Lindsay Mendez to Participate in One-Night-Only Special Event “Broadway’s Leading Ladies”

Posted on February 24, 2025 by Tom Castaneda

Lindsay Mendez is leading a special charge on Broadway…

The 43-year-old half-Mexican American Tony Award-winning actress and singer will be among the featured stars in the upcoming one-night-only special event, Broadway’s Leading Ladies, set for New York City’s Town Hall on March 10.

The event will be broadcast on PBS later this year.

Mendez, who most recently starred in Merrily We Roll Along, joins a roster of leading ladies of The Great White Way that includes LaChanze, Kate Baldwin, Jennifer Holliday, Judy Kuhn, Jessie Mueller and Death Becomes Her star Jennifer Simard.

Additional all-star casting to be announced soon.

PBS, in partnership with No Guarantees and Nouveau Productions, said the performers were chosen in part for “unique contributions [that] have energized and defined the Broadway we know today.”

The leading ladies will be joined by members of the American Pops Orchestra, conducted by Luke Frazier, whose PBS credits include Wicked in Concert and Broadway’s Leading Men.

Frazier and the American Pops Orchestra last appeared at Town Hall in the critically acclaimed musical tribute to Edith Piaf.

A portion of the ticket proceeds will benefit the Women’s Health Initiative at the Entertainment Community Fund, founded by cancer survivor and Fund board member Phyllis Newman.

“Broadway’s Leading Ladies is a celebration of the profound influence and enduring legacy women have made in theater,” said Christine Schwarzman, President of No Guarantees, the production company partnering with PBS and Nouveau Productions on the event. “The Broadway leading lady is a timeless and cherished tradition, from the legendary Ethel Merman to the many remarkable women who grace the stage today.”

Broadway’s Leading Men aired on PBS in November and included performances by Something Rotten!‘s Christian Borle, Aladdin’s Jacob Gutierrez, Hamilton‘s Christopher Jackson, Glee‘s Matthew Morrison, and Hadestown’s André De Shields, among others.

Eva Noblezada to Reprise Tony-Nominated Role in Special Live & Filmed West End Engagement of “Hadestown”

Posted on January 30, 2025 by Tom Castaneda

Eva Noblezada is returning to the Greek underworld.

The 28-year-old half-Mexican American Tony Award-nominated and Grammy-winning actress and singer will return to Hadestown for a special live West End engagement.

Anaïs Mitchell’s hit Tony-winning Broadway musical – based on the Orpheus myth – will be professionally filmed live featuring the original Broadway cast, producers

Noblezada will reprise her Tony-nominated role as Eurydice for the special engagement.

Additionally, Reeve Carney will reprise his role as Orpheus from the original Broadway cast for the London pro-shoot. André De Shields as Hermes, Amber Gray as Persephone, and Patrick Page as Hades.

The filming will take place at London’s Lyric Theatre across three performances: Friday, February 28; and both matinee and evening performances on Saturday March 1. There will be 2,000 tickets in total available to purchase for the filmed performances, with tickets on sale Friday, January 31 at 12 pm.

Casting for performances between February 11 and March 9, including the filmed performances, will feature the previously announced original cast members from the National Theatre and the Tony and Grammy Award-winning Broadway productions.

Completing the cast will be Bella Brown, Madeline Charlemagne and Allie Daniel as Fates, Lauren Azania, Tiago Dhondt Bamberger, Waylon Jacobs and Christopher Short as Workers, and Lucinda Buckley, Francessca Daniella-Baker, Winny Herbert, Ryesha Higgs and Miriam Nyarko as Swings.

To prepare for the filming, performances from February 25 – 27 have been removed from the performance schedule. The producers have noted that there are currently no set plans or dates for the release of the film version.

Hadestown opened to huge critical acclaim at the Lyric Theatre, London in February last year, five years after a sold-out engagement at the National Theatre in 2018 and is now booking in the West End until September 28, 2025.

Hadestown is produced in London by Mara Isaacs, Dale Franzen, Hunter Arnold, Tom Kirdahy and the National Theatre in association with JAS Theatricals.

Justina Machado to Star in Broadway Production “Real Women Have Curves: The Musical”

Posted on January 17, 2025 by Tom Castaneda

Justina Machado is preparing to take on a curvy new role on Broadway.

The 52-year-old Puerto Rican SAG Award-winning actress and Broadway newcomer Tatianna Córdoba have been cast as the leads in the upcoming Broadway production Real Women Have Curves: The Musical.

