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Category Archives: Broadway

Musical Madness- The Elite 8

27 Mar

by: Dan Mason (@djdan1079)

The tension is mounting as we head to the regional finals of our first ever “Musical Madness” tournament. After a bevy of upsets in the opening two rounds, the cream is rising to the top and the top seeds are looking strong as we cut the field to 8. There was only one minor upset in the sweet 16, as we think of Christine Daae fondly and say goodbye. The first lady of the Majestic Theatre was trounced by Roxie Hart and will not join the Phantom on the road to the final four. All four top seeds are still in contention as well as a pair of #2 seeds, providing some exciting matchups including Sweeney Todd vs. Mama Rose, and The Phantom vs. Elphaba. Who will move closer to the finals?

Check out the the updated brackets here and cast your votes below!

 

 
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Posted by on 03/27/2012 in Broadway

 

Musical Madness- Onto the Sweet 16!!

22 Mar

by: Dan Mason (@djdan1079)

We’ve cut the field down to 16. Overall, our second round matchups failed to provide a lot of drama. Aside from the #2 seed Christine Daae going down to the wire with the #10 Billy Elliott (those triple threats are so hard to take down), all of the matchups were pretty one-sided.

Seven of the tournament’s top eight seeds are still alive, and we have some fantastic matchups scheduled in the round of 16, highlighted by an “All Wicked” semifinal in the Phantom region between Elphaba and Glinda. Who will prevail? The bubble or the broom???

Meanwhile, in the Valjean region, The Witch from Into the Woods has fared well against the African-Americans (Effie White), as well as the Jews (Tevye). Can she put away another bats**t crazy white woman? We’ll find out when she goes head to head with Diana from Next to Normal.

In what can only be called a crushing blow to the Rick Santorum campaign, Miss Hannigan laid the smack down on Jesus in round two, but now has to be equally mighty over evil when she takes on Sweeney Todd.

All four of the #1 seeds are still alive, but perhaps the Phantom looks most vulnerable as he takes on the #13 seed, Belle, who has shown to have a ridiculous amount of supporters thus far.

Get the updated brackets by clicking here and cast your votes for round 3 below

 
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Posted by on 03/22/2012 in Broadway

 

Musical Madness- Round 2

20 Mar

by: Dan Mason (@djdan1079)

Round 1 of musical madness is in the books. While 11 lower seeds were victorious, only 5 of those could be considered big upsets.  Perhaps the most shocking result happened in the Valjean region where the #2 seed Dolly Levi lost by a 52-48% margin to the #15 seed, Roger. In fact, Rent was responsible for the other first round shocker as Angel treated Eliza Doolittle like an Akita named Evita and won by 4%.  Among the other first round surprises were losses by the soon to return to Broadway, Annie, who lost a nail biter to the 12th seed, Adelaide. Grizabella is now a distant memory after getting embarrassed by the #13 seed, Belle. In the Valjean bracket, the #6 seeded Effie White was a sleeper to win the tournament. Sadly, you, you, and you did NOT love her, and she loses to the #11 seeded Witch from Into The Woods.

Round 2 voting is now open and we have some interesting matchups. It’s a Kander & Ebb showdown in the Evita bracket, where Roxie Hart takes on the Emcee. We also have a battle of convicted felons when Valjean takes on Velma Kelly. In the Gypsy bracket, it’s a Patti Lupone-down when Mrs Lovett faces the top seeded Mama Rose. Diana from Next to Normal tries to make it 2 in a row over the relationship challenged. After defeating Bobby from Company in the first round, she now faces Roger.  See the the updated tournament brackets here. Voting is now open.

 
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Posted by on 03/20/2012 in Broadway

 

The SHN 2012-2013 Broadway Season Announced

20 Mar

The SHN 2012-2013 Season

Joining Previously Announced
THE BOOK OF MORMON:

DINER
THE LION KING
ANYTHING GOES
WICKED

SAN FRANCISCO (March 20, 2012) … SHN is pleased to announce the complete five-show 2012-2013 Season under the direction of Carole Shorenstein Hays. Productions joining the previously announced engagement of 2011 Tony Award-Winning Best Musical – THE BOOK OF MORMON are: the pre-Broadway world premiere of DINER, Disney’s THE LION KING, the Tony Award-winning revival of ANYTHING GOES and Bay Area favorite WICKED.

