Playbill Presents
Broadway Phantom Gets Video Visit From London at 10,000th NYC Performance
The Broadway production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the
Opera — already the longest-running show in Broadway history —
reached
another milestone at the 2 PM matinee on Feb. 11: Its 10,000th
performance.
The special benefit performance for The Actors Fund at the Majestic
Theater
included cake, champagne and a video greeting (seen here) from London-
based composer
Lloyd Webber, producer Cameron Mackintosh and the London company
of the hit. In attendance Saturday were alumni of Phantom from over the years, and choreographer Gillian Lynne. Read
more about Phantom on Broadway here.
Playbill Presents
OBSESSED!: Alice Ripley's Understudy Audition for Evita
Broadway favorite Alice Ripley ( Next to Normal) joins Seth to share
memories of an usual marriage proposal received when she was working as "set
decoration" on "Hee Haw." Then, Alice offers her Tony-winning talents to the
upcoming revival of Evita, but not before belting out a bluesy
rendition a new song she wrote, "Beautiful Eyes." For Seth Rudetsky's weekly
column, click here.
Playbill and the Players
All-Star Cast of Gore Vidal's The Best Man Mines Humor in Political Strife
With a starry cast boasting James Earl Jones, Angela Lansbury, John
Larroquette, Eric McCormack, Candice Bergen, Kerry Butler and Michael
McKean, the Broadway revival of Gore Vidal's The Best Man promises
dramatic and incisive commentary reflective of today's political climate,
with a healthy dose of humor. Set during the Republican convention of the
1960s, Larroquette and McCormack play candidates dueling for the party
nomination. Directed by Michael Wilson ( Dividing the Estate), the
show begins previews on April 1 at Broadway's Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre. For
more on the history of the show and Gore Vidal, click here.
Playbill Presents
PLAYBILL VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: Tommy Tune Talks About Carol Channing
On the occasion of Tony Award winner Carol Channing's 91st birthday on Jan. 31, Playbill launches a handful of exclusive outtakes from the new documentary feature "Carol Channing: Larger Than Life," which gets its New York City release Feb. 3 at the AMC Empire. In this outtake from the film, Tony-winning actor-director-choreographer Tommy Tune reflects on the one-of-a-kind Channing, and her ability to reach the balcony. Look for more of these DVD-bound clips on Playbill.com in the coming days. Read our interview with the film's director Dori Berinstein here.
Playbill and the Players
Their Time: Meet the Encores! Merrily We Roll Along Cast
Merrily We Roll Along, the Stephen Sondheim-George Furth musical that famously tells its characters' 25-year history by moving backward in time, is complex enough without the added burden of a short rehearsal process for the new Encores! concert production. But principals Celia Keenan-Bolger, Colin Donnell, Adam Grupper, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Elizabeth Stanley are up for the challenge, juggling the story's "magic-trick" construction that has them playing jaded, middle-age adults in Act One and eager showbiz wannabes at the climax. James Lapine directs. View the earlier Playbill Video that offers a sample of the Feb. 8-19 concert here.
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