Manuel Turizo to Make Performance Debut at This Year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

Manuel Turizo is making a special Thanksgiving debut…

The 23-year-old Colombian singer will perform at this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Manuel TurizoTurizo exploded onto the scene in 2018 with his smash single “Culpables.” Numerous hits like “Esperándote” and “Una Lady Como Tú” and high-profile collaborations like “El Merengue” with Marshmello & the reggaeton single “Copa Vacía” with Shakira soon followed. Fast forward to 2022: Turizo’s biggest hit “La Bachata” reached No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot Latin chart and earned Global Song of the Year honors at the Latin Billboard Awards. His recently released “Dem Time Deh” with Sean Paul is bound to keep the accolades coming.

But Turizo isn’t the only Latinx artist expected to take part in the parade.

Kirstin Maldonado and her Pentatonix group mates will be performing as well.

The 31-year-old part-Spanish and half-Mexican American singer and her group mates have redefined a cappella. The three-time Grammy-winning vocal quintet have reached unprecedented heights, selling 10 million albums worldwide.

The group was named “The Most Streamed Holiday Artist of 2022” and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2023. Pentatonix is set to embark on their 2023 North American Christmas tour, The Most Wonderful Tour of the Year, this November in support of their recently released holiday greatest hits album, The Greatest Christmas Hits.

Other artists set to perform include Cher and Jon Batiste, as well as the Broadway casts of & Juliet, Back to the Future, How To Dance In Ohio, Shucked and Spamalot

The parade and the NBC broadcast will kick off at 8:30 am ET on Thursday, November 23, a half-hour earlier than the traditional 9:00 am start.

The 97th Macy’s Parade lineup will include 5,000 volunteers, 16 featured character balloons, 26 floats, 32 heritage and novelty balloons, more than 700 clowns, 12 marching bands and nine performance groups, according to parade officials.

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.

Eden Espinosa to Reprise Role on Broadway in Acclaimed Musical “Lempicka”

Eden Espinosa is the (Lem)pick(a) the week…

The 45-year-old Mexican American Broadway actress and singer is starring as Polish artist Tamara de Lempicka in the Carson KreitzerMatt Gould Broadway musical Lempicka.

Eden Espinosa, LempickaEspinosa originated the title role in critically acclaimed performances at Williamstown Theatre Festival and La Jolla Playhouse.

Lempicka will begin performances at Broadway‘s Longacre Theatre on Tuesday, March 19, 2024, ahead of an official opening night on Sunday, April 14, producers Seaview and Jenny Niederhoffer have announced.

Directed by Tony Award winner Rachel Chavkin and featuring choreography by Raja Feather KellyLempicka features book, lyrics, and original concept by Kreitzer, and book and music by Gould. Additional casting will be announced in the coming weeks.

“Tamara de Lempicka’s life spanned some of the most consequential eras in modern history,” said Chavkin in a statement, “and her deep and complex story is an ideal subject for exactly the kind of show I love to both see and create: one that is simultaneously intimate and epic.”

She continued, “I think Carson and Matt are visionary storytellers — Carson is an under-recognized leader in the new play field, known for exquisite sparseness and thematic density, and Matt is a wild heart whose music fuses contemporary vibes with classical musical theater…and simply makes your heart swell. How lucky for all of us to have this piece brought to life by a performer as dynamic and brilliant as Eden Espinosa.”

Best known for her Art Deco portraits and nudes, Tamara de Lempicka (1898–1980) was born in Warsaw but spent most of her working life in France and the United States.

“When I first saw this show inspired by the life and times of Tamara de Lempicka, my great-grandmother, I got goosebumps and tears in my eyes,” said Marisa de Lempicka, President of Tamara de Lempicka Estate, LLC stated. “ The music, the story, the choreography, the set, and the incredibly talented cast, directed by Tony Award winner Rachel Chavkin, were truly moving. We feel so happy and proud that Tamara’s art and life story keep inspiring new generations, almost one hundred years later, and that her resilience and iconic creativity are being portrayed in this extraordinary production.”

Lempicka had its world premiere at Williamstown Theatre Festival in 2018, drawing excellent reviews. From there the production played at La Jolla Playhouse in 2022.

The creative team for Lempicka includes Riccardo Hernández (scenic design), Paloma Young (costume design), Bradley King (lighting design), Peter Hylenski and Justin Stasiw (sound design), Peter Nigrini (projection design), Mia Neal (hair and wig design), Remy Kurs (music supervision), Charity Wicks (music direction), Cian McCarthy (orchestrations), and Peter Duchan (creative consultant).

Wagner Johnson Productions serves as Executive Producers.

Espinosa’s Broadway credits include ‘Elphaba’ in Wicked and ‘Maureen’ in the closing Broadway company of Rent. She currently stars in Michael John LaChuisa’s The Gardens of Anuncia at Lincoln Center.

