All stories by Michael Gioia on BroadwayStars

Friday, November 6, 2015

Meet the Jersey Boys Superfan Who Sees the Show for Her 675th Time Tonight! by Michael Gioia

As Jersey Boys gets ready to celebrate its 10th anniversary tonight, Jo-Ann Wordley is preparing for her 675th time at the show. Get to know the superfan, who is celebrating her favorite…

SOURCE: Playbill at 04:14PM

We Got Gloria Estefan to Conga on Her Opening Night! Watch the Stars Dance on the Red Carpet (Video) by Michael Gioia

We hit the red carpet at last night's opening-night party for Gloria Estefan's On Your Feet! and asked the show's stars — and starry attendees — to get on…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:01PM
Thursday, November 5, 2015

On Your Feet!, Gloria Estefan Bio Musical, Opens on Broadway Tonight by Andrew Gans and Michael Gioia

On Your Feet!, the new musical based on the lives of seven-time Grammy winner Gloria Estefan and her husband, producer-musician-entrepreneur Emilio Estefan, officially opens on B…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM

This Actor Booked Allegiance and Dames at Sea Which Did He Choose to “Forward” His Career? by Michael Gioia

Some strive to get cast in one Broadway show. But, this season, Cary Tedder scored two. Learn more about why he was cast in Allegiance and Dames at Sea within two weeks of each other and how…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

“Frozen Fever” Will Make Disney Channel Debut by Andrew Gans and Michael Gioia

Walt Disney Animation Studios' short film "Frozen Fever," which welcomes the characters of Anna, Elsa, Kristoff and Olaf back to the screen, will make its Disney Channel debut …

SOURCE: Playbill at 04:29PM
Monday, November 2, 2015

Hamilton’s Schuyler Sisters Prepare! Watch Them Warm Up for the President (Video) by Michael Gioia

President Barack Obama returns to Broadway's Hamilton tonight, and the Schuyler sisters are getting ready. Watch them warm up with a special a cappella tune for the Democratic National C…

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:14PM

Hamilton’s Schuylar Sisters Prepare! Watch Them Warm Up for the President (Video) by Michael Gioia

President Barack Obama returns to Broadway's Hamilton tonight, and the Schuylar sisters are getting ready. Watch them warm up with a special a cappella tune for the Democratic National C…

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:14PM
Friday, October 30, 2015

Daisy Eagan Will Get Shaken (Not Stirred!) at Cabaret Show Celebrating James Bond by Michael Gioia

Daisy and Jordan: Rejected Bond Girls, a show celebrating Tony Award winner Daisy Eagan and her comedy partner Jordan Kai Burnett's love of James Bond, will hit Feinstein's/54 Below …

SOURCE: Playbill at 02:46PM
Thursday, October 29, 2015

Sing “Run Away With Me”  Hal Leonard Publishes Kerrigan-Lowdermilk Songbook of New Arrangements by Michael Gioia

A songbook featuring the music of Kait Kerrigan and Brian Lowdermilk, whose musicals include The Unauthorized Autobiography of Samantha Brown and The Bad Years, has been released by Hal Leon…

SOURCE: Playbill at 03:31PM

Annoying Actor Friend Will Release Second Book, “#GRATEFUL,” a Choose-Your-Own Showbiz Adventure by Michael Gioia

"#GRATEFUL: Everything Happens for a Reason," by Annoying Actor Friend, a choose-your-own show-business adventure book (and the sequel to "#SOBLESSED: the Annoying…

SOURCE: Playbill at 11:29AM

Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth Look Back at Wicked Tony Wins, Their First Flights and Friendshi by Michael Gioia

Playbill.com digs into its archives to explore past articles. In the next installment, Tony Award-winning actresses Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, who created the respective roles o…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM

Keira Knightley Makes Broadway Debut in Thrse Raquin, Opening Tonight by Andrew Gans and Michael Gioia

Roundabout Theatre Company's Broadway revival of Thérèse Raquin, featuring a new adaptation by Helen Edmundson, based upon the novel by Émile Zola, offic…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Who Let the Dogs Out? 9 Adorable Pictures of Broadway Stars and Their Dogs You Need to See! by Michael Gioia

Broadway's best are getting together to celebrate man's best friend at Feinstein's/54 Below, and they've shared exclusive pictures of themselves and their dogs too adorable t…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM

Who Let the Dogs Out? 7 Adorable Pictures of Broadway Stars and Their Dogs You Need to See! by Michael Gioia

Broadway's best are getting together to celebrate man's best friend at Feinstein's/54 Below, and they've shared exclusive pictures of themselves and their dogs too adorable t…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM

Lauren Pritchard’s Songbird, About Dreams, Love and Heartbreak, Opens Tonight Off-Broadway by Michael Gioia

Songbird, a play with music by Spring Awakening actress Lauren Pritchard — about dreams, ambition, love and heartbreak — officially opens Oct. 28 at Off-Broa…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Avenue Q Star Will Headline Reading About a Guy Who Wants to Be Loved By Everyone by Michael Gioia

