Archive for February, 2007
Photo Tease: Friends in Footwear for Friends in Deed
February 28, 2007 12:48 pm
Raul Esparza—Broadway’s very own Bobby Bubbi—went shoe shopping in Soho with the ladies of Company yesterday. But it wasn’t just a casual jaunt—the group headed to trendy footware designer té casan, where 10% of proceeds from the sale of 36 styles sold in the month of February are being donated to Friends in Deed in honor of National AIDS Awareness Month. In addition, the store donated 20% of all purchases made by the cast. But what does té casan really have to do with the Stephen Sondheim classic anyway? The company is based in Barcelona, silly! More photos to come! Photo by Bruce Glikas for Broadway.com
Raves for Radcliffe in Equus
10:17 am
Photo by Marilyn Kingwill for Theatre.com
“Can Daniel Radcliffe cut it on stage? Without a doubt.”—Matt Wolf, Theatre.com
“Daniel Radcliffe brilliantly succeeds in throwing off the mantle of Harry Potter, announcing himself as a thrilling stage actor of unexpected range and depth.”—Charles Spencer, The Daily Telegraph
“Radcliffe proves an assured actor.”—Benedict Nightingale, The London Times
“The revelation of this revival is that Daniel Radcliffe really can act.”—Michael Billington, The Guardian
“There can be little doubt that Radcliffe, particularly in the second half of the play, has a considerable stage presence.”—Paul Callan, The Daily Express
“What was striking was the emergence of young Radcliffe in the artistic raw, tested as an actor and found equal to a stretching role.”—Quentin Letts, The Daily Mail
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Stage newbie/nudie Daniel Radcliffe, or “Harry Potter” if you prefer, woke up to a bundle of supportive reviews for his debut in Equus from the London papers this morning (even better than those for playwright Peter Shaffer!). Check them all out over at Theatre.com, where you’ll also find extensive photos from the show.
Watch This: Avenue Q in Londontown
February 27, 2007 11:43 pm
Get a look at life on Avenue Q in London with this new exclusive video on Theatre.com. The very charming Simon Lipkin (and very close furry friends Nicky and Trekkie Monster) takes our camera on a backstage tour at the Noel Coward Theatre. Watch it!
“I’m very proud of what we did. It wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea. I know a lot of people felt that we sort of sucked all the ethnicity out of it, and on the face of it, I suppose it did look like that. It must have seemed a bit odd to look at the cast list and see names like Laura [Michelle] Kelly and Sally Murphy, Tricia Paoluccio and Alfred Molina [laughs heartily]. Where’s the Jewishness here? But I was never upset by people’s worry that the show wasn’t Jewish enough. I think we had a brief, which was to try and strip away the decades of shtick and the assumptions that had been made about the show, and to get back to the core of what the musical was about. And we did it with the writers’ blessing. [Director] David Leveaux really set the tone when he said on the first day of rehearsal, ‘I’m not going to use the word revival, because that sounds like something you do to something that’s already dead. This musical is far from dead.’”
Read more about Molina’s thoughts on Fiddler and his newest project, Howard Katz, in this week’s Q&A by Kathy Henderson.
Photo Tease: Effie Triumphant
February 26, 2007 9:55 pm
Here she is, arriving at the Vanity Fair party at Morton’s. More photos over at Hollywood.com. Photo by Dave Edwards/DailyCeleb.com
Photo Tease: A New Billy
3:04 pm
Kudos to London’s Billy Elliot for always keeping the casting of the show ethnically diverse. Above is new lead Layton Williams (with shadow dancer Isaac James), the first black star of the show and the second non-Caucasian to play the role. He starts tonight. Break a leg, Layton! For more photos, check out Theatre.com.
“Jennifer Holliday, Too!”
12:42 am
No matter that original Broadway Effie Jennifer Holliday took it upon herself to get on E! during the Academy Awards pre-show and belt out “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going.” Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson came out of Hollywood’s awards season remaining as humble and classy as she went in, shouting out “Jennifer Holliday, too!” from the stage as her acceptance speech ended. Backstage, she finished out the thought for ABC’s cute “Thank You Cam,” which allowed winners to ramble on. Hudson’s video is especially adorable because she doesn’t have many more people to thank–and reacts, again, with humility and class when an off-camera assistant suggests she thanks American Idol. Watch the video here.
It’s Official: She Is (Almost) Here
February 22, 2007 8:44 pm
Finally, the news is released: Fantasia will play Celie in The Color Purple starting April 10. I, for one, am psyched. The Season Three winner sang “I’m Here” from the show live on American Idol tonight and she was incredible. Now they need to get her in the recording studio ASAP and get that song on the Billboard charts!!!
But Does He Have a Magic Foot?
7:25 pm
With the wave of former American Idol contestants taking to the stage, my Tuesday/Wednesday obsession is finally justified: I’m just looking for the stars of tomorrow, people!
I don’t know if semi-finalist Chris Sligh (left) has aspirations for Broadway, but there’s a juicy part just waiting for him: William Barfee in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee! I mean, the guy doesn’t even need a wig, unlike current lead Jared Gertner (right)!
I’m pretty sure Chris won’t get the boot on tonight’s elimination show, but if he does, there’s always Broadway.
Ready for Coram Boy?
2:52 pm
I’m digging the just-revealed poster for Coram Boy, the grand new adventure play which starts performances at the Imperial Theatre on April 16. Find out more about this hit from London by clicking here.
Stage Notes
