At this year’s Tony Awards “Suffs” managed to win prizes for Best Musical Book and Best Score, both of which went to Shaina Taub. Historically, winning those two accolades in particular would bode well for a show’s chances at Best Musical. Yet in a shocking turn of events, the top award went to “The Outsiders.” But this is not the first time something like this has happened.
SEETony Awards: Every winner (and nominee) in all 26 competitive categories
In 1978 “On the Twentieth Century” won Tonys for Best Score and Best Book (Comden and Green). It also won Best Actor in a Musical (John Cullum), Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Kevin Kline), and Best Scenic Design (Robin Wagner). Yet Best Musical that year went to Murray Horwitz and Richard Maltby Jr.‘s revue “Ain’t Misbehavin’.” A tribute to the music of Fats Waller, it also won Tonys for Best...
SEETony Awards: Every winner (and nominee) in all 26 competitive categories
In 1978 “On the Twentieth Century” won Tonys for Best Score and Best Book (Comden and Green). It also won Best Actor in a Musical (John Cullum), Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Kevin Kline), and Best Scenic Design (Robin Wagner). Yet Best Musical that year went to Murray Horwitz and Richard Maltby Jr.‘s revue “Ain’t Misbehavin’.” A tribute to the music of Fats Waller, it also won Tonys for Best...
- 6/17/2024
- by Jeffrey Kare
- Gold Derby
Back To The Future: The Musical landed on Broadway last week in overdrive: The stage adaptation starring Casey Likes and Roger Bart scored a dizzying $1,035,256 with just four sold-out preview performances at the Winter Garden.
The musical, which opens August 3, features a book by Bob Gale and new music and lyrics by Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard – with additional songs from the film including “The Power of Love” and “Johnny B. Goode.” Direction is by John Rando, who did the same for the hit London production.
The million-dollar-tally was a solid contribution to Broadway’s total box office receipts for the week ending July 2. In all, the 33 Broadway productions grossed $33,509,406, holding steady from the previous week. Same for attendance of 272,766, with 89% of available seats filled and the average ticket price at $122.85.
Another recent arrival, Alex Edelman’s acclaimed solo show Just For Us, had a strong opening week at the Hudson,...
The musical, which opens August 3, features a book by Bob Gale and new music and lyrics by Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard – with additional songs from the film including “The Power of Love” and “Johnny B. Goode.” Direction is by John Rando, who did the same for the hit London production.
The million-dollar-tally was a solid contribution to Broadway’s total box office receipts for the week ending July 2. In all, the 33 Broadway productions grossed $33,509,406, holding steady from the previous week. Same for attendance of 272,766, with 89% of available seats filled and the average ticket price at $122.85.
Another recent arrival, Alex Edelman’s acclaimed solo show Just For Us, had a strong opening week at the Hudson,...
- 7/5/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Casey Likes will return to Broadway this summer as Marty McMcFly in Back to the Future: the Musical.
Likes comes to the role, made famous by Michael J. Fox, after making his Broadway debut as William Miller in the new musical Almost Famous this fall. Outside of the theater world, Miller stars as Gene Simmons in the upcoming Neil Bogart biopic Spinning Gold and as the leading role in MGM’s feature Dark Harvest.
He joins the previously announced Roger Bart as Doc Brown and Hugh Coles as George McFly. Both Bart and Coles are reprising their roles from the West End production, which is scheduled to run through July 23, 2023, after opening in September 2021. The West End production won an Olivier Award for best new musical.
Back to the Future: The Musical is scheduled to begin Broadway performances at the Winter Garden Theatre on June 30, ahead of an Aug. 3 opening.
Likes comes to the role, made famous by Michael J. Fox, after making his Broadway debut as William Miller in the new musical Almost Famous this fall. Outside of the theater world, Miller stars as Gene Simmons in the upcoming Neil Bogart biopic Spinning Gold and as the leading role in MGM’s feature Dark Harvest.
He joins the previously announced Roger Bart as Doc Brown and Hugh Coles as George McFly. Both Bart and Coles are reprising their roles from the West End production, which is scheduled to run through July 23, 2023, after opening in September 2021. The West End production won an Olivier Award for best new musical.
Back to the Future: The Musical is scheduled to begin Broadway performances at the Winter Garden Theatre on June 30, ahead of an Aug. 3 opening.
- 3/1/2023
- by Caitlin Huston
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Broadway’s Almost Famous star Casey Likes has landed the coveted role of Marty McFly in the upcoming Back To The Future: The Musical, joining the previously announced Roger Bart as Doc Brown.
The casting was announced today by lead producer Colin Ingram with Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale. On Good Morning America today, Likes was introduced by Bob Gale, co-writer of Back to the Future film trilogy, as the young actor emerged from a DeLorean in Times Square.
Previews of Back To The Future begin Friday, June 30, at Broadway’s Winter Garden Theatre, with an opening night on Thursday, August 3. Also in the cast is Hugh Coles as George McFly, who, like Bart, is reprising his performance from the original West End production.
Likes was named a 2019 finalist at the Jimmy Awards, the nationwide high school musical theater awards presented by the Broadway League. He made his Broadway debut last September as William Miller,...
The casting was announced today by lead producer Colin Ingram with Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale. On Good Morning America today, Likes was introduced by Bob Gale, co-writer of Back to the Future film trilogy, as the young actor emerged from a DeLorean in Times Square.
Previews of Back To The Future begin Friday, June 30, at Broadway’s Winter Garden Theatre, with an opening night on Thursday, August 3. Also in the cast is Hugh Coles as George McFly, who, like Bart, is reprising his performance from the original West End production.
Likes was named a 2019 finalist at the Jimmy Awards, the nationwide high school musical theater awards presented by the Broadway League. He made his Broadway debut last September as William Miller,...