The Connector, a new play written by Tim Murray that was seen at Theatre for the New City in 2012, will have a staged reading starring Avenue Q's Darren Bluestone next month in New York …

SOURCE: Playbill at 04:15PM

How Do You Freshen Your Audition Book? Broadway Stars Tell Us in Song (Video) by Michael Gioia

Performers are always in search of that perfect song for their audition book, so we enlisted the pros to help us freshen up your repertoire with new music by songwriters on the contemporary …

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:34PM

What the Stars Are Singing Reinvent Your Audition With These Need-to-Know Songs (Video) by Michael Gioia

Performers are always in search of that perfect song for their audition book, so we enlisted the pros to help us freshen up your repertoire with new music by songwriters on the contemporary …

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:34PM

Volume 2 of “Seth’s Broadway Diary,” With Inside Scoop from Seth Rudetsky, Hits Shelves by Michael Gioia

The second volume of Sirius XM Broadway host, actor, musician and Playbill.com columnist Seth Rudetsky's "Seth's Broadway Diary" is released by Dress Circle Publis…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM

Exclusive! Annaleigh Ashford Belts Out a Sexy “One Night Only” From Her Live Album by Michael Gioia

It's Annaleigh Ashford's big night! As the Tony Award winner prepares to open as the titular dog in Broadway's Sylvia, she shares an exclusive track from her forthcoming live alb…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Monday, October 26, 2015

Nathan Lane and Debra Messing Are Part of Wesley Taylor’s Bridging the Gap Event Tonight by Robert Viagas and Michael Gioia

Nathan Lane, Debra Messing, Stockard Channing and Billy Magnussen perform in Bridging the Gap and other short plays by Wesley Taylor, the sold-out Oct. 26 reading of six new 10-minut…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Friday, October 23, 2015

Daphne Rubin-Vega Talks About Life-Changing Events Like Rent and the “Frustration” of Being Typecast by Michael Gioia

It's been almost 20 years since Daphne Rubin-Vega played the drug-addicted dancer Mimi in the game-changing rock opera Rent. Now she's playing a character who sells the d…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Who’s Dirtier Bob Saget or Tyrone? Next Hand to God Star Spills the Beans in 5 Questions by Michael Gioia

Funnyman Bob Saget, best known for playing Danny Tanner on the TV series "Full House," will return to Broadway as Pastor Greg in the horror/comedy Hand to God to close out the Tony…

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:00PM

The Story Behind the “Defying Gravity” Music Video Everyone’s Talking About and What Wicked’s Compos by Michael Gioia

It's only been two days, and the stripped-down, acoustic arrangement of "Defying Gravity" (reconceiving the modern classic as a duet with Rachel Tucker and Aaron Tveit) is …

SOURCE: Playbill at 03:30PM

Hollywood’s Bruce Willis, Keira Knightley and Clive Owen Talk About Their First Times (On Broadway) by Michael Gioia

Though they're heavyweights in the land of Hollywood, Bruce Willis, Keira Knightley and Clive Owen are this season's Broadway newbies. What took them so long to make their debuts on …

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Grandma Makes 7-Year-Old Granddaughter’s Dream Come True With Letter to Her Favorite Character, Jave by Michael Gioia

She dreamed a dream… and, last week, it came true! A grandmother scored an exclusive backstage pass for her soon-to-be seven-year-old granddaughter to mee…

SOURCE: Playbill at 10:44AM
Monday, October 19, 2015

Constantine Maroulis Withdraws From Leading Role of New Musical Breaking Through by Michael Gioia

Tony Award nominee Constantine Maroulis has left the company of The Pasadena Playhouse production of the new musical Breaking Through, which will begin previews Oct. 27, due to personal matt…

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:53PM

See Broadway’s Lucas Siblings Give George Takei a Vulcan Salute at Allegiance by Michael Gioia

Sydney Lucas, the Tony-nominated star of Fun Home, and her brother Jake Lucas (The Kind and I) took a trip to the new musical Allegiance and met the show's stars after the Oct. 18 pe…

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:22PM

The Rise of Riedel Sharp-Tongued NY Post Columnist on Feuds, Fairness and Why He’s Not Hot for Hami by Michael Gioia

For his whole life, Michael Riedel (the famed theatre columnist for the New York Post, known for his snide remarks, quick quips and unsurpassable scoops) never had to write more than 1,200 w…

SOURCE: Playbill at 01:30PM
Friday, October 16, 2015

If/Then Tour, Starring Idina Menzel and Original Broadway Co-Stars, Opens Tonight by Adam Hetrick and Michael Gioia

The national tour of the Tony-nominated Broadway musical If/Then, featuring original stars Idina Menzel, LaChanze, Anthony Rapp and James Snyder, officially opens Oct. 16 at Denver's…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Hal Prince On Prince of Broadway, Pop Music, the Future of Theatre and Getting “Lucky” by Michael Gioia

When you're Harold Prince, with a record 21 Tony Awards and a life in the theatre that has ushered some of the best-known productions of the past half-century to Broadway, how do…

SOURCE: Playbill at 02:20PM