Córdoba will make her debut starring as ambitious high school senior Ana Garcia (a role that marked America Ferrera’s breakout debut in the 2002 HBO film).

Starring alongside her will be Machado as Carmen Garcia, Ana’s hardworking mother who imagines a traditional life for her daughter.

Real Women Have Curves: The Musical is set to begin previews on April 1 at the James Earl Jones Theatre ahead of an opening night on April 27.

The official synopsis: It’s the summer of 1987, and Ana Garcia dreams of flying away from East Los Angeles. But when her family receives a make-or-break order for 200 dresses, Ana finds herself juggling her own ambitions, her mother’s expectations, and a community of women all trying to make it work against the odds.

The production also announced the full creative team for the Broadway run, which will feature direction & choreography by Sergio Trujillo, music and lyrics by Joy Huerta and composer/lyricist Benjamin Velez, book by Lisa Loomer with Nell Benjamin, and music supervision by Nadia DiGiallonardo.

The production will also feature music direction by Roberto Sinha, scenic design by Arnulfo Maldonado, costume design by Wilberth Gonzalez and Paloma Young, lighting design by Natasha Katz, sound design by John Shivers, video design by Hana S. Kim, and hair, wig, and make-up design by Krystal Balleza.

The musical is based on the play by Josefina López and HBO’s Real Women Have Curves (screenplay by Josefina López and George LaVoo). American Repertory Theater (A.R.T) at Harvard University produced the musical’s world premiere in 2023.

Machado’s previous credits include the television programs One Day at a Time, Queen of the South and Devious Maids, as well as the films The Purge: Anarchy and Final Destination 2.

Eva Noblezada Joining Cast of Broadway‘s “Cabaret at the KitKat Club” for Limited Run

Posted on January 16, 2025 by Tom Castaneda

Eva Noblezada is hitting the cabaret….

The 28-year-old half-Mexican American actress and singer, a two-time Tony Award nominee and Grammy winner, will join masked country music star Orville Peck in Broadway‘s Cabaret at the KitKat Club.

Noblezada and Peck are set as the new Sally Bowles and Emcee in the musical.

Peck, making his Broadway debut, and Noblezada will play a limited 16-week engagement at the August Wilson Theatre starting Monday, March 31, through Sunday, July 20.

They’ll take over for Adam Lambert and Auli‘i Cravalho who, as previously announced, will play their final performances on Saturday evening, March 29.

Casting for the two roles after Sunday, July 20, will be announced this summer.

The announcement was made by producers Adam Speers for ATG Productions, Underbelly, Gavin Kalin Productions, Hunter Arnold, Smith & Brant Theatricals and Wessex Grove.

Noblezada finishes her run as Daisy Buchanan in the hit Broadway musical The Great Gatsby on January 30, then joins other original Broadway cast members of Hadestown for a limited engagement reunion in the West End production.

She made her Tony-nominated Broadway debut in the 2017 revival of Miss Saigon, and on film she has appeared in Yellow Rose and Easter Sunday.

Said Noblezada, “While studying musical theater in school, Cabaret always stood out. I was, and am, amazed by the lineage of theater royalty who have been in the show. And Sally Bowles to me is simply… fascinating. She is like a totally conscious child who is also completely unhinged. Almost clownish. But real and raw and in your face. And that character amidst and against that backdrop of such an evil reality is painfully surreal. I am totally psyched to start learning more. And I am ready to be as submissive as possible to the iconic world that is Cabaret.”

Producers aren’t saying whether Peck will play the Emcee with or without a mask.

“The Emcee has been my dream role since I was a teenager,” said Peck, who is rarely seen in public without his signature, often-fringed mask and whose concert performances are highly theatrical. “The nature of the character allows for complete freedom of individual expression. It can be portrayed through such a vast range of emotions, perspectives, and performance styles. That kind of freedom is every actor’s dream.”

Peck, who trained as an actor at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and appeared on London’s West End in the Olivier Award-nominated Peter Pan Goes Wrong before releasing his innovative, career-making albums Pony (2019), Bronco (2022) and Stampede (2024), continued, “I truly cannot believe I’m getting to make my Broadway debut in one of my favorite shows and in probably my favorite role in all of musical theater. I grew up in the theater. I was a working actor and a dancer for many years before I started making music. I did the hustle, and the struggle, for a long time, trying to make things happen for myself. But it taught me so much of who I am as a performer and a person, so it feels very full circle to be making a return to it at this point in my career.”