- 3/1/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Time to take a road trip in your DeLorean to next year: a “Back to the Future” musical is coming to Broadway.
The stage musical adaptation of Robert Zemeckis’ beloved sci-fi comedy film will begin preview performances at the Winter Garden Theater on June 30, 2023, with an official opening date set for August 3. The venue currently hosts “The Music Man” revival starring Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster, which will close this January.
The news was announced Friday to coincide with “Back to the Future Day,” which marks the date — October 21 — the main characters of the film time-travel to in the climax. A teaser for the musical was released online, featuring Roger Bart, who plays scientist Doc Brown, and Christopher Lloyd, the original Brown from the films. You can watch that below.
Bart donned Brown’s lab coat in the original British production of the musical, which opened in March 2020 at the...
The stage musical adaptation of Robert Zemeckis’ beloved sci-fi comedy film will begin preview performances at the Winter Garden Theater on June 30, 2023, with an official opening date set for August 3. The venue currently hosts “The Music Man” revival starring Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster, which will close this January.
The news was announced Friday to coincide with “Back to the Future Day,” which marks the date — October 21 — the main characters of the film time-travel to in the climax. A teaser for the musical was released online, featuring Roger Bart, who plays scientist Doc Brown, and Christopher Lloyd, the original Brown from the films. You can watch that below.
Bart donned Brown’s lab coat in the original British production of the musical, which opened in March 2020 at the...
- 10/21/2022
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
It’s October 21st, Back to the Future day. Sure, it may be past 2015, but the future is still celebrating this 1980s classic. The musical adaptation of the popular franchise, which won an Olivier Award, will be making its entrance into Broadway this summer. Two of the cast members of the West End shows will be reprising their roles at the Winter Garden Theater production of the musical, Robert Bart as Doc Brown and Hugh Coles as George McFly. The actor who will portray Marty will be announced along with the rest of the cast.
Deadline has new details of the Broadway debut, including a teaser trailer, which includes the original Doc Brown, Christopher Lloyd, making a special appearance. The lead producer, Colin Ingram, says in a statement, “Marty, Doc and everyone in Hill Valley will be living on Broadway and 50th Street for hopefully many years to come and...
Deadline has new details of the Broadway debut, including a teaser trailer, which includes the original Doc Brown, Christopher Lloyd, making a special appearance. The lead producer, Colin Ingram, says in a statement, “Marty, Doc and everyone in Hill Valley will be living on Broadway and 50th Street for hopefully many years to come and...
- 10/21/2022
- by EJ Tangonan
- JoBlo.com
Broadway is going Back to the Future this summer when the Olivier Award-winning musical stage adaptation of the 1985 film begins previews at the Winter Garden Theatre. Making the trip stateside will be Roger Bart and Hugh Coles reprising their West End performances as Doc Brown and George McFly.
Broadway previews begin Friday, June 30, ahead of an official opening on Thursday, August 3.
The role of Marty McFly, played by Michael J. Fox in the film franchise, will be announced soon, as will additional casting.
Producers made the announcement today to coincide with Back To The Future Day, the October 21 date used for the setting of the future events in the film franchise’s Back to the Future Part II. They also released a teaser trailer featuring Bart and the films’ Doc Brown Christopher Lloyd. Watch it below.
Roger Bart (Courtesy Production)
“Marty, Doc and everyone in Hill Valley will be living...
Broadway previews begin Friday, June 30, ahead of an official opening on Thursday, August 3.
The role of Marty McFly, played by Michael J. Fox in the film franchise, will be announced soon, as will additional casting.
Producers made the announcement today to coincide with Back To The Future Day, the October 21 date used for the setting of the future events in the film franchise’s Back to the Future Part II. They also released a teaser trailer featuring Bart and the films’ Doc Brown Christopher Lloyd. Watch it below.
Roger Bart (Courtesy Production)
“Marty, Doc and everyone in Hill Valley will be living...
- 10/21/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Mr. Saturday Night’s Broadway run is coming to a close.
The Tony-nominated stage show co-written by and starring Billy Crystal will end its run at the Nederlander Theatre on Sept. 4. The show originally opened March 31 after a limited engagement at the Barrington Stage in October 2021.
“Bringing Mr. Saturday Night to the Broadway stage and experiencing the laughter and tears this show generates has truly been one of the high points of my career,” said Billy Crystal in a statement Sunday. “It has been a joyous experience to make my musical comedy debut at the age of 74, and I thank everyone involved.”
Crystal went on to celebrate his co-writers Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, director John Rando, the show’s composer and lyricist Jason Robert Brown and Amanda Green, music director David O, vocal coach David Stroud, choreographer Ellenore Scott, Scott Pask and...
Mr. Saturday Night’s Broadway run is coming to a close.
The Tony-nominated stage show co-written by and starring Billy Crystal will end its run at the Nederlander Theatre on Sept. 4. The show originally opened March 31 after a limited engagement at the Barrington Stage in October 2021.
“Bringing Mr. Saturday Night to the Broadway stage and experiencing the laughter and tears this show generates has truly been one of the high points of my career,” said Billy Crystal in a statement Sunday. “It has been a joyous experience to make my musical comedy debut at the age of 74, and I thank everyone involved.”
Crystal went on to celebrate his co-writers Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, director John Rando, the show’s composer and lyricist Jason Robert Brown and Amanda Green, music director David O, vocal coach David Stroud, choreographer Ellenore Scott, Scott Pask and...
- 7/17/2022
- by Abbey White
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: A gleaming, stainless steel Dmc DeLorean is ready for its star turn in New York. Phantom of the Opera has its chandelier, while Miss. Saigon boasted a helicopter hovering into view. And now, the Broadway-bound hit West End musical Back to the Future is revving up with a scene-stealing DeLorean time machine.
