All stories by Michael Gioia on BroadwayStars

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Newsies’ Adam Kaplan Shows ‘Em How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Beginning Tonight by Michael Gioia

Adam Kaplan, who was seen on Broadway in Newsies, stars in Flat Rock Playhouse's production of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, which begins performances June 17 on the …

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Tuesday, June 16, 2015

For These Teens, “Being Gay Is Not a Big Deal”  How a New Musical About LGBTQ Bullying Took Shape by Michael Gioia

Teenagers and pre-teens are stepping out of the box for Out of My Comfort Zone, a new rock musical about self-identity, gender, love, expectations, stereotypes, cyber-bullying an…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM

Wesley Taylor’s Short Play Cuckold, About Playwriting, Passion and an Affair, Premieres in NYC by Michael Gioia

Ari Itkin (Much Ado About Nothing), Isabelle Ellingson ("Bad Faith") and Logan Fahey ("Masters of Sex," "Grey's Anatomy") star in the new three-person p…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Monday, June 15, 2015

Sarah Stiles, Derek Klena, Natalie Weiss, Lilli Cooper and More Celebrate Carner & Gregor Album in C by Michael Gioia

Songwriters Sam Carner and Derek Gregor release their first album, featuring Broadway singers Tituss Burgess, Jeremy Jordan, Natalie Weiss and more, June 15.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Saturday, June 13, 2015

Relive the Belting, the Excitement and the Stars of the Broadway Bombshell Concert With These Exclus by Michael Gioia

Bombshell, the fictional musical from the NBC series "Smash," stormed Broadway earlier this week, and Playbill.com snagged four exclusive clips from the star-studded, one-n…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM

There’s No Place Like Home! Diana DeGarmo Stars in The Wizard of Oz in Her Hometown June 13-14 by Michael Gioia

Diana DeGarmo, who recently concluded her run as the Narrator in the national tour of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, stars as Dorothy in Studio Tenn Theatre Company's prod…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Friday, June 12, 2015

Ben Fankhauser, Zak Resnick, Lilli Cooper and Adam Kaplan Join Joey Contreras’ NYMF Concert by Michael Gioia

Musical theatre songwriter Joey Contreras will offer a concert of his music as part of the 2015 New York Musical Theatre Festival July 16 at The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre at The Pershi…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:29PM

“It’s Hard To Sleep At Night”  What Physical and Mental Demands Plague an Actor Becoming a Soldier? by Michael Gioia

Former Golden Boy Seth Numrich takes on another physically demanding role in the Off-Broadway premiere of Daniel Talbott's Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, America, Kuwait. He shares insight i…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:15PM

Jason Gotay, Natalie Weiss, George Salazar, Lauren Pritchard and More Will Join Zack Zadek in Concer by Michael Gioia

Contemporary musical theatre songwriter Zack Zadek will offer an evening of story-driven synth-pop June 29 at 54 Below. Jason Gotay, Natalie Weiss and Lauren Pritchard are among the …

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:11PM

Adam Lambert Declined Offer to Play Hedwig Because of Eight Shows a Week in Drag by Michael Gioia

Adam Lambert, runner-up on the eighth season of "American Idol," was offered to play the title role in the Tony-winning Broadway revival of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, but d…

SOURCE: Playbill at 11:04AM
Thursday, June 11, 2015

Broadway’s School of Rock Confirms Lead, Pushes Back Previews, Puts Tix on Sale Today by Michael Gioia

Alex Brightman, seen on Broadway in Glory Days, Wicked, Matilda and Big Fish, had been confirmed to star as the teacher at the center of Broadway's School of Rock &…

SOURCE: Playbill at 08:38AM
Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Watch Four Exclusive Performances From the Broadway Bombshell Concert! (Video) by Michael Gioia

Bombshell, the fictional musical from the NBC series "Smash," stormed Broadway earlier this week, and Playbill.com snagged four exclusive clips from the star-studded, one-n…

SOURCE: Playbill at 02:05PM

“Smash” Showrunner at the Forefront of “Fame” Reboot for Lifetime by Michael Gioia

"Smash" showrunner Joshua Safran will pen the script for the A+E Studios and MGM Television reboot of "Fame," which has been picked up by Lifetime, according to the Holly…

SOURCE: Playbill at 01:35PM

Hugh Jackman Will Play Opposite “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” Star in New Film by Michael Gioia

Tony Award winner Hugh Jackman and Oscar nominee Rooney Mara will star in the new film "Collateral Beauty," directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon ("Me and Earl and the Dying Gir…

SOURCE: Playbill at 10:27AM

Judith Light and Gabriel Ebert to Join Keira Knightley On Broadway This Fall by Adam Hetrick and Michael Gioia

Tony Award winners Gabriel Ebert and Judith Light, along with Matt Ryan, star of the NBC series "Constantine," will join Academy Award nominee Keira Knightley in Helen Edmundson…

