Amanda Green Performs From Hands on a Hardbody, Part One: "The Tryers"

The original Broadway cast recording of the Tony Award-nominated Hands on a Hardbody – which was based on the 1997 documentary film by S.R. Bindler – was released Aug. 27 on Ghostlight Records. Playbill had a chance to sit down with Amanda Green who, along with Trey Anastasio, penned music and lyrics for the musical. Green chatted about the songwriting process and ran through two songs. In Part One of this two-part series, she performs "The Tryers," the first tune she wrote for the show. Although eventually cut, the song was resurrected as a bonus track for the cast recording. Visit sh-k-boom.com for more details.





Amanda Green Performs From Hands on a Hardbody, Part Two: "I'm Gone"

The original Broadway cast recording of the Tony Award-nominated Hands on a Hardbody – which was based on the 1997 documentary film by S.R. Bindler – was released Aug. 27 on Ghostlight Records. Playbill had a chance to sit down with Amanda Green who, along with Trey Anastasio, penned music and lyrics for the musical. In Part Two of this two-part series, Green performs "I'm Gone," a tune inspired by the real life postal service job of one of the film's subjects. Visit sh-k-boom.com for more details.





 

John Tartaglia and Duncan Sheik in Rehearsal for Upcoming 54 Below Gigs

John Tartaglia's Decade Three (Sept. 8 and 16) will feature songs that the performer, now in the midst of his third decade of life, thinks best define his career so far. The eclectic set list will contain the funny, campy and outrageous (for example, Gary Adler and Phoebe Kreutz 's "Second Cousin") as well as the moving and meaningful (Jason Robert Brown's '"Stars and the Moon"). A singer-songwriter and a composer of musicals such as Spring Awakening, Duncan Sheik (Sept. 9-14) will perform selections from his wide body of work, including tunes from both his new album "Legerdemain" and the upcoming musical theatre production American Psycho. For details, visit 54below.com.





 

Orlando Bloom and Zachary Quinto Ready For Broadway Debuts, Evita and Peter and the Starcatcher on Tour and More on the Next "On Stage Across America"

The September episode of "On Stage Across America" features Hollywood stars Orlando Bloom and Zachary Quinto who are set to make their Broadway debuts in Romeo and Juliet and The Glass Menagerie, respectively. Productions of Evita and Peter and the Starcatcher take to the road with national tours and Rachelle Rak, a veteran of Broadway shows including Catch Me If You Can and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, talks about working in the world of reality television.

On the first Saturday of each month, "On Stage Across America" will bring interviews with Broadway stars, writers, producers and directors, as well as the latest backstage theatre scoop, to Time Warner subscribers across the U.S. Click here for your local listings.





Brian d'Arcy James is Under the Influence of Sting, Genesis and Squeeze

In this exclusive peek at his cabaret show Under the Influence, Brian d'Arcy James chatted with Playbill about a choice he made early in his life which caused him to realize how important music was. Looking back at these formative years, Under the Influence features songs by the artists that affected James the most — Steve Winwood, Peter Gabriel, Billy Joel and others. Here, James and band give a sample of the show's set list including tunes made famous by Sting, Genesis and Squeeze. 54 Below performances are Sept 5-7. Visit 54below.com for details.