Gloria Estefan Writing Music & Lyrics for Stage Musical “Five Notes,” Based on Paraguay’s Recycled Orchestra

Gloria Estefan is takin’ notes

The 66-year-old Cuban Grammy-winning singer/songwriter is writing the music and lyrics for an original stage musical called Five Notes about Paraguay’s Recycled Orchestra of Cateura, Estefan has revealed.

Gloria EstefanIn an Instagram post, Estefan said she’s collaborating with her daughter Emily Estefan for the music, with the book written by playwright Karen ZacaríasDear Evan Hansen director Michael Grief will direct Five Notes, according to Estefan.

Five Notes is inspired by the Orquesta De Reciclados De Cateura, also known as The Recycled Orchestra of Cateura or simply the Recycled Orchestra, an orchestra composed of children from Asunción, Paraguay, who played musical instruments made from scrap materials collected from a local landfill. Formed in 2012, the orchestra performed internationally with Stevie Wonder and the American heavy-metal bands Metallica and Megadeth, and was the subject of the 2015 documentary Landfill Harmonic.

Estefan writes that the new musical – which she says is in its early development – will be based on the documentary.

Ken Cerniglia is the dramaturg on the project, and Alex Lacamoire serves as the music supervisor.

The 2015 Broadway jukebox musical On Your Feet!, based on the lives of Gloria and husband Emilio Estefan, has toured widely both domestically and internationally. A West End production opened in 2019.

Playwright Zacarías is the author of the 2005 play Mariela in the Desertwinner of the National Latino Playwriting Award, and more recently The Copper Children, which premiered in 2020 at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

Lindsay Mendez’s Broadway Revival of “Merrily We Roll Along” Breaks House Record at Hudson Theater

Lindsay Mendez’s latest production is breaking records…

Broadway‘s starry Merrily We Roll Along revival, starring the 40-year-old Mexican American Broadway singer/actress, has reported another strong run of previews last week, grossing a hefty $1,471,644 and setting another house record at the Hudson Theatre.

Lindsay Mendez, Merrily We Roll AlongThe Stephen SondheimGeorge Furth musical starring Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff and Mendez topped the venue’s previous seven-performance record of $1,431,543, held by David Byrne’s American Utopia.

Merrily We Roll Along was the only show on the boards officially filling all its seats for the week ending October 1.

Hamilton was a virtual sell out, with 99.7% of seats filled (and a gross of $1,776,084), and The Lion King was at 99.4% of capacity at the Minskoff (grossing $1,923,263, even with a TDF reduced-rate Sensory Friendly matinee on October 1).

Two productions opened last week: Purlie Victorious, grossing $358,336 at the Music Box, and Melissa Etheridge: My Window taking $179,113 at Circle in the Square. Press and opening night comps no doubt took a bite into receipts.

In all, the 26 Broadway productions took in $23,116,749 for the week, a small 3% increase over the previous week. Attendance for the week held steady at 199,458. Average ticket price was $115.90.

Season to date, Broadway has grossed $543,413,435 with total attendance of 4,477,657 at 88% of capacity.

All figures courtesy of The Broadway League.

Hulu Renews Selena Gomez’s “Only Murders in the Building” for Fourth Season

Selena Gomez isn’t leaving the building just yet…

The 31-year-old Mexican American actress/singer’s critically acclaimed series Only Murders in the Building has been renewed for a fourth season by Hulu.

Hulu Renews Selena Gomez's "Only Murders in the Building" for Second SeasonWith the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike is over, the series’ writers room is expected to reconvene shortly.

The Season 3 premiere of Only Murders in the Building had the most viewers of any scripted Hulu Original in 2023. Meryl Streep and Paul Rudd guest-starred in the season that followed Charles, Oliver and Mabel (Steve MartinMartin Short and Gomez) investigating a murder behind the scenes of a Broadway show.

Rudd played Ben Glenroy, a Hollywood action star whose Broadway debut is cut short by his death, while Streep portrayed Loretta Durkin.

Only Murders in the Building remains Hulu’s most watched comedy original ever. It hails from co-creators and writers Martin and John Hoffman, who executive produce along with Short, Gomez, Dan Fogelman and Jess Rosenthal.

The series is produced by 20th Television, a part of Disney Television Studios. In January, it will vie for the Emmy in the Outstanding Comedy Series against Abbott Elementary, Barry, The Bear, Jury Duty, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Ted Lasso and Wednesday.

Short also is up for an Emmy, as is Nathan Lane for starring as Teddy Dimas.

Opening Night for Broadway Revival of Stephen Sondheim & George Furth’s “Merrily We Roll Along,” Starring Lindsay Mendez Set for October

Lindsay Mendez is rolling along toward opening night…

An official opening night date has been set for the Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s Merrily We Roll Along, starring the 40-year-old half-Mexican American actress/singer and Broadway star.

Following the previously announced September 19 preview launch, the opening night for the revival will be Tuesday, October 10 at the Hudson Theatre.

