Tag Archives: Tony Awards

Lindsay Mendez to Guest Star on CBS’ “Elsbeth”

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Lindsay Mendez is bringing the comic timing to the small screen…

The 42-year-old half-Mexican American Tony Award-winning actress and singer will guest star in the premiere episode of the third season of CBS’ Elsbeth alongside Amy Sedaris and Andy Richter.

Based on the character featured in The Good Wife and The Good Fight, Elsbeth Tascioni (Carrie Preston) is the astute but unconventional consent decree attorney working with the NYPD to catch New York’s well-heeled murderers, utilizing her unique point of view.

Mendez will appear as Officer Grace Hackett, a hard-working officer and an aspiring stand-up comic when off the clock. When she teams up with Elsbeth for a case focused on the world of comedy, her knowledge of the business comes in handy.

Elsbeth is produced by CBS Studios and executive produced by Robert King, Michelle King, Jonathan Tolins, Liz Glotzer, Erica Shelton Kodish, Bryan Goluboff and Gail Barringer with Tolins serving as showrunner.

Robert and Michelle King co-created the series.

Mendez most recently starred in the hit Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along opposite Daniel Radcliffe and Jonathan Groff.

The production, which was filmed for theatrical release, will hit theaters on December 5.

On television, Mendez starred in the FX anthology series American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez for Ryan Murphy.

She was previously a series regular on All Rise from CBS/OWN.

Ariana DeBose to Star in Off Broadway Revival of Joseph Stein & Stephen Schwartz’s 1976 Musical “The Baker’s Wife”

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Ariana DeBose is getting musical in the Big Apple.

The 34-year-old half-Puerto Rican Oscar-winning actress, singer and dancer will star as Geneviève in a rare revival of the Joseph Stein-Stephen Schwartz 1976 musical The Baker’s Wife this fall at Off Broadway‘s Classic Stage Company.

Ariana DeBose,

The revival – the first full-scale New York City production of the musical – will run from October 23 to December 14 at CSC’s Lynn F. Angelson Theater.

Opening night is set for November 11.

A complete performance schedule, additional casting and full creative team will be announced at a later date.

The production was announced by Classic Stage Company’s Jill Rafson, Producing Artistic Director.

Opening CSC’s 2025-2026 Season, The Baker’s Wife features a book by Tony Award winner Stein, music & lyrics Schwartz, based on the film La Femme du Boulanger by Marcel Pagnol and Jean Giono.

Directing will be Gordon Greenberg.

“Ariana is one of our finest young singing actresses, and I’m excited by the depth and nuance she will bring to the title role,” said composer Schwartz. “Plus, I’ve had the pleasure of hearing her sing ‘Meadowlark,’ so I know CSC audiences are in for a treat.” (“Meadowlark” is the musical’s oft-covered most famous song, a staple in the repertoires of Patti Lupone, Sarah Brightman, Betty Buckley, Erika Henningsen and many others).

Director Greenberg said, “Ariana DeBose brings an electric mix of vulnerability, wit, and star power to Genevieve – qualities that not only honor Stephen and Joe’s beautiful work but also ignite it in thrilling new ways. She’s the kind of performer who makes you lean forward in your seat – not just because of her voice, which is extraordinary, but because of the emotional truth she brings to every moment. Watching her inhabit this role will be like discovering the character for the first time.”

The synopsis: “In a quiet French village, a baker and his wife bring fresh bread…and fresh gossip. But when temptation stirs and hearts wander, the whole town gets caught up in a swirl of romance, mischief, and melody. The Baker’s Wife brings Stephen Schwartz’s soaring score, including the iconic ‘Meadowlark,’ to life in its first major New York appearance. Sweet, surprising, and full of heart, this long-awaited production celebrates love in all its perfectly imperfect recipes.”

The musical originally toured the United States for six months in 1976, a legendarily troubled production, retooled constantly, that has long since entered stage lore.

LuPone (who played Geneviève, opposite Topol, an actor she loathed, who played the baker) once told The New York Times, “Every time somebody joined the company, we looked at them and went, ‘Oh my God, what did you do that put you in the bowels of hell?’”

