Playbill Presents Kinky Boots Star Billy Porter Journeys to The Land of Lola Tony nominated Kinky Boots star Billy Porter arrives at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre long before each performance to begin his transformation into fabulous drag queen Lola. Porter invited Playbill to his dressing room before a recent performance for an exclusive look at the process. To find out more about Kinky Boots, visit PlaybillVault.com.
Playbill Presents OBSESSED!: Frances Ruffelle Recreates Eponine’s Iconic Pose Using Her “Monkey Arms” Frances Ruffelle, Les Miz's original Eponine, joins Seth in studio to chat about her Tony-winning role as well as her experiences in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Starlight Express — basically, friends should NOT let friends roller-skate after a few drinks! Ruffelle then gives a sample of her signature tune "On My Own" with some slightly altered lyrics and another sample which illustrates exactly why Eponine’s classic pose looks like it does. Read Seth’s weekly column. Visit his online home at SethTV.com.
Playbill and the Players Laura Benanti's 54 Below Gigs Will Entertain You and Your Grandmother Television and Broadway star Laura Benanti is doing what she describes as her "favorite thing" — singing on stage in an environment that allows for audience interaction. The set list for her upcoming 54 Below gigs (May 20-25) is a virtual "mix-tape" of songs that promises to entertain audiences of all ages. Expect tunes from shows like The Boy Friend and from artists like Harry Chapin, Lana Del Rey and Ellie Goulding, as well as original tunes penned by Benanti and her pianist-arranger-musical director Todd Almond. The 54 Below engagement will be recorded for an upcoming CD release. For tickets and info visit 54Below.com.
Playbill and the Players Pasek and Paul (and Mendez) Ready to Bite Into Dogfight Original Cast Recording Based on the film starring River Phoenix, Dogfight (with music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul) has racked up multiple nominations this awards season, coinciding with the release of the show's original cast recording and a special CD release concert featuring most of the cast and musicians from the Second Stage Theatre production. In this exclusive in-studio video, Pasek, Paul and leading lady Lindsay Mendez run through Dogfight tunes in preparation for the May 15 event. For more on the concert and CD release, read the Playbill story.
Playbill and the Players George Salazar Bangs the Drum for F#%king Up Everything George Salazar is known as a performer with roles Off-Broadway and in the hit Broadway revival of Godspell. What many fans might not know is that Salazar's first love was not musical theatre, but drumming. From his earliest days, Salazar was inspired by his father's playing and naturally developed percussion skills of his own. In this exclusive profile, Playbill caught up with Salazar at the Elektra Theatre where he is currently a cast member of F#%king Up Everything. This new comic musical not only displays his chops as a musical theatre performer but also as a drummer — Salazar sits behind the skins for the shows 23 songs. Check out a Playbill Playlist with the show's Salazar, Max Crumm, and Jason Gotay.
