The 53-year-old half-Cuban American Emmy-winning actor will star in Here We Are, the first production of Stephen Sondheim’s final musical.
Cannavale is among a roster of cast members that include Francois Battiste, Tracie Bennett, Micaela Diamond, Amber Gray, Jin Ha, Rachel Bay Jones, Denis O’Hare, Steven Pasquale, David Hyde Pierce and Jeremy Shamos are set for the show, which will make its world premiere on September 28 for a limited Off Broadway engagement at The Shed.
Sondheim’s final, long-awaited musical will be directed by two-time Tony winner Joe Mantello.
Formerly known as Square One, the final musical composed by Sondheim before his death in 2021 features a book by David Ives and is inspired by the two films The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie andThe Exterminating Angel by Luis Buñuel.
Executive Producers for Here We Are are Sue Wagner, John Johnson and Jillian Robbins, and the musical will be co-presented by The Shed; Artistic Director Alex Poots, President and COO Maryann Jordan, and Chief Executive Producer Madani Younis.
Here We Are will be the latest in a string of Sondheim musicals to receive New York stagings since the Broadway legend’s death, including Companyand Into the Woods. Sweeney Todd is currently in previews on Broadway, and revival of Merrily We Roll Alongwill begin Broadway previews in September.
Shortly before his death, Sondheim appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbertand confirmed that the musical, then called Square One, was being readied for staging. He told Colbert that he’d been working on the musical for “a couple of years.” A workshop was held in 2016, and Nathan Lane said in 2021 that he Bernadette Peters had recently participated in a reading of the musical.
The 42-year-old Mexican American actress and Broadway star, best known for her performances as Elphaba for the Broadway, Los Angeles, and San Francisco productions of the musical Wicked, will take part in Sunday’s Broadway Does Mother’s Day, a digital variety benefitting Broadway Cares’ COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Fund.
Cast members from Broadway’s Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Jagged Little Pill, Company,Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, Chicago, Diana, Mean Girls, Girl from the North Country, Six, andMrs. Doubtfirewill take part.
The show is designed to replace some of the money usually raised by Broadway’s annual Easter Bonnet Competition, an event that was canceled this year due to the coronaviruspandemic.
The digital sketch show will include Broadway stars, their children and their mothers, with musical numbers, comedy and special guests planned.
In addition to Espinosa, scheduled guests so far includeJill Abramovitz, Kate Baldwin, Jenni Barber, Laura Benanti,Betty Buckley, Carolee Carmello, Victoria Clark, Chuck Cooper, Claybourne Elder, Beanie Feldstein, Harvey Fierstein, In The Heights’ Mandy Gonzalez, Celia Rose Gooding, Molly Griggs, James Monroe Iglehart, Judy Kaye, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Raymond J. Lee, Lesli Margherita, Ellyn Marie Marsh, Alexis Michelle, Vanessa Williams, Betsy Wolfeand LaChanze.
Sketches from Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Jagged Little Pill, Company, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, Chicago, Diana, Mean Girls, Girl from the North Country, Six, andMrs. Doubtfire will also be included.
“We’re delighted to see the theatercommunity come together for Broadway Does Mother’s Day and honored to be a beneficiary of what promises to be such a special show,” said Tom Viola, executive director of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. “When crises hit, the Broadway community and theatre fans everywhere have always responded with generosity, compassion and action. We launched the COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Fund on behalf of and for those onstage, backstage and behind the scenes who need a helping hand during this pandemic.”
Lin-Manuel Miranda is celebrating a living musical theater legend.
The 40-year-old Puerto Rican composer, lyricist, singer, actor, producer and playwright, widely known for creating and starring in the Tony Award-winning Broadway musicals In the Heights and Hamilton, has signed on to appear on Sunday’s Stephen Sondheim virtual birthday concert.
Miranda, who starred in Mary Poppins Returns, joins a roster of new additions that includes Jake Gyllenhaal, Linda Lavin, Laura Benanti, Neil Patrick Harrisand Ben Plattfor the all-star benefit for Artists Striving To End Poverty.
Previously announced stars participating in the concert include Annaleigh Ashford, Melissa Errico, Beanie Feldstein, Josh Groban, Judy Kuhn, Randy Rainbow and Lea Solanga.
Special appearances will be made by Victor Garber, Joanna Gleason, Nathan Lane and Steven Spielberg.
They’ll all join the previously announced Meryl Streep, Bernadette Peters, Patti LuPone and Audra McDonald, among many others, in the special virtual concert to celebrate Sondheim’s 90th birthday.
Take Me To The World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration, hosted by Raúl Esparza, is set for this Sunday, April 26, the 50th anniversary of the opening night of Sondheim’s groundbreaking musical Company.
The concert kicks off at 8:00 pm ET, and will be available for free at Broadway.comand the Broadway.com YouTubechannel.