At a recent matinee performance at London’s Adelphi Theatre of Back to the Future, based on the 1985 movie starring Michael J. Fox, written by Bob Zemeckis and Bob Gale, and directed by Zemeckis, grown men — many with partners and children — gave their loudest cheers when the DeLorean made its appearance. It arrived in a haze of smoke and flashing blue and white lights some 20 minutes into the first act. “It does get them excited,” the show’s lead producer, Colin Ingram, marveled. “Especially when it travels for the first time, back to 1955,” he said.
The British-designed,...
At a recent matinee performance at London’s Adelphi Theatre of Back to the Future, based on the 1985 movie starring Michael J. Fox, written by Bob Zemeckis and Bob Gale, and directed by Zemeckis, grown men — many with partners and children — gave their loudest cheers when the DeLorean made its appearance. It arrived in a haze of smoke and flashing blue and white lights some 20 minutes into the first act. “It does get them excited,” the show’s lead producer, Colin Ingram, marveled. “Especially when it travels for the first time, back to 1955,” he said.
The British-designed,...
- 7/10/2022
- by Baz Bamigboye
- Deadline Film + TV
Time has finally caught up with Billy Crystal, at least in terms of his age and the age of his character in “Mr. Saturday Night.” The 1992 film found the young Crystal playing decades older as Buddy Young, Jr., a stand-up and television comedian in his 70s looking to resuscitate his career and rescue the relationships he had scorched on his path to success. For the musical stage adaptation, which opened at the Nederlander Theatre on April 27, Crystal gets to act his age for the majority of the proceedings, occasionally playing younger for the flashback scenes.
Featuring a book by the original screenwriters and a score by Jason Robert Brown and Amanda Green, “Mr. Saturday Night” stars Crystal, David Paymer – who reprises his role from the movie – Randy Graff, Shoshana Bean, Chasten Harmon, and others. Tony Award-winner John Rando (“Urinetown”) directs.
Watch 2022 Tony Awards slugfest: 13 productions vie for places in Musical...
Featuring a book by the original screenwriters and a score by Jason Robert Brown and Amanda Green, “Mr. Saturday Night” stars Crystal, David Paymer – who reprises his role from the movie – Randy Graff, Shoshana Bean, Chasten Harmon, and others. Tony Award-winner John Rando (“Urinetown”) directs.
Watch 2022 Tony Awards slugfest: 13 productions vie for places in Musical...
- 5/4/2022
- by David Buchanan
- Gold Derby
Billy Crystal reminded an audience at last night’s dress rehearsal for his Broadway show Mr. Saturday Night just why he was such a popular Oscar host way back when.
During a curtain speech following the final dress rehearsal – the new musical has its first Broadway preview tonight – Crystal made the kind of genial yet topical quip that served him well as Oscar host for much of the 1990s: “We got through a show and no one got slapped. Unbelievable.”
Check out the speech above.
Mr. Saturday Night is a musical adaptation of the 1992 Columbia Pictures film of the same name, and features Crystal as Buddy Young Jr., the once outrageous comic star from TV’s early days. The musical’s story picks up 40 years after Buddy’s career flamed out, and, as the synopsis states, he “seeks one more shot at the spotlight, and while he’s at it,...
During a curtain speech following the final dress rehearsal – the new musical has its first Broadway preview tonight – Crystal made the kind of genial yet topical quip that served him well as Oscar host for much of the 1990s: “We got through a show and no one got slapped. Unbelievable.”
Check out the speech above.
Mr. Saturday Night is a musical adaptation of the 1992 Columbia Pictures film of the same name, and features Crystal as Buddy Young Jr., the once outrageous comic star from TV’s early days. The musical’s story picks up 40 years after Buddy’s career flamed out, and, as the synopsis states, he “seeks one more shot at the spotlight, and while he’s at it,...
- 3/29/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Shoshana Bean has joined the cast of Billy Crystal’s upcoming Broadway musical Mr. Saturday Night, producers announced today.
Also announced were new preview and opening dates: The musical will now begin performances on March 29 at the Nederlander Theatre, with an official opening night of April 27. With the arrival of Bean, the show’s casting is complete.
The Wicked and Waitress actress joins an ensemble that includes the previously announced Crystal, Randy Graff, David Paymer (recreating his Oscar-nominated performance as Buddy’s brother Stan Yankelman from the 1992 film), and Chasten Harmon.
Bean will play the role of Susan Young. The Broadway company also will include Jordan Gelber, Brian Gonzales, and Mylinda Hull.
Mr. Saturday Night, based on Crystal’s ’92 film, tells the story of Buddy Young Jr., “an outrageous and outspoken comedian who found fame, if not fortune, in the early days of television. Now, some 40 years after his TV career flamed out,...
Also announced were new preview and opening dates: The musical will now begin performances on March 29 at the Nederlander Theatre, with an official opening night of April 27. With the arrival of Bean, the show’s casting is complete.
The Wicked and Waitress actress joins an ensemble that includes the previously announced Crystal, Randy Graff, David Paymer (recreating his Oscar-nominated performance as Buddy’s brother Stan Yankelman from the 1992 film), and Chasten Harmon.
Bean will play the role of Susan Young. The Broadway company also will include Jordan Gelber, Brian Gonzales, and Mylinda Hull.
Mr. Saturday Night, based on Crystal’s ’92 film, tells the story of Buddy Young Jr., “an outrageous and outspoken comedian who found fame, if not fortune, in the early days of television. Now, some 40 years after his TV career flamed out,...
- 1/12/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Billy Crystal is returning to Broadway and revisiting one of his most popular film roles: Mr. Saturday Night, a new musical based on the 1992 movie will begin performances at the Nederlander Theatre next spring.
Crystal will play Buddy Young Jr., the veteran comedian looking for a comeback. Crystal portrayed the character in the film, which also marked his directorial debut.
Mr. Saturday Night begins performances on March 1, 2022, with an official opening night on March 31.
