Twelve years ago I saw Rent for the first time in Boston. Today I bought tickets to the filmed version of the final Broadway performance of the show.
Wow -- time flies.
The Hot Ticket had previously announced that the last performance of the show would be filmed and shown on movie screens around the country. The new company (also selling tickets to a filmed version of Cirque du Soleil's Delirium) has had a sign-up form on it's website for the last few weeks allowing you to enter your e-mail address so that you can be notified when tickets are on sale.
Well -- I didn't get a notification, but tickets are on sale -- and I got mine!
The dates the performance will be shown in movie theaters are September 24, 25, 27 and 28. Tickets are $20 plus a $1 handling fee. Click here for a full list of theaters showing the film, and to buy tickets now.
No day but today!
Friday, August 29, 2008
Rent Final Performance Movie Tickets Now On Sale!
Saturday, August 02, 2008
First American 'Equus' Promo Pics: Shirtless Daniel Radcliffe!
Courtesy of NY Magazine, here are the first promotional pictures for the Broadway production of Equus, starring Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe, as well as Tony Award-winner Richard Griffiths. Radcliffe, of course, famously appears naked in the show.
Compared to the shots the British production put out before performances start, these pictures are tame! Think we can expect more salacious ones, of Harry's bum or wand?
Enjoy!
Click here to see the promo pics from the British production of 'Equus,' including Harry Potter's ass!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Photo: Taylor Hicks in Grease
I wasn't sure anything was going to be scarier than those first shots of Clay Aiken in Spamalot, but lo and behold, I was wrong.
Here is a photo of American Idol winner Taylor Hicks in the Broadway revival of Grease.
Wowza.
Thoughts?
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Color Me Surprised: Clay Aiken Is Fantastic in Spamalot
If I'm being totally honest, I didn't go into today's matinee performance of Spamalot with the highest of expectations. Since it had been announced that Clay Aiken was joining the Broadway cast in the role of Sir Robin I've been dubious as to how good of a fit the American Idol runner-up and the Monty Python show would be.
Well color me very pleasantly surprised -- Clay was great!
His voice was, of course, fantastic, but it was his comic timing and his dancing that shocked me the most. From the moment he appeared on stage, he was totally, and delightfully, in character, and he maintained that commitment throughout the entire show. He delivered his lines like an old pro, and completely embraced his character's often quirky movement, footwork, and comic bits, even when they required him to make fun of himself.
Best of all -- he appeared to be having the time of his life. The often irreverent humor of the show seemed to fit him like a glove, and he imbued each of his scenes with what appeared to be a genuine sense of joy.
I was a big Clay supporter back in Season 2 of Idol, but his attitude the past several years has turned me off a bit to him. However, seeing him sing, dance, act, and laugh, I remembered the charming, dorky fella' who shocked us all with his pipes back on Idol. I half-expected him to be stiff and awkward -- instead, he was loose and relaxed, creating real chemistry with his co-stars.
Speaking of his co-stars, the cast is more solid and the show tighter than it's been since it first opened. As Sir Lancelot, Rick Holmes was a hoot and a half, and a more accomplished song-and-dance man than Hank Azaria, who created the role. Chris Seiber has returned to the show, and although he appears to have put on about 30lbs, he was funny as ever playing Sir Galahad. Tom Deckman played the roles originated by Christian Borle with a delightfully deadpan gaze plastered across his face, and Hannah Waddingham, imported from the British version of Spamalot, was perfection as the Lady of the Lake.
All in all, Clay and the cast have managed to make Spamalot a must-see once again.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
After 12 Years, Rent Is Closing on Broadway
I guess all good things must come to an end.
After a groundbreaking 12 year run, the musical Rent is closing on Broadway. According to the New York Times, that translates to a whopping nine hundred thirty thousand, one hundred eighty minutes! The show will play it's final performance June 1, 2008.
Viva...La Vie...Boheme!
Friday, January 11, 2008
Broadway's Cheyenne Jackson Shows What's Going On Underneath the Short Shorts
All he wears on stage every night in Xanadu is a pair of short-shorts, so it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that Cheyenne Jackson didn't mind takin' off some of his clothes for a photo shoot with Refresh Magazine.
Enjoy the photos!
More Cute Boys of Pop Culture
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Ranking the Ladies of the Stage: Roberts, Moore, Danes and Garner
It can't be easy to go from the relatively cushy confines of film-and-television land to the demanding, 8-shows-a-week pressure of performing on Broadway. Just ask Julia Roberts, Julianne Moore, Claire Danes or Jennifer Garner!
