Tag Archives: Samuel J. Friedman Theatre

Krysta Rodriguez to Star in Broadway Production of Anthony McCarten’s “The Collaboration” 

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Krysta Rodriguez is working on a new collaboration…

The 38-year-old Latina actress/singer and Broadway star and Erik Jensen will complete the cast of the upcoming Broadway production of Anthony McCarten’s The Collaboration starring the previously announced actors Paul Bettany and Jeremy Pope.

Krysta Rodriguez,The play, a hit in London, depicts the artistic collaboration of painters Andy Warhol (Bettany) and Jean-Michel Basquiat (Pope), will make its American premiere in a Manhattan Theatre Club production beginning previews on Tuesday, November 29 ahead of a Tuesday, December 20 opening at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre.

Rodriguez will play Basquiat’s girlfriend “Maya” and Jensen will portray “Bruno Bischofberger,” the art dealer and gallery owner who brings Warhol and Basquiat together. Kwame Kwei-Armah directs.

The casting announcement was made today by Manhattan Theatre Club, Lynne Meadow (Artistic Director) and Barry Grove (Executive Producer) and the Young Vic Theatre, Kwame Kwei-Armah (Artistic Director) and Lucy Davies (Executive Director) by special arrangement with Eleanor Lloyd Productions, Anthology Theatre, Stanley Buchthal, and Denis O’Sullivan.

Rodriguez’s previous Broadway credits include Spring Awakening, Into The Woods, Hercules, A Chorus Line and The Addams Family.

Melissa Barrera to Star in the Warhol-Basquiat film “The Collaboration

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Melissa Barrera has a new collaboration…

The 32-year-old Mexican actress and singer will star in Muse of Fire’s Warhol–Basquiat film The Collaboration, based on the acclaimed play by four-time Oscar nominee Anthony McCarten.

Melissa BarreraBarrera will star alongside Jeremy Pope, Paul Bettany and Daniel Brühl in the project.

The Collaboration revolves around the relationship of the two iconic artists, starting in the summer of 1984. International superstar Andy Warhol (Bettany) and the art scene’s newest wunderkind, Jean-Michel Basquiat (Pope), agree to work together on what may be the most talked about exhibition in the history of modern art. But can these two creative giants co-exist with such opposing views of life and art?

Today, Warhol and Basquiat’s works sell for tens of millions.

Barrera will play the role of Maya, a formidable truth-teller who loves Basquiat and is wary of Warhol.

McCarten penned the screen adaptation of his play, which made its world premiere at London’s Young Vic Theatre in February, with Bettany and Pope as Warhol and Basquiat, respectively. Renowned theatre director and writer Kwame Kwei-Armah is making his feature directorial debut with the project, after directing the play in its original run.

Production on The Collaboration begins this month in Boston at Marina Studios’ Quincy location.

Once production on the Collaboration film has wrapped, the play will head to Broadway, with Kwei-Armah, Bettany and Pope again returning. December 20 has been set as opening night, with previews beginning at MTC’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on November 29.

Barrera is best known for her turns in Paramount/Spyglass’ recent Scream reboot, Jon M. Chu’s film adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hit Broadway musical In the Heights for Warner Bros. and HBO Max, and the acclaimed Starz series, Vida.

She more recently led Keep Breathing, the Netflix series, which rose to #1 on the streamer when it premiered in late July.

She’s currently in production on Scream 6, reprising her role as Sam Carpenter, and will next be seen in Benjamin Millepied’s musical Carmen, which is world premiering this month at the Toronto Film Festival.

Ruben Santiago-Hudson’s “Lackawanna Blues” Extends Its Limited Broadway Run by a Week

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There are more Blues in Ruben Santiago-Hudson’s future…

The 64-year-old half-Puerto Rican actor, playwright and director’s critically acclaimed Lackawanna Blues is extending its limited Broadway engagement by a week, making up for the recent performances canceled due to the star’s back injury.

Ruben Santiago-Hudson

The solo show, which began previews on September 14 with a planned opening of September 28 bumped to October 7, will continue playing through Sunday, November 7 at Manhattan Theatre Club’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, a week longer than originally scheduled October 31 closing.

Earlier this month, Santiago-Hudson canceled some performances of the show due to a recurring back injury. He resumed performances Oct. 12.

The play stars Santiago-Hudson as the many characters who lived in and around the boarding houses owned by the kind-hearted woman who raised him.

Ruben Santiago-Hudson’s “Lackawanna Blues” to Open on Broadway in September

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Ruben Santiago-Hudson is bringing the Blues to The Great White Way this fall…

The 64-year-old half-Puerto Rican actor, playwright and director’s Lackawanna Blues will begin performances at Manhattan Theatre Club on September 14, the first day of Broadway’s post-shutdown reopening.

Ruben Santiago-Hudson

It’s the fifth show set to begin performances post-COVID-19 pandemic.

The play – written, performed and directed by Santiago-Hudson (Netflix’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom) – will be the season’s first Broadway production by a nonprofit theater company.

Lackawanna Blues will begin performances Tuesday, September 14, and open Tuesday, September 28, at MTC’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. The play will feature original music by Bill Sims, Jr. performed on stage by blues guitarist Junior Mack.

MTC will follow health and safety guidance of New York City, New York State, and the CDC, with flexible ticket refund and exchange policies in place.

Tickets for Lackawanna Blues go on sale to the general public beginning Tuesday, August 10.

As described by MTC, Lackawanna Blues features a solo performance by Santiago-Hudson in a play “celebrating the strong, big-hearted woman who raised him: Miss Rachel. In a 1950s boarding house outside Buffalo, Nanny, as she was affectionately called, opened her doors to anyone and everyone in need of kindness, hope, compassion, and care.” Santiago-Hudson plays more than 20 characters.