Hagan Oliveras to Star in Broadway Revival of Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town”

Hagan Oliveras is coming to Town

The upcoming fall Broadway revival of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town will feature a 28-actor cast, including the Latino actor.

Hagan OlivaresThe cast will be led by Jim Parsons, Zoey DeutchKatie HolmesEphraim Sykes and Richard Thomas, per the producers.

The strictly limited engagement, directed by Kenny Leon, will begin previews at the Barrymore Theatre on Tuesday, September 17 ahead of an opening on Thursday, October 10.

Parsons will play the Stage Manager, with Deutch as Emily Webb, Holmes as Mrs. Webb, Sykes as George Gibbs and Thomas as Mr. Webb. Billy Eugene Jones will play Dr. Gibbs, Michelle Wilson will be Mrs. Gibbs and Julie Halston will portray Mrs. Soames. Donald Webber Jr. will play Simon Stimpson.

Also in the cast: Ephie Aardema, Heather Ayers, Willa Bost, Bobby Daye, Safiya Kaijya Harris, Doron JéPaul, Shyla Lefner, Anthony Michael Lopez, John McGinty, Bryonha Marie, Kevyn Morrow, Noah Pyzik, Sky Smith, Bill Timoney, Matthew Elijah Webb and Nimene Sierra Wureh.

Two final actors will be announced at a later date.

The production’s design team will include scenic design by Beowulf Boritt; costume design by Dede Ayite; lighting design by Allen Lee Hughes; and sound design by Justin Ellington.

The first Broadway revival of Our Town since a 2002 production that starred Paul Newman as the Stage Manager, the classic drama set in Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire, originally debuted on Broadway in 1938, winning the Pulitzer Prize and quickly becoming one of the most beloved and staged American plays of the 20th Century.

“Thornton Wilder’s Our Town in my mind stands at the top of the Mount Rushmore of great American Theatre,” said director Leon in a statement. “I feel blessed and fortunate to have gained the trust of The Wilder estate to present this classic to another generation of theatre lovers. It’s long been a burning desire to collaborate on a Broadway production of such magnitude that speaks so beautifully and intimately to all people about our shared time on the planet.”

The revival is being produced by Jeffrey Richards, Hunter Arnold, Patty Baker, Craig Balsam, Irene Gandy, Rebecca Gold, Louise Gund, Willette & Manny Klausner, M/B/P Productions, Daryl Roth and Jayne Baron Sherman.

Olivares previous credits include American Horror Stories.

Max to Begin Streaming “The Color Purple,” Starring Colman Domingo, on February 16

Colman Domingo is seeing purple to the Max

The Color Purple, starring the 54-year-old Belizean-Guatemalan American actor, will make its streaming debut on Max on February 16.

Colman Domingo, Color PurpleThe film musical remake from Warner Bros. and director Blitz Bazawule is up for an Academy Award, received two SAG Award nominations and earned 17 NAACP Image Award nods.

It stars Fantasia Barrino, who reprises the role of Celie after playing her on Broadway in 2007, as well as Danielle Brooks, who received a Tony nomination for the Broadway role and is now competing for a best supporting actress Oscar.

Domingo, who portrays Albert “Mister” Johnson, Taraji P. Henson and Halle Bailey also star in The Color Purple, which boasts producers including Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Scott Sanders and Quincy Jones, and is a film adaptation of the Broadway musical, which itself adapted the 1985 Spielberg film based on Alice Walker’s novel.

“Spielberg did justice to Alice Walker’s Pulitzer-winning novel, but he also left room to expand and improve,” wrote Variety chief film critic Peter Debruge in his review of the 2023 film. “Now, nearly four decades later, a rousing new version arrives from director Blitz Bazawule.”

He continued, “Instead of rejecting what came before, the Ghanian filmmaker embraces and builds upon it, collaborating with Spielberg, Quincy Jones and Oprah Winfrey to update the material for the next generation … The main change, apart from a cast with impossibly big shoes to fill, comes from incorporating the songs written for the Broadway musical — which also brings an additional freedom, as those numbers allow the story to transcend the characters’ harsh reality.”

In her November Variety cover story, Barrino talked about her trepidation in returning to the role of Celie. In fact, she initially said no to the movie role, turning down Winfrey herself before changing her mind. “I’m grateful that I did not allow those voices in my head to hold me back from stepping into this woman’s shoes,” Barrino said. “It was important that I did.”

