Evita Returns To Broadway

With Ricky Martin!


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Chita, Rita & The Divine Miss M

I was searching YouTube for a clip to post in honor of Chita Rivera's 79th birthday (which is today), and I came across this little gem. Check out Chita Rivera, Rita Moreno and Bette Midler performing "America" from West Side Story - it's a Broadway Queen's dream!

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For The Broadway Queens

The Kennedy Center honors Broadway legend Barbara Cook with a musical tribute featuring Glenn Close, Audra McDonald and the DIVA - Miss Patti LuPone (among others). Seriously, one of the best 11 minutes I've ever spent on the innerwebz.

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Afternoon Lupone Break: "The Ladies Who Lunch"

Broadway Break: Elaine Stritch - I'm Still Here

In honor of the fact that we all survived yesterday, here's Jack Donaghy's mom - AKA Elaine Stritch - performing I'm Still Here from the Steven Sondheim show Follies. This was part of Stritch's (who was in her mid-70's at the time) Tony Award-winning performance of her one-woman show At Liberty.

BTW - if you've never seen At Liberty, you must find it and watch it immediately. That's an order...

Happy Birthday To A Diva

I'd like to extend very happy birthday wishes to Broadway legend, memorable Will & Grace guest star, and Corky's mom - Patti LuPone. To celebrate, let's enjoy Miss LuPone in her 2008 performance of Everything's Coming Up Roses from the Tony Awards. THIS, my darling DustBunnies, is what they mean when they refer to someone as a STAR...

Patti LuPone in Talks to Star in "Hello Dolly!"

That sound you just heard was the collective squeals of a thousand Broadway Queens reacting to the news that Patti LuPone is in talks to star in a Broadway revival of Hello Dolly!. ZOMG!!!!

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Carol Channing - Back Where She Belongs

Carol Channing wowed 'em at the annual Gypsy of the Year benefit in early December - proving that even at 90-years-old, you can't take the Broadway out of the girl. Remember - Miss Channing had her first Broadway hit in 1949 (!) when she starred in Gentlemen Prefer Blonds:

 

The Gypsy of the Year competition is a six-week-long fundraiser for Broadway Cares/Equity Fight AIDS in which cast members of various shows ask for donations at the end of each performance. The "Gypsy" in the title refers to the "chorus kids" - the actors/singers/dancers who make of the chorus of Broadway musicals. This was the 22nd annual Gypsy of the Year competition, and a total of $3,776,720 was raised by members 63 Broadway, Off-Broadway, and national touring company shows.

This year's performance also paid tribute to the fabled "Gypsy Robe" (below) - which is presented to the most senior gypsy on the opening night of every musical. From Wikipedia:

Broadway musical chorus members are referred to as gypsies to signify their continuous travel from job to job in show after show. The chorus member with the most Broadway credits wears the robe and circles the stage three times moving counterclockwise. Other cast members look on and touch the robe for luck.

The ritual dates to 1950, when Bill Bradley, a chorus member in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, sent a dressing gown from one of his fellow performers to a friend performing in Call Me Madam. A feathered rose from Ethel Merman's costume was attached to the robe and it was then given to a chorus member in Guys and Dolls. The robe continued to be passed from one show to another, each time with a memento added on.

The ritual is now more formal, with rules about how it is presented, worn, and displayed. When robes are full of artifacts, a new robe is started. Retired robes are kept at the Lincoln Center library, at the Smithsonian, and at Actors' Equity.

 

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Laundry Time

Broadway Boy Charlie Williams

I've been putting off the trip to the Laundromat all weekend, but clean underwear cannot be postponed any longer. Ugh...

Happy Birthday to Jerry Herman

Angela Lansbury, Jerry Herman, Carol Channing

For those of you who aren't familiar with Broadway legend Jerry Herman (from Wikipedia):

Jerry Herman (born July 10, 1931) is an American composer and lyricist, known for his work in Broadway musical theater. He composed the scores for the hit Broadway musicals Hello, Dolly!, Mame, and La Cage aux Folles. He has been nominated for the Tony Award five times, and won twice, for La Cage aux Folles and Hello, Dolly!. In 2009, Herman received the Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre.