“Creating and portraying the 75-year-old comedian Buddy Young Jr. in the film of Mr. Saturday Night was one of the highlights of my career,” Crystal said in a statement, adding, “30 years ago I needed 5 hours of make-up to play him, now I just show up.”
Co-starring will be Randy Graff as Elaine Young; David Paymer, who appeared with Crystal in the 1991 movie City Slickers, recreating his Oscar-nominated role as Buddy’s brother Stan Yankelman; and Chasten Harmon as agent Annie Wells.
Crystal will play Buddy Young Jr., the veteran comedian looking for a comeback. Crystal portrayed the character in the film, which also marked his directorial debut.
Mr. Saturday Night begins performances on March 1, 2022, with an official opening night on March 31.
“Creating and portraying the 75-year-old comedian Buddy Young Jr. in the film of Mr. Saturday Night was one of the highlights of my career,” Crystal said in a statement, adding, “30 years ago I needed 5 hours of make-up to play him, now I just show up.”
Co-starring will be Randy Graff as Elaine Young; David Paymer, who appeared with Crystal in the 1991 movie City Slickers, recreating his Oscar-nominated role as Buddy’s brother Stan Yankelman; and Chasten Harmon as agent Annie Wells.
- 11/10/2021
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Billy Crystal will star in a regional stage production of his new, in-development musical adaptation of his 1992 feature film comedy Mr. Saturday Night.
Set to debut at the Barrington Stage Company in the Berkshire town of Pittsfield, Massachusetts – a theater that launched such eventual Broadway productions as The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and American Son – Mr. Saturday Night will begin a nine-performance engagement with Crystal reprising his film role of stand-up comedian Buddy Young Jr. The musical will run from October 22-24 and October 26-30.
Based on the Castle Rock Entertainment motion picture, the musical features a book by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel from a concept by Crystal, a score by Jason Robert Brown and lyrics by Amanda Green. John Rando will direct.
As a work in development, Mr. Saturday Night will be presented with minimal set and costume pieces.
Co-starring with Crystal will be Randy Graff...
Set to debut at the Barrington Stage Company in the Berkshire town of Pittsfield, Massachusetts – a theater that launched such eventual Broadway productions as The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and American Son – Mr. Saturday Night will begin a nine-performance engagement with Crystal reprising his film role of stand-up comedian Buddy Young Jr. The musical will run from October 22-24 and October 26-30.
Based on the Castle Rock Entertainment motion picture, the musical features a book by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel from a concept by Crystal, a score by Jason Robert Brown and lyrics by Amanda Green. John Rando will direct.
As a work in development, Mr. Saturday Night will be presented with minimal set and costume pieces.
Co-starring with Crystal will be Randy Graff...
- 9/22/2021
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Ten years ago, only two black stage directors – and no black choreographers – were hired on Broadway under the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society’s contract. During the last Broadway season, the union says, only one black director was hired under its Broadway contract, and no black choreographers.
The union, which represents some 4,300 professional stage directors and choreographers throughout the United States, said today that the time has come “to own our responsibility and use our influence to end racist policies and practices in our field.”
The Sdc is the third entertainment union this week to own up to its role in the underemployment of members of color. On Monday, in the wake of nationwide protests over racism and police brutality, leaders of the WGA West urged its members – television showrunners – “to take their share of responsibility” for the lack of diversity in writers rooms. And on that same day, the...
The union, which represents some 4,300 professional stage directors and choreographers throughout the United States, said today that the time has come “to own our responsibility and use our influence to end racist policies and practices in our field.”
The Sdc is the third entertainment union this week to own up to its role in the underemployment of members of color. On Monday, in the wake of nationwide protests over racism and police brutality, leaders of the WGA West urged its members – television showrunners – “to take their share of responsibility” for the lack of diversity in writers rooms. And on that same day, the...
- 6/18/2020
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
Popular fandom artist and Twitter user BossLogic has posted his take on what Tom Holland would look like as Marty McFly in a Back to the Future reboot.
Of course, the exceptionally convincing picture (seen below) isn’t the first we’ve heard about Holland in Back to the Future. A recent deepfake video cast the Spider-Man actor as Marty alongside fellow Marvel Cinematic Universe star Robert Downey Jr. as Doc Brown. As to be expected, this immediately created a significant online cry for Holland to star in a reboot of the popular 1980s sci-fi series. And it’s not the first time, either. Fans have been clamoring for more adventures with Marty and Doc for a while now.
Sadly, as much as we’d all love to see Hollywood’s favorite web slinger as Marty McFly, producer Bob Gale is a lot less enthusiastic about the prospect. Despite being...
Of course, the exceptionally convincing picture (seen below) isn’t the first we’ve heard about Holland in Back to the Future. A recent deepfake video cast the Spider-Man actor as Marty alongside fellow Marvel Cinematic Universe star Robert Downey Jr. as Doc Brown. As to be expected, this immediately created a significant online cry for Holland to star in a reboot of the popular 1980s sci-fi series. And it’s not the first time, either. Fans have been clamoring for more adventures with Marty and Doc for a while now.
Sadly, as much as we’d all love to see Hollywood’s favorite web slinger as Marty McFly, producer Bob Gale is a lot less enthusiastic about the prospect. Despite being...
- 3/4/2020
- by Billy Givens
- We Got This Covered
Back to the Future: The Musical started early previews at the Manchester Opera House just last week. Unfortunately, since the show is only playing in London until the middle of May, that leaves a lot of Back to the Future fans unable to check out the lively show from Tony Award-winning director John Rando (Urinetown, […]
The post ‘Back to the Future: The Musical’ Photos Reveal the DeLorean on Stage, Dancing Doc Browns & More appeared first on /Film.
The post ‘Back to the Future: The Musical’ Photos Reveal the DeLorean on Stage, Dancing Doc Browns & More appeared first on /Film.
