News: ‘Hamilton’ has huge night with 11 Tony Awards
[ Written on June 14 2016 by Francesca ]
Pop-culture phenomenon Hamilton snagged the lion’s share of Tony Awards and Jessica Langeadded to her already-full trophy collection, but the annual celebration of Broadway’s best was as interested in honoring the victims of the Orlando shootings.
“This is a dream come true and it fills me with such happiness on a sad day like this,” said Lange, the winner of Oscars, Emmys and Golden Globes who accepted her first Tony for leading actress in a play for Long Day’s Journey Into Night.
The ultra-popular musical Hamilton had a big night, winning 11 honors including best musical, leading actor for Leslie Odom Jr., featured actress for Renée Elise Goldsberryand featured actor for Daveed Diggs. It fell one short of The Producers’ record 12 wins in 2001. [Source]
News: Stop the Bots From Killing Broadway
[ Written on June 11 2016 by Francesca ]
Almost a year ago, the curtain rose for “Hamilton” at the Richard Rodgers Theater. Since that day, everyone involved in the production has had many wonderful experiences to cherish — from the performance when we hosted President Obama and the first lady to the heartfelt stories we hear from theatergoers outside the stage door.
But we share one regret: the lack of availability of tickets means that many people who want to see “Hamilton” can’t. Part of this problem, as it is for many Broadway shows, is simple economics: The demand for tickets exceeds the number of seats in the theater on a given night.
But there is another significant factor exacerbating this problem that is unfair to customers, and that lawmakers in Albany can help us solve.
Many would-be customers complain that tickets to their favorite shows, concerts and sporting events are sold out within minutes — if not seconds — after they are posted for sale. [continuo at source]
News: ‘Freestyle Love Supreme’ Has a New Home
[ Written on June 10 2016 by Francesca ]
Beginning June 23, the comedy-centric service will exclusively stream episodes of Freestyle Love Supreme, a musical improv show featuring Miranda’s improv group of the same name. The series, which was based on live performances in which FLS would turn audience cues into musical numbers, aired on Pivot in 2014. Those episodes will now stream on Seeso along with newly edited material featuring the original cast, which includes Christopher Jackson (Hamilton), Utkarsh Ambudkar (The Mindy Project), Chris Sullivan (The Electric Company) and Anthony Veneziale (The Electric Company).
“It’s crazy to think about how long we’ve been performing as a group,” Miranda said. “The number of boy bands we’ve outlived in that time in staggering! No matter what happens in each of our lives, we all come back to Freestyle Love Supreme. It’s our touchstone, and it’s gratifying to be able to share this series anew with the world.” [Source]
News: ‘Mary Poppins’ Sequel Gets Title & Release Date
[ Written on June 03 2016 by Francesca ]
Disney’s live-action sequel to its 1964 classic Mary Poppins will hit theaters on December 25, 2018, as Mary Poppins Returns. The company just announced the title and date for its film starring Emily Blunt and Lin-Manuel Miranda. The studio earlier had staked that Christmas date for an “Untitled Disney Live Action #2.”
Blunt will star as the magical English nanny, and Hamilton star Miranda will play a new character, a street lamplighter named Jack. Set in Depression-era London, it follows a now-grown Jane and Michael Banks, who, along with Michael’s three children, are visited by the enigmatic Mary Poppins following a personal loss. Through her unique magical skills, and with the aid of her friend Jack, she helps the family rediscover the joy and wonder missing in their lives. [source]