The production was closed by the authors and producer David Merrick before reaching Broadway, and has intrigued theater buffs ever since.

DeBose gained worldwide recognition for her Oscar-winning performance as Anita in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, becoming the first openly queer Afro-Latina to receive an Academy Award.

DeBose most recently starred opposite Ke Huy Quan in Universal’s action-romance Love Hurts.

Her upcoming feature film projects include Lear Rex and Tow, the latter for which she also serves as executive producer.

Her other recent films include Matthew Vaughn’s action film Argylle (Apple/Universal), Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s space thriller I.S.S., Disney’s 100th anniversary animated film Wish, Kraven the Hunter (Sony Pictures) and House of Spoils (Blumhouse/Prime Video).

DeBose also recently wrapped production on the Prime Video series adaptation of Patricia Cornell’s Scarpetta, starring opposite Nicole Kidman and Jamie Lee Curtis.

In 2022, 2023, and 2024, DeBose hosted the Tony Awards, and also starred in both seasons of the critically acclaimed musical comedy series Schmigadoon! (Apple TV+) as well as Ryan Murphy’s The Prom (Netflix).

On Broadway, DeBose is perhaps best known for her Tony-nominated role as Disco Donna in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, and for being part of the original cast of Hamilton (she also appeared in the film adaptation for Disney+).

Other stage credits include Pippin, Motown the Musical, Bring It On: The Musical and Company.

The Baker’s Wife is presented by special arrangement with the Menier Chocolate Factory (David Babani, Artistic Director), Creative Partners Productions and Aaron Glick.

Filmed Version of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton” Musical to Hit Theaters in September

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Lin-Manuel Miranda’s biggest Broadway hit is heading to a movie theater near you.

The filmed version of the 45-year-old Puerto Rican Tony-winning multi-hyphenate’s period Broadway musical Hamilton will hit theaters on September 5.

Hamilton, Lin-Manuel MirandaMiranda spilled the beans on The Tonight Show recently.

Disney will have more details very soon the release, but the date is already on Comscore. You can also see a new trailer above.

In February 2020, Disney bought the filmed version of the stage show for $75M, planning a theatrical release for October 2021. COVID-19 sidetracked those plans and Hamilton dropped on Disney+ in July 2020 to great viewership success and ultimately two Emmy wins in a 12 nom count, including Outstanding Variety Special.00:00

Hamilton additionally will be released in theaters in Canada and Puerto Rico on September 5, the UK and Ireland on September 26, and Australia and New Zealand on November 13.

Among box office benchmarks for Hamilton, the staged musical in previews made $400M in Chicago, breaking the B.O. record for a theater in the Windy City.

Hamilton opened on Broadway in 2015, going on to win 11 Tony awards, including Best Musical, as well as a 2016 Pulitzer Prize for drama.

The original cast includes Miranda as Alexander Hamilton, Leslie Odom Jr. as Aaron Burr, Daveed Diggs as Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson, Renée Elise Goldsberry as Angelica Schuyler; Jonathan Groff as King George; Christopher Jackson as George Washington; Jasmine Cephas Jones as Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds; Okieriete Onaodowan as Hercules Mulligan/James Madison; Anthony Ramos as John Laurens/Philip Hamilton; and Phillipa Soo as Eliza Hamilton.

Hamilton is inspired by the book Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow and produced by Thomas Kail, Miranda, and Jeffrey Seller, with Sander Jacobs and Jill Furman serving as executive producers. Filming was produced by RadicalMedia.

“When we filmed Hamilton, we wanted to try to capture the feeling of being in the Richard Rodgers Theatre during that first year on Broadway,” says director/producer Kail, “and we’re thrilled that audiences will now have the opportunity to experience it on the big screen.”

Raúl Esparza to Star in Hollywood Bowl Production of “Jesus Christ Superstar”

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Raúl Esparza has landed a Superstar role…

The 54-year-old Cuban American actor, considered one of Broadway‘s most prominent leading men since the 2000s, has joined the cast of next month’s Hollywood Bowl production of Jesus Christ Superstar, starring the Cynthia Erivo and Adam Lambert.