In a statement, director Rebecca Frecknall said, “After such a brilliant collaboration with Adam Lambert, I’m thrilled to be able to bring yet another incredible contemporary musician into the role of the Emcee. Orville brings such theatricality to his own musical performance and has one of the most crystalline voices in music right. It’s going to be exciting to see him become a part of our production and hear him sing John Kander and Fred Ebb’s score.”

She continued, “I’ve followed Eva’s work for years and it’s a privilege to have her join the company as our next Sally Bowles on Broadway following Auli‘i’s magnificent run. She brings such truth and emotional vulnerability to her work and has a voice that always thrills. She is truly one of theater’s great leading ladies, so it only seems fitting for us to get to see her take on this great canonical role.”

Prior to Adam Lambert and Auli‘i Cravalho, Broadway’s Cabaret starred Eddie Redmayne and Gayle Rankin, who originated the roles last spring. The current cast also includes Bebe Neuwirth, Calvin Leon Smith, Steven Skybell, Henry Gottfried and Michelle Aravena.

Sebastian Yatra Makes Broadway Debut in “Chicago”

Posted on November 27, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Sebastian Yatra is taking a special stage…

The 30-year-old Colombian singer and actor made his Broadway debut this week in Chicago.

Yatra delivers a solid vocal performance and demonstrates an enjoyable stage presence as the charming, corrupt lawyer Billy Flynn in Chicago.

In the musical, he’s not the same singer of Latin pop chart-topping hits; he’ss a conscious cast member committed to the requirements of this type of show.

Yatra began his four-week engagement in the long-running musical on Monday (Nov. 25), where he shares leading roles with Broadway veterans Bianca Marroquín and Kimberly Marable, who play Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly, respectively.

Known for No. 1 hits on the Billboard Latin Airplay chart like “Tacones Rojos,” “Un Año” (with Reik) and “Robarte un Beso” (with Carlos Vives), Yatra makes the leap to the theater mecca two years after making his acting debut in the miniseries Once Upon a Time… Happily Never After.

Although he’s younger (and sweeter) than other actors who’ve played Billy Flynn — Jerry Orbach was almost 40 in the original 1975 production, and Richard Gere was 52 in the 2002 film adaptation — on Tuesday (Nov. 26), in only his second performance, Yatra shone, showing new vocal registers and singing classics like “Razzle Dazzle” and “We Both Reached for the Gun” in English.

While dancing is not considered his forte, he followed the choreography without issue and stood out with his bearing and likability.

“Everyone in Chicago is excited and proud of him,” Marroquín, who shares several scenes with Yatra in the performance, told Billboard Español on Tuesday as she left the theater. “He has done an exceptional job. He arrived super disciplined with everything memorized, very committed, very responsible, and on top of that he is a sweetheart. Being backstage with him is divine. He is a very beautiful soul. So I love having that connection because, besides, Roxie and Billy have a lot to do with each other in the show. We have created a beautiful friendship, a bond, a very nice chemistry.”

Set in the 1920s, Chicago is a scathing satire of how show business and the media make celebrities out of criminals. While the original production debuted in 1975, the current production, which opened on Broadway in 1996, holds the record for the longest-running American musical on Broadway. With a book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, music by John Kander and lyrics by Ebb, it includes killer songs like “All That Jazz,” “Cell Block Tango” and “Mr. Cellophane.”

With Yatra, the role of Billy Flynn now receives some Latin and contemporary flavor. “Latinos have something special even when we are speaking English, there is a lot of love within us, a lot of passion,” Yatra told Billboard Español in September, upon the announcement of his Broadway debut. “I think I can offer a perspective from someone who is living in 2024 at almost 30, how he sees that world, also knowing that I could have perfectly been a lawyer and could be that person standing there. Thank God Billy and I don’t share the same values, because that would be messed up!” he added with a laugh.

Over the years, Chicago has invited various Latin stars to join the musical for brief runs. Yatra joins a list that includes Colombian actress Sofia Vergara, who in 2009 played Matron “Mama” Morton, and Mexican singer and actor Jaime Camil, who in 2016 portrayed Billy Flynn.

Chicago is presented at the Ambassador Theatre (219 W. 49th St.) For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the Broadway musical’s site.

Kenny Ortega Teams Up with Former “Newsies” Team for Special Video to Get Out the Vote

Posted on October 15, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Kenny Ortega is makin’ news(ies) while getting out the vote…

The 74-year-old Spanish American prolific director, choreographer and producer has teamed up with composer Alan Menken and lyricist Jack Feldman have reunited for a non-partisan get out the vote video that features new performances of updated songs from Newsies.