I caught Jennifer Garner's last performance in Cyrano yesterday afternoon, in the company of a star-studded audience that included Ben Affleck, Tyne Daly, Victor Garber, Ron Rifkin and Dan Ackroyd. Everyone was cheering the former Alias star on, and the scene at the stagedoor was total madness.
But did she do a good job?
Well, I've seen all four film stars on stage now, and I'm ready to rank 'em. Here goes...
1. Claire Danes, Pygmalion
The former My So Called Life star had probably the most difficult task of any of the other ladies on this list -- making Eliza Doolittle work, accent and all. And, lo and behold, she pulled it off! She was tough, vulnerable, funny, and, above all, believable as the Cockney girl who makes good. I must admit, I was very impressed with her chops.
GRADE: A-
2. Julianne Moore, The Vertical Hour
The Far From Heaven actress certainly didn't embarrass herself, but what works for her onscreen (subtlety, nuance) didn't quite translate to the Broadway stage. It also didn't help that Bill Nighy was acting circles around her.
GRADE: B-
3. Jennifer Garner, Cyrano
Garner is gorgeous, no question, but her performance in this show left me a bit perplexed. Not because she was terrible -- she wasn't (despite a hard-to-place accent). I just couldn't figure out why she would have chosen to make her Broadway debut in this piece -- the character (Roxanne) is not particularly likable, and she didn't get to show off many of her skills beyond, well, looking gorgeous. I was underwhelmed.
GRADE: C+
4. Julia Roberts, Three Days of Rain
From the moment I first saw her in Mystic Pizza, I've been a huge Julia Roberts fan, which makes her failure to create any sort of compelling character in this Richard Greenberg play all the more disappointing. Where was the Pretty Woman charisma? This simultaneously uptight and limpid performances ranks as one of my most disappointing moments in the theater.
GRADE: C-
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Year End: Ten Best Plays & Musicals of 2007
All this week I'll be listing my favorites in the different areas of pop culture that Idol Thoughts covers. Now up: plays and musical!
1. The Coast of Utopia
2. Spring Awakening
3. In The Heights
4. Frost/Nixon
5. Scarcity
6. Speech and Debate
7. Legally Blonde: The Musical
8. Gypsy
9. Journey's End
10. The Farnsworth Invention
Click for the Ten Best Reality Shows of 2007
Click to visit Idol Thought's AMERICAN IDOL CENTRAL for show recaps and rankings, news on former contestants, best-of lists and much more
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Howard, Rose, Rashad and Jones to Star in Broadway's Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
If you're gonna do a much-revived classic, you might as well get a stellar cast. That's exactly what director Debbie Allen has done for the all-African American version of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, which will be revived on Broadway next year.
Academy Award nominee Terrence Howard will join Tony Award winners Anika Noni Rose, Phylicia Rashad and James Earl Jones in the Tennessee Williams play. The show will open March 6, 2008 at the Broadhurst Theater.
Howard (Hustle and Flow) will play Brick in the production, with Rose (Dreamgirls, Caroline or Change) taking on the role of Maggie, which, of course, was made famous in the film version by Elizabeth Taylor. Rashad (who is currently appearing in Cymbeline at Lincoln Center Theater) and Jones (Fences)will play Big Mama and Big Daddy.
Tickets for the production go on sale December 29.
Click for more Theater News and Commentary
Source: Playbill.com
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Watch Video From Broadway's Back! Celebration
To commemmorate the ending of the Broadway strike, and to kick of the holiday season, cast members from nearly every Broadway show appeared together last week. Theater luminaries Bernadette Peters and Angela Lansbury led the celebration, which also featured Spring Awakening's Jonathan Groff and Lea Michele, Legally Blonde's Laura Bell Bundy, Xanadu's Cheyenne Jackson and Kerry Butler, Les Miserables' Max Von Essen and many more.
Watch the video above (produced by Broadwayworld.com), which is not great quality, but gives an idea of how the event went down (The stars belted "There's No Business Like Show Business" and "We Need A Little Christmas.") And...go see a Broadway show!
Monday, August 27, 2007
Where Are All The Straight Plays on Broadway?
My friend Cara David (view her always entertaining theater blog here) pointed out this morning that with the closing of A Year of Magical Thinking, there are currently no straight plays on Broadway. This will be the case until mid-September.
Now, granted, later this fall there will be a ton of straight plays on the boards, including Cyrano, Cymbeline, Pygmalion, The Farnsworth Invention, Rock 'N' Roll, November and more. But still, this is a notable moment for the Great White Way.
So, if you're looking for a straight play, there's never been a better time to hit up Off-Broadway. Last week I saw Opus at Primary Stages (problematic, but still really enjoyed it), and in the next couple of weeks I'll hit up Iphiginea 2.0 at Signature and 100 Saints You Should Know at Playwright's Horizon. Have you seen any good Off-Broadway show lately you'd recommend?