Other artists performing songs from the Sondheim catalog will include Mandy Patinkin, ChristineBaranski, Donna Murphy, Kristin Chenoweth, Sutton Foster, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Kelli O’Hara, Aaron Tveit, Maria Friedman, Iain Armitage, Katrina Lenk, Michael Cerveris, Brandon Uranowitz, Stephen Schwartz, Elizabeth Stanley, Chip Zien, Alexander Gemignani and, from the cast of Pacific Overtures at Classic Stage Company, Ann Harada, Austin Ku, Kelvin Moon Loh and Thom Sesma.
Esparza starred as Bobby in the 2006 Tony Award-winning revival of Companyand in the Kennedy Center Sondheim Celebration productions of Sunday in the Park with George and Merrily We Roll Along in 2002, as well as the City Center Encores! production of Anyone Can Whistle and in last year’s Road Show.
“The world is in a hard place,” Esparza said in a statement, “and we are all searching for something great. Well, Stephen Sondheim is greatness personified.”
Mary-Mitchell Campbell will be the music director, with Paul Wontorek serving as director.
The online event will act as a fundraiser for ASTEP (Artists Striving to End Poverty), the organization conceived by Campbell and Juilliard students to transform the lives of youth through art.
The New York Drama Desk Awards nominations have been revealed, with the 48-year-old Cuban American stage and television actor and voice artist earning recognition.
Esparza, who has previously won the Drama Desk Award for his roles in Company on Broadway (2007) and Taboo (2004), is nominated in the Outstanding Actor in a Play category for his role in The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui.
Santino Fontanahas earned a nod for his gender-bending role…
The 37-year-old part-Spanish American actor/singer is nominated in the Outstanding Actor in a Musical category for his starring role as Michael Dorsey/Dorothy Michaels in Tootsie, which is based on the 1982 comedy film of the same name.
Fontana previously won a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Playfor his work in Brighton Beach Memoirs.
George Salazarhas also earned a Drama Desk nod.
The 33-year-old half-Ecuadorian American actor, singer and musician is up for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical for his role in Be More Chill.
He was previously nominated in the same category in 2017 for his role in The Lightning Thief.
Unlike the Tony Awards, the Drama Desk Awards cover both Broadway and Off Broadway, significantly lessening the nominations’ prediction factor.
The winners of the 64th annual Drama Desk Awards will be announced Sunday, June 2, during a ceremony hosted by Michael Urieat the Town Hallin Manhattan. The awards are voted on by theater critics, journalists, editors, publishers and broadcasters.
Here ‘s the complete list of Drama Desk Awards nominations (Off Broadway productions are indicated by theater company):
Outstanding Play “Fairview,” by Jackie Sibblies Drury, Soho Rep “The Ferryman,” by Jez Butterworth “Lewiston/Clarkston,” by Samuel D. Hunter, Rattlestick Playwrights Theater “Usual Girls,” by Ming Peiffer, Roundabout Theatre Company “What the Constitution Means to Me,” by Heidi Schreck, New York Theatre Workshop and Broadway
Outstanding Musical “Be More Chill” “The Hello Girls,” Prospect Theater Company “The Prom” “Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future,” Ars Nova “Tootsie”
Outstanding Revival of a Play “Fabulation, or the Re-Education of Undine,” Signature Theatre “Henry VI: Shakespeare’s Trilogy in Two Parts,” National Asian American Theatre Company “Our Lady of 121st Street,” Signature Theatre “Summer and Smoke,” Classic Stage Company/Transport Group “The Waverly Gallery” “Uncle Vanya,” Hunter Theater Project
Outstanding Revival of a Musical “Carmen Jones,” Classic Stage Company “Fiddler on the Roof,” National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene and Off-Broadway “Kiss Me, Kate, Roundabout Theatre Company “Merrily We Roll Along,” Fiasco Theater/Roundabout Theatre Company “Oklahoma!,” Bard Summerscape/St. Ann’s Warehouse and Broadway
Outstanding Actor in a Play Jeff Biehl, “Life Sucks” Edmund Donovan, “Lewiston/Clarkston” Raúl Esparza, “The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui” Russell Harvard, “I Was Most Alive With You” Jay O. Sanders, “Uncle Vanya”
Outstanding Actress in a Play Midori Francis, “Usual Girls” Zainab Jah, “Boesman and Lena” Elaine May, “The Waverly Gallery” Laurie Metcalf, “Hillary and Clinton Heidi Schreck, “What the Constitution Means to Me”
Outstanding Actor in a Musical Brooks Ashmanskas, “The Prom” Andrew R. Butler, “Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future Damon Daunno, “Oklahoma!” Santino Fontana, “Tootsie” Steven Skybell, “Fiddler on the Roof”
Outstanding Actress in a Musical Stephanie J. Block, “The Cher Show” Beth Leavel, “The Prom” Rebecca Naomi Jones, “Oklahoma!” Anika Noni Rose, “Carmen Jones” Stacey Sargeant, “Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future”
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play Charles Browning, “Fairview” Arnie Burton, “Lewiston/Clarkston” Hampton Fluker, “All My Sons” Tom Glynn-Carney, “The Ferryman” Brandon Uranowitz, “Burn This”
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play Harriett D. Foy, “The House That Will Not Stand” Megan Hill, “Eddie and Dave” Celia Keenan-Bolger, “To Kill A Mockingbird” Ruth Wilson, “King Lear” Alison Wright, “Othello”
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical Corbin Bleu, “Kiss Me, Kate” André De Shields, “Hadestown” Sydney James Harcourt, “Girl from the North Country” George Salazar, “Be More Chill” Patrick Vaill, “Oklahoma!”
