All stories by Michael Gioia on BroadwayStars

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Revolutionaries, Turn Up! Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton Will Head To Broadway This Summer by Michael Gioia

Hamilton, the critically acclaimed new musical written by and starring Tony Award winner Lin-Manuel Miranda, will transfer to Broadway, beginning previews July 16 at the Richard Rodgers …

SOURCE: Playbill at 03:03PM

Original 39 Steps Cast Member Will Reprise His Performance for the Show’s Off-Broadway Return by Michael Gioia

Arnie Burton, an original cast member of 39 Steps, will reprise his role of Clown #2 in the Off-Broadway return of Patrick Barlow's Tony Award-nominated comedy, based on…

SOURCE: Playbill at 01:33PM

Following 65 Years at the Jersey Shore, Surflight Theatre Is Forced to Shut Its Doors by Michael Gioia

Following a 65-year run at the Jersey Shore in Beach Haven, NJ, Surflight Theatre will shut its doors. Despite efforts by management and trustees to keep operations going, the company fi…

SOURCE: Playbill at 11:07AM

Billy Joel’s Daughter Begins Run at New York’s Caf Carlyle Tonight by Michael Gioia

Café Carlyle welcomes back Alexa Ray Joel, daughter of music legend Billy Joel and supermodel Christie Brinkley, for a two-week engagement Feb. 24–March 7.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Monday, February 23, 2015

Is This Hamilton’s Broadway Season? The Public Calls for Mysterious Media Event Tomorrow by Michael Gioia

Hamilton, the highly anticipated new musical from Tony Award winner Lin-Manuel Miranda that fuses contemporary and classic to tell the story of America's Founding Father, may be head…

SOURCE: Playbill at 03:30PM

Equity Proposes More Pay for L.A. Actors Working in Small Theatres by Michael Gioia

Actors' Equity Association has created a proposal for a new Los Angeles 99-Seat Theatre Plan contract, which would guarantee actors and stage managers are paid a salary no less than …

SOURCE: Playbill at 03:15PM

“Annie” Takes Home Razzie Award for Worst Remake of 2014 by Michael Gioia

The film remake of "Annie," which garnered a mostly negative response from critics, received the Razzie Award, satirizing the worst achievements in film for 2014, for Worst Remake,…

SOURCE: Playbill at 09:37AM

Wendy’s Shadow, Rock Musical Retelling Peter Pan’s Adventure from Wendy’s Perspective, Gets NYC Conc by Michael Gioia

Wendy's Shadow, a musical based on the novel "Peter and Wendy" by J.M. Barrie — which had a reading Nov. 24, 2014, at the Irvington Town Hall Theater — is p…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM

Aaron Clifton Moten and John Douglas Thompson Star in Reading Crafted From Letters of Langston Hughe by Michael Gioia

Aaron Clifton Moten and John Douglas Thompson star in the premiere of Young Man Langston, a dramatic reading from the letters of Langston Hughes, Feb. 23 at the 92nd Street Y.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM

Box Office Opens for Broadway’s Gigi, Starring Vanessa Hudgens by Michael Gioia

The box office for the new Broadway production of Gigi, starring Vanessa Hudgens in the title role, opens Feb. 23 at 10 AM at the Neil Simon Theatre. Broadway performances are scheduled to b…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Sunday, February 22, 2015

Toronto Production of Once, Featuring All-Canadian Cast, Opens Tonight by Michael Gioia

Ian Lake and Trish Lindström, two actors with numerous credits from the Stratford Festival, lead the Toronto sit-down production of the Tony-winning musical Once, which offi…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Saturday, February 21, 2015

Tix for An Act of God, Starring Jim Parsons as God, Go On Sale Today by Michael Gioia

Tickets go on sale for the new Broadway comedy An Act of God, starring Emmy and Golden Globe Award winner Jim Parsons, Feb. 21. Performances are scheduled to begin May 5 at Studio 54.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Friday, February 20, 2015

“Love Story” Stars Ali MacGraw and Ryan O’Neal Rekindle Affair for Love Letters Tour by Michael Gioia

Ali MacGraw and Ryan O'Neal, who co-starred in "Love Story," will star in an upcoming national tour of Love Letters, A.R. Gurney's romance about first loves and second …

SOURCE: Playbill at 06:13PM

“In Some Ways, I Feel Like a Queen,” Says Krysta Rodriguez on Kicking Cancer In Style by Michael Gioia

"Smash" star and Broadway actress Krysta Rodriguez announced yesterday that she was diagnosed with breast cancer two months after her 30th birthday. She opens up exclusively to Pla…

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:44PM

New Start Date for Broadway’s Hand to God, Starring Steven Boyer by Michael Gioia

Hand to God, starring Steven Boyer in his acclaimed performance as a boy and his foul-mouthed hand puppet, will now begin previews March 14, two days later than its originally scheduled …

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:36PM

Heavy Metal Rocker and Broadway’s New Fish: Get to Know Bobby Cannavale’s Teenage Son, Jake by Michael Gioia

Jake Cannavale, son of two-time Tony nominee Bobby Cannavale, swore he wouldn't follow in his father's footsteps and pursue a career in acting. So how did he end up making his Br…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Thursday, February 19, 2015

Godspell Director Will Helm DIVA Reading, About A Boy Who (Literally) Kills for the Theatre by Michael Gioia

Daniel Goldstein, who directed the Broadway revival of Godspell, will direct a reading of the new one-man musical DIVA, featuring a score by composer-lyricist Alexander Sage Oyen.