Jerry Herman has brought us many fantastic songs over the years, here is one of my favorites from Mame (featuring Bea Arthur and Angela Lansbury)...

Happy Birthday to Betty Buckley

What better way to celebrate Betty Buckley's birthday AND Caturday than with her performance of Memory from the musical Cats.  Beneath the ridiculous costumes and dramatic Cats staging (Sorry - true New Yorkers HATED that show), is one of the most beautiful and haunting songs ever (IMO).

Broadway Bares Is This Sunday!

I got an email from one of the Broadway Bares dancers regarding this Sunday's event...

David -

Some of the Broadway Bares boys from last year's Fantasy Football Team are back at it with GO TO JAIL and we don't want the followers of DavidDust to miss out!

The theme of the 20th Broadway Bares is "Strip-opoly" - the hottest game in town! And the hottest guys in the show are asking everyone to PASS GO and donate $200... or any amount they can from $2 to $2000! All donations go the the largest domestic charity of it's kind, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Twenty years ago Jerry Mitchell got some fellow dancers to do a strip tease at Splash Bar in NYC on their night off from their Broadway show to raise money for those they cared about who needed the help of BC/EFA. 20 years later over 200 dancers are carrying on the tradition with a goal to raise over a million dollars for a cause that they care deeply about. Please help spread the word to help us reach this goal!

Below you'll find the GO TO JAIL - LINE UP SHOT (featuring from L to R: Eddie Rabon, Alfie Parker, Kyle DesChamps, Sebastian LaCause, Adam Hart, and Andrew Glaszek) These guys along with 14 other hot cons will be performing in Broadway Bares XX Strip-opoly on Sunday June 20th at Roseland Ballroom in New York. Until then, they are raising money at http://www.broadwaycares.org/jail and at personal appearances in NYC. (Go ahead and DROP THE SOAP... you may get lucky!)

Btw - this email was sent to me from Andrew Glaszek the HOTTAY on the far right in the picture above.  Click on THIS LINK to help Andrew and his 'jail buddies' raise some money for a great cause.

Pee Wee's Big BROADWAY Adventure

{{{whispering}}} Hey Kids, today's secret word is "Broadway"...

The Pee-wee Herman Show, which recently had a well-received run in Los Angeles, will transfer to Broadway for a six-week limited engagement in October.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!  Sorry, but I said the secret word...

Anywhore, I'm just wondering if the papilicious Jesse Garcia, who you may remember as the hot gay cousin in the movie Quinceañera, will be playing the role of "Sergio" (below) on Broadway as he did in L.A.  I could become a "Stage Door Stalker Johnny" for Mr. Garcia...  

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White Meat Monday - Broadway Edition: Charlie Williams

Broadway actor/singer/dancer Charlie Williams has had quite a year.  He made his Broadway debut in Memphis, won the Broadway Beauty Pageant, and donated his time for many charitable causes.  Speaking of charitable causes, Williams is also this year's posterboy (below) for Broadway Bares...

Broadway Celebrity Sighting - Corbin Bleu

Wednesday in Manhattan is "Matinée Day", because most Broadway shows have a 2:00 pm matinée followed by the usual 8:00 pm evening performance.  And since the performers, musicians and backstage workers don't have much time between shows - they traditionally stay close to the Theater District.

Tonight after work, while walking home (yes, that's EVERY DAY - 7 1/2 miles - this week), I passed Corbin Bleu on 8th Avenue.  Bleu, of High School Musical fame - is currently featured in the musical In The Heights - and was obviously in-between performances.  I first noticed him as part of my usual "Oh, there's a cute papi" continuous radar ("Papidar")- but I quickly figured out it was him.  Corbin, who was alone, noticed my staring and gave me a "Keep it movin', Big Boy" look.  I guess he was just not that into me...

