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

Posted on October 30, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

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 Kreitzer–Matt Gould Broadway musical Lempicka.

Espinosa 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 Kelly, Lempicka 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.

Kid Cudi Releases New Ariana Grande Collaboration “Just Look Up”

Posted on December 4, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Things are looking up for Kid Cudi…

The 37-year-old half-Mexican American singer, whose real name is Scott Mescudi, has officially released his new collaboration with Ariana Grande, “Just Look Up.”

The new song appears on the soundtrack to the Adam McKay-directed film Don’t Look Up, which stars both Grande and Cudi and begins streaming on Netflix on December 10.

Don’t Look Up also stars Jennifer Lawrence, Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, Jonah Hill, Timothée Chalamet, Cate Blanchett, Tyler Perry, and others.

The soundtrack is out December 10.

Don’t Look Up is the next chapter in both Grande and Cudi’s film careers.

Grande was recently cast in the upcoming film adaptation of Wicked.

A new documentary about Cudi arrived last month.

Grande and Cudi also last released albums in 2020: Positions and Man on the Moon III: The Chosen, respectively.

Rita Moreno to Perform in PBS’ “Wicked in Concert” Special

Posted on August 9, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a wicked time for Rita Moreno…

The 89-year-old Puerto Rican actress, dancer, and singer, a living Latina legend, will take part in PBS’ Wicked in Concert special.

Co-hosted by the Tony Award-winning musical’s original Broadway stars Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel, the musical event will feature performances by Moreno, Mario Cantone, Gavin Creel, Ariana DeBose, Cynthia Erivo, Stephanie Hsu, Jennifer Nettles, Alex Newell, Isaac Powell, Amber Riley, Gabrielle Ruiz and Ali Stroker.

The starry line-up was announced by Nouveau Productions Executive Producer Robert Pullen. The concert special will air on Sunday, August 29 at 9:00 pm ET on PBS, PBS.org and the PBS Video App.

The concert, directed by Baayork Lee, is designed as a celebration of the return of Broadway following the 16-month COVID-19 pandemic shutdown.

This special will feature reimagined, never-before-heard Wicked musical arrangements created by music director and conductor Luke Frazier just for this broadcast, with performances filmed in multiple locations including Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and New York City.

Since opening on Broadway in 2003, Wicked, with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman based on Gregory Maguire’s novel reimagining some characters from The Wizard of Oz, is the fifth longest-running show in Broadway history.

The musical has been seen by over 60 million people worldwide and has amassed over $5 billion in global sales.

Javier Muñoz to Perform at This Year’s Arthur Miller Foundation Honors Benefit for Public School Arts Education

Posted on October 20, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Javier Muñoz is celebrating the arts in our schools…

The 44-year-old Puerto Rican Broadway star, who performed in the Tony Award-winning musicals In The Heights and Hamilton, has joined the line-up of performers for the annual Arthur Miller Foundation Honors celebrating public school arts education.

Muñoz will perform alongside his friend and castmate Mandy Gonzalez, the 42-year-old half-Mexican American Broadway star who has appeared in In The Heights, Wicked and Hamilton.

The third annual gala celebration is set to stream virtually on November 16, and will also include performances by husband-and-wife duos like Hamilton’s Leslie Odom, Jr. and Waitress‘ Nicolette Robinson; and Hamilton‘s Phillipa Soo and Bridges of Madison County‘s Steven Pasquale.

The evening will include a special appearance by Chiké Okonkwo and performances by New York City public school students impacted by the Miller program.

Additional performers and appearances to be announced at a later date.

Sasha Hutchings, Hamilton original cast member and Foundation Master Artist Council member, will host. She also co-produces along with Arthur Miller Foundation Executive Director Jaime Hastings. Kate Capshaw and Steven Spielberg are event co-chairs alongside Rebecca Miller, Sandi Farkas, Janine & Michael Smith.

The event is presented by Broadway.com and directed by Paul Wontorek. The Foundation will honor Tony Award nominee Dominique Morisseau (Ain’t Too Proud) with the Arthur Miller Foundation Legacy Award, and will recognize exceptional NYC public school theater teacher Lisanne Shaffer with the Arthur Miller Foundation Excellence in Arts Education Award.

The celebration will raise funds for the Foundation’s theater education programs.

Ryan Vasquez to Star in Ross Golan’s Musical “The Wrong Man”

Posted on July 26, 2019 by Tom Castaneda

Ryan Vasquez is in the Wrong…

The Latino actor/singer has been cast in the world premiere in New York this September of multi-platinum songwriter Ross Golan’s musical The Wrong Man.