Pre-Broadway
World Premiere Musical
DINER
SHN Curran Theatre
October 23 – November 18, 2012
———————————–

Based on the critically acclaimed 1982 film, this world premiere musical features a book by Academy Award-winner and original DINER screenwriter Barry Levinson and music & lyrics by 9-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow.  DINER will be directed and choreographed by three-time Tony Award-winner Kathleen Marshall and is produced by BASE Entertainment (Co-CEO’s Scott Zeiger and Brian Becker).

DINER will play a four week limited engagement at the SHN Curran Theatre beginning Tuesday, October 23. Following the four week San Francisco engagement, DINER will go directly to Broadway for an opening in the spring of 2013.  Design team and casting will be announced at a later date.

DINER is set in Baltimore, 1959, when six high school friends reunite at the one place they know they’ll always belong: the Diner. Now in their twenties, the friends have stumbled into adulthood and struggle to keep from growing apart. Life, love, responsibility – it’s all on the table. DINER celebrates good times, great music and best friends.

“This is a fabulous collaboration…working with Sheryl and Kathleen,” said Barry Levinson. “It’s time to enter the next stage of the DINER journey…30 years later.”

“Our team is now ready to meet our next collaborator,” said Sheryl Crow, “the theatergoers at the Curran Theatre.”

“It is an honor and a privilege, not to mention a ton of fun, to work with artists as amazing as Barry Levinson and Sheryl Crow,” said Kathleen Marshall, “I am so thrilled to be part of bringing the musical DINER to the stage, and we can’t wait to go to San Francisco!”

“Watching this team has been extraordinary,” said Scott Zeiger, “They continuously push and challenge each other to new artistic heights. We knew that we needed to premier this new musical in a city with a savvy theater-going audience, so we are thrilled to launch DINER with SHN in San Francisco.”

Kathleen Marshall is currently represented on Broadway by the smash hit ANYTHING GOES and the upcoming premiere of the new Gershwin musical NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT.  DINER marks the Broadway debut of both Barry Levinson and Sheryl Crow.  Sheryl Crow has sold more than 35 million records worldwide including the singles “Soak Up the Sun,” “First Cut is the Deepest,” “If It Makes You Happy,” “Every Day Is A Winding Road,” “All I Wanna Do,” “Strong Enough,” “Leaving Las Vegas” and “Steve McQueen”.  Barry Levinson’s illustrious career includes the films Rain Man, Good Morning Vietnam, Bugsy, Tin Men, The Natural, Young Sherlock Holmes, Toys, Disclosure, Sleepers, Wag the Dog and Avalon.

DINER was Barry Levinson‘s screen directing debut, and he received an Academy Award nomination for his original screenplay. The bittersweet comedy starred Kevin Bacon, Ellen Barkin, Tim Daly, Steve Guttenberg, Paul Reiser, Mickey Rourke and Daniel Stern.

For more information visit: www.shnsf.com/shows/diner

 

Return of Disney’s
THE LION KING
SHN Orpheum Theatre
November 1, 2012 – January 13, 2013
—————————————-

By popular demand, Disney’s THE LION KING returns to San Francisco for the first time since its triumphant 43 week run at the SHN Orpheum Theatre in 2004. THE LION KING will play an 11 week engagement at the SHN Orpheum Theatre beginning November 1.

The North American production of THE LION KING has been seen by over 13.5 million theatergoers in more than 60 cities across North America and grossed over $875 million to date. Translated into seven different languages (Japanese, German, Korean, French, Dutch, Mandarin, and Spanish), the show has been performed in 14 different countries on five continents. 

THE LION KING won six 1998 Tony Awards:  Best Musical, Best Scenic Design (Richard Hudson), Best Costume Design (Julie Taymor), Best Lighting Design (Donald Holder), Best Choreography (Garth Fagan) and Best Direction of a Musical, making Taymor the first woman in theatrical history bestowed with the honor. Taymor, along with designer Michael Curry, has created hundreds of masks and puppets for THE LION KING. 