SOURCE: Playbill at 04:52PM

Finding Neverland Will Host Benefit Performance for Victims of Child Sex Trafficking by Michael Gioia

The new Broadway musical Finding Neverland, a story about how Peter became Pan, will host an inaugural fundraiser to benefit Alliance To Rescue Victims of Trafficking (ATRVT) March 21.

SOURCE: Playbill at 03:54PM

Benefit for Victims of Child Sex Trafficking Will Be Held at Broadway’s Finding Neverland by Michael Gioia

An inaugural fundraiser to benefit Alliance To Rescue Victims of Trafficking (ATRVT) will be held March 21 at the new Broadway musical Finding Neverland, a story about how Peter became Pan.

SOURCE: Playbill at 03:54PM

Dispute Over Broadway’s Helen Hayes Theatre Continues, as Judge Urges for Settlement by Michael Gioia

The dispute over the acquisition of Broadway's Helen Hayes Theatre continues, and following a meeting in New York City court Feb. 19, a judge is urging Second Stage Theatre and the Helen…

SOURCE: Playbill at 03:01PM

“Smash” Star Krysta Rodriguez Announces Breast Cancer Diagnosis and New Blog, “ChemoCouture” by Michael Gioia

Krysta Rodriguez, who starred in the Broadway musical First Date and the NBC musical drama "Smash," has been diagnosed with breast cancer. She has launched ChemoCouture, a new blog…

SOURCE: Playbill at 01:08PM

How Do You Break the Internet? Ellen DeGeneres Gives Neil Patrick Harris Oscar Hosting Advice (Video by Michael Gioia

Tony Award winner Neil Patrick Harris, who will host the Academy Awards this Sunday, recently sat down on "The Ellen Show" to get some advice on his hosting gig.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:31PM

PLAYBILL PLAYLIST: Orfeh, Teal Wicks, Kate Rockwell and More Pick Favorite Performances by Rock Band by Michael Gioia

54 Sings Heart, an evening featuring songs made famous by the powerhouse band Heart, will be presented Feb. 21 at 54 Below. In anticipation of the concert, members of the cast pick their fav…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Cinderella’s Prince and More Join Rebecca Naomi Jones and Alysha Umphress for Very Very Rock Concert by Michael Gioia

Joe Carroll (Cinderella, Once), Eric LaJuan Summers (Motown), Genson Blimline (Rock Of Ages) and Larry Owens (Fat Camp) have joined the lineup for a concert version of Very Very Rock Show, a…

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:43PM

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler Sign On to Roar in Rockettes’ Spring Spectacular by Adam Hetrick and Michael Gioia

Award-winning comedians and writers Tina Fey and Amy Poehler have been announced to lend their voices as the New York Public Library's famed lion statues in New York Spring Spectacul…

SOURCE: Playbill at 02:17PM

Skylar Astin Lands NBA-Themed Pilot, and Whoopi Goldberg Offered to Co-Star With Jermaine Fowler for by Michael Gioia

"Pitch Perfect" star Skylar Astin, an original cast member of the Tony Award-winning musical Spring Awakening, has been cast in ABC's untitled NBA comedy, according to The …

SOURCE: Playbill at 01:06PM

Pre-Hedwig, Darren Criss Looks Back on “Glee,” Chats Theatre and Recalls the Time He Was Fired by Michael Gioia

We catch up with Darren Criss, who will step into the high heels of glam rocker Hedwig in the Tony-wining revival of Hedwig and the Angry Inch this April. He looks back on "Glee&quo…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:40PM

Watch Jeremy Jordan and Jason Robert Brown Perform “Moving Too Fast” from “The Last Five Years” on ” by Michael Gioia

Tony Award nominee Jeremy Jordan, who stars as Jamie in "The Last Five Years," performed "Moving Too Fast" from the film — accompanied by the musical's Tony…

SOURCE: Playbill at 11:29AM

Joanna Gleason Among Performers in Midnight-Themed Concert, Directed by Her Son, Tonight by Michael Gioia

Midnight at 9:30, featuring songs with a midnight theme, is held Feb. 18 at 9:30 PM at 54 Below.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Celia Keenan-Bolger Announces Pregnancy and Opens Up About Becoming a Mother by Michael Gioia

Art is imitating life for three-time Tony Award nominee Celia Keenan-Bolger, who was last seen on the New York stage in Lincoln Center Theater's The Oldest Boy — a stor…

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:35PM

“The Last Five Years” Film, With Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan, Lands No. 1 on iTunes Chart by Michael Gioia

The film adaptation of Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years, starring Tony Award nominees Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan, ranked No. 1 for its opening weekend on the iTunes Independ…

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:16PM

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