One major aspect of this production that helps give it a "classic" sound is the lavish 28-piece orchestra. More recently, many Broadway shows have been orchestrated to be played by a smaller number of musicians. "It's thrilling to have a full-sized orchestra," Follies' musical director boasted.
Frank Sinatra. Twyla Tharp. Two legendary names in their respective fields of artistry. The first is heralded as one of the music industry’s greatest singers. The other, a leader amongst modern choreographers, wowing audiences with her work across many genres.
Broadway means big business for the city of New York, as this past season brought in nearly $10 billion for the local economy, grossing upwards of a billion dollars for the theatrical community. When you look outside of Times Square, around the country, Broadway means even bigger business for local communities.
"It's been a huge challenge and a huge privilege," War Horse's playwright, Nick Stafford, recently told me after winning a Tony Award. "In the beginning, it seemed like an impossible task to write this play. To have the main character not be able to speak was a challenge."
The happy couple’s entire relationship has been built around the world of Shrek, as the two first met while doing an early workshop of the then Broadway-bound musical, they fell in love while performing in the out-of-town Seattle production.
As the warm months of summer arrive, across the country, local communities are carrying on a long-running tradition of performing Shakespeare’s classic works in parks and outdoors venues. New Yorkers have the Public Theatre’s Shakespeare in the Park series, currently playing in Central Park, while nearly every major city across the country has some form of The Bard’s work playing throughout the summer.
For the past two weeks, the show’s creative team has been working with Shields as she prepares to replace Bebe Neuwirth as the matriarch of the ghoulish family.
During a recent performance of Broadway’s new musical Catch Me If You Can, audiences were treated to a special guest appearance, although it’s likely that nobody watching the show had any idea who was stepping into a role for a one-night stint.
As Nick Adams left the stage following a matinee performance of Broadway’s La Cage aux Folles last year, he headed to his dressing room and discovered a voicemail message from his agent. He looked at one of his co-stars and said that he knew exactly what the message said.
It started with a Colombian production of a Broadway classic. West Side Story, a beloved musical of both stage and screen, being sung entirely in Spanish. For the location, it was an obvious choice, but for New York City, not as much.
