RENT Ending Run on Broadway

After over a dozen years on Broadway.

The show will end on June 1st of this year and will end up as the 7th longest run in Broadway history.

"Co-producer Jeffrey Seller told the newspaper that ticket sales slowed noticeably in the fall. He did not immediately return a telephone call early Wednesday from The Associated Press.

Seller told the Times the show faced competition from such newer musicals as Legally Blonde: The Musical, which opened in April 2007, and Spring Awakening, which opened in December 2006.

Still, when Rent opened, "I couldn't have foreseen that we'd get to five years," he said."

You can read more HERE.

My So Called (Broadway) Life

One of the smartest actresses around is FINALLY making the smart move and going to Broadway!

Claire Danes, who many consider on of the younger generations greatest female artists, has accepted the role of Eliza Doolittle in the revival of George Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion".

For those of you saying; "Wait a minute, Eliza Doolittle is from 'My Fair Lady'", you're right, but "My Fair Lady" was based on "Pygmalion". :)

The production opens at New York's Roundabout Theatre Company on Oct 18th (previews start about a month before that) and is schedule to run into December.

Leave the Ghost Light On

Why?

Because the post-Tony closings on Broadway have begun. According to the Yahoo! a number of shows will be closing in the coming weeks.

"Pirate Queen" closes this weekend. "Talk Radio" and "LoveMusik" also both end Sunday.

"Radio Golf" and the revival of "Company" both close on July 1.

July 8th says goodbye to "Inherit the Wind" while we turn the A/C on "110 in the Shade" as it closes on July 29th the same day we say goodbye to "Beauty and the Beast" after 13 years.

If you get to Broadway before the end of August you'll be able to catch "Frost/Nixon", "The Year of Magical Thinking" or "Deuce" before they close that month.

And the 2007 Tony Award Goes To...

The shiny silver awards were presented last night and the show everyone is ashamed to say they love (due to very strong story lines, graphic sexual overtones, etc) couldn't stop winning!

The musical "Spring Awakening", brought to us by a team including Duncan Sheik (yes, THAT Duncan Sheik who is 'Barely Breathing'), won eight awards including Best Musical, Best Book and Best Original Score (yup, Duncan Sheik now has a Tony).

The performances were very cool last night and David Hyde Pierce (yes, Niles from Frasier) gave a very emotional and heartfelt acceptance speech after winning the Tony for Best Performance by a Leading Actors in a Musical. (view the transcript)

Full List of Nominees and Winners:

Best Musical
Curtains
Grey Gardens
Mary Poppins
*Spring Awakening

Best Performance By a Leading Actress in a Musical
Laura Bell Bundy, Legally Blonde The Musical
*Christine Ebersole, Grey Gardens
Audra McDonald, 110 in the Shade
Debra Monk, Curtains
Donna Murphy, LoveMusik

Best Performance By a Leading Actor in a Musical
Michael Cerveris, LoveMusik
Raúl Esparza, Company
Jonathan Groff, Spring Awakening
Gavin Lee, Mary Poppins
*David Hyde Pierce, Curtains

Best Play
*The Coast of Utopia
Frost/Nixon
The Little Dog Laughed
Radio Golf

Best Performance By a Leading Actor in a Play
Boyd Gaines, Journey's End
*Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Brían F. O'Byrne, The Coast of Utopia
Christopher Plummer, Inherit the Wind
Liev Schreiber, Talk Radio

Best Performance By a Leading Actress in a Play
Eve Best, A Moon for the Misbegotten
Swoosie Kurtz, Heartbreak House
Angela Lansbury, Deuce
Vanessa Redgrave, The Year of Magical Thinking
*Julie White, The Little Dog Laughed

Best Revival of a Musical
The Apple Tree
A Chorus Line
*Company
110 in the Shade

Best Revival of a Play
Inherit the Wind
*Journey's End
Talk Radio
Translations

Best Direction of a Musical
John Doyle, Company
Scott Ellis, Curtains
Michael Greif, Grey Gardens
*Michael Mayer, Spring Awakening