Raul EsparzaEsparza will play Pontius Pilate. Erivo is playing Jesus and Lambert is Judas.

Additional casting will be announced.

Sergio Trujillo directs.

The Andrew Lloyd Webber–Tim Rice musical will be performed on Friday, August 1, at 8:00 pm; Saturday, August 2, at 8:00 pm; and Sunday, August 3, at 7:30 pm.

Esparza’s many stage credits include Tony-nominated performances in Broadway’s Taboo (2005), Company (2007) The Homecoming (2008), and Speed-the-Plow (2009).

Other theater credits include Merrily We Roll Along, Sunday in the Park with George, Assassins and Evita.

On television, Esparza can currently be seen in Hulu’s limited series Candy, and he is perhaps best known for his long-running role of Rafael Barba in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

His film credits include Sean Durkin’s Martha Marcy May Marlene, Jonathan Ullman’s Trouble in the Heights, Wes Craven’s My Soul to Take and Sidney Lumet’s Find Me Guilty.

Lin-Manuel Miranda Producing Film “Molina: The Story of the Father Who Raised an Unlikely Baseball Dynasty”

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Lin-Manuel Miranda is helping bring the story of a baseball dynasty to life…

The 45-year-old Puerto Rican Tony Award winning actor, singer, songwriter, rapper, filmmaker and librettist and Luis Miranda, Jr.’s Viajes Miranda is producing Disney’s feature project Molina.

Lin-Manuel MirandaThe film is based on the New York Times best-selling autobiographical book Molina: The Story of the Father Who Raised an Unlikely Baseball Dynasty by Bengie Molina.

Oscar-nominated screenwriter Jose Rivera, who also hails from Puerto Rico, is writing the script.

Viajes Miranda is producing alongside Rideback’s Jonathan Eirich and Diana Nabatoff of Tiara Blu Films, who secured the rights to the book.

Rideback’s Nick Reynolds is an executive producer.

Molina’s autobiography is the backbone of the story that tracks the life and upbringing of Bengie, Jose and Yadier Molina – the only three brothers to all play Major League Baseball at the same time – with a focus on their father Benjamin’s journey with the boys as he set them on the path to success.

Incredibly, the three Molina brothers from Puerto Rico all made it to professional baseball’s highest ranks, all became catchers, and all won World Series rings.  Ad Loading

The Molina Brothers, MLBMiranda was nominated for two original song Oscars for Disney films: “Dos Oruguitas” from Encanto and “How Far I’ll Go” from Moana. 

He recently penned the songs from the studio’s profitable Mufasa, which made $175M after all ancillaries after a $722M global gross. Miranda’s filmed live stage version of his multi Tony-winning Hamilton was acquired by Disney and streamed during the COVID-19 pandemic becoming a huge hit on the service.

Justina Machado Earns Her First-Ever Tony Awards Nomination for “Real Women Have Curves: The Musical”

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Justina Machado has earned a career first…

The 78th annual Tony Awards nominations have been revealed, with the 52-year-old Puerto Rican actress earning her first-ever Tony nod.

Justina Machado, Real Women Have Curves: The Musical

Machado earned a nod in the Actress in a Featured Role (Musical) category for her work in Real Women Have Curves: The Musical.

She originated the role of Carmen Garcia in the Broadway musical production of Real Women Have Curves.

Joy Huerta has earned her first Tony Award nomination…

The 38-year-old Mexican Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and Jesse & Joy duo member is nominated in the Best Original Score category for co-writing the music and lyrics for Real Women Have Curves: The Musical alongside Benjamin Velez.

Marco Ramirez has earned a Tony Award nod in the Best Book of a Musical category.

The Latino television producer, screenwriter and playwright earned the nod for his work on Buena Vista Social Club, which earned 10 Tony Award nominations.

Former Miami City Ballet principal dancer Patricia Delgado has earned a Tony Award nod for Best Choreography.

The 44-year-old Cuban ballet dancer, répétiteur and teacher earned the nomination for her acclaimed work alongside her husband Justin Peck for Buena Vista Social Club. 