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
It's Official: Jennifer Garner and Kevin Kline Coming to Broadway in Cyrano
From the moment I first saw Jennifer Garner as "Hannah," Noel's girlfriend, on the classic TV show Felicity, I fell in love. Now the Alias star is coming to Broadway!
Garner will be making her debut on the Great White Way opposite Tony and Academy Award winner Kevin Kline in a revival of the classic play Cyrano de Bergerac. The pair will be joined by Daniel Sunjata, who was amazing (and naked!) in Take Me Out, and currently appears on both Rescue Me (as studly firefighter Franco) and ESPN's The Bronx is Burning (as legendary ballplayer Reggie Jackson).
According to the producers of the show, Cyrano is "a classic tale of romance and tragedy. The soulful poet/philosopher and brilliant swordsman Cyrano (Kline), a cadet in the French Army, falls for the beautiful, strong-willed Roxane (Garner), but is too ashamed of his large nose to tell her. Instead, when he learns that she loves the handsome Christian de Neuvillette (Sunjata), his dim-witted comrade, he pens poetry and love letters to Roxane on Christian's behalf. After many years, the truth is revealed. Will love or beauty conquer all?"
Jennifer Garner this season, and Jake Gyllenhaal next? Does it get much better than this?
Tickets to Cyrano de Bergerac go on sale via an exclusive pre-sale to American Express cardholders Aug. 22, and to the general public on Sept. 8 at www.Ticketmaster.com.
Friday, July 06, 2007
Lance Bass to Join The Broadway Cast of Hairspray
He's performed in the most successful boyband of all time. He tried to get himself into outer space. He came out of the closet on the cover of People magazine. So what's next for Lance Bass? Broadway, of course!
The erstwhile member of 'nsync will be joining the cast of Broadway's Hairspray beginning August 14th. He will be playing Corny Collins in the musical, who is the host of the dance tv show Tracy Turnblad is trying to integrate. Also in the cast are Leave it to Beaver's Jerry Mathers (Wilbur), singers Darlene Love (Motormouth Maybelle) and Tevin Campbell (Seaweed), and fellow boybander, former O-Town member Ashley Parker Angel (Link Larkin).
Of course, the film version of Hairspray, starring John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, and the too-adorable-for-words Zac Efron, hits theaters later this month.
Click here to purchase tickets to see Lance doing his thing in Hairspray on the Great White Way.
Click for more Theater News/Commentary
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Will Jake Gyllenhaal Come to Broadway?
Playbill.com is reporting that Jake Gyllenhaal is seriously considering following in the footsteps of film stars Julia Roberts, Denzel Washington, and Julianne Moore by making his Broadway debut this season.
Apparently, the delectable (and very talented) Mr. Gyllenhaal participated in a reading of a new play, called Farragut North, last week. The play, written by Beau Willimon, is apparently politically themed, with Gyllenhaal taking on the role of "a young, idealistic communications director who works for an inspiring, though unorthodox, presidential candidate."
Tony Award winner James Lapine directed the reading, which also featured the talents of Denis O'Hare, Mark Blum, Jessica Hecht, and Alison Pill.
I say...do it! Come to Broadway, Jake!
Click for more Theater News and Commentary
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Fantasia Wins Theatre World Award for Best Broadway Debut
Fantasia certainly is taking Broadway by storm!
Last week, the reviews for her Broadway debut in the musical "The Color Purple" were ecstatic -- Charles Isherwood of the New York Times said she was ideal for the part of Celie, and notoriously prickly New York Post critic Clive Barnes even wrote that her performance brought tears to his eyes.
Now, she has won one of the biggest theater awards -- the Theatre World Award, given for Outstanding Broadway or Off-Broadway debut. She is one of only 12 recipients of this prestigious prize this year, and is the first Idol alumni to take home a theater award.
Congrats also go to Jonathan Groff, who is sensational in Spring Awakening.
The other winners of the 2007 Theatre World Award are:
Eve Best, A Moon for the Misbegotten
Mary Birdsong, Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me
Erin Davie, Grey Gardens
Xanthe Elbrick, Coram Boy
Johnny Galecki, The Little Dog Laughed
Jonathan Groff, Spring Awakening
Gavin Lee, Mary Poppins
Lin-Manuel Miranda, In the Heights
Bill Nighy, The Vertical Hour
Stark Sands, Journey's End
Nilaja Sun, No Child…
Click for more News on Former American Idol Contestants
Click for more Theater News/Commentary
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