New Trailer Released for “The Color Purple,” Starring Colman Domingo

Colman Domingo is under a purple haze…

Warner Bros. has released a new look at its upcoming Broadway musical adaptation of The Color People, starring the 54-year-old Belizean-Guatemalan American actor and social justice activist.

Colman DomingoIn addition to Domingo, who portrays Albert “Mister” Johnson, the musical film also stars Fantasia Barrino, Danielle Brooks, Taraji P. Henson, Corey Hawkins, H.E.R., Halle Bailey and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor.

Directed by Blitz Bazawule, the film will open in theaters on December 25. Marcus Gardley, Alice Walker and Marsha Norman penned the screenplay.

The film is based on the Tony-winning musical from Norman, Brenda Lee, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray, which was based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Alice Walker. It comes on the heels of a classic 1985 film adaptation from director Steven Spielberg and centers on Celie, a Black Southern woman who struggles to find her identity after suffering abuse from her father and others over the course of forty years.

The original Broadway musical debuted in 2005, scoring 11 Tony Award nominations in 2006 and Best Performance by an actress in a leading role for award for LaChanze in her role as Celie. The 2015 revival garnered four more Tony nominations and won for Best Revival of a Musical for Cynthia Erivo in her Broadway debut. The musical has also won Grammy and Emmy awards.

Spielberg directed and produced the 1985 adaptation of the Alice Walker novel, which received 11-time Oscar-nominations. The film scored Oprah Winfrey a Supporting Actress Oscar nomination, and Leading Actress Oscar nomination and Golden Globe Award for Whoopi Goldberg.

The Color Purple (2023) producers include Spielberg, Winfrey, Scott Sanders and Quincy Jones with executive producers Walker and Rebecca Walker.

Soledad O’Brien Partners with Rob Reiner to Co-Host “Who Killed JFK?” Podcast

Soledad O’Brien is searching for the truth about John F. Kennedy’s murder.

The 57-year-old half-Afro-Cuban American broadcast journalist and executive producer is teaming up with Rob Reiner to co-host Who Killed JFK? for iHeartPodcasts.

Soledad O’BrienThe 10-part series will take a deep dive into one of America’s greatest murder mysteries.

It will feature interviews with authors, witnesses and forensic experts as they look to connect the dots of JFK’s assassination 60 years later.

These include CIA officials, medical experts, Pulitzer-prize winning journalists, eyewitnesses and a former Secret Service agent who, in 2023, came forward with groundbreaking new evidence.

The duo will also discuss their own theories and ask why it still matters today.

The series will premiere on November 8 ahead of the 60th anniversary of President Kennedy’s death on November 22.

“Sixty years ago, President John F. Kennedy was gunned down in broad daylight on the streets of Dallas. To this day, it remains the greatest murder mystery in U.S. history,” said Reiner. “The American people deserve to know the truth of what happened on that fateful day. Who Killed J.F.K.? will take the listener on an evidenced based journey to reveal that truth.”

“Throughout the series, Rob and I revisit the 1960s, through pivotal moments like the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Vietnam War, and the Civil Rights Movement to shine a light on where the great American divide started and through the lens of Kennedy’s assassination, we can understand how we’ve reached the pinnacle of political divisiveness in America today,” added O’Brien.

“We are grateful to be partnering with Rob and Soledad on the release of this series which aims to bring to light new information surrounding a historical mystery that has been dissected for decades,” said Will Pearson, President, iHeartPodcasts. “Their passion and talent for storytelling drove their dedicated efforts to uncover the truth behind one of the best kept secrets of the last century, and we are looking forward to sharing this important story with a new generation.”

Liza Colón-Zayas Signs with Liebman Entertainment for Management

Liza Colón-Zayas has new management…

The 51-year-old Puerto Rican actress has signed with Liebman Entertainment for management.

Liza Colón-Zayas,  Colón-Zayas can currently be seen as Tina in FX’s critically acclaimed comedy series, The Bear. The show received a 2023 SAG Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series and won a Television Critics Award for Outstanding New Program. The Bear has also received 13 Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Comedy Series.