- 2/28/2020
- by Ethan Anderton
- Slash Film
Going back in time feels a little different in 2019. Back to the Future: The Musical is all in on the nostalgia, but the John Rando-helmed musical, which is set to begin a three-month run at the Manchester Opera House starting in February 2020, has a new version of one of the most iconic songs from Back to the […]
The post Listen to the ‘Back to the Future: The Musical’ Version of “Back in Time” appeared first on /Film.
The post Listen to the ‘Back to the Future: The Musical’ Version of “Back in Time” appeared first on /Film.
- 6/28/2019
- by Hoai-Tran Bui
- Slash Film
Great Scott! Over seven years after the musical adaptation of Back to the Future was announced, it’s finally ready to go and will premiere in 2020! After seven years of radio silence on the project I never thought it would actually happen, but here we are.
Co-writer and director of the original film Robert Zemeckis is involved with the musical as well as co-writer and producer Bob Gale and the movie’s composer, Alan Silvestri. It will be directed by Tony winner John Rando (Urinetown, On the Town) and it will feature a score by Glen Ballard (Jagged Little Pill) along with Silvestri. The show also promises to include memorable musical moments from the movie, such as "The Power of Love" and "Johnny B. Goode."
The show will star Olly Dobson (Bat Out of Hell and Matilda) as Marty McFly. Additional casting, including for the role of Dr. Emmett Brown,...
Co-writer and director of the original film Robert Zemeckis is involved with the musical as well as co-writer and producer Bob Gale and the movie’s composer, Alan Silvestri. It will be directed by Tony winner John Rando (Urinetown, On the Town) and it will feature a score by Glen Ballard (Jagged Little Pill) along with Silvestri. The show also promises to include memorable musical moments from the movie, such as "The Power of Love" and "Johnny B. Goode."
The show will star Olly Dobson (Bat Out of Hell and Matilda) as Marty McFly. Additional casting, including for the role of Dr. Emmett Brown,...
- 5/20/2019
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Decades before UCLA’s school of Theater, Film and Television formally became one of the world’s top-ranking drama departments, the Southern California university’s arts program was synonymous with nurturing artists whose iconic work irrevocably transformed entertainment, and media itself, for the better.
Marking the first time a major university combined the three disciplines under one administration, UCLA Tft was established in 1990, simultaneously building on the history of the school’s storied curriculum, bolstering industry connections to reflect its impact and influence, and developing a network of facilities, instructors and experts to help prepare and accommodate students for a constantly changing entertainment landscape.
Even before 14-time Academy Awards telecast producer Gil Cates became its founding dean, UCLA’s fine arts departments were already part of a considerable legacy, with a list of famous alumni that included James Dean, Steve Martin, Paul Schrader, Francis Ford Coppola, Carroll Ballard, Rob Reiner,...
Marking the first time a major university combined the three disciplines under one administration, UCLA Tft was established in 1990, simultaneously building on the history of the school’s storied curriculum, bolstering industry connections to reflect its impact and influence, and developing a network of facilities, instructors and experts to help prepare and accommodate students for a constantly changing entertainment landscape.
Even before 14-time Academy Awards telecast producer Gil Cates became its founding dean, UCLA’s fine arts departments were already part of a considerable legacy, with a list of famous alumni that included James Dean, Steve Martin, Paul Schrader, Francis Ford Coppola, Carroll Ballard, Rob Reiner,...
- 5/17/2019
- by Todd Gilchrist
- Variety Film + TV
Nearly 10 years ago, Billy Crystal and writer Quinton Peeples started work on a screenplay they’d eventually call Have A Nice Day. Not terribly long in Hollywood development years, but eons removed from our current political climate.
Performed and recorded (by Amazon’s Audible) as a staged Off Broadway reading last night and tonight by a starry ensemble – Crystal, Kevin Kline, Annette Bening and Dick Cavett, among others – Have a Nice Day, with its progressive, honest and do-good president, is just a fantasy too far, even given its Wonderful Life trappings.
Crystal, in full-on City Slickers likability, plays a bumbling, sweet-tempered angel of death who comes calling on David Murray (Kline), a middle-aged man with a stifled wife (Bening) and a teenage daughter threatening tattoo-level rebellion.
Since Murray happens to be President of the United States, the visit from this track-suited existential...
Performed and recorded (by Amazon’s Audible) as a staged Off Broadway reading last night and tonight by a starry ensemble – Crystal, Kevin Kline, Annette Bening and Dick Cavett, among others – Have a Nice Day, with its progressive, honest and do-good president, is just a fantasy too far, even given its Wonderful Life trappings.
Crystal, in full-on City Slickers likability, plays a bumbling, sweet-tempered angel of death who comes calling on David Murray (Kline), a middle-aged man with a stifled wife (Bening) and a teenage daughter threatening tattoo-level rebellion.
Since Murray happens to be President of the United States, the visit from this track-suited existential...
- 10/9/2018
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Gettin’ The Band Back Together, the rock musical that just opened August 13 at the Belasco Theatre, has set its last performance for Sunday, September 30. It will have played 30 previews and 40 performances. The producers announced the decision Friday.
“It’s not just the money, but when a team of the most creative people you know spends years of their lives working toward a common goal, and it doesn’t turn out the way you all dreamed..it’s heart-crushing,” producer Ken Davenport wrote candidly in a blog post about the decision, which he said made over the past 24 hours.
Davenport said the call was especially tough as he said “surveys of actual Telecharge ticket buyers and got a 98.2% positive rating, and an exceptionally high “Net Promoter Score.” (How likely they are to tell their friends and family to get tickets.),” he said.
“It’s not just the money, but when a team of the most creative people you know spends years of their lives working toward a common goal, and it doesn’t turn out the way you all dreamed..it’s heart-crushing,” producer Ken Davenport wrote candidly in a blog post about the decision, which he said made over the past 24 hours.
