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
Sitting Ovation! August Wilson Theatre Gets Ergonomic Seating in Mass Replacement Job
Audiences at Broadway's Jersey Boys have been more at home than ever since the whirlwind Jan. 8-10 installation of firmer seat cushions in the 1,250-seat auditorium of the August Wilson Theatre. Jujamcyn Theaters president Jordan Roth and seating expert Ian Moore discuss the posture-enhancing makeover that's been prompting theatregoers to sit up and cheer (before they stand up and cheer). Read the Playbill.com story here.

Playbill Presents
PLAYBILL VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: Lily Tomlin Recalls Carol Channing's Stage and Fashion Presence in New Documentary
In this exclusive film documentary outtake, Lily Tomlin remembers waiting by the stage door for Carol Channing to appear. With a flashy fashion sense that matched her on-stage persona, Channing made an indelible mark on Tomlin's psyche and influenced her decision to create her own one-woman show. Directed by Dori Berinstein, "Carol Channing: Larger Than Life" has its New York City Premiere at the AMC Empire on Feb 3. To hear Chita Rivera's thoughts on Channing, click here.

Playbill Presents
Amra-Faye Wright, Chicago's "B**** in the Box"
Chicago's Amra-Faye Wright takes Playbill on a tour of the famous "Velma-vator" and talks about her nine years of playing Velma Kelly on Broadway, the West End and even Japan. To read about her return to the Chicago stage, click here.

Playbill Presents
PLAYBILL VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: Chita Rivera Talks Carol Channing in "Larger Than Life" Documentary
In an exclusive outtake from "Carol Channning: Larger Than Life," a new feature documentary directed by Dori Berinstein, legendary Tony winner Chita Rivera tells the story of the first time she saw Carol Channing on stage — as a "force of nature" in The Vamp. Following a Jan. 20 Los Angeles launch, the film premieres in New York City at the AMC Empire on Feb 3. To hear Tommy Tune's thoughts on Channing, 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.

Playbill Presents
OBSESSED!: Julia Murney "Wigs" Out Over Wicked's Plan B, "Adult" Voice-Overs and "People Who Need People"
Over the years, Julia Murney (Wicked, Lennon) has had a bevy of unique experiences in the theatre. Whether it's an argument with an all-too-observant fan over whether or not she was wearing a wig in The Wild Party, failing to defy gravity in Wicked, doing voice-overs for a spicy cable network, or filling some big, Streisand-sized shoes, Julia keeps Seth entertained with her "crazazy" tales. For Seth Rudetsky's weekly column, click here.

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