Best Special Theatrical Event
*Jay Johnson: The Two and Only
Kiki & Herb Alive on Broadway

Best Direction of a Play
Michael Grandage, Frost/Nixon
David Grindley, Journey's End
*Jack O'Brien, The Coast of Utopia
Melly Still, Coram Boy

Best Performance By a Featured Actress in a Play
*Jennifer Ehle, The Coast of Utopia
Xanthe Elbrick, Coram Boy
Dana Ivey, Butley
Jan Maxwell, Coram Boy
Martha Plimpton, The Coast of Utopia

Best Choreography
Rob Ashford, Curtains
Matthew Bourne and Stephen Mear, Mary Poppins
*Bill T. Jones, Spring Awakening
Jerry Mitchell, Legally Blonde The Musical

Best Performance By a Featured Actress in a Musical
Charlotte d'Amboise, A Chorus Line
Rebecca Luker, Mary Poppins
Orfeh, Legally Blonde The Musical
*Mary Louise Wilson, Grey Gardens
Karen Ziemba, Curtains

Best Original Score
Curtains
Music: John Kander
Lyrics: Fred Ebb, John Kander & Rupert Holmes

Grey Gardens
Music: Scott Frankel
Lyrics: Michael Korie

Legally Blonde The Musical
Music & Lyrics: Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin

*Spring Awakening
Music: Duncan Sheik
Lyrics: Steven Sater

Best Book of a Musical
Curtains, Rupert Holmes & Peter Stone
Grey Gardens, Doug Wright
Legally Blonde The Musical, Heather Hach
*Spring Awakening, Steven Sater

Best Performance By a Featured Actor in a Musical
Brooks Ashmanskas, Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me
Christian Borle, Legally Blonde The Musical
John Cullum, 110 in the Shade
*John Gallagher, Jr., Spring Awakening
David Pittu, LoveMusik

Best Performance By a Featured Actor in a Play
Anthony Chisholm, Radio Golf
*Billy Crudup, The Coast of Utopia
Ethan Hawke, The Coast of Utopia
John Earl Jelks, Radio Golf
Stark Sands, Journey's End

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
*Bob Crowley, Mary Poppins
Christine Jones, Spring Awakening
Anna Louizos, High Fidelity
Allen Moyer, Grey Gardens

Best Scenic Design of a Play
*Bob Crowley & Scott Pask, The Coast of Utopia
Jonathan Fensom, Journey's End
David Gallo, Radio Golf
Ti Green and Melly Still, Coram Boy

Best Costume Design of a Musical
Gregg Barnes, Legally Blonde The Musical
Bob Crowley, Mary Poppins
Susan Hilferty, Spring Awakening
*William Ivey Long, Grey Gardens

Best Costume Design of a Play
Ti Green and Melly Still, Coram Boy
Jane Greenwood, Heartbreak House
Santo Loquasto, Inherit the Wind
*Catherine Zuber, The Coast of Utopia

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
*Kevin Adams, Spring Awakening
Christopher Akerlind, 110 in the Shade
Howard Harrison, Mary Poppins
Peter Kaczorowski, Grey Gardens

Best Lighting Design of a Play
Paule Constable, Coram Boy
Brian MacDevitt, Inherit the Wind
*Brian MacDevitt, Kenneth Posner, and Natasha Katz, The Coast of Utopia
Jason Taylor, Journey's End

Best Orchestrations
Bruce Coughlin, Grey Gardens
*Duncan Sheik, Spring Awakening
Jonathan Tunick, LoveMusik
Jonathan Tunick, 110 in the Shade

Regional Theatre Tony Award
*Alliance Theatre, Atlanta, GA (announced earlier this spring)

Tony Performances Announced

Eight musical performances, including all four Best Musical nominees and three of the nominated shows for Best Musical Revival, have been announced for THE AMERICAN THEATRE WING’S 61ST ANNUAL TONY AWARDS, to be broadcast live from Radio City Music Hall, Sunday, June 10 (8:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network. The awards honor theatre professionals for distinguished achievement on Broadway.