Colón-Zayas’ additional television credits include HBO’s In Treatment, opposite Uzo Aduba, the Latino comedy series Get Some!along with Law & Order, David Makes Man, Proven Innocent, Titans, Bull and Blue Bloods, among others.

Her film work includes Allswell in New York, Naked Singularity with Olivia Cooke and John BoyegaCat Person alongside Emilia Jones and Nicholas Braun and The Purge 3.

She will next be seen in John Krasinski’s upcoming feature Imaginary Friends, set for release in 2024.

On the stage, Colón-Zayas most recently starred in the Broadway performance of Stephen Adly GuirgisPulitzer Prize-winning dark comedy Between Riverside and Crazy, where she originated the role of Church Lady. Her off-Broadway credits include Between Riverside and Crazy (Lucille Lortel Award winner), Halfway Bitches Go Straight To Heaven (Drama Desk and Obie Award winner, Lucille Lortel Award nominee, Outer Critics Award honoree), Mary Jane (Lucille Lortel Award nominee), and Living Out (Lucille Lortel Award nominee). She is also a member The LAByrinth Theater Company.

Colón-Zayas continues to be repped by Stewart Talent and Schreck Rose Dapello Adams Berlin & Dunham.

Fernando Meirelles to Direct an Episode of Drama Series “The Sympathizer”

Fernando Meirelles is sympathizing

The 67-year-old Brazilian film director, producer and screenwriter and Marc Munden will direct episodes of The Sympathizer, a drama series adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.

Fernando MeirellesProduced by and co-starring Robert Downey Jr., the HBO/A24 series is an espionage thriller and cross-culture satire about the struggles of a half-French, half-Vietnamese communist spy during the final days of the Vietnam War and his resulting exile in the United States.

Described as a “blistering exploration of identity and America, a gripping spy novel and a powerful story of love and friendship,” the novel is hailed as a new classic of war fiction and has been compared to the works of Kafka, Orwell, and le Carré.

Munden will direct episodes 5,6, and 7 and Meirelles will direct episode 4.

The main cast also includes Sandra Oh, Kieu Chinh, Ky Duyen, Hoa Xuande, Fred Nguyen Khan, Toan Le, Vy Le  and Alan Trong.

The series is currently in production, with filming in Los Angeles and Thailand.

The series is a co-production between HBOA24 and Rhombus Media in association with Cinetic Media and Moho Film.

Meirelles received a Best Director Academy Award nomination for his renowned film City of God. He most recently directed The Two Popes, which earned Academy Award, Golden Globes and British Film Academy nominations.

Lin-Manuel Miranda Tops Billboard’s Year-End Hot 100 Songwriters Chart

Lin-Manuel Miranda is this year’s songwriter of the year…

The 42-year-old Puerto Rican songwriter, actor, playwright and filmmaker leads Billboard’s 2022 year-end Hot 100 Songwriters chart.

Lin-Manuel Miranda Miranda, a Pulitzer Prize, Grammys, Tonys and Emmys, finishes the year at No. 1 due to his work on Disney’s Encanto soundtrack, including its five-week Billboard Hot 100 leader “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” credited to Carolina Gaitan, Mauro Castillo, Adassa, Rhenzy Feliz, Diane Guerrero, Stephanie Beatriz and the Encanto cast.

Miranda is credited as the sole songwriter on the track, helping boost his chart points (as he does not split chart points with multiple writers).

During its 20-week run on the chart, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” earned the distinction as the biggest Disney song of all time, based on Billboard’s Greatest of All Time methodology.

In total, Miranda earned eight songwriting credits on the Hot 100 in the 2022 chart year, all from Encanto, which all contributed to his placement on the year-end ranking.

Here’s a look at where each song peaked on the Hot 100—Miranda is the only credited writer on each song:

Peak Position, Artist Billing, Title
No. 1, Carolina Gaitan, Mauro Castillo, Adassa, Rhenzy Feliz, Diane Guerrero, Stephanie Beatriz & Encanto Cast, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno”
No. 8, Jessica Darrow, “Surface Pressure”
No 20, Stephanie Beatriz, Olga Merediz & Encanto Cast, “The Family Madrigal”
No. 27, Diane Guerrero & Stephanie Beatriz, “What Else Can I Do?”
No. 36, Sebastian Yatra, “Dos Oruguitas”
No. 48, Stephanie Beatriz, “Waiting On A Miracle”
No. 71, Stephanie Beatriz, Olga Merediz, John Leguizamo, Adassa, Maluma & Encanto Cast, “All of You”
No. 100, Carlos Vives, “Colombia, Mi Encanto”