The book has been adapted by Roger Allers, who co-directed The Lion King animated feature, and Irene Mecchi, who co-wrote the film’s screenplay.  Other members of the creative team include:  Steve Canyon Kennedy (sound design), Michael Ward (hair and makeup design), John Stefaniuk (associate director), Marey Griffith (associate choreographer), Clement Ishmael (music supervisor).  Anne Quart serves as associate producer.

The Broadway score features Elton John and Tim Rice’s music from The Lion King animated film along with three new songs by John and Rice; additional musical material by South African Lebo M, Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, Julie Taymor and Hans Zimmer; and music from “Rhythm of the Pride Lands,” an album inspired by the original music in the film, written by Lebo M, Mark Mancina and Hans Zimmer. 

For more information please visit:
www.shnsf.com/shows/lionking

 

THE BOOK OF MORMON
SHN Curran Theatre
November 27 – December 30, 2012
————————————-

 

THE BOOK OF MORMON is the winner of nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical. THE BOOK OF MORMON will play a strictly limited five week engagement at the SHN Curran Theatre beginning November 27.

THE BOOK OF MORMON features book, music and lyrics by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone. Parker and Stone are the four-time Emmy Award-winning creators of the landmark animated series, “South Park.” Tony Award-winner Lopez is co-creator of the long-running hit musical comedy, Avenue Q.  The musical is choreographed by Tony Award-winner Casey Nicholaw (Monty Python’s Spamalot, The Drowsy Chaperone) and is directed by Nicholaw and Parker.

The New York Times says, “It’s the best musical of this century.” Vogue says, “It’s the funniest musical of all time.” And The Daily Show‘s Jon Stewart calls it “A crowning achievement. So good, it makes me angry.”

For more information please visit: www.shnsf.com/shows/bookofmormon

@bookofmormonbwy

 2011 Tony Award – Best Musical Revival

ANYTHING GOES
SHN Curran Theatre
January 8 – February 3, 2013
——————————

The Roundabout Theatre Company’s ANYTHING GOES, the new Broadway revival of Cole Porter’s timeless classic musical theatre masterpiece won the 2011 Tony Award for Best Musical Revival.  Director Kathleen Marshall also won the 2011 Tony Award for Best Choreography for her work on the show. ANYTHING GOES will play a limited four week engagement at the SHN Curran Theatre beginning January 8, 2013.

The rewrite of the 1934 musical comedy about the lovers, liars and clowns on a transatlantic cruise is “a daffy, shipshape romp!” – Variety. When the S.S. American heads out to sea, etiquette and convention head out the portholes as two unlikely pairs set off on the course to true love… proving that sometimes destiny needs a little help from a crew of singing sailors, an exotic disguise and some good old-fashioned blackmail. Cole Porter’s roundup of nostalgic hits in the production include “You’re the Top,” “Friendship,” “I Get a Kick Out of You,” “It’s De-Lovely,” “Blow, Gabriel, Blow” and, of course “Anything Goes.”

ANYTHING GOES is directed by Tony Award-winner Kathleen Marshall, features music and lyrics by Cole Porter; original book by P.G. Wodehouse & Guy Bolton and Howard Lindsay & Russel Crouse; and new book by Timothy Crouse and John Weidman. The creative team includes Bill Elliott (additional orchestrations), Rob Fisher (musical director) and David Chase (dance arranger). The design team includes Derek McLane (sets), Martin Pakledinaz (costumes), Peter Kaczorowski (lights) and Brian Ronan (sound).

For more information please visit: www.shnsf.com/shows/anythinggoes

Return of the Bay Area’s Most ‘Popular’ Musical
WICKED
SHN Orpheum Theatre
January 23 – February 17, 2013
———————————-

WICKED returns home to the Bay Area to bewitch audiences once again. WICKED will play a limited four week engagement at the SHN Orpheum Theatre beginning on January 23, 2013.

Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, WICKED has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and book by Winnie Holzman.  It is directed by Joe Mantello, with musical staging by Wayne Cilento. WICKED features set design by Eugene Lee, costume design by Susan Hilferty, lighting design by Kenneth Posner and sound design by Tony Meola.  The orchestrations are by William David Brohn, with dance arrangements by James Lynn Abbott. WICKED is produced by Marc Platt, Universal Pictures, The Araca Group, Jon B. Platt and David Stone.