Davenport said the call was especially tough as he said “surveys of actual Telecharge ticket buyers and got a 98.2% positive rating, and an exceptionally high “Net Promoter Score.” (How likely they are to tell their friends and family to get tickets.),” he said.
- 9/1/2018
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Neil Simon, the creator of such Pulitzer and Tony award-winning plays as The Odd Couple, Barefoot in the Park and Lost in Yonkers, has died at 91. He died last night at New York-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City from complications from pneumonia.
Simon was a giant of popular content creation, the playwright behind works that were performed worldwide by high schools, local theater groups and Broadway, where he was dominant in the last half of the 20th century. Simon’s unparalleled career in the theater included more than thirty plays and musicals that opened on Broadway over a span of four decades.
He made his playwriting debut in 1961, with Come Blow Your Horn and concluded his Broadway run with 45 Seconds From Broadway in 2001.
“No playwright in Broadway’s long and raucous history has so dominated the boulevard as the softly astringent Simon,” wrote John Lahr in The New Yorker in 2010. “For almost half a century,...
Simon was a giant of popular content creation, the playwright behind works that were performed worldwide by high schools, local theater groups and Broadway, where he was dominant in the last half of the 20th century. Simon’s unparalleled career in the theater included more than thirty plays and musicals that opened on Broadway over a span of four decades.
He made his playwriting debut in 1961, with Come Blow Your Horn and concluded his Broadway run with 45 Seconds From Broadway in 2001.
“No playwright in Broadway’s long and raucous history has so dominated the boulevard as the softly astringent Simon,” wrote John Lahr in The New Yorker in 2010. “For almost half a century,...
- 8/26/2018
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Middle-age urges to re-live old garage band pipe dreams are typically best kept to dank basements and sound-proofed garages, and Broadway’s Gettin’ The Band Back Together doesn’t exactly prove otherwise. Still, the playful musical is more infectious than you might expect.
Be warned, though: Enjoyment of Gettin’ The Band Back Together will be in direct proportion to a tolerance for not-so-young guys making guitar faces and devil horn hand gestures for two and a half hours.
The rock musical, which opens tonight at the Belasco Theatre, is an intentionally over-the-top tale in which newly jobless 40-year-old Manhattan stockbroker Mitch Papadopoulos (Mitchell Jarvas) moves back in with his New Jersey mom (Marilu Henner), meets up with old high school buddies, reunites with the girl who got away and, of course, lives out the musical’s title to win a local Battle of the Bands. Various homes are at stake,...
Be warned, though: Enjoyment of Gettin’ The Band Back Together will be in direct proportion to a tolerance for not-so-young guys making guitar faces and devil horn hand gestures for two and a half hours.
The rock musical, which opens tonight at the Belasco Theatre, is an intentionally over-the-top tale in which newly jobless 40-year-old Manhattan stockbroker Mitch Papadopoulos (Mitchell Jarvas) moves back in with his New Jersey mom (Marilu Henner), meets up with old high school buddies, reunites with the girl who got away and, of course, lives out the musical’s title to win a local Battle of the Bands. Various homes are at stake,...
- 8/14/2018
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Broadway’s Pretty Woman: The Musical showed other summer newcomers how it’s done. Though it performed only two previews during the season’s Week 8, the show with the big title recognition grossed $328,854, 96% of its potential, with admission of 2,336 at 100% of capacity. Average ticket price was a solid $141.
Based on the 1990 Julia Roberts & Richard Gere movie and staged at the Nederlander Theater, the musical features direction and choreography by Jerry Mitchell (Kinky Boots), an original score by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance, and a book by the movie’s director Garry Marshall and screenwriter J.F. Lawton. In the Roberts & Gere roles are Samantha Barks and Andy Karl.
In all, the 32 Broadway shows took in $36,855,921, about 87% of potential and a negligible 2% slip from last week. Total attendance of 281,446, about 93% of capacity, was even with Week 7.
Pretty Woman far out-dazzled other recent Broadway arrivals. Head Over Heels, the Arcadian mash-up of mock-...
Based on the 1990 Julia Roberts & Richard Gere movie and staged at the Nederlander Theater, the musical features direction and choreography by Jerry Mitchell (Kinky Boots), an original score by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance, and a book by the movie’s director Garry Marshall and screenwriter J.F. Lawton. In the Roberts & Gere roles are Samantha Barks and Andy Karl.
In all, the 32 Broadway shows took in $36,855,921, about 87% of potential and a negligible 2% slip from last week. Total attendance of 281,446, about 93% of capacity, was even with Week 7.
Pretty Woman far out-dazzled other recent Broadway arrivals. Head Over Heels, the Arcadian mash-up of mock-...
- 7/23/2018
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Paper Mill Playhouse is now presenting 'The Sting,' an exhilarating world premiere musical. Directed by John Rando with choreography by Warren Carlyle and musical direction by Fred Lassen, the show is Broadway bound and it's easy to see why. This wonderfully staged production has a great plot, a fabulous variety of musical numbers, and features a stellar cast.
- 4/9/2018
- by Marina Kennedy
- BroadwayWorld.com
It’s not hard to see why someone imagined a stage musical could be made out of “The Sting,” the 1973 Oscar Best Picture winner starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford as Depression-era con artists who pull off the ultimate heist. After all, George Roy Hill’s artfully constructed film leaned heavily on Scott Joplin’s ragtime tunes — providing fodder for many a ’70s-era student-piano recital rendition of “The Entertainer” and “Rose Leaf Rag.”
There’s much to admire in the new stage musical version of “The Sting,” which opened Sunday for a pre-Broadway run at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey — starting with the tap-tastic choreography of Tony winner Warren Carlyle, whose ensemble work is truly showstopping here.
