Latino Broadway news and stage highlights

‘In the Heights’: Original cast makes return!

(New York, NY) –January 14^th, 2013 –Today, Viva Broadway, an initiative of the Broadway League, in collaboration with 5000 Broadway Productions and the United Palace of Cultural Arts is thrilled to announce the full company for In The Heights: In Concert, a special, one-night only benefit concert at the United Palace of Cultural Arts in Washington Heights taking place on Monday, February 11^th at 8pm.

Joining composer-lyricist and original star Lin-Manuel Miranda on stage will be original Broadway cast members Christopher Jackson, Karen Olivo, Olga Merediz, Robin De Jesus, Mandy Gonzales, Andrea Burns, Seth Stewart, Janet Dacal, and Eliseo Roman. Rick Negron and Natalie Toro, from the In The Heights Broadway run and 1^st National Tour respectively, will be filling out the principal roles.

Original Broadway ensemble members Doreen Montalvo, Tony Chiroldes, Nina LaFarga, Rosie Lani Friedelman, Afra Hines, Javier Munoz, Luis Salgado, Shawn Taylor-Corbett, Rickey Tripp, Michael Balderama, Blanca Camacho, Rogelio Douglas, Jr. and Stephanie Klemons will also be returning for the concert.

Viva Broadway, an initiative of the Broadway League that aims to promote Broadway theatre within the Latino community, presents the concert.  Tickets are currently available via Telecharge.com.

After a six-month, award-winning off-Broadway run in 2007, In the Heights began previews on Broadway Feb. 14, 2008. The musical opened on Broadway March 9, 2008, and recouped its $10 million investment in ten months. It concluded its Broadway run Jan. 9, 2011, after 1,185 performances. 

In the Heights earned Tony Awards for Best Musical and Best Original Score, as well as Best Choreography and Best Orchestrations (Alex Lacamoire and Bill Sherman).

The concert is produced by Miranda, along with Stephen Gabriel and Luis A. Miranda, Jr.

In the Heights, according to the creators, “tells the universal story of a vibrant community in New York’s Washington Heights neighborhood – a place where the coffee from the corner bodega is light and sweet, the windows are always open and the breeze carries the rhythm of three generations of music. It’s a community on the brink of change, full of hopes, dreams and pressures, where the biggest struggles can be deciding which traditions you take with you, and which ones you leave behind.”   

Tickets for IN THE HEIGHTS: IN CONCERT may be purchased online by visiting Telecharge.com (212-239-6200).For additional information on IN THE HEIGHTS: IN CONCERT, please visit www.linmanuel.com, www.manhattantimesnews.com and www.broadwayleague.com.

‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ To Become a Broadway Musical

Will ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ become a Broadway musical? Guillermo del Toro‘s ‘El Laberinto del Fauno‘ (Pan’s Labyrinth) is officially in development to become a theatrical musical. Read More

‘Annie’ returns to Broadway in November!

“The sun will come out, tomorrow …” are the letters that the girls ‘Annie‘ singing in the Broadway musical that is about to return to performing on Broadway later this year.

The next version of ‘Annie‘ on Broadway in 1977 musical “Annie” has release date and place

The young actress Lilla Crawford (“Billy Elliot”) take the lead role, but the adult cast is still unknown.

“Annie,” will begin previews on Oct. 3 and will have its official opening on Nov. 8.

‘Evita’ on Broadway gets first TV commercial

If you were to ask any theater fan what is the show they are most looking forward to seeing this year, a large majority will probably tell you ‘Evita’. Why? One name. Ricky Martin. Word of mouth has been so widespread on his co-starring role that any advertising would be almost unnecessary. Nevertheless, and to be on the safe side, producers have launched their PR minions to let those who have been sleeping under a rock that – “Ricky is coming, Ricky is coming!”

The marketing blitz began on radio approximately 2 weeks ago and has expanded now onto TV. Thanks to Youtube, we got our hands on the :15 second commercial that shows Martin, nicely shaved and tan, with the other two talented leads in Argentine actress Elena Rogers and Broadway veteran Michael Cerveris (Sweeney Todd). Even though the ad is brief, it’s haunting. The musical is gaining momentum and by the time it opens on April 5th, it’ll become an event.

Have a look below at the first ‘Evita’ on Broadway television commercial starring Ricky Martin.

Synopsis: Eva Perón used her beauty and charisma to rise meteorically from the slums of Argentina to the presidential mansion as First Lady. She won international acclaim and adoration from her own people as a champion of the poor, while glamour, power and greed made her the world’s first major political celebrity. EVITA tells Eva’s passionate and tragic story through Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s most dazzling and beloved score, which includes “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina,” “Another Suitcase in Another Hall” and “High Flying Adored,” together with “You Must Love Me,” the Oscar-winning hit from the film EVITA.

Bobby Cannavale to star in Broadway’s ‘Funny Girl’

FUNNY GIRL, starring two-time Emmy Award nominee Lauren Ambrose as Fanny Brice and two-time Tony Award nominee and Emmy Award winner Bobby Cannavale as Nick Arnstein, will open on Broadway in April, 2012 at the Imperial Theatre (249 West 45th Street), following its engagement at Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles from January 15 through February 26, 2012, it was announced today by producer Bob Boyett. Additional casting, preview and opening dates will be announced shortly. It will be the first time FUNNY GIRL will be on Broadway since the 1964 original production.
 
FUNNY GIRL features music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Bob Merrill and book by Isobel Lennart, and will be directed by Tony Award-winner Bartlett Sher.
 