THE 61ST ANNUAL TONY AWARDS will feature performances from each of the Best Musical Nominees — "Curtains," "Grey Gardens," "Mary Poppins" and "Spring Awakening," as well as performances by Best Musical Revival nominees "A Chorus Line," "Company" and "110 in the Shade." Additionally, the show will feature a special performance by Fantasia of “The Color Purple.”

Jeff Daniels, Brian Dennehy, Judd Hirsch, Melina Kanakaredes, Robert Sean Leonard, John Mahoney, Cynthia Nixon, Christopher Plummer and Sam Waterston have been added as presenters. Previously announced presenters for the 2007 Tony Awards are Harry Connick, Jr., Claire Danes, Carla Gugino, Neil Patrick Harris, Anne Heche, Marg Helgenberger, Felicity Huffman, Eddie Izzard, Jane Krakowski, Angela Lansbury, Audra McDonald, Bernadette Peters, David Hyde Pierce, Liev Schreiber, Kevin Spacey, John Turturro, Usher, Vanessa Williams, Rainn Wilson and The Jersey Boys - Christian Hoff, Daniel Reichard, J. Robert Spencer and John Lloyd Young.

Nominees in the 25 competitive categories were announced on Tuesday, May 15. The TONY AWARDS, presented by the American Theatre Wing and the League of American Theatres and Producers, have been broadcast on CBS since 1978. This year marks the 10th anniversary that the Tonys are being held at the historic Radio City Music Hall .

The Tonys were founded in memorial to Antoinette ("Tony") Perry, the American Theatre Wing's World War II chairperson. The winners are selected by the governing board of Actors Equity, The Dramatists Guild, the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, the United Scenic Artists, the Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers, the Casting Society of America, the American Theatre Wing and members of the League of American Theatres and Producers, as well as journalists.

THE AMERICAN THEATRE WING’S 61ST ANNUAL TONY AWARDS are a presentation of Tony Award Productions, which is a joint venture of the League of American Theatres and Producers and the American Theatre Wing. Emmy winners Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss of White Cherry Entertainment will return as executive producers. Weiss will also serve as director for the eighth consecutive year. Elizabeth Ireland McCann returns as managing producer and Joey Parnes will serve as coordinating producer for Tony Award Productions.

Presenters Named for 2007 Tony Awards

Harry Connick, Jr., Claire Danes, Carla Gugino, Neil Patrick Harris, Anne Heche, Marg Helgenberger, Felicity Huffman, Eddie Izzard, Jane Krakowski, Angela Lansbury, Audra McDonald, Bernadette Peters, William Petersen, David Hyde Pierce, Liev Schreiber, Kevin Spacey, John Turturro, Usher, Vanessa Williams, Patrick Wilson, Rainn Wilson and The Jersey Boys – Christian Hoff, Daniel Reichard, J. Robert Spencer and John Lloyd Young have been set to present on THE AMERICAN THEATRE WING’S 61ST ANNUAL TONY AWARDS, to be broadcast live from Radio City Music Hall , Sunday, June 10 (8:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network. The awards honor theatre professionals for distinguished achievement on Broadway.

Nominees in the 25 competitive categories were announced on Tuesday, May 15. The TONY AWARDS, presented by the American Theatre Wing and the League of American Theatres and Producers, have been broadcast on CBS since 1978. This year marks the 30th broadcast of the Tony Awards on CBS and the 10th anniversary that the Tonys are being held at the historic Radio City Music Hall .

