2014 Tony Nominees Sutton Foster, Jessie Mueller, Kelli O'Hara, Cherry Jones and More Talk Inspiration

2014 nominees Sutton Foster, Jessie Mueller, Kelli O'Hara, Mary Bridget Davies (Best Actress in a Musical), Cherry Jones (Best Actress in a Play), Lauren Worsham, Lena Hall (Best Featured Actress in a Musical), Celia Keenan-Bolger and Sarah Greene (Best Featured Actress in a Play) sat down with Playbill at the April 30 Tony Awards media event. The actresses spoke about the inspirations in their lives that brought them to Broadway. See the Tony-nominated actresses give their take on the Broadway experience.





The Phantom of the Opera's Sierra Boggess and Norm Lewis Celebrate First Curtain Call

Sierra Boggess (Christine Daaé) and Norm Lewis (The Phantom), the newest stars of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera, took the stage for a curtain call after their first performance on May 12. Fans and castmates alike celebrated the pair, while Boggess (who had a previous run as Christine Daaé on Broadway from Jan. 21, 2013-March 2, 2013) made it clear who she was cheering for. See the Photo Call as Lewis donned the Phantom mask for the first time.





Kenneth Branagh Talks About How Immersive Macbeth Came to Be

Five-time Academy Award nominee Kenneth Branagh will direct and star in an immersive version of William Shakespeare's Macbeth, to be staged in New York City's Park Avenue Armory. The 55,000-square-foot venue will place audience members "on the frontlines of battle," according to press notes. Here, Branagh discusses how the large-scale production (co-directed by Tony winner Rob Ashford) came to be. Previews begin May 31. Read the Playbill story.





Andy Karl, Ramin Karimloo and Tony-Nominated Men: "I Want to Do That"

2014 Tony Award nominees Ramin Karimloo, Jefferson Mays, Bryce Pinkham, Andy Karl (Best Actor in a Musical), James Monroe Iglehart (Best Featured Actor in a Musical), Reed Birney, Brian J. Smith (Best Featured Actor in a Play) and Jason Robert Brown (Best Orchestrations and Best Original Score) sat down with Playbill to chat about the people and experiences that inspired them to take the stage. See what the Tony-nominated women had to say.





Jonathan Groff, Denis O'Hare and "The Normal Heart" Cast: "Thank God This Movie Was Made"

Jonathan Groff, Denis O'Hare, Taylor Kitsch ("Friday Night Lights"), Frank De Julio ("Smash," "Gossip Girl") and Sean Meehan ("Blue Bloods," "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3") took to the red carpet at New York City's iconic Ziegfeld Theatre for the world premiere screening of "The Normal Heart." Based on Larry Kramer's Tony-winning play — and with a screenplay by Kramer — the film is a personal, emotional and harrowing look at the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s. The cast members chatted with Playbill about the importance of the film, the heroism of Kramer and his contemporaries and the need to live an open and honest life. See highlights from the play's 2011 Broadway production.





OBSESSED!: Seth Rudetsky, Who Considers Himself a Dog Person, Invites David Hibbard and Cats to the Studio

Seth Rudetsky is back with a brand-new episode of OBSESSED! This time, he's got Broadway veteran David Hibbard (who just finished playing the scheming Tony in Seth's Off-Broadway production of Disaster) in studio. Hibbard is probably best known for playing Rum Tum Tugger in the Broadway production of Cats. After some eight years in the role, he learned valuable lessons about life in the theatre, including why it's good to avoid lawsuits and how to quickly apply his cat makeup. Here, he demonstrates the latter skill while performing "The Rum Tum Tugger" backed by a chorus of Cats aficionados. Read Seth’s weekly column. Visit SethTV.com, Seth’s online home.