE at the Duchess
  
• Alexander Hanson for A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC at the Garrick
  
• Tony Sheldon for PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT – THE MUSICAL at the Palace

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE IN A MUSICAL OR ENTERTAINMENT

• Sheila Hancock for SISTER ACT at the London Palladium
  
• Maureen Lipman for A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC at the Garrick
  
• Kelly Price for A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC at the Garrick
  
• Iwan Rheon for SPRING AWAKENING at the Novello

BEST DIRECTOR

• Rupert Goold for ENRON at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court and now at the Noel Coward
  
• Michael Grandage for HAMLET, Donmar at Wyndham’s
  
• Lindsay Posner for A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE at the Duke of York’s
  
• Ian Rickson for JERUSALEM at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court and now at the Apollo
  
• Bijan Sheibani for OUR CLASS at the Cottesloe
  

BEST REVIVAL

• ARCADIA directed by David Leveaux at the Duke of York’s
  
• CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF directed by Debbie Allen at the Novello
  
• THE MISANTHROPE directed by Thea Sharrock at the Comedy
  
• A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE directed by Rob Ashford at the Donmar Warehouse
  
• A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE directed by Lindsay Posner at the Duke of York’s
  
• THREE DAYS OF RAIN directed by Jamie Lloyd at the Apollo
  

BEST THEATRE CHOREOGRAPHER

• Matthew Bourne for OLIVER! at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
  
• Bill T Jones for SPRING AWAKENING at the Novello
  
• Anthony Van Laast for SISTER ACT at the London Palladium
  
• Stephen Mear for HELLY DOLLY! at the Open Air
  

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN

• BURNT BY THE SUN designed by Mark Henderson at the Lyttelton
  
• ENRON designed by Mark Henderson the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court and now at the Noel Coward
  
• SPRING AWAKENING designed by Kevin Adams at the Novello
  
• THREE DAYS OF RAIN designed by Jon Clark at the Apollo
  

BEST SET DESIGN

• ENGLAND PEOPLE VERY NICE designed by Mark Thompson 
  
• ENRON designed by Anthony Ward at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court and now at the Noel Coward
  
• JERUSALEM designed by Ultz at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court and now at the Apollo
  
• RED designed by Christopher Oram at the Donmar Warehouse
  

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

• HELLO DOLLY! designed by Peter McKintosh at the Open Air
  
• MADAME DE SADE designed by Christopher Oram, Donmar at Wyndham’s
  
• THE MISANTHROPE designed by Amy Roberts at the Comedy
  
• PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT- THE MUSICAL designed by Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner at the Palace
  

BEST SOUND DESIGN

• EVERY GOOD BOY DESERVES FAVOUR designed by Christopher Shutt at the Olivier
  
• JERUSALEM designed by Ian Dickinson for Autograph at the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs at the Royal Court and now at the Apollo
  
• MOTHER COURAGE AND HER CHILDREN designed by Andrew Bruce and Nick Lidster for Autograph at the Olivier
  
• SPRING AWAKENING designed by Brian Ronan at the Novello
  

THE AUDIENCE AWARD FOR MOST POPULAR SHOW

• BILLY ELLIOT music by Elton John, books and lyrics by Lee Hall at the Victoria Palace
  
• THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA music and book by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Charles Hart, book and additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe at His Majesty’s
  
• WAR HORSE based on the novel by Michael Morpurgo, adapted by Nick Stafford at the New London
  
• WE WILL ROCK YOU based on the songs of Queen, by Ben Elton in collaboration with Brian May and Roger Taylor at the Dominion
  
• WICKED music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, book by Winnie Holzman at the Apollo Victoria
  

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN AN AFFILIATE THEATRE

• Soho Theatre/ Tiata Fahodzi for IYA ILE (THE FIRST WIFE)
  
• The Tricycle Theatre for THE GREAT GAME
  
• The Royal Court for COCK at the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs
  

BEST NEW OPERA PRODUCTION

• The Royal Opera’s DER FLIEGENDE HOLLÄNDER at the Royal Opera House
  
• The Royal Opera’s LULU at the Royal Opera House
  
• English National Opera’s PETER GRIMES at the London Coliseum
  
• The Royal Opera’s TRISTAN UND ISOLDE at the Royal Opera House
  

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN OPERA

• Anja Kampe for her performance in Royal Opera’s DER FLIEGENDE HOLLÄNDER at the Royal Opera House
  
• Stuart Skelton for his performance in English National Opera’s PETER GRIMES at the London Coliseum
  
• Nina Steme for her performance in the Royal Opera’s TRISTAN UND ISOLDE at the Royal Opera House
  
• Michael Volle for his performances in the Royal Opera’s LULU and TRISTAN AND ISOLDE at the Royal Opera House
  

BEST NEW DANCE PRODUCTION

• Russell Maliphant’s AFTERLIGHT at Sadler’s Wells
  
• Birmingham Royal Ballet’s E=MC² at Sadler’s Wells
  
• Goldberg: The Brandstrup Rojo Project, ROH2 at the Royal Opera House
  
• Rambert Dance Company’s A LINHA CURVA at Sadler’s Wells
  
• Fabulous Beast Dance’s THE RITE OF SPRING at the London Coliseum
  

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DANCE

• Colin Dunne for his performance in OUT OF TIME at The Pit
  
• Michael Hulls for his lighting designs for Russell Maliphant’s TWO:FOUR:TEN at the London Coliseum; and for Russell Maliphant’s AFTERLIGHT and for Ex Machina & Sylvie Guillem’s EONNAGATA at Sadler’s Wells 
  
