All stories by Michael Gioia on BroadwayStars

Monday, February 8, 2016

How Has Life Changed Since President Obama’s Election? Smart People Sound Off by Michael Gioia

Second Stage Theatre's Smart People gives voice to four fictional Harvard intellectuals who find themselves in heated discussions of race, gender and sexual politics on the eve of the 20…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Sunday, February 7, 2016

In the Era of Lin-Manuel Miranda, Why College Performers Are Becoming Songwriters, Too by Michael Gioia

Being a triple-threat is no longer enough. If you're not booking work, why not create your own? Singer-dancer-actors at Pace University are being pushed to their limits, and …

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Friday, February 5, 2016

Super Bowl Prep! Football Terms Explained for Theatre People by Michael Gioia and Robbie Rozelle

Another Super Bowl is heading our way this Sunday. You've been invited to a party, but you're facing a dilemma: You're only educated in theatre! In our below list, Playbill.com e…

SOURCE: Playbill at 11:30AM

Nina Arianda Gets Quirky and Cute in Exclusive Creative Faces Project Pics by Michael Gioia

Tony Award winner Nina Arianda, most recently seen on Broadway in Fool for Love, posed for The Creative Faces Project, an evolving portrait series photographed and curated by Jason Zeren, an…

SOURCE: Playbill at 09:00AM
Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Tamika Lawrence and Her Band, The Slay, Will Slay Lower Manhattan This Month by Michael Gioia

Tamika Lawrence, most recently seen on Broadway in If/Then, will hit DROM in the Lower East Side with her band Tamika and the Slay Feb. 22 for a 10 PM concert. 

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:24PM

World Premiere of Thank You for Waiting Will Reunite Two Estranged Friends by Michael Gioia

Thank You for Waiting, a new play by Kasey Brown and Marc J. Franklin, will have its world premiere at the Kraine Theater in New York City. Nicholas Foster directs; performances begin Feb. 1…

SOURCE: Playbill at 04:49PM
Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Check Out Russell Tovey’s Smoldering New Creative Faces Project Portraits by Michael Gioia

Russell Tovey, who plays Rodolpho in A View From the Bridge, posed for The Creative Faces Project, an evolving portrait series photographed and curated by Jason Zeren, and we have an exclusi…

SOURCE: Playbill at 01:17PM
Sunday, January 31, 2016

“Grease: Live” Star’s Father Passes Away, But She Says, “I Do The Show In His Honor” by Michael Gioia

Vanessa Hudgens, who will star as Rizzo in tonight's broadcast of Grease: Live on Fox, announced on Twitter that her father passed away from Stage 4 cancer Jan. 30. She said she will per…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:43PM

Grease Is the Word! Fox’s Live Musical Event, Starring Aaron Tveit, Hits TV Tonight by Michael Gioia

Those summer nights come alive Jan. 31 when Grease: Live takes to television screens across the country on Fox. Aaron Tveit and Julianne Hough star as Danny and Sandy, respectively, in the u…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Saturday, January 30, 2016

Grease: Live What’s New, How They’ll Film Outside (Rain or Shine) and Inside the Audience Experienc by Michael Gioia

Grease has been the word all month long with audiences (and its star-studded cast) gearing up for a live broadcast of the iconic musical Jan. 31 on Fox. We went to set earlier this month…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Friday, January 29, 2016

New Brooklyn Theatre Company Will Interpret Three Sisters to Reflect Present Day With Multiracial Ca by Michael Gioia

Brooklyn Repertory Theater will present the third production of its inaugural season, Anton Chekhov's Three Sisters, beginning Feb. 4 at the 4th Street Theater.

SOURCE: Playbill at 03:23PM

Check Out These Stunning Candid Shots of Kelli O’Hara for Creative Faces Project by Michael Gioia

Tony Award winner Kelli O'Hara, who stars in Broadway's The King and I, posed for The Creative Faces Project, an evolving portrait series photographed and curated by Jason Zeren, and…

SOURCE: Playbill at 02:58PM

Who Got Ditched on Prom Night? Grease: Live Cast Relives Best of Times and Worst of Times in High Sc by Michael Gioia

High school promises some of the greatest memories… and the worst! As the Grease: Live cast readies to head back to high school (Rydell High, that is), they remember their own tee…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Thursday, January 28, 2016

What Were You Like in High School? Grease: Live Cast Relives The Glory Days by Michael Gioia

The world will take a trip back to Rydell High when Grease: Live hits television screens Jan. 31, so we thought it perfect timing to take a trip down memory lane with the cast. They share th…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Wednesday, January 27, 2016

The Creation of Rent How Jonathan Larson Transformed an Idea into the Musical That Set the World on by Michael Gioia

Twenty years have gone by since Jonathan Larson died and his musical, the groundbreaking rock opera Rent, lived on. The key players in the musical's creation remember the days leading up…

SOURCE: Playbill at 02:43PM

If/Then National Tour Welcomes New Stars Tonight by Adam Hetrick and Michael Gioia