Arnulfo Maldonado earned a nod in the Best Scenic Design of a Musical category.

The Latino scenic designer set and costume designer earned the nod for Buena Vista Social Club.

This year’s Tony Awards will return to Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

Hosted by Tony, Emmy and Grammy Award-winner and three-time Oscar nominee Cynthia Erivo,

The American Theatre Wing’s Tony Awards will broadcast live to both coasts on Sunday, June 8 on CBS, and streaming on Paramount+ in the U.S.

Here’s the complete list of Tony Award nominations:

Best Musical
Buena Vista Social Club
Dead Outlaw
Death Becomes Her
Maybe Happy Ending
Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical

Best Play
English
The Hills of California
John Proctor is the Villain
Oh, Mary!
Purpose

Best Musical Revival
Floyd Collins
Gypsy
Pirates! The Penzance Musical
Sunset Blvd.

Best Play Revival
Eureka Day
Romeo + Juliet
Thornton Wilder’s Our Town
Yellow Face

Actor in a Leading Role (Musical)
Darren Criss: Maybe Happy Ending
Andrew Durand: Dead Outlaw
Tom Francis: Sunset Blvd.
Jonathan Groff: Just in Time
James Monroe Iglehart: A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical
Jeremy Jordan: Floyd Collins

Actress in a Leading Role (Musical)
Megan Hilty: Death Becomes Her
Audra McDonald: Gypsy
Jasmine Amy Rogers: Boop! The Musical
Nicole Scherzinger: Sunset Blvd.
Jennifer Simard: Death Becomes Her

Actor in a Featured Role (Musical)
Brooks Ashmanskas: Smash
Jeb Brown: Dead Outlaw
Danny Burstein: Gypsy
Jak Malone: Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical
Taylor Trensch: Floyd Collins

Actress in a Featured Role (Musical)
Natalie Venetia Belcon: Buena Vista Social Club
Julia Knitel: Dead Outlaw
Gracie Lawrence: Just in Time
Justina Machado: Real Women Have Curves: The Musical
Joy Woods: Gypsy

Actor in a Leading Role (Play)
George Clooney: Good Night, and Good Luck
Cole Escola: Oh, Mary!
Jon Michael Hill: Purpose
Daniel Dae Kim: Yellow Face
Harry Lennix: Purpose
Louis McCartney: Stranger Things: The First Shadow

Actress in a Leading Role (Play)
Laura Donnelly: The Hills of California
Mia Farrow: The Roommate
LaTanya Richardson Jackson: Purpose
Sadie Sink: John Proctor is the Villain
Sarah Snook: The Picture of Dorian Gray

Actor in a Featured Role (Play)
Glenn Davis: Purpose
Gabriel Ebert: John Proctor is the Villain
Francis Jue: Yellow Face
Bob Odenkirk: Glengarry Glen Ross
Conrad Ricamora: Oh, Mary!

Actress in a Featured Role (Play)
Tala Ashe: English
Jessica Hecht: Eureka Day
Marjan Neshat: English
Fina Strazza: John Proctor is the Villain
Kara Young: Purpose

Best Book of a Musical
Buena Vista Social Club: Marco Ramirez
Dead Outlaw: Itamar Moses
Death Becomes Her: Marco Pennette
Maybe Happy Ending: Will Aronson and Hue Park
Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical: David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts

Best Original Score
Dead Outlaw: Music & Lyrics: David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna
Death Becomes Her: Music & Lyrics: Julia Mattison and Noel Carey
Maybe Happy Ending: Music: Will Aronson; Lyrics: Will Aronson and Hue Park
Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical: Music & Lyrics: David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts

Real Women Have Curves: The Musical: Music & Lyrics: Joy Huerta and Benjamin Velez

Best Choreography
Joshua Bergasse: Smash
Camille A. Brown: Gypsy
Christopher Gattelli: Death Becomes Her
Jerry Mitchell: Boop! The Musical
Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck: Buena Vista Social Club

Direction (Play)
Knud Adams: English
Sam Mendes: The Hills of California
Sam Pinkleton: Oh, Mary!
Danya Taymor: John Proctor is the Villain
Kip Williams: The Picture of Dorian Gray 

Direction (Musical)
Saheem Ali: Buena Vista Social Club
Michael Arden: Maybe Happy Ending
David Cromer: Dead Outlaw
Christopher Gattelli: Death Becomes Her
Jamie Lloyd: Sunset Blvd.