• Rambert Dance Company for an outstanding year of new work

SOURCE

posted by GossipGander \\ tags: award show nominees / winners, broadway / theatre

The song is (and confirmed) a rehash (a third time around) of The Heart is Slow To Learn/Our Kind of Love (from Don Black and Frank Wildhorn's Dracula and Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Beautiful Game).  For shame, Sir Webber!  The song is sung by Sierra Boggess (Vegas Christine / Ariel from Little Mermaid).  The song was sung on at the South Bank show in London on January 26th and aired yesterday in the UK. 

I don't like the sequel.  Don't like the song.  Don't care for his hack job of stealing from other shows to benifit another.  The question if he's creative or talented remains up in the air.  I'd like old Tim Rice/Webber collaborations.

And if you feel the need to spout some distaste, please visit the only group out there dedicated to disliking the sequel:  Love Should Die

If you so desire, talk about other Webber shows you enjoy (before this nasty sequel came along).

posted by GossipGander \\ tags: broadway / theatre

BERNADETTE PETERS among others to pay tribute to STEPHEN SONDHEIM as the icon nears 80




Everything's coming up Stephen Sondheim.

As the much-revered musical theater composer readies to turn 80 on March 22, a slew of events are rolling out dedicated to the New York icon who's already represented on Broadway with "West Side Story" and "A Little Night Music."

The birthday celebration cast includes: Michael Cerveris, Barbara Cook, Claybourne Elder, Sutton Foster, Victor Garber, Alexander Gemignani, Joanna Gleason, Mark Jacoby, Angela Lansbury, Patti LuPone, Debra Monk, Donna Murphy, Bernadette Peters, Jim Walton, B.D. Wong and Chip Zien.



Mr. Sondheim wrote the music and lyrics for Road Show (2003), Passion (1994), Assassins (1991), Into the Woods (1987), Sunday in the Park with George (1984), Merrily We Roll Along (1981), Sweeney Todd (1979), Pacific Overtures (1976), The Frogs (1974), A Little Night Music (1973), Follies (1971), Company (1970), Anyone Can Whistle (1964), and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1962), as well as lyrics for West Side Story (1957), Gypsy (1959), Do I Hear A Waltz? (1965), and additional lyrics for Candide (1973). He won Tony Awards for Best Score for a Musical for Passion, Into the Woods, Sweeney Todd, A Little Night Music, Follies, and Company. Sunday in the Park with George received the 1985 Pulitzer Prize.

His profile is about to expand in a big way. Call it "Sondheimapalooza 2010." And call it fitting that Elaine Stritch is the lady who launches the wave of celebrations — and at the swank Cafe Carlyle, no less.

Isn't it rich?

Through Jan. 30, Stritch, who's famous for her salty wit and gravelly voice, performs a show wrapped around the music of you-know-who. It's called (deep breath) "At Home at the Carlyle: Elaine Stritch Singin' Sondheim ... One Song at a Time."

The Tony-winning 83-year-old calls the evening a "culmination of a personal and professional relationship that has spanned the better part of four decades."

Indeed, long before she won an Emmy playing Jack Donaghy's acerbic mom on "30 Rock," Stritch was famous for immortalizing the number "The Ladies Who Lunch," from Sondheim's groundbreaking 1970 musical "Company."

Expect to hear that tune, along with "Broadway Baby" from "Follies." "They're obvious choices, but I'm singing them in unobvious ways," says Stritch. She adds that she expects to see Sondheim in the audience. "I think he likes me," she says. "That's very encouraging when you're working on his material. It's challenging. It scares me in a very up way."

Stritch isn't the only performer who'll be facing Sondheim-inspired jitters.

On March 15-16, "Sondheim: The Birthday Concert" will resound at Carnegie Hall. The show will feature famous interpreters of his works, such as Patti LuPone, Audra McDonald, Bernadette Peters and Mandy Patinkin.




From April 8-11, Encores! at City Center presents "Anyone Can Whistle," a short-lived 1964 show, and it will star Sutton Foster.

On March 19, "Sondheim on Sondheim" begins previews at Studio 54. Barbara Cook, Vanessa Williams, Norm Lewis, Tom Wopat and Leslie Kritzer are among the cast of this Broadway mashup that's part revue, part personal portrait of the composer as a living legend.



Ms. Cook appeared as Sally in the renowned N.Y. Philharmonic concert version of Follies. Her concert Mostly Sondheim played sold-out runs at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center Theater and in London.

Bernadette Peters was nominated for Tony Awards for her portrayals of Rose in Gypsy, Dot in Sunday in the Park with George, and The Witch in Into the Woods. Ms. Peters' CD, "Sondheim, Etc" features highlights from her solo debut at Carnegie Hall.




Source.




Any favorite Sondheim songs/musicals, ONTD?

posted by GossipGander \\ tags: broadway / theatre