Prior to 2022, Miranda had only landed seven songs on the Hot 100 as a songwriter (he’s billed as an artist on four of them). He first charted in July 2016 with “Love Make The World Go Round” with Jennifer Lopez (No. 72 peak), and then with four songs from Moana soon after: Opetaia Foa’l and Miranda’s “We Know The Way” (No. 93 peak), Alessia Cara’s “How Far I’ll Go” (No. 56), Dwayne Johnson’s “You’re Welcome” (No. 65) and Auli’I Cravalho’s “How Far I’ll Go” (No. 41). After that, he charted with “Almost Like Praying,” featuring Artists for Puerto Rico (No. 20) and “Found / Tonight” with Ben Platt (No. 49)

His work on the Moana songs helped Miranda finish as the No. 28 Hot 100 Songwriter of 2017.

Miranda is also credited as a producer on all eight of his Encanto chart hits.

“Colombia, Mi Encanto” was produced by Miranda and Carlos Vives, while the other seven entries were produced by Miranda and Mike Elizondo.

Miranda’s production work enables his finish as the No. 12 Hot 100 Producer of 2022, while Elizondo finishes just behind him at No. 13.

Billboard’s year-end music recaps represent aggregated metrics for each artist, title, label and music contributor on the weekly charts dated November 20, 2021 through November 12, 2022. The rankings for Luminate-based recaps reflect equivalent album units, airplay, sales or streaming during the weeks that the titles appeared on a respective chart during the tracking year. Any activity registered before or after a title’s chart run isn’t considered in these rankings. That methodology details, and the November-November time period, account for some of the difference between these lists and the calendar-year recaps that are independently compiled by Luminate.

Tania León Among This Year’s Kennedy Center Honors Recipients

Tania León has earned a prestigious honor…

The 79-year-old Cuban composer, conductor and educator will be among this year’s Kennedy Center Honors recipients.

Tania LeónLeon is part of a roster of honorees that includes U2, Gladys Knight, Amy Grant and George Clooney.

The Honors recipients are recognized for their contributions to American culture through the performing arts—whether in music, dance, theater, opera, motion pictures, or television—and are confirmed by the executive committee of the Center’s board of trustees.

 

Deborah F. Rutter, Kennedy Center president, noted: “For nearly a half-century, the Kennedy Center Honors has represented the very best of America’s creative culture. The Honors is often referred to by past recipients as the pinnacle of awards because it recognizes not just one performance, album, or film, but esteems an artist’s cumulative body of work and influence over many decades…”

León received a 2012 Grammy nomination for best contemporary classical composition for Inura for Voices, Strings and Percussion. She is also renowned as a conductor, educator and advisor to arts organizations

León was a founding member and the first musical director of Arthur Mitchell‘s Dance Theater of Harlem, establishing its music department, music school, and orchestra.

She won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Music for Stride.

The 45th Kennedy Center Honors Gala concludes with a dinner in the Grand Foyer.

“Little did I imagine when studying in La Habana that life was going to grace me with such a distinction! My first thoughts went to my ancestors: they believed in my dreams, and what we lacked in material wealth, they made up for in spirit, encouragement, and support,” says Leon of the honor. “My heartfelt thanks go to the many people who have blessed my path by helping my talent to blossom and by giving me the chance to be heard. I am incredibly humbled to join such a prestigious family of artists, and deeply grateful to the Kennedy Center for bestowing me with this incredible honor.”

The 45th annual Kennedy Center Honors will air on Wednesday, December 28 (8:00 – 10:00 pm ET/PT) on CBS. Paramount+ Premium subscribers will have access to stream live via the live feed of their local CBS affiliate on the service as well as on demand. Essential-tier subscribers will have access to on-demand the day after the special airs.

The special show will be taped on Sunday, December 4 in Washington, D.C.  Presented for lifetime artistic achievements, the program will be held on Sunday, December 4, on the Opera House stage at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

Starz Renews Psalms Salazar’s “P-Valley” for Third Season

There’s more Valley-time in Psalms Salazar’s future…

Starz has renewed P-Valley, featuring the part-Puerto Rican actress, has been renewed for a third season.