The production has found an emerging star in J. Harrison Ghee as Booker, the green hothead con artist that Redford played on screen, even elevating a racial subplot of the film (Redford’s Booker was called a “n-word-lover” for helping a black man on the street) into a front-and-center element of the story. Ghee has a spry energy that suits his impetuous character, and a golden voice to match.
Also Read: 'Three Tall Women' Broadway Review: Glenda Jackson Charges Into the Night
Ghee almost manages to upstage the show’s above-the-marquee star, Harry Connick Jr., as Booker’s older, wiser con-artist mentor, first played by Newman in the film. Here, his wizard-like character, Gondorff, is introduced as a “piano monkey in a whorehouse” who spends more time tickling the ivories as he does palming cards or picking pockets.
Connick is a wiz at the piano, of course, riffing on Mark Hollman’s deliberately Joplin-esque score on stage, and he also proves to be surprisingly nimble on his feet during dance numbers like the Act 2 curtain-raiser “This Ain’t No Song and Dance.” (He’s also credited with additional music and lyrics.)
The difficulty is that not all of the movie’s virtues have been successfully integrated into the new medium. Hollman (“Urinetown”) serves up mostly jazz-lite pastiche, and the lyrics by longtime collaborator Greg Kotis seldom do much more than advance the plot or bide time till the next dance break.
Also Read: 'Rocktopia' Broadway Review: Beethoven's Not the Only One Rolling Over in This Musical Mashup
Photo: Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade
As to the plot: Some of the best lines in Bob Martin’s book are lifted directly from David S. Ward’s original screenplay, and the very structure of musical theater allows us to linger over some of the less felicitous elements of the story.
Take for instance, the women, who were always more like accessories in the original film and again feel like missed opportunities to flesh out parallel romantic subplots. Connick’s brothel-owning buddy and on-again-off-again lover (Kate Shindle) is given a number or two of her own — but not much real agency, or even a duet with Connick’s Gondorff.
The same goes for Janet Dacal’s waitress Loretta, who gets a first-act duet and a second-act torch song but still feels more like an afterthought. When she agrees to invite Hooker into her apartment late in the second act, you can almost feel director John Rando handing notes to Carlyle to find a dance ballet sequence to fill in the gaps in the storytelling.
Also Read: 'Empire Records' to Become Broadway-Bound Musical - Just in Time for Rex Manning Day
Martin’s script has the unfortunate habit of protracting unimportant elements of the story — the overlong show could easily lose 20 minutes, including a drawn-out scene in a Western Union office — while passing up chances to explore other aspects of the story that the film gave short shrift.
There’s a moment when Hooker is on the spot, cornered by the feds who want him to turn on his partner in crime. But he hastily and uncharacteristically agrees, without a moment of reflection, or a song to explore the upsides, downsides or consequences of his apparent act of betrayal.
Despite these flaws, “The Sting” still has the power to enchant with its deliberate artifice and syncopated charm. There’s good reason why the film has forever been associated with “The Entertainer.”
Read original story ‘The Sting’ Theater Review: Harry Connick Jr Aims to Go From Ragtime to Riches At TheWrap...
There’s much to admire in the new stage musical version of “The Sting,” which opened Sunday for a pre-Broadway run at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey — starting with the tap-tastic choreography of Tony winner Warren Carlyle, whose ensemble work is truly showstopping here.
The production has found an emerging star in J. Harrison Ghee as Booker, the green hothead con artist that Redford played on screen, even elevating a racial subplot of the film (Redford’s Booker was called a “n-word-lover” for helping a black man on the street) into a front-and-center element of the story. Ghee has a spry energy that suits his impetuous character, and a golden voice to match.
Also Read: 'Three Tall Women' Broadway Review: Glenda Jackson Charges Into the Night
Ghee almost manages to upstage the show’s above-the-marquee star, Harry Connick Jr., as Booker’s older, wiser con-artist mentor, first played by Newman in the film. Here, his wizard-like character, Gondorff, is introduced as a “piano monkey in a whorehouse” who spends more time tickling the ivories as he does palming cards or picking pockets.
Connick is a wiz at the piano, of course, riffing on Mark Hollman’s deliberately Joplin-esque score on stage, and he also proves to be surprisingly nimble on his feet during dance numbers like the Act 2 curtain-raiser “This Ain’t No Song and Dance.” (He’s also credited with additional music and lyrics.)
The difficulty is that not all of the movie’s virtues have been successfully integrated into the new medium. Hollman (“Urinetown”) serves up mostly jazz-lite pastiche, and the lyrics by longtime collaborator Greg Kotis seldom do much more than advance the plot or bide time till the next dance break.
Also Read: 'Rocktopia' Broadway Review: Beethoven's Not the Only One Rolling Over in This Musical Mashup
Photo: Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade
As to the plot: Some of the best lines in Bob Martin’s book are lifted directly from David S. Ward’s original screenplay, and the very structure of musical theater allows us to linger over some of the less felicitous elements of the story.
Take for instance, the women, who were always more like accessories in the original film and again feel like missed opportunities to flesh out parallel romantic subplots. Connick’s brothel-owning buddy and on-again-off-again lover (Kate Shindle) is given a number or two of her own — but not much real agency, or even a duet with Connick’s Gondorff.
The same goes for Janet Dacal’s waitress Loretta, who gets a first-act duet and a second-act torch song but still feels more like an afterthought. When she agrees to invite Hooker into her apartment late in the second act, you can almost feel director John Rando handing notes to Carlyle to find a dance ballet sequence to fill in the gaps in the storytelling.
Also Read: 'Empire Records' to Become Broadway-Bound Musical - Just in Time for Rex Manning Day
Martin’s script has the unfortunate habit of protracting unimportant elements of the story — the overlong show could easily lose 20 minutes, including a drawn-out scene in a Western Union office — while passing up chances to explore other aspects of the story that the film gave short shrift.