WICKED is the untold story of the witches of Oz. Long before Dorothy drops in, two other girls meet in the land of Oz. One, born with emerald-green skin, is smart, fiery and misunderstood.  The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. WICKED tells the story of their remarkable odyssey, how these two unlikely friends grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good.

For more information please visit: www.shnsf.com/shows/wicked
@wicked_musical
#WickedSF

Ticket/Subscription Information:
The SHN 2012-2013 Season packages for new subscribers are currently available online at shnsf.com or by calling SHN Audience Services at 888-746-1799. Season package prices range from $197.50 – $567.50. Renewing subscribers will receive their renewal information in April. Single tickets will go on sale at a later date.

Connect with SHN…www.shnsf.com

www.facebook.com/shnbroadwayinsf

www.twitter.com/shnsf

www.youtube.com/user/SHNSanFrancisco

 
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Posted by on 03/20/2012 in Broadway

 

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Musical Madness- Round 1 Voting Is Underway!

19 Mar

We know we said5pm tomorrow, but by popular demand, we are tipping off the first round games early.

For the first time ever, the most iconic characters in musical theatre are battling it our for Broadway glory.  Welcome to the first annual “Musical Madness” tournament. Check out the full tournament brackets, then cast your vote below for each of the first round winners.  The deadline to vote is Friday at 5pm.  Check back later that night to see who advances and keep voting your favorite character closer to immortality!

 
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Posted by on 03/19/2012 in Broadway

 

It’s Musical Madness at The Broadway Critic Blog

19 Mar

by: Dan Mason (@djdan1079)

Chances are, if you are a diehard theatre fan who reads this blog on a regular basis, you are not the type of person who is inclined to spend four consecutive days in front of the television drinking in every second of coverage of the NCAA basketball tournament.

As a longtime March Madness fan, I maintain that the drama that unfolds this time of year is as good as anything that you can find on the great white way.  Or if the only show you saw this season was Lysistrata Jones, it’s actually ten times more entertaining.  Only during March Madness could a little school like Norfolk State upset a national powerhouse like Missouri, who was widely regarded as a favorite to win the championship. Their center, Kyle O’ Quinn, was the college basketball equivalent of Smash’s Karen Cartwright, going from anonymity to playing on the national stage overnight.

So what would happen if the 64 most iconic characters in musical theatre were matched up in a single elimination tournament?? Who would win?  Would it be the #1 seeded Phantom, whose mask has become synonymous with Broadway? Or would an upstart youngster with so much promise like Elder Cunningham wreck everyone’s brackets??

We are ready to find out.  Click this link to look over the field of 64.

Musical Madness

Starting tomorrow at 5pm PST, we will start the voting and you will choose the winners.

Let the madness begin!

 
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Posted by on 03/19/2012 in Broadway

 

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5 Reasons to Buy a Ticket to See the Revival of “Godspell” on Broadway

06 Mar

One of my favorite experiences in the theatre is walking into a show and being completely swept away by the production. This is exactly what happened when I saw latest revival of Godspell on February, 16th, 2012. I wasn’t really a fan of this show before I walked in the door, but as I walked out, I became a fan for life.

Here are the five reasons you should buy tickets to see Godspell:

5. Intimate Theatre Experience – With the Gershwin Theatre next door, (the highest seating capacity of any Broadway theatre, with 1,933 seats), Godspell is housed in one of the most intimate theatres on Broadway: The Circle in the Square Theatre. There’s not a bad seat in the house and it’s such a interesting atmosphere with the band situated around the entire house. I don’t know how much I would love that being the musical director, but it did give a fun feel to the overall show. You really feel like you are a part of the company and it allows the audience to be emotionally invested in the piece at a quicker pace than other times I’ve seen this show.

4. Lighting Design - The lighting design by David Weiner was incredible. It was absolutely stunning throughout the entire show, especially during the crucifixion scene.

You can see some of the design in this preview video below:

3. The Cast/Updated Book -  The night I saw it, I saw two understudies in the show: Hannah Elless (Broadway debut that evening), and Corey Mach. While, they were still finding their groove, the entire audience knew they were having fun, especially when Hunter Parrish came on with his big goofy grin. And Morgan Jame’s “Turn Back O Man” was absolutely fantastic! God that girl can belt!