Psalms Salazar, P-ValleySimilar to Season 2 of the Lionsgate-produced drama series, the third season will consist of 10 episodes.

Season 2 of the show debuted on Starz in June and wrapped up in August.

P-Valley continues to keep viewers on the edge of their seats as it captures the nuances of the Mississippi Delta with an unprecedented level of humanity and artistry,” said Kathryn Busby, president of original programming at Starz. “This layered drama gets beyond the glitz through authentic and complex characters that have captured the hearts of critics and audiences alike. We cannot wait to see what Katori has in store for us in season three.”

P-Valley was created by Pulitzer Prize winner Katori Hall, based on her play Pussy Valley. The show is set at The Pynk, a strip club in the Mississippi Delta, and follows the employees as they try to get by in the fictional town of Chucalissa.

In addition to Salazar, the series also stars Nicco Annan, Elarica Johnson, Brandee Evans, Shannon Thornton, J. Alphonse Nicholson, Parker Sawyers, Harriett D. Foy, Dan J. Johnson, Morocco Omari, Dominic DeVore, Tyler Lepley, Jordan M. Cox, Skyler Joy, John Clarence Stewart, Miracle Watts, Shamika Cotton, Gail Bean, Loretta Devine, Thomas Q. Jones and Bertram Williams, Jr.

Per the official description for Season 2, “P-Valley revealed a whole new Pynk as it struggled to remain open during a pandemic, a battle for the throne, and the possibility of some new blood shaking up the locker room.”

“I am blessed beyond measure for this opportunity to write the next chapter of ‘P-Valley,’” Hall said. “With its complex, dynamic, and beautifully flawed characters, this show is a love letter to marginalized communities in the American South who rarely see themselves reflected on screen, and it brings me immense joy to know that it has been embraced by folx worldwide. We wouldn’t be getting back up on that pony, without our fiercely devoted Pynk Posse. Y’all are our fire. And special thanks to the fuel: everyone who laid hands on this show. From the writers and producers to the cast to the crew to the executives, this show is made with great love, grit and glitter. It’s gonna take us a Mississippi minute before we’re back on your screens again, but best believe it’ll be well worth the wait.”

Per Starz, P-Valley currently averages 10.3 million viewers per episode across all platforms. In addition to creating the series, Hall serves as executive producer and showrunner. Dante Di Loreto also executive produces. Lionsgate Television is the studio.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Graces Cover of GQ Magazine, Talks Possible Presidential Run

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has you covered

The 32-year-old Bronx-born Puerto Rican politician and activist, currently serving as the U.S. representative for New York’s 14th congressional district, appears on the cover of GQ’s October issue, the first female politician to grace the cover of the men’s magazine.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, GQ MagazineKnown simply as AOC, the New York congresswoman gave an extensive interview to GQ.

In it, she talked about Roe v. Wade, the January 6 insurrection, sexual assault, marriage, being ostracized by her own party and, possibly most candidly, about running for president.

“Sometimes little girls will say, ‘Oh, I want you to be president,’ or things like that,” Ocasio-Cortez told journalist Wesley Lowery. “It’s very difficult for me to talk about because it provokes a lot of inner conflict in that I never want to tell a little girl what she can’t do. And I don’t want to tell young people what is not possible. I’ve never been in the business of doing that. But at the same time…”

Lowery, a Pulitzer Prize winner, writes that at this point in his conversation with AOC “tears pooled in the corners of her eyes” as she spoke even more candidly.

“I hold two contradictory things [in mind] at the same time. One is just the relentless belief that anything is possible. But at the same time, my experience here has given me a front-row seat to how deeply and unconsciously, as well as consciously, so many people in this country hate women. And they hate women of color,” said Ocasio-Cortez. “People ask me questions about the future. And realistically, I can’t even tell you if I’m going to be alive in September. And that weighs very heavily on me. And it’s not just the right wing. Misogyny transcends political ideology: left, right, center. This grip of patriarchy affects all of us, not just women; men, as I mentioned before, but also, ideologically, there’s an extraordinary lack of self-awareness in so many places. And so those are two very conflicting things. I admit to sometimes believing that I live in a country that would never let that happen.”