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical Stephanie Hsu, “Be More Chill” Leslie Kritzer, “Beetlejuice” Soara-Joye Ross, “Carmen Jones” Sarah Stiles, “Tootsie” Ali Stroker, “Oklahoma!” Mary Testa, “Oklahoma!”
Outstanding Director of a Play Sarah Benson, “Fairview” Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin, “The Jungle” Sam Mendes, “The Ferryman” Tyne Rafaeli, “Usual Girls” Taylor Reynolds, “Plano” Jeff Wise, “Life Sucks”
Outstanding Director of a Musical Noah Brody, “Merrily We Roll Along” Rachel Chavkin, “Hadestown” Scott Ellis, “Tootsie” Daniel Fish, “Oklahoma!” Joel Grey, “Fiddler on the Roof”
Outstanding Choreography Camille A. Brown, “Choir Boy” Warren Carlyle, “Kiss Me, Kate” Denis Jones, “Tootsie” Lorin Latarro, “Twelfth Night” Rick and Jeff Kuperman, “Alice by Heart” David Neumann, “Hadestown”
Outstanding Music Andrew R. Butler, “Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future” Joe Iconis, “Be More Chill” Peter Mills, “The Hello Girls” Mark Sonnenblick, “Midnight at the Never Get” Shaina Taub, “Twelfth Night” David Yazbek, “Tootsie”
Outstanding Lyrics Chad Beguelin, “The Prom” Andrew R. Butler, “Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future” Joe Iconis, “Be More Chill” Peter Mills, “The Hello Girls” David Yazbek, “Tootsie”
Outstanding Book of a Musical Scott Brown and Anthony King, “Beetlejuice” Andrew R. Butler, “Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future” Robert Horn, “Tootsie” Bob Martin and Chad Beguelin, “The Prom” Dominique Morisseau, “Ain’t Too Proud”
Outstanding Orchestrations Larry Blank, “Fiddler on the Roof” Simon Hale, “Girl from the North Country” Daniel Kluger, “Oklahoma!” Charlie Rosen, “Be More Chill” Daryl Waters, “The Cher Show”
Outstanding Music in a Play Paul Castles and Jongbin Jung, “Wild Goose Dreams” Justin Ellington, “Mrs. Murray’s Menagerie” Justin Ellington, “The House That Will Not Stand” Nick Powell, “The Lehman Trilogy” Jason Michael Webb and Fitz Patton, “Choir Boy”
Outstanding Set Design of a Play Miriam Buether, “The Jungle” Es Devlin, “Girls & Boys” Maruti Evans, “The Peculiar Patriot” Mimi Lien, “Fairview” Matt Saunders, “Daddy”
Outstanding Set Design for a Musical Rachel Hauck, “Hadestown” Laura Jellinek, “Oklahoma!” Laura Jellinek, “Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future” David Korins, “Beetlejuice” Rae Smith, “Girl from the North Country”
Outstanding Costume Design for a Play Dede M. Ayite, “By the Way, Meet Vera Stark” Dede M. Ayite, “If Pretty Hurts Ugly Must Be a Muhfucka” Ásta Bennie Hostetter, “Mrs. Murray’s Menagerie” Toni-Leslie James, “Bernhardt/Hamlet” Nicole Slaven, “Henry VI: Shakespeare’s Trilogy in Two Parts”
Outstanding Costume Design for a Musical William Ivey Long, “Beetlejuice” William Ivey Long, “Tootsie” Bobby Frederick Tilly II, “Be More Chill” Michael Krass, “Hadestown” Bob Mackie, “The Cher Show” Paloma Young, “Alice by Heart”
Outstanding Lighting Design for a Play Amith Chandrashaker, “Boesman and Lena” Amith Chandrashaker, “Fairview” Jiyoun Chang, “Slave Play” Jon Clark, “The Jungle” Simon Cleveland, “Spaceman” Yi Zhao, “The House That Will Not Stand”
Outstanding Lighting Design for a Musical Adam Honoré, “Carmen Jones” Bradley King, “Hadestown” Jamie Roderick, “Midnight at the Never Get” Barbara Samuels, “Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future” Scott Zielinski, “Oklahoma!”