The updated and fresh book gave the feeling that the show wasn’t dated at all. Throughout the entire night they were continually cracking jokes about current social and political topics. The direction, by Daniel Goldstein, was very thoughtful, fun, inventive and created a real community feel. (I loved all of the special effects that were added like the trampolines, Jesus walking on water and the beautiful crucifixion scene which I’ve already mentioned.) The improvisation in the show was extremely witty and super funny. The night we saw it Paul Shaffer (the band director of Late Night with David Letterman) was a guest star at the beginning of Act 2. He sang the original version of “Learn Your Lessons Well”. What a special opportunity and a complete surprise for us in the audience! Afterwards, there was an awesome talk-back that we could ask Paul questions and learn more about the start of Godspell back in 1970.

Overall, it was one of those “special” nights on Broadway where we saw something that will never be recreated.

2. The Updated Score - What a beautiful score! The new arrangements (especially the vocal arrangements) were stunning.

Listen to a few tracks here:

“Prepare Ye”

“All Good Gifts”

“Turn Back O Man”

1. Hunter Parrish’s – “Beautiful City”

This particular version of this song spoke to me. I can’t stop listening to this track. Get your tickets to hear this as soon as possible — word on the street is that Hunter might be leaving the cast this Spring.

Get tickets here.

 
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Posted by on 03/06/2012 in Theatre Review, Broadway

 

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Listening to: SMASH – “Let’s Be Bad”, Season 1 – Episode 5

06 Mar

The three songs available for last night’s episode of “Smash,” entitled “Let’s Be Bad,” include:

“Let’s Be Bad” – written by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman; performed by Megan Hilty.
“It’s a Man’s Man’s World” – written by James Brown and Betty Jean Newsome; performed by Katharine McPhee.
“A Song for You” – written by Leon Russell; performed by Will Chase.

In last night’s episode, Karen (Katharine McPhee) finds a new use for her acting talents as she joins Dev (Raza Jaffrey) at a high-powered government party. The drama between Michael (guest star Will Chase) and Julia (Debra Messing) heats up while Eileen (Anjelica Huston) and Tom’s (Christian Borle) ambitious assistant Ellis (Jaime Cepero) forge an alliance. Ivy (Megan Hilty) senses trouble in her relationship with Derek (Jack Davenport).

“Smash” is a musical drama that celebrates the beauty and heartbreak of the Broadway theater as it follows a cross section of dreamers and schemers who all have one common desire – to be a “Smash.” Evolving from an idea of executive producer and multiple Emmy and Oscar winner Steven Spielberg and created by executive producer/acclaimed playwright Theresa Rebeck, the series is also executive-produced by Darryl Frank, Justin Falvey, Craig Zadan, Neil Meron, Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman.

“Let’s Be Bad” – written by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman; performed by Megan Hilty.

“It’s a Man’s Man’s World” – written by James Brown and Betty Jean Newsome; performed by Katharine McPhee.

“A Song for You” – written by Leon Russell; performed by Will Chase.

 
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Posted by on 03/06/2012 in Broadway, Music, SMASH

 

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Listening to: SMASH – “The Cost of Art”, Season 1 – Episode 4

27 Feb

“The Cost of Art” – Karen (Katharine McPhee) must learn to advance in the high-stakes world of Broadway, as Derek (Jack Davenport) hosts a party for hot young star Lyle (guest star Nick Jonas). Eileen (Anjelica Huston) tries a sly new strategy for raising funds, while Tom (Christian Borle) goes on a first date. Debra Messing, Megan Hilty, Raza Jaffrey and Jaime Cepero also star.

“The Cost of Art” Track-List:
1.       “Haven’t Met You Yet” featuring Nick Jonas
2.       “I Never Met A Wolf That Didn’t Like to Howl” featuring Megan Hilty

Listen below:

“Haven’t Met You Yet” featuring Nick Jonas

“I Never Met A Wolf That Didn’t Like to Howl” featuring Megan Hilty

 
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Posted by on 02/27/2012 in Broadway, Music, SMASH

 

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