Best Scenic Design of a Play
Marsha Ginsberg: English
Rob Howell: The Hills of California
Marg Horwell and David Bergman: The Picture of Dorian Gray
Miriam Buether and 59: Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Scott Pask: Good Night, and Good Luck

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Rachel Hauck: Swept Away (pictured)
Dane Laffrey and George Reeve: Maybe Happy Ending
Arnulfo Maldonado: Buena Vista Social Club
Derek McLane: Death Becomes Her
Derek McLane: Just in Time

Best Costume Design of a Play
Brenda Abbandandolo: Good Night, and Good Luck
Marg Horwell: The Picture of Dorian Gray
Rob Howell: The Hills of California
Holly Pierson: Oh, Mary!
Brigitte Reiffenstuel: Stranger Things: The First Shadow

Best Costume Design of a Musical
Dede Ayite: Buena Vista Social Club
Gregg Barnes: BOOP! The Musical
Clint Ramos: Maybe Happy Ending
Paul Tazewell: Death Becomes Her
Catherine Zuber: Just in Time

Best Lighting Design of a Play
Natasha Chivers: The Hills of California
Jon Clark: Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Heather Gilbert and David Bengali: Good Night, and Good Luck
Natasha Katz and Hannah Wasilesk: John Proctor is the Villain (pictured)
Nick Schlieper: The Picture of Dorian Gray

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Jack Knowles: Sunset Blvd.
Tyler Micoleau: Buena Vista Social Club
Scott Zielinski and Ruey Horng Sun Floyd Collins
Ben Stanton: Maybe Happy Ending
Justin Townsend: Death Becomes Her

Best Sound Design of a Play
Paul Arditti: Stranger Things: The First Shadow (pictured)
Palmer Hefferan: John Proctor is the Villain
Daniel Kluger: Good Night, and Good Luck
Nick Powell: The Hills of California
Clemence Williams: The Picture of Dorian Gray

Best Sound Design of a Musical
Jonathan Deans: Buena Vista Social Club
Adam Fisher: Sunset Blvd.
Peter Hylenski: Just in Time
Peter Hylenski: Maybe Happy Ending
Dan Moses Schreier: Floyd Collins

Best Orchestrations
Andrew Resnick and Michael Thurber: Just in Time
Will Aronson: Maybe Happy Ending
Bruce Coughlin: Floyd Collins
Marco Paguia: Buena Vista Social Club
David Cullen and Andrew Lloyd Webber: Sunset Blvd.

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton” Cast Album Added to Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry

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Lin-Manuel Miranda’s smash Broadway musical has earned a place in the Registry.

The 45-year-old Puerto Rican award-winning actor, composer, lyricist, producer, director and playwright’s cast album for his Tony Award-winning Broadway sensation Hamilton: An American Musical is among this year’s 25 additions to the National Recording Registry, which is administered by the Library of Congress.

HamiltonThis year’s selections span 102 years, from 1913 (a recording of “Aloha ‘Oe” by Hawaiian Quintette) to 2015 (Miranda’s Hamilton cast album).

Hamilton (2015) is the first Broadway cast album that was released since Sweeney Todd in 1979 to be selected.

The album, like the musical, has been a best-selling phenomenon, receiving Diamond certification (meaning 10 million copies sold) from the RIAA in 2023.

Produced by The Roots members Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter, the album preserves the musical’s original Broadway cast, and released September 25, 2015, via Atlantic Records.

Freddy Fender’s country/pop smash “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” (1975) has also been added to the Registry.

The late Mexican American singer’s song is one of three songs on the Registry to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

“Before the Next Teardrop Falls” topped that chart for two weeks.