The project is for Broadway Votes, the theater industry’s largest organized get out the vote effort, and features a remix video of Newsies’ “Carrying the Banner” and “Seize the Day” numbers.

The project reunites Ortega, the director of the 1992 film adaptation of the Broadway musical with Menken and Feldman for the first time since the film.

The songs are reframed for the 2024 election and newly re-recorded. The video was filmed at the Connelly Theater in Manhattan’s East Village.

The performers include leads from the original Newsies Broadway cast such as Ben Fankhauser, Andrew Keegan-Bolger, Kara Lindsay and Tommy Bracco, as well as notable Broadway actors such as Josh Strobl, Justin David Sullivan, Oyoyo Joi and Antonio Cipriano.

The Broadway musical’s book writer Harvey Fierstein was also involved.

“My gratitude to Broadway Votes for this joyous full circle opportunity to re-visit the spirit and empowering messages of my film Newsies,” Ortega said in a statement, “and for the privilege to collaborate with New York’s extraordinary Broadway and filmmaking communities in this non-partisan musical rally to get out and vote.”

Said Menken, “This medley, blending beloved songs from both the 1992 film and the Broadway production of Newsies, serves as a reminder of the power we hold as people who care about Democracy.” He added, “By reimagining these familiar tunes, we hope to inspire every American to exercise their fundamental right to vote. The magic of music and storytelling has always moved people – now we’re using that magic to move them to the polls.”

Broadway Votes launched in early September with a mission to motivate and mobilize theater lovers around the country to make a plan to vote. For National Voter Registration Day the initiative partnered with over 18 shows to encourage voter registration, and recently threw an all-star free concert in Times Square featuring Broadway actors and musicians.

Lin-Manuel Miranda Returning to Broadway in Simon Rich’s “All In: Comedy About Love”

Posted on September 23, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Lin-Manuel Miranda is returning to Broadway…

The 44-year-old Puerto Rican Tony Award-winning Broadway star will lead the second company of Simon Rich’s All In: Comedy About Love on Broadway this January, taking over when John Mulaney finishes up his limited run in a production featuring a revolving cast of actors.

The production, directed by Alex Timbers, begins performances on Wednesday, December 11 at the Hudson Theatre with the previously announced Mulaney-led cast of Fred Armisen, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Richard Kind and Chloe Fineman.

In a second roster of cast members for the final five weeks of the production, Miranda takes over on Tuesday, January 14, running through Sunday, February 16.

Appearing on various dates during Miranda’s run will be Aidy Bryant, Andrew Rannells, Sam Richardson, Jimmy Fallon, David Cross, Tim Meadows and Hank Azaria

Produced by Seaview and Lorne Michaels, the world premiere of the Rich comedy is a series of stories “about dating, heartbreak, marriage and that sort of thing,” adapted from the short stories of Rich and performed by a rotating cast.

Per the synopsis: “Sometimes they will play pirates, sometimes they will play dogs, and there’s one where we make them talk in British accents. But even though the show’s kind of all over the place, it’s meant to tell one simple story: that the most important part of life is who we share it with. We hope everybody will relate to it, even if it was their date’s idea to come and they are starting out from a place of quiet resentment.”

The musical duo The Bengsons (Abigail and Shaun Bengson) will perform songs live on stage from The Magnetic Fields (composer, Stephin Merritt), including from the album 69 Love Songs.

The dates for the initial cast are: John Mulaney (December 11 – January 12) Fred Armisen (December 11 – January 12) Renée Elise Goldsberry (December 11 – 30) Richard Kind (December 11 – January 12) Chloe Fineman (January 2 – 12).

Miranda will be joined by the following cast: Aidy Bryant (January 14 – February 2), Andrew Rannells (January 14 – 26), Sam Richardson (January 14 – February 2), Jimmy Fallon (January 28 – February 2) David Cross (February 4 – 9), Tim Meadows (February 4 – 16) and Hank Azaria (February 11 – 16).

All In is produced on Broadway by Seaview and Lorne Michaels with New Yorker Studios. Micah Frank and Caroline Maroney will produce on behalf of Broadway Video.

Barbie Ferreira to Make Broadway Debut in New Play “Cult of Love”

Posted on September 18, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Barbie Ferreira has joined a Broadway cult…

The 27-year-old Brazilian American actress has joined the cast of Cult of Love, the upcoming new Broadway play by writer and showrunner Leslye Headland.