“It’s been 47 years since FUNNY GIRL has been on Broadway, but I’m sure that everyone is as thrilled as I am to have it back in New York this spring, following our Los Angeles engagement,” commented producer Bob Boyett.  “Fanny Brice was the greatest star of the early 20th century and we cannot wait to examine this fascinating woman’s life and career, with our great stars Lauren Ambrose and Bobby Cannavale and the incredibly talented Bart Sher at the helm with his extraordinary creative team.”
 
FUNNY GIRL is the road-to-stardom story of legendary entertainer Fanny Brice (Lauren Ambrose), from her start in a Brooklyn music hall to her meteoric rise as a headliner in the Ziegfeld Follies.   While her career soars, she falls in love with charming gambler Nick Arnstein (Bobby Cannavale), just as his own lucky streak is running out.  FUNNY GIRL is an irresistible backstage drama, a heartbreaking romance and a classic musical comedy filled with unforgettable songs by the team of Jule Styne and Bob Merrill including “Don’t Rain on My Parade,” “I’m the Greatest Star,” “The Music That Makes Me Dance,” and the iconic hit “People.”
 
FUNNY GIRL originally opened on Broadway on March 26, 1964 at the Winter Garden Theatre and played for 1,348 performances.  FUNNY GIRL was a hit on national tour and in London and was adapted to the screen for the popular 1968 movie version, but has not played Broadway since the original production closed in 1967.
 
Scenic design is by Michael Yeargan, costume design by Catherine Zuber, lighting design by Donald Holder and sound design by Scott Lehrer.  Music director is Kimberly Grigsby.  Choreographer is Christopher Gattelli.
 
FUNNY GIRL will be produced in Los Angeles at the Ahmanson Theatre by Center Theatre Group, with special permission from Bob Boyett, Sonia Friedman Productions, Jean Doumanian, Stacey Mindich and Tim Levy. FUNNY GIRL will be produced on Broadway by Bob Boyett, Sonia Friedman Productions, Jean Doumanian, Stacey Mindich, Tim Levy and Center Theatre Group.

Almodovar’s ‘Breakdown’ on Broadway set for Oct 8th!

Lincoln Center Theater (under the direction of André Bishop, Artistic Director, and Bernard Gersten, Executive Producer) has announced that it’s production of the new musical WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN,  will now begin performances on Friday, October 8 at 8pm at the Belasco Theatre (111 West 44 Street).  Opening night for the musical, based on the film by Pedro Almodóvar, with a book by Jeffrey Lane, music and lyrics by David Yazbek and direction by Bartlett Sher,  will remain as originally scheduled on Thursday, November 4 at 6:45pm.

“WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN” needs more technical rehearsal time and so we will start performances on Friday, October 8 at 8pm.  We are very sorry to inconvenience so many theatergoers who have purchased tickets for these now cancelled performances.  We apologize to all of you who are affected by this change,”  said André Bishop and Bernard Gersten in a joint statement on behalf of the Lincoln Center Theater staff.

Ticket holders for performances through Thursday, October 7 can either exchange their tickets for a future performance or get a refund at point of purchase.
 
WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN features features de’Adre Aziza, Laura Benanti, Danny Burstein, Justin Guarini, Nikka Graff Lanzarone,  Patti LuPone, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Mary Beth Peil, Sherie Rene Scott with Julio Agustin, Alma Cuervo, John Carroll, Murphy Guyer, Rachel Bay Jones, Nina Lafarga, Yanira Marin, Sean McCourt, Vivian Nixon, Luis Salgado, Jennifer Sanchez, John Schiappa, Samantha Shafer, Phillip Spaeth, Matthew Steffens and Charlie Sutton.

‘The Addams Family’ is headed to Broadway

The new musical THE ADDAMS FAMILY, based on the bizarre and beloved family of characters created by legendary cartoonist Charles Addams, will open Thursday, April 8, 2010 at Broadway’s Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (205 West 46th Street).  Previews begin Thursday, March 4, 2010 following a pre-Broadway engagement at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre in Chicago that begins Friday, November 13, 2009. 
 
THE ADDAMS FAMILY is produced by Stuart Oken, Roy Furman, Michael Leavitt and Five Cent Productions, by special arrangement with Elephant Eye Theatrical.
 
Starring two-time Tony Award winners Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth as Gomez and Morticia, THE ADDAMS FAMILY features two-time Tony Award nominee Terrence Mann as Mal Beineke, two-time Tony Award nominee Carolee Carmello as Alice Beineke, two-time Tony Award nominee Kevin Chamberlin as Uncle Fester, Jackie Hoffman as Grandmama, Zachary James as Lurch, Adam Riegler as Pugsley, Wesley Taylor as Lucas Beineke and Krysta Rodriguez as Wednesday.
 
THE ADDAMS FAMILY features a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice (librettists of the 2006 Tony Award-winning Best Musical, Jersey Boys), music and lyrics by Drama Desk Award-winner Andrew Lippa (The Wild Party), direction and design by Phelim McDermott and Julian Crouch (Shockheaded Peter, The Metropolitan Opera’s Satyagraha) and choreography by Sergio Trujillo (Next to Normal, Jersey Boys).
 
In this original story, the famously macabre Addams Family is put to the test when outsiders come to dinner, hurling Gomez, Morticia, Wednesday, Pugsley, Fester, Grandmama and Lurch headlong into a night that will change the family forever.
 
In a prolific career spanning six decades, Charles Addams created several thousand cartoons, sketches and drawings, many of which were published in The New Yorker. But it was his creation of characters that came to be known as The Addams Family that brought Addams his greatest acclaim. With a unique style that combined the twisted, macabre and just plain weird with charm, wit and enchantment, Addams’ drawings have entertained millions worldwide and served as the inspiration for multiple television series and motion pictures.

For more information on THE ADDAMS FAMILY, visit www.theaddamsfamilymusical.com.