The Tonys were founded in memorial to Antoinette ("Tony") Perry, the American Theatre Wing's World War II chairperson. The winners are selected by the governing board of Actors Equity, The Dramatists Guild, the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, the United Scenic Artists, the Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers, the Casting Society of America, the American Theatre Wing and members of the League of American Theatres and Producers, as well as journalists.

THE AMERICAN THEATRE WING’S 61ST ANNUAL TONY AWARDS are a presentation of Tony Award Productions, which is a joint venture of the League of American Theatres and Producers and the American Theatre Wing. Emmy winners Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss of White Cherry Entertainment will return as executive producers. Weiss will also serve as director for the eighth consecutive year. Elizabeth Ireland McCann returns as managing producer and Joey Parnes will serve as coordinating producer for Tony Award Productions.

Bloom Heading to the Theater.

He's running away from Pirates and Hobbits as fast as he can to get his head in a new game.

Orlando Bloom, who has gone through all three "Lord of the Rings" and "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies, is heading to the stage.

Reuters has the story in which they state:

"Bloom, 30, begins rehearsals in June for "Celebration" by British playwright David Storey. The play will open in July.

'I just need to do this," Bloom said in an interview last week. 'I wanted to feel like going back to basics in a sense and having just a completely different experience.'"

First Comes the Nominations...

In this case, the Tony Awards.

The biggies for Broadway.

Led by "Spring Awakenings'" 11 nominations, the complete lists of noms was released.

Along with "Awakenings" the Best Musical category (generally the one the majority of the public has an interest in) also contains "Curtains", "Grey Gardens", and "Mary Poppins".

The Best Musical Revival category looks at "The Apple Tree", "A Chorus Line", "Company" and "110 in the Shade".

The rest of the noms can be seen at the Tony Awards official site.

The awards will be on CBS on June 10th at 8PM EST.

New Meaning to "Movie Musical"

I just found this little gem that I didn't even know existed!

Tomorrow a documentary is being released in the theaters called "ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway". It's a documentary that follows four of the biggest shows of 2004. "Wicked", "Avenue Q", "Caroline or Change" and "Taboo".

The Wizard of Oz Witches' Prequel, Adult Sesame Street, Civil Rights, and the story of Boy George. What a wacky foursome huh?

The trailer looks very good. It won the "Spotlight Selection" at the Tribeca Film Festival but I doubt it will do well in the theaters. However, I also don't doubt that it will be on PBS relatively shortly for everyone to see!

Prepare Yourselves for Blonde Broadway

Some movies make sense to transform into musicals.

The Producers was a musical that was based on a movie about making a musical. So, that makes sense. Don't forget they also made a movie based on the musical based on a movie about making a musical.

Wicked is based on a prequel to The Wizard of Oz. We've all seen the movie, singing, dancing, fa la la 'ing. (The Youtube link up there is the Tony performance of Defying Gravity - amazing)

The Wedding Singer. Ok, it was filled with great 80s music and features a main character that makes his living SINGING!

Footloose. A movie all about dancing, so a Broadway show all about dancing!

But... now playing ... LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL. Umm, I don't remember much about the movie, but I don't remember Reese running around singing and dancing through it. Do you?

Mary Poppins Flies in for Awards...

New York's Outer Theater Circle award nominations have been released, and Mary Poppins may be bringing a few back to the clouds with her.

The Disney musical was nominated for best Broadway musical, best new score, best director of a musical and acting nominations for its stars Gavin Lee and Ashley Brown.

Max and Leo Take Their Last Bow

The Producers, the multi-Tony award winning musican by Mel Brooks, took its final curtain call on Sunday.

The show ran for 2,502 performances.

The show, originally starring Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane, won a record 12 Tony Awards and spawned a movie version of the musical that was based on a movie.

Spidey Sings...

Two Cents reader, Robby K, sent along this story from Playbill.com.

Apparently Spiderman the Musical may be coming to Broadway! But wait, before you think it's the worst idea ever, listen to this.