I am here to report that Corbin Bleu, 21, is EXTREMELY cute (although I thought he would be taller for some reason).  Unfortunately it was chilly today in NYC, so he was way more covered up than in these pictures...

Broadway Bares - The 20th Anniversary

This year Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS celebrates the 20th Anniversary of their Broadway Bares show with a new skinstravaganza called Strip-ology.  For those of you who aren't familiar, Broadway Bares is an annual event which combines the naughtiness of burlesque with the razzle-dazzle of Broadway - and features the hottest chorus boys (and girls) in show business.

For more information and/or to buy tickets for this year's June 20th show at Roseland (which, coincidentally, is the same venue as The Black Party), go HERE.

Here are some pics from last year's Broadway Bares ...

Happy Birthday Chita Rivera!

Happy belated birthday to Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero.  Dolores, better known as Chita Rivera, turned 77 yesterday.  Happy Birthday!

I had the pleasure of seeing Chita perform on Broadway in Kiss of the Spider Woman in the early 90's, and she was AMAZING.  It's one of those things I will never forget.

Patti LuPone - Rainbow High

Here is a grainy video of Patti LuPone performing Rainbow High from the musical Evita circa 1980. As I mentioned earlier, even though I only had the cast album and never saw it onstage, I choreographed an imaginary drag routine to this song by the time I was 13. A routine, I might add, that has yet to be performed in front of an audience.

Maybe during DDBW III???...

Music Notes with Howard - Evita

Music guru Howard has been doing a fantastic "Dark Monday" series on his BLOG, where he highlights the music from Broadway. This week he showcases a musical that I am crazy for - Evita - a musical I've actually never seen performed onstage. Let me explain...

Back in the early 80's my parents took a trip to NYC, where they saw Patti LuPone in Evita. They brought back the Broadway cast double-album (yes, I'm OLD), and I proceeded to wear those records out. I memorized every word of the show - lyrics I can recite to this day. I even choreographed an imaginary drag routine to the song "Rainbow High" - complete with hot Papi salon attendants and a FIERCE "reveal". Did I mention that I was 13 years old at the time?...


Evita - by Howard

It was 1979, and the musical Evita was all the rage. The music and lyrics were written by the hot young duo of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. And by hot I am meaning professionally, because there is no way at any given point in time Webber could be considered physically hot. It starred a young woman who had many roles on Broadway prior to this, but used the role of Eva Peron to skyrocket to fame. Patti LuPone was a tour de force in the role, and earned endless praise. Another breakout star was Mandy Patinkin in the role of Ché Guevara, with his amazing voice and vocal range, and an acting ability that saw no bounds.




Evita was the story of Eva Peron, and her rise from commoner to the first lady of Argentina. It is thought she slept her way to the top, chewing up and spitting out many on her way, and this musical doesn't disagree with that point. But with her booming voice and amazing charm, LuPone keeps the story interesting and the character human. Here is Patti singing Don't Cry For Me Argentina in a special event.




The production won 7 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Lead Actress In A Musical for LuPone, and Best Featured Actor In A Musical for Patinkin. It opened in September 1979, and closed in 1983 after more than 1,500 performances.

Happy Birthday to Hugh Jackman and his Large Hands!

Happy 41st birthday to Hugh Jackman! I had the pleasure of seeing "Huge Ackman" in The Boy From Oz on Broadway a few years ago. And one thing I remember vividly from that performance was just how large Jackman's hands are . Seriously, the mitts on him were HUGE (ackman).

And when I turn 41-years-old someday (cough, cough, hack, choke, cough) - I want to look as good as this...

Labels: Hugh Jackman has Big Hands, Kung-Fu Grip, The Boy From Oz, You Know What They Say About A Guy With Big Hands, Huge Ackman