Outstanding Projection Design Peter England, “King Kong” Katherine Freer, “By the Way, Meet Vera Stark” Luke Halls, “The Lehman Trilogy” Alex Basco Koch, “Be More Chill” Peter Nigrini, “Beetlejuice” Joshua Thorson, “Oklahoma!”
Outstanding Sound Design in a Play Tyler Kieffer, “Plano” Fitz Patton, “Choir Boy” Nick Powell, “The Ferryman” Jane Shaw, “I Was Most Alive With You” Mikaal Sulaiman, “Fairview”
Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical Simon Baker, “Girl from the North Country” Drew Levy, “Oklahoma!” Brian Ronan, “Tootsie” Nevin Steinberg and Jessica Paz, “Hadestown” Mikaal Sulaiman, “Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future”
Outstanding Wig and Hair Design Campbell Young Associates, “Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus” Cookie Jordan, “Eddie and Dave” Paul Huntley, “Tootsie” Charles G. LaPointe, “Beetlejuice” Charles G. LaPointe, “The Cher Show”
Outstanding Solo Performance Mike Birbiglia, “The New One” Carey Mulligan, “Girls & Boys” Liza Jessie Peterson, “The Peculiar Patriot,” National Black Theatre/Hi-Arts Erin Treadway, “Spaceman,” Loading Dock Theatre Phoebe Waller-Bridge, “Fleabag”
Unique Theatrical Experience “All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914,” Theater Latté Da/Laura Little Theatrical Productions / Sheen Center “Love’s Labor’s Lost,” Shake & Bake The B-Side: “Negro Folklore from Texas State Prisons,” The Wooster Group “What to Send Up When it Goes Down,” The Movement Theatre Company
Outstanding Fight Choreography U. Jonathan Toppo, “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar” Claire Warden, “Daddy” Claire Warden, “Slave Play”
Ensemble Award: “To the uncanny ensemble of Dance Nationfor their pointed portrait of a dance troupe riven by competition but fused by the experiences of youth: Purva Bedi, Eboni Booth, Camila Canó-Flaviá, Dina Shihabi, Ellen Maddow, Christina Rouner, Thomas Jay Ryan, Lucy Taylor, and Ikechukwu Ufomadu.”
Sam Norkin Award: “To Montana Levi Blanco, who enriched this season with his vibrant and detailed costumes for Fairview, The House That Will Not Stand, Fabulation, Or the Re-Education of Undine, Eddie and Dave, “Daddy,” and Ain’t No Mo’. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a Blanco costume is worth considerably more, telling us a complete story about its wearer while giving us something fabulous to look at.”
To Mia Katigbak, “the backbone of the off-Broadway scene, we acclaim her for her performances this season in Henry VI: Shakespeare’s Trilogy in Two Parts, The Trial of the Catonsville Nine, Peace for Mary Francis and Recent Alien Abductions. This award also recognizes her vital presence as the artistic director of NAATCO and her sustained excellence as a performer and mentor.”
To Repertorio Español“for presenting a year-round rotating repertory of new and classic Spanish-language plays in its intimate Gramercy venue. For the past 51 years, Repertorio has been an indispensable theater for Spanish-speaking audiences, while inviting non-Spanish-speaking theatergoers to discover the delights of the Spanish-language canon and introducing New York audiences to the work of actors like Zulema Claresand Germán Jaramillo.”
Raúl Esparza will have a buildup of cases in the near future…
The 42-year-old Cuban American actor and Broadway star has been promoted to series regular on NBC’s long-running crime drama series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
“Making him a series regular is a small way of acknowledging his enormous contribution to our show,” said the show’s executive producer Warren Leight about Esparza’s promotion.
Esparza portrays by-the-book headstrong prosecutor Assistant DA Rafael Barba on the police procedural, which returns for its 15th season beginning on September 25.
Esparza’s television credits include a recurring role on Pushing Daisies, as well as a role on Hannibal.
His Broadway credits include Tony-nominated performances in the Boy George musical Taboo and the musical comedy Company.
Law & Order: SVU, which also stars Danny Pino, begins shooting next week in New York.
Cannavale is among a roster of cast members that include Francois Battiste, Tracie Bennett, Micaela Diamond, Amber Gray, Jin Ha, Rachel Bay Jones, Denis O’Hare, Steven Pasquale, David Hyde Pierce and Jeremy Shamos are set for the show, which will make its world premiere on September 28 for a limited Off Broadway engagement at The Shed.