The national tour of If/Then welcomes Jackie Burns, Tamyra Gray and Matthew Hydzik to its principal cast Jan. 27 in Dallas, TX.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Tuesday, January 26, 2016

See Billy Porter Say “Farewell to Lola” in Exclusive Stunning Backstage Photos by Michael Gioia

Billy Porter, who recently concluded his Tony Award-winning run in Broadway's Kinky Boots, posed for The Creative Faces Project, an evolving portrait series photographed and curated …

SOURCE: Playbill at 09:37AM

Cabaret National Tour, Starring Randy Harrison, Launches Tonight by Adam Hetrick and Michael Gioia

The national tour of Kander and Ebb's Cabaret, co-starring Randy Harrison ("Queer As Folk," Wicked) and Andrea Goss, launches Jan. 26 in Providence, RI at the Providence Pe…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Monday, January 25, 2016

Original Rent Cast Members Remember Jonathan Larson 20 Years After His Death “You Are My Friend” by Michael Gioia

Twenty years ago, the theatre world lost one of its greatest writers, Jonathan Larson, whose career was just about to take off — as his groundbreaking musical Rent had just finishe…

SOURCE: Playbill at 06:00PM

Broadway-Bound SpongeBob Musical Announces Lead Casting by Robert Viagas and Michael Gioia

The Broadway-aimed The SpongeBob Musical has cast a virtual unknown, Ethan Slater, in the title role of the "absorbent and yellow and porous" character.

SOURCE: Playbill at 10:43AM
Sunday, January 24, 2016

“SpongeBob Has to Save the World”  Details Emerge About Plot of The SpongeBob Musical by Michael Gioia

Spanning nine seasons on Nickelodeon, SpongeBob SquarePants has had his fair share of underwater adventures. But, on Broadway, he's going to have to save the world.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Friday, January 22, 2016

Rene Elise Goldsberry Was Only Hamilton Star Who Auditioned “No One Called Me and Offered Me a Job” by Michael Gioia

Angelica Schuyler was "working" from the very beginning. Renée Elise Goldsberry, who received raves her performance in Hamilton, was one of the only leading players to a…

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:41PM

Threat of Nuclear War Inspires Nick Blaemire's New Musical; Writers Share the Details by Michael Gioia

To most, the potential for nuclear war may not scream "musical theatre," but the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 is the inspiration for Nick Blaemire and Kyle Jarrow's new musical…

SOURCE: Playbill at 01:58PM

Judith Light Looks Sexy and Sleek in Exclusive New Creative Faces Pic by Michael Gioia

Tony Award winner Judith Light, who most recently appeared on Broadway in Thérèse Raquin, posed for The Creative Faces Project, an evolving portrait series pho…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Thursday, January 21, 2016

Performers Announced for Grammy Awards Telecast by Robert Viagas and Michael Gioia

Nominations for the 58th Annual Grammy Awards were announced Dec. 7, and the awards will be handed out starting at 8 PM ET Feb. 15 on CBS-TV.

SOURCE: Playbill at 03:22PM

Dad By Day, Disney Star By Night Aladdin’s Adam Jacobs Talks About Doing Double Duty by Michael Gioia

From starring on Broadway in Disney's hit musical to releasing a new solo CD, it seems like Adam Jacobs' wishes are coming true. Still, there's one thing the actor is most thankf…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Vanessa Hudgens On Her 180 From “High School Musical” and Her Broadway Bucket List by Michael Gioia

Gabriella Montez is all grown up, and she's taking on Grease. We caught up with the actress about life since "HSM" and what she wants to do next now that she's learned to h…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Jonathan Groff Gets Up Close and Personal in Exclusive (and Adorable) New Pics by Michael Gioia

Tony Award nominee Jonathan Groff, who stars as King George in Hamilton, posed for The Creative Faces Project, an evolving portrait series photographed and curated by Jason Zeren, and we hav…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Monday, January 18, 2016

Exclusive: Jessica Vosk and Zak Resnick Cover Song from Waitress, Featuring Fiddler Dancers (Video) by Michael Gioia

Singers and Broadway performers Jessica Vosk (Fiddler on the Roof) and Zak Resnick (Mamma Mia!) take on the heartfelt duet "You Matter to Me" from the upcoming Sara Bareilles music…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:03PM
Friday, January 15, 2016

Grease: Live to Debut New Songs from If/Then Songwriters by Michael Gioia

Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey, the Tony Award and Pulitzer-winning songwriters behind Next to Normal and If/Then, have penned new songs for the Fox musical event Grease: Live, which will hit…

SOURCE: Playbill at 01:55PM

Carly Rae Jepsen Will Get New Song in Grease: Live; Original Film Stars to Cameo by Michael Gioia

Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey, the Tony Award and Pulitzer-winning songwriters behind Next to Normal and If/Then, have penned a new song for the Fox musical event Grease: Live, which will hi…

SOURCE: Playbill at 01:55PM