There’s a moment when Hooker is on the spot, cornered by the feds who want him to turn on his partner in crime. But he hastily and uncharacteristically agrees, without a moment of reflection, or a song to explore the upsides, downsides or consequences of his apparent act of betrayal.
Despite these flaws, “The Sting” still has the power to enchant with its deliberate artifice and syncopated charm. There’s good reason why the film has forever been associated with “The Entertainer.”
Read original story ‘The Sting’ Theater Review: Harry Connick Jr Aims to Go From Ragtime to Riches At TheWrap...
- 4/9/2018
- by Thom Geier
- The Wrap
By Lee Pfeiffer
I've become somewhat jaded and downright cynical when it comes to the tidal wave of musical stage productions based on popular, non-musical motion pictures. So it was with a sense of wariness that I approached the world premiere engagement of "The Sting" at the Papermill Playhouse in Millburn, NJ. After all, the classic, Oscar-winning 1973 film doesn't need musical production numbers to "improve it". There was already a great deal of interest in the production prior to the relatively last-minute announcement last month that the production would star Harry Connick, Jr. That sent already healthy tickets sales into overdrive and you'd be hard-pressed to find seats for the engagement, which runs through April 29. It doesn't take long to set aside one's suspicions that this might be a lightweight rip-off of a great film. As with all Papermill shows, this one first impresses with its creative and often ingenious...
I've become somewhat jaded and downright cynical when it comes to the tidal wave of musical stage productions based on popular, non-musical motion pictures. So it was with a sense of wariness that I approached the world premiere engagement of "The Sting" at the Papermill Playhouse in Millburn, NJ. After all, the classic, Oscar-winning 1973 film doesn't need musical production numbers to "improve it". There was already a great deal of interest in the production prior to the relatively last-minute announcement last month that the production would star Harry Connick, Jr. That sent already healthy tickets sales into overdrive and you'd be hard-pressed to find seats for the engagement, which runs through April 29. It doesn't take long to set aside one's suspicions that this might be a lightweight rip-off of a great film. As with all Papermill shows, this one first impresses with its creative and often ingenious...
- 4/7/2018
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Tonight Paper Mill Playhousekicks off the world premiere production of the new musical The Sting, based on the 1973 film, and with book by Bob Martin, music and lyrics by Mark Hollmann amp Greg Kotis with Harry Connick, Jr. In addition, the score will contain music by Scott Joplin including The Entertainer. John Rando is set to direct with choreography by Warren Carlyle and music direction by Fred Lassen.
- 3/29/2018
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
By Lee Pfeiffer
Since my all-time favorite TV series is "The Honeymooners", the legendary sitcom that was originally broadcast in 1950s, one might think I would have been overjoyed at the prospect of seeing the show's new incarnation as a big-budget musical production that just premiered at the prestigious Papermill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey, a venue so revered that it was honored with a special Tony award. In reality, I had considerable trepidation about seeing the show. The characters in the TV series- bus driver Ralph Kramden, his devoted but long-suffering wife Alice and their best friends, sewer worker Ed Norton and his wife Trixie- have been ingrained in the minds of every American baby boomer. In fact, the re-runs have rarely left the New York airwaves even sixty years after their original airings and the four main cast members- Jackie Gleason, Audrey Meadows, Art Carney and Joyce Randolph...
Since my all-time favorite TV series is "The Honeymooners", the legendary sitcom that was originally broadcast in 1950s, one might think I would have been overjoyed at the prospect of seeing the show's new incarnation as a big-budget musical production that just premiered at the prestigious Papermill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey, a venue so revered that it was honored with a special Tony award. In reality, I had considerable trepidation about seeing the show. The characters in the TV series- bus driver Ralph Kramden, his devoted but long-suffering wife Alice and their best friends, sewer worker Ed Norton and his wife Trixie- have been ingrained in the minds of every American baby boomer. In fact, the re-runs have rarely left the New York airwaves even sixty years after their original airings and the four main cast members- Jackie Gleason, Audrey Meadows, Art Carney and Joyce Randolph...
- 10/10/2017
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Calling all dysfunctional New Yorkers (also known as just New Yorkers)! Casting is underway for “Across the Park,” a new play depicting the relationship of two damaged Manhattanites. We also have three other exciting opportunities, including a musical with its sights set on Broadway! Check them all out below. “Across The Park”Actors are sought for “Across the Park,” an ambitious new play from playwright Kate Tucker Fahlsing. Following Caroline and Denny, a “dysfunctional pair brought together online by lust and their inability to cope,” the piece is casting both leads as well as supporting roles. Rehearsals will begin Sept. 26 with a run slated for Oct. 27–29 in New York City. Horror Filma yet-untitled horror film seeks several actors for lead, supporting, and background roles. The project, billed as “ultra-low budget” and “set at the beach,” will shoot Aug. 22–Sept. 2 in New York City. “Because Of Winn Dixie”Casting is underway...
- 8/9/2016
- backstage.com
Last year, it was announced that a Broadway revival of Smokey Joe's Cafe was on the way for summer 2016, with direction by Jerry Zaks and choreography by Warren Carlyle.Those plans never panned out, but now according to an Equity casting notice, the show, which holds the record as Broadway's longest running revue 2036 performances, will get a NYC developmental lab with a different creative team. A presentation will be held on September 24, under the direction of John Rando, with choreography by Joshua Bergasse.
- 7/20/2016
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Back in 2015, we reported that there was a reading of The Sting that took place around early August. We now have new information that the Araca Group will hold a new reading of the musical, directed again by John Rando. The reading will take place February 22nd to the 26th, withmusic and lyrics by Mark Hollman and Greg Kotis and the book written byBob Martin.
- 2/10/2016
- by Marissa Sblendorio
- BroadwayWorld.com
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