Friday, March 30, 2007

Wonderful Town




Based upon the play My Sister Eileen by Joseph Fields and Jerome Chodorov and the stories by Ruth McKenney about her baby-faced but man-slaying sister,
Wonderful Town celebrates and thrives on the pulse of jazz-age New York. The classic and familiar score includes "It's Love," "Christopher Street" "A Little Bit In Love," "One Hundred East Ways" and "Ohio."Wonderful Town also boasts a 2004 Tony Award for Best Choreography for its Director and Choreographer Kathleen Marshall, who has created some of the slinkiest, kickiest and jazziest moves on Broadway today, including a conga line you won't want to miss!

Thursday, March 29, 2007

Prelude to a kiss


In Prelude to a Kiss, Peter and Rita follow their whirlwind courtship with a storybook wedding. After a mysterious elderly man appears and kisses the bride at the wedding, the two lovers are sent on a magical journey that they will never forget. As they struggle to come to terms with their relationship and Rita's nagging doubts, their love is put to the test by unknown forces. This revival comes after a successful Off-Broadway production starring Alec Baldwin and Mary Louise Parker, a Broadway production starring Parker and Timothy Hutton and a film version starring Baldwin and Meg Ryan.

Cats


Cats was first shown in London's West End, at the New London Theatre, on May 11, 1981. It was originally produced onstage by Cameron Mackintosh and Lloyd Webber's The Really Useful Theatre Company. It was directed by Trevor Nunn, associate director and choreographer Gillian Lynne, designed by John Napier with lighting by David Hersey. The show then made its debut on Broadway on October 7, 1982 at the Winter Garden Theatre with the same production team. On June 19, 1997, Cats became the longest running musical in Broadway history with 6,138 performances. It played a total of 8,949 performances in London and 7,485 in New York. Its New York record was surpassed on January 9, 2006, by The Phantom of the Opera, which was also composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Cats' final performance on Broadway was on September 10, 2000. Its final performance in London's West End was on its 21st birthday, May 11, 2002 and broadcast on a large screen in Covent Garden to the delight of fans who could not acquire a ticket for the final performance. It held the record as the world's longest running musical until 8 October 2006, when it was surpassed by Les Miserables.
In
1998, Andrew Lloyd Webber produced a video version of Cats, based upon the stage performance augmented for the medium of film, starring Elaine Paige, who originated the role of Grizabella in London; Ken Page, who originated Old Deuteronomy on Broadway; Sir John Mills as Gus; Michael Gruber as Munkustrap; John Partridge as The Rum Tum Tugger; and many other dancers and singers drawn largely from stage productions of the show. It was directed for film by David Mallet, with choreography and musical staging by the show's respected original creator Gillian Lynne in London's Adelphi Theatre, and was released on VHS and DVD, as well as broadcast on Television worldwide.

A Chorus Line


In an empty theatre, on a bare stage, casting for a new Broadway musical is almost complete. For 17 dancers, this audition is the one opportunity to do what they've always dreamed of. Not to be the star, but to get the job … to have the chance to dance and come through. This is A Chorus Line, the musical for everyone who's ever had a dream and put it all on the line. Winner of nine Tony Awards , including “Best Musical” and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, this singular sensation is the longest-running American musical ever. Now, meet the new generation of Broadway's best when A Chorus Line reclaims its place in the heart of New York, and in the hearts of theatergoers everywhere.

The Producers


Based on the Academy Award-winning 1968 film of the same name, The Producers is the story of down-on-his-luck theatrical producer Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom, a mousy accountant. Together, they hatch the ultimate scam: Raise more money than you need for a sure-fire Broadway fiasco...and pocket the difference.The Producers has become a Broadway phenomenon, turning the tradition of a Broadway musical on its head and earning more Tony Awards than any other show in the history of the Great White Way. With tunes and a book by superstar comedian Mel Brooks and co-bookwriter Thomas Meehan (Hairspray), this big-time Broadway musical is truly one of the funniest shows around.Stop by The Producers to visit "Little Old Lady Land," hear Ulla belt and laugh so hard you won't know what to do with yourself. "Everything you've heard is 100% true," says Clive Barnes of the New York Post. The Producers is "a cast-iron, super-duper mammoth old-time Broadway hit!"

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Lion King


Giraffes strut, birds swoop, gazelles leap! The entire savanna comes to life and, as the music soars, Pride Rock slowly rises out of the stage. This is The Lion King. The winner of six 1998 Tony Awards, including Best New Musical, it is the story of a young lion cub named Simba who struggles to accept the responsibilities of adulthood and his destined role as king. To bring the classic 1994 film to life, Disney turned to the story's roots, its rich mythology, powerful human drama and primal African rhythms to create a fantastic new musical unlike anything Broadway has ever seen.
Marvel at the breathtaking spectacle of animals miraculously brought to life by a cast of over 40 actors in what The London Daily Telegraph calls "a blaze of fabulous imagination." Wonder at the inspiration of award-winning director/designer Julie Taymor, as one of the most successful films in history is stunningly recreated live on stage. Thrill to the pulsating rhythms of the African Pride Lands and an unforgettable score including Elton John and Tim Rice's Oscar-winning "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" and songs by South African composer Lebo M, Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, Julie Taymor, and Hans Zimmer. Treat yourself and your friends and family to a memory that will last a lifetime at the musical Time Magazine calls "awe-inspiring" and "a gorgeous, gasp-inducing spectacle!" The Lion King is an adventure into another world.

Mary Poppins




Based on P.L. Travers' cherished stories and the classic 1964 Walt Disney film, Mary Poppins - currently one of London's biggest sensations - features the Sherman brothers' original Academy Award-winning songs, and Oliver Award-winning director Richard Eyre leads a dream team of vision and stagecraft, bringing to life the story of the Banks family and their magical nanny.Mary Poppins marks the first collaboration between Disney, producer of the acclaimed The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, and Tarzan, and Cameron Mackintosh, legendary producer
of the record-breaking The Phantom of the Opera, Cats and Les Miserables. The result is a new musical so extraordinarily enchanting that you'll have just one word for it: "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!"