In addition to Ferreira, the play will feature a cast that includes Shailene Woodley and Zachary Quinto.

The Second Stage Theater production, directed by Trip Cullman, also will feature Molly Bernard, Roberta Colindrez, Rebecca Henderson, Christopher Lowell and Christopher Sears.

Ferrari will be making her Broadway debut.

The play, in its New York premiere, will begin previews on November 20 at Second Stage’s Helen Hayes Theater, with an official opening on December 12.

Additional casting will be announced shortly.

The play’s synopsis reads: “It’s the holiday season for the Dahl family! The four adult children return to their childhood home with partners in tow. The Dahl traditions include singing carols in harmony at the drop of a hat, but the gathering is anything but harmonious. Old conflicts resurface, new issues battled, and dinner is taking absolutely forever to be served. Will the love the Dahls have for each other be enough to get them through, or will this be their last Christmas together?”

Cult of Love will feature scenic design by John Lee Beatty, costume design by Sophia Choi, lighting design by Heather Gilbert, and sound design by Darron L West. The Music Supervisor is Jacinth Greywoode.

The play had its world premiere at IAMA in January 2018.

Krysta Rodriguez to Star in the Indie Comedy “Lunch Hour”

Posted on August 20, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Krysta Rodriguez is out to lunch…

The 40-year-old Latina actress, singer and Broadway star has signed on to star in Lunch Hour, a new indie comedy from director Larry Guterman and Winter State Entertainment.

Rodriguez will be joined by Thomas Middleditch and Alan Cumming in the project.

Delving into the anatomy of an affair, Lunch Hour watches as a soup-loving married man meets the soup-loving married woman of his dreams. Thereafter, both throw caution to the wind and engage in a messy affair for the ages.

Oren Safdie wrote the script and serves as executive producer. Hamid & Camille Torabpour and Nick Hagen produced for Winter State.

“I am thrilled to work with Oren, Hamid, Camille and the Winterstate team to bring this whip-smart comedy, driven by nuanced and complex comic performances, to the screen,” Guterman told Deadline. “I fell in love with the script and I knew that I had to be part of the special project.”

Added the Torabpours, “Oren is a wonderful writer, and watching his words come to life with Larry’s incredible direction and the brilliant work of our amazing cast of Thomas, Krista and Alan has been a tremendous experience. Camille and I are happy to have brought a project like this to Minnesota!!”

Rodriguez, who rose to acclaim on television in Smash, portrayed Liza Minnelli in Netflix’s limited series Halston from executive producer Ryan Murphy and has also been seen in Broadway productions like Into the Woods, First Date, The Addams Family and Spring Awakening.

Auli’i Cravalho to Make Broadway Debut as a New Lead in “Cabaret at The Kit Kat Club”

Posted on July 24, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Auli’i Cravalho will be spending her nights at the Kit-Kat Club.

The 23-year-old part-Puerto Rican actress/singer, who rose to acclaim as the lead of the voice cast of Disney’s Moana, and American Idol alum Adam Lambert will step in the respective roles of Sally Bowles and Emcee in Broadway‘s Cabaret revival on September 16.

Their limited engagement runs through March 30.

Gayle Rankin and Eddie Redmayne will give their final performances as Bowles and Emcee in the Tony-nominated Kander-and-Ebb musical two nights earlier.

“I’m thrilled to join the long line of talented women who have taken on the iconic Sally Bowles,’ most recently, the woman I watched with notebook and pen in hand, the dynamite Gayle Rankin,” said Cravalho in a statement. “To join a show with so much history—and such a stellar cast and crew—means it’s quite literally an honor to get my butt kicked each week.”

Lambert added, “Growing up on the musical theater stage, it was always a childhood dream to perform on Broadway. With this production of Cabaret, it finally felt like the right time to accept an invitation to make my debut. The themes of this show have always resonated with me and given the current sociopolitical climate the world is in, feel eerily timely.”

Officially titled Cabaret at The Kit Kat Club, the show moved to Broadway in April from London’s West End, where it dominated the 2022 Olivier Awards. It went on to score nine Tony nominations including Best Revival of a Musical, later winning for Tom Scutt’s scenic design.

The current Cabaret cast also includes Bebe Neuwirth, Ato Blankson-Wood, Steven Skybell, Henry Gottfried and Natascia Diaz.

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