Pippin's Circus Pitches a Broadway Tent In a reimagined Pippin on Broadway, director Diane Paulus
brings new and old to the coming-of-age musical: She weaves new circus elements with Bob Fosse-style choreography based on the original 1972 production. Paulus sought out Chet Walker, himself a member of the original company of the Stephen Schwartz classic, to channel the work of the master choreographer Fosse. Paulus, Walker, cirque creator Gypsy Snider and stars Patina Miller and Matthew James Thomas
talk about the techniques and experience of melding the two worlds. Read the Playbill interview with Paulus at the time of the A.R.T. tryout of Pippin.
Bebe Neuwirth Rehearses "Ring Them Bells" and "Mr. Bojangles" For New Show Bebe Neuwirth's first solo album titled "Porcelain" features story-songs written by the likes of Kander and Ebb, Kurt Weill, Stephen Sondheim, and Tom Waits. The two-time Tony winner brings her revamped show, Stories With Piano #4, to 54 Below, which features many songs off "Porcelain," as well as a selection of new material, to tell an array of musical stories of love, pain and laughter. Here, Neuwirth rehearses for her March 18-23 gig at the New York hotspot singing "Mr. Bojangles" and Kander and Ebb's "Ring Them Bells." To see Neuwirth's Broadway history, visit Playbillvault.com.
EXCLUSIVE: Liza Minnelli and Alan Cumming in Concert Liza Minnelli and Alan Cumming share a link: she won an Oscar for her performance as Sally Bowles in the film version of Cabaret, he won a Tony playing the Emcee in the 1998 Broadway revival of the John Kander and Fred Ebb classic. After they performed together in the summer 2012 on Fire Island, Minnelli and Cumming decided to pair up again — this time at New York's Town Hall — for March 13 and 14 performances in celebration of Minnelli's 67th birthday. Playbill was on hand to capture some sights and sounds of the evening, as the duo paid homage to Kander and Ebb. For more on the performances read the Playbill story.
In Rehearsal With It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's Superman From the songwriters of Bye Bye Birdie, It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's Superman, a satiric musical look at the DC Comics hero, ran for 129 performances on Broadway in 1966. City Center Encores! brings back the Charles Strouse (music) and Lee Adams (lyrics) musical March 20-24 for a concert version that will keep the swingin' '60s sound and the frisky humor intact. Stars Edward Watts (Superman/Clark Kent) Jenny Powers (Lois Lane) and cast, along with director John Rando and choreographer Joshua Bergasse ("Smash"), met the media to preview three tunes — "It's Superman," "You've Got Possibilities" and "It's Super Nice" — and chat about bringing the campy musical oddity out of obscurity and down to earth. Meet the cast in a Playbill Photo Call.
Bob Fosse's "Cabaret" Film Turns 40 With Joel Grey, Michael York and Marisa Berenson With the release of a new digitally remastered Blu-ray Disc and a 40th anniversary to celebrate, the cast of director Bob Fosse's 1972 feature film version of "Cabaret" met the media. Revamped from the Kander and Ebb stage musical, the Liza Minnelli star-making vehicle featured new songs that replaced others cut in order to keep the musical performance "on stage" and steeped in realism. The film also revisited the original texts that inspired the stage musical and re-focused the story along more personal lines. Here, stars Joel Grey, Michael York and Marisa Berenson are joined by the director's daughter Nicole Fosse to chat about the history and legacy of the groundbreaking cinematic musical. To see the Playbill from the original Broadway musical, visit Playbillvault.com.
Berry Gordy's Motown Troupers Revel in Music History Based on his 1995 memoir "To Be Loved: The Music, the Magic, the Memories of Motown," Berry Gordy’s Motown: The Musical charts his rise to the top of a Detroit-based record empire that defined the music of the 1960s. Charles Randolph-Wright directs the new Broadway show, which stars Brandon Victor Dixon as Gordy, Valisa Lekae as Diana Ross, Charl Brown as Smokey Robinson and Bryan Terrell Clark as Marvin Gaye. The production features classic Motown hits as well as several new songs written by Gordy. Here, cast and creatives meet the press to chat about constructing a world that echoes real life. Watch a musical preview from the show.
Sneak Peek at the New Broadway Pippin The cast and creatives of the Broadway revival of Pippin met the press to preview the production fresh from its critically-acclaimed run at A.R.T. in Cambridge, MA. Directed by Diane Paulus, the classic Stephen Schwartz-Roger O. Hirson musical finds a troupe of medieval performers telling the story of Pippin, a monarch's son who longs for an extraordinary life. Chet Walker (a member of the original Broadway company) choreographs the production in the style of Bob Fosse, flavored with circus-movement from Gypsy Snider (Cirque du Soleil, Off-Broadway's Traces). Here, Matthew James Thomas (Pippin), Patina Miller (the Leading Player), Terrence Mann (Charles) and the cast run though several of the show's numbers, including "Corner of the Sky," "Glory" and "Simple Joys." See the complete cast at Playbillvault.com.
A Sneak Peek At The Sounds Of Motown: The Musical Founded in 1960 by songwriter Berry Gordy, Detroit's Motown Records primed such iconic acts as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, the Supremes, Stevie Wonder, the Temptations, Marvin Gaye and the Jackson 5 for music industry glory — despite the racially turbulent era. Directed by Charles Randolph-Wright, with book by Gordy himself, Motown: The Musical uses the songs of the legendary Motown catalogue to chart the rise of the music mogul and the stars he created. Here, the cast runs through classics "Do You Love Me," "My Girl" and "I Want You Back" for a recent media day. See the Playbill story on the production, which begins previews March 11 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.
In Rehearsal with Nick Adams and the Cast of Songs for a New World Concert Nick Adams, Ashley Brown, Jessica Rush and Michael James Scott will perform Tony winner Jason Robert Brown's Songs for a New World at NYC's XL Cabaret on March 11. The theatrical song cycle features titles such as "Flying Home," "The Flagmaker, 1775," "I'd Give It All for You," "Hear My Song," "King of the World" (all performed by the cast in this rehearsal-room video) and the concert favorite "Stars and the Moon." Newsies'Jeff Calhoun directs and James Sampliner serves as musical director. Performances are 7 PM and 9:30 PM. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Performing Arts Project. Read the Playbill news story.