The single — which features verses sung in both English and Spanish — broke boundaries in the music industry by becoming a crossover hit, reaching No. 1 on both the Hot Country Songs chart and the Billboard Hot 100.

Fender’s emotive performance and heartfelt delivery turned the song into a classic, showcasing the power of Latin voices in country music — a genre that initially had limited representation from Hispanic artists.

Vicente Fernández’s enduring ranchera classic “El Rey” (1973), one of the most recognizable songs in Regional Mexican music, joined the roster of Latin recordings in the Registry.

The late Mexican singer and actor’s iconic song appears on his 1973 album, El Ídolo de México, and it was written by José Alfredo Jiménez in 1971.

With its kingly themes of resilience and pride, “El Rey” has become emblematic of Chente’s enduring legacy, even inspiring a 2022 Netflix bioseries of the same name that celebrates his life and career. The mariachi singer — who died in 2021 — remains one of Mexico’s most celebrated musical figures, and his induction into the Registry further solidifies his enduring legacy.

More than 2,600 nominations were made by the public this year.

Under the terms of the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, the Librarian of Congress, with advice from the National Recording Preservation Board, selects 25 titles each year that are “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

Recordings become eligible for the Registry 10 years after release, compared to 25 years for the Grammy Hall of Fame. (Which means the Hamilton cast album won’t be eligible there for another 15 years.)

“These are the sounds of America – our wide-ranging history and culture,” Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said in a statement. “The Library of Congress is proud and honored to select these audio treasures worthy of preservation.”

Industry veteran Robbin Ahrold serves as chair of the National Recording Preservation Board. “This year’s National Recording Registry list is an honor roll of superb American popular music from the wide-ranging repertoire of our great nation,” he said in a statement.

These 25 recordings bring the number of titles on the Registry to 675. This represents just a tiny fraction of the Library’s vast recorded sound collection of nearly four million items.

Here’s the complete list of 2025 additions to the National Recording Registry. They are listed in chronological order by release date.

  • “Aloha ‘Oe” – Hawaiian Quintette (1913, Victor)
  • “Sweet Georgia Brown” – Brother Bones & His Shadows (1949, Tempo)
  • “Happy Trails” – Roy Rogers and Dale Evans (1952, RCA Victor)
  • Radio Broadcast of Game 7 of the 1960 World Series – Chuck Thompson (1960)
  • Harry Urata Field Recordings (1960-1980)
  • Hello Dummy! – Don Rickles (1968, Warner Bros.)
  • Chicago Transit Authority – Chicago (1969, Columbia)
  • Bitches Brew – Miles Davis (1970, Columbia)
  • “Kiss An Angel Good Mornin’” – Charley Pride (1971, RCA Victor)
  • “I Am Woman” – Helen Reddy (1972, Capitol)
  • “El Rey” – Vicente Fernández (1973, CBS)
  • Goodbye Yellow Brick Road – Elton John (1973, MCA)
  • “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” – Freddy Fender (1975, ABC/Dot)
  • I’ve Got the Music in Me – Thelma Houston & Pressure Cooker (1975, Sheffield Lab)
  • The Kӧln Concert – Keith Jarrett (1975, ECM)
  • Fly Like an Eagle – Steve Miller Band (1976, Capitol)
  • Nimrod Workman Collection (1973-1994)
  • Tracy Chapman – Tracy Chapman (1988, Elektra)
  • My Life – Mary J. Blige (1994, Uptown/MCA)
  • Microsoft Windows Reboot Chime – Brian Eno (1995)
  • “My Heart Will Go On” – Celine Dion (1997, 550 Music/Epic)
  • Our American Journey – Chanticleer (2002) (album, Warner Classics International)
  • Back to Black – Amy Winehouse (2006 album, Republic/Universal Music)
  • Minecraft: Volume Alpha – Daniel Rosenfeld (2011 album, self-released)
  • Hamilton: An American Musical – Original Broadway Cast Album (2015 album, Atlantic)

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

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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”

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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.

Eva NoblezadaAnaïs 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.

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

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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.

Eva NoblezadaNoblezada 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.