The first, star-packed Broadway revival of Sondheim and Furth’s Merrily We Roll Along has extended its engagement by two months, giving ticket buyers until March 24, 2024 to see the production featuring Daniel RadcliffeJonathan Groff and  Mendez.

Lindsay Mendez, Merrily We Roll AlongPerformances begin Tuesday, September 19 at the Hudson Theatre. The original closing date was January 21, 2024. The extension was announced this week by producers Sonia Friedman Productions, David Babani, Patrick Catullo and Jeff Romley, who cited popular demand as the reason for the longer run.

Directed by Maria Friedman, Merrily We Roll Along features music & lyrics by Sondheim, a book by Furth, and is based on the original play by George S. Kaufman & Moss Hart. Radcliffe plays Charley Kringas, Groff is Franklin Shepard, and Lindsay Mendez is Mary Flynn.

Additionally, the production will feature Krystal Joy Brown as Gussie Carnegie, Katie Rose Clarke as Beth Shepard and Reg Rogers as Joe Josephson.

The cast will also include Max Rackenberg, Brady Wagner, Sherz Aletaha, Maya Boyd, Leana Rae Concepcion, Morgan Kirner, Ken Krugman, Corey Mach, Talia Robinson, Amanda Rose, Jamila Sabares-Klemm, Brian Sears, Evan Alexander Smith, Christian Strange, Koray Tarhan, Vishal Vaidya, Natalie Wachen and Jacob Keith Watson.

The production began a sold-out run Off Broadway at New York Theatre Workshop in 2022 after engagements at London’s Menier Chocolate Factory and an Olivier Award-winning West End transfer.

Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer to Star in Upcoming Broadway revival of Monty Python Musical “Spamalot”

Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer has (Spam)alot to look forward to.

The 466-year-old half-Puerto Rican musical theater actress/singer will star in Broadway’s upcoming revival of the Monty Python musical Spamalot.

Leslie Rodriguez KritzerRodriguez Kritzer will reprise her role of Lady of the Lake from the popular Kennedy Center production.

She’ll be joined by James Monroe IglehartMichael Urie, Jimmy Smagula and Nik Walker, who will also reprise their Kennedy Center production roles.

Ethan Slater and Christopher Fitzgerald are joining the cast as newcomers.

Performances of the Monty Python musical comedy begin Tuesday, October 31, at the St. James Theatre ahead of an official opening night of Thursday, November 16.

Also returning from the Washington D.C. production is Josh Rhodes as director and choreographer.

With a book & lyrics by Python’s Eric Idle and music by John Du Prez and Idle, the original 2005 Broadway production was nominated for 14 Tony Awards and won three including Best Musical.

The creative team for the revival, also announced today in addition to the casting, includes scenic and projection design by Paul Tate dePoo III, costume design by Jen Caprio, lighting design by Cory Pattak, sound design by Kai Harada & Haley Parcher, wig design by Tom Watson and music direction by John Bell.

The role of Sir Lancelot has yet to be cast.

The musical is based on the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and features such songs as “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life,” “The Song That Goes Like This,” “Find Your Grail” and more.

Rodriguez Kritzer most recently starred on Broadway in the Beetlejuice musical.

Eric Anthony Lopez Signs with Reload Management

Eric Anthony Lopez is reloading 

The Puerto Rican actor has signed with Reload Management.

Eric Anthony LopezLopez is best known for starring in the Disney Studios original film Chang Can Dunk.

He’s also known for his work on stage.

He made his Broadway debut as Passarino in The Phantom of The Opera, directed by Harold Prince and starred as Tony in The Chicago Revival of Terrence McNally’s Master Class.

He is currently attached to the revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita, directed by Sammi Cannold.

Lopez continues to be repped by Natasha Matallana of Take 3 Talent and KAPR.

Hulu Releases Season 3 Trailer for Selena Gomez’s “Only Murders in the Building”

Selena Gomez is helping solve a new murder…

Hulu has released the first trailer for Season 3 of Only Murders in the Building, starring the 31-year-old Mexican American actress/singer.

Selena GomezThe critically acclaimed series will return with all new episodes on August 8.

Following the shocking death of actor Ben Glenroy (Paul Rudd) in the Season 2 finale, Charles (Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short) and Mabel (Gomez) are investigating the tragedy that took place behind the scenes of Oliver’s Broadway show.

Aided by co-star Loretta Durkin (Meryl Streep), the trio discovers this case is a tougher nut to crack than the Arconia murders but remain optimistic they will find who killed Oliver’s leading man as he also attempts to put his show back together.

“Finding this killer is the only way you’ll ever have a show,” Mabel tells Oliver.

With everyone in the theater being a possible suspect, the trio has their work cut out for them. At least their fans will get a whole new season of their podcast.

Only Murders in the Building hails from co-creators and writers Martin and John Hoffman. Martin and Hoffman executive produce along with Short, Gomez, This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman and Jess Rosenthal.

The series is produced by 20th Television, a part of Disney Television Studios.