SOURCE: Playbill at 09:00AM

Swipe Right! Although Gideon Glick’s Got a Guy, He Still Thinks “Dating Sucks” in New York City by Michael Gioia

Former Spring Awakening student Gideon Glick is all grown up and ready to find Mr. Right… Well, onstage, at least — in the Off-Broadway world premiere of Jo…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Au Revoir Broadway: Gigi, Starring Vanessa Hudgens, Posts Closing Notice by Robert Viagas and Michael Gioia

Gigi, the new Broadway adaptation of Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe’s Oscar- and Tony Award-winning musical comedy, will play its final performance on Sunday, June 21 …

SOURCE: Playbill at 06:40PM

“That Went Well, Right?”  A Recap of How Bombshell Stormed Broadway by Michael Gioia

In true Broadway (and Bombshell) fashion, glitz, glamour and sparkles were abundant June 8, when cast members from the NBC musical drama "Smash" took the Minskoff stage for the hig…

SOURCE: Playbill at 03:00PM

Finding Neverland’s Celebrity Album, With Nick Jonas, Christina Aguilera and Pentatonix, Released To by Michael Gioia

Finding Neverland, the new Broadway musical that tells the tale of how Peter became Pan — starring Matthew Morrison as famed author J.M. Barrie — releases an album of the…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Monday, June 8, 2015

Watch (or Re-Watch) All of the 2015 Tony Awards Performances Here! (Video) by Michael Gioia

Did you miss the moment Lisa Howard stopped the show last night with her performance from It Shoulda Been You? Or, do you just want to see Sydney Lucas belt out "Ring of Keys" agai…

SOURCE: Playbill at 02:48PM

Watch Kelli O’Hara’s 47-Second Quick Change During Her Tony Performance! (Video) by Michael Gioia

Go backstage with Kelli O'Hara, who won a Tony Award for her performance as Anna Leonowens in The King and I, and made a 47-second quick change during her performance at the…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:46PM

Jason Robert Brown and Cast of Honeymoon in Vegas Reunite in Concert Tonight! by Michael Gioia

Although Jason Robert Brown's Honeymoon in Vegas did not receive any 2015 Tony Award nominations, the cast is still celebrating with a reunion concert June 8 at SubCulture, as part of Br…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM

Constantine Maroulis, Nancy Opel and Toxic Avenger Cast Reunite in Concert Tonight! by Michael Gioia

Cast members from the rock musical The Toxic Avenger, including songwriter David Bryan (the keyboard player of the American rock band Bon Jovi), reunite June 8 in concert at 54 Below.&nb…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Sunday, June 7, 2015

Hedwig and the Angry Inch Will Stomp Over to the West End by Michael Gioia

The Tony Award-winning production of John Cameron Mitchell's Hedwig and the Angry Inch will open in the West End, Mitchell revealed on Tony Awards Sunday.

SOURCE: Playbill at 09:37PM

“Thank You, Lord!”  Annaleigh Ashford On Her Next Broadway Show, Releasing an Album and Winning a To by Michael Gioia

Annaleigh Ashford, who won a 2015 Tony Award for her performance as Essie in the Broadway revival of You Can't Take It With You, told Playbill about her next project (the Broadway bow of…

SOURCE: Playbill at 09:06PM

Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick Take Their Final Bows in It’s Only a Play Today by Michael Gioia

Terrence McNally's star-studded backstage comedy It's Only a Play, which reunited The Producers co-stars Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, plays its final performan…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Saturday, June 6, 2015

Tix On Sale for Broadway’s Fiddler on the Roof Revival, Starring Danny Burstein by Michael Gioia

Tickets for the fifth Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof, starring five-time Tony Award nominee Danny Burstein, go on sale June 6 at 10 AM. Performances will begin Nov. 12 at the Br…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Friday, June 5, 2015

Go Inside Tonys Rehearsal! Check Out Pictures and Video From Twitter and Instagram by Michael Gioia

The Tonys are coming! It's a few days away from Broadway's biggest night, and the celebrities are in rehearsals for the ceremony.

SOURCE: Playbill at 03:24PM

“That Higher Power Came and Got Me”  How Brandy’s Life Turned Around Before Broadway by Michael Gioia

The name on everybody's lips has been… Brandy. So, Playbill chats with the new Broadway leading lady about how life turned around right before making her Main Stem debut in Ch…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:30PM

Buyer & Cellar, With “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” Star, Opens Tonight by Michael Gioia

The Pittsburgh premiere of Jonathan Tolins' one-man comedy Buyer & Cellar, starring "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" actor Tom Lenk, officially opens June 5. 

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:06AM

“We’re Just Vain!”  First-Time Nominees Micah Stock and Sarah Stiles on Getting Styled for the Tonys by Michael Gioia

Micah Stock and Sarah Stiles are new to the Tony-nominated game, but they're stepping up to the plate in style. We caught up with the two first-time nominees at a recent Tony Awa…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:06AM

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