The director will be Julie Taymor who directed The Lion King on broadway and the music is being written by Bono and The Edge from U2!

Could end up being VERY good!

They Say The Neon Lights Are Bright...

... On Broadway!

And so are the stars who are coming to the NYC theater scene!

This season you'll be able to go to Broadway and see actors including; Kevin Spacey, Angela Lansbury, Christopher Plummer, Brian Dennehy, Michael Cerveris, Jeff Daniels, Jackie Mason and Whoopi Goldberg!

Do you enjoy live theater? Ever been to a Broadway show?

Two Cents & Five Questions With...

... Melissa Cashion, Stage Manager DCT

Melissa is currently touring the country with the Dallas Children's Theater's production of "A Midnight Cry" by James DeVita, which is described on the website as "Fleeing the cruelties of oppression and the brutality of plantation life, Lida, a young slave, begins a dangerous trek on the Underground Railroad. Full of uplifting spirituals, hope and inspiration, A Midnight Cry is a compelling drama of one slave’s perilous journey to freedom."

The DCT is known as one of the best theatrical touring companies in the country. The DCT is, according to their website, "Rated by TIME Magazine as one of the top 5 theaters in the nation performing for youth, Dallas Children’s Theater is a professional theater serving more than 250,000 young people and their families through its 11 main stage productions, national touring company, and education and outreach programs. As the only major organization in Dallas focusing solely on youth and family theater, DCT builds bridges of understanding between generations and cultures, instilling an early appreciation of literature, art and the performing arts in tomorrow’s artists and patrons."

Melissa took some time out from the tour to give us her Two Cents & Five Answers.

Two Cents: Please tell the Two Cents readers a little about yourself, the show, and what job duties you perform with the touring company.
Melissa Cashion: Actress/Puppeteer/Stage Manager/Lighting Designer
Currently Serving as Production Stage Manager for Dallas Childrens Theater's National Tour. My duties in this particular position include technical advances for shows at 65 venues across the country, load in/out for each show, and managing the group in the theatre among other things.

TC: How did you get your start with live theater?
MC: I did my first show at the age of 13 when I was cast in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. I stage managed my first show the following summer.

TC: What fun websites do you visit for your own entertainment?
MC: I love youtube, of course, games on coffeebreakarcade.com, and I'm a sucker for the eonline gossip section.

TC: What is the most embarassing 'fad' you completely bought in to?
MC: Probably jelly shoes. And I knew they were dumb the first time around.

TC: Where do you see yourself within the "biz" in the near future?
MC: I wish I knew. As long as I'm working, I'll be happy.

*Two Cents Bonus Question*
If someone were to climb off a desert island and only have time to watch five movies to learn what American cinema is all about, what five movies would you show them?
MC: Ghandi, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Dirty Dancing, Vertigo, Ferris Bueller's Day Off

A big thanks to Melissa for spending some time with The Two Cents and look for her tour to come to a town near you!

I'm Sorry, We Cannot Complete Your Call as Dialed...

When did it become 'ok' to talk on your cell phone while in a public quiet place like doctor's offices, restaurants, lines at the bank... we don't want to hear your conversations people! And don't get me started on the people with bluetooth little things on their heads that make them look like LOBOT from Empire Strikes Back!

Then, the people who not only don't turn off their cell phones at movies or theaters but actually answer and TALK! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!? HANG UP! Let me tell you, being a performer on the stage there is NOTHING more annoying than hearing a cell phone go off (especially now with all the insane songs they play, no one just rings anyore) but to then hear one side of a conversation!

Well, the Russians have fixed the problem at one theater. They've installed a devise that BLOCKS cell reception in the theater. I LOVE the idea of this. It wasn't too long ago that people didn't have to be in 24/7 contact with the outside world, what can the 3 hours a play takes, mean you missed? If you're a brain surgeon or your wife is very pregnant - ok, I'll give you that, everyone else.... HANG UP!