Vasquez will star opposite Tony-nominee Joshua Henry and Ciara Renéein the musical.

The Wrong Man is set in Reno, Nevada, and tells the story of Duran, a man just scraping by, who is accused of a murder he says he didn’t commit.

Golan’s first stage musical was initially conceived as an acoustic solo piece, but over a decade has grown to include a full-length concept album and an animated film.

Previews begin on Wednesday, September 18, with an opening night of October 7, at the Off Broadway MCC Theater.

Golan (book, music, lyrics) has written massive hits for a massive roster of artists including Maroon 5, Justin Bieber, Nicki Minaj, Lady Antebellum, Michael Bublé, Selena Gomez, Keith Urban, Ariana Grande, Flo Rida, One Direction, Idina Menzel, Nelly, Demi Lovato, Jason Derulo, Meghan Trainor, Cee Lo Green, 5 Seconds of Summer, Prince Royce, Snoop Dogg, Gavin DeGraw, Colbie Caillat, Andy Grammer, James Blunt, Big Sean and Travis Barker.

Vasquez has appeared on Broadwayin Hamilton, Waitress and Wicked, and on television in The Good Fight, Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Code.

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton” Musical Cast Recording Notches 100th Week on Billboard 200

Posted on September 3, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Make that a perfect 100 for Lin-Manuel Miranda…

The 37-year-old Puerto Rican composer, lyricist, playright and actor’s original Broadway cast recording Hamilton: An American Musical notches its 100th consecutive week on the latest Billboard 200 albums chart (dated September 9).

The cast recording, which ranks at No. 24 o the list, also surpasses the total album sales of the original Broadway cast album to Rent.

In the latest tracking week (ending August 24), Hamilton sold another 7,000 copies, bringing its total sales to 1.285 million – slightly more than the 1.284 million of Rent (released in 1996).

Hamilton is now the sixth largest selling cast album of the Nielsen Music era (which started in 1991, when the company began electronically tracking music sales).

The top selling cast album in Nielsen Music’s history is the highlights edition of the original London cast recording of The Phantom of the Opera, with 4.97 million sold. (The complete recording of The Phantom of the Opera — which is tracked and charts separately — has sold 503,000 since 1991.)

The Phantom of the Opera (Highlights) is followed by the original Broadway cast recording of Wicked (2.7 million), the original cast recording of Mamma Mia! (1.72 million), the original Broadway cast recording of Les Miserables (1.66 million), the original Broadway cast recording of Jersey Boys (1.44 million) and Hamilton.

Further, Hamilton has sold 297,000 in 2017. It is one of only two cast albums to sell 100,000 copies this year; Dear Evan Hansen, at 116,000, is the other. Those totals also make 2017 the first calendar year since 2011 where two cast albums have cleared 100,000. That year, The Book of Mormon and Wicked respectively sold 182,000 and 133,000.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the week’s most popular albums based on their overall consumption. That overall unit figure combines pure album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA).

Now, let’s take a closer look at some of the action on the latest Billboard 200 chart:

Miranda’s “Hamilton: An American Musical” Original Cast Recording Surpasses 1 Million in U.S. Album Sales

Posted on January 14, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Lin-Manuel Miranda has a platinum hit on his hands…

The original Broadway cast recording of Hamilton: An American Musical, created by the 36-year-old Puerto Rican actor, playwright, composer, rapper and writer, has now surpassed 1 million in U.S. album sales, according to Nielsen Music.

The set, which won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album last year, sold another 16,000 copies in the week ending January 5, which brings its total sales sum to 1.005 million since its release on September 25, 2015.

Hamilton is only the ninth cast recording to sell a million since Nielsen began electronically tracking music sales in 1991.

The top selling cast album in Nielsen’s history is the highlights edition of the original London cast recording of The Phantom of the Opera, with 4.97 million sold. (The complete recording of The Phantom of the Opera — which is tracked and charts separately — has sold 503,000 since 1991.)

Aside from The Phantom of the Opera (Highlights) and Hamilton, here are the other million-selling cast albums of the Nielsen era: the original Broadway cast recordings of Wicked (2.67 million), Les Miserables (1.65 million), Jersey Boys (1.44 million), Rent (1.28 million) and The Lion King (1.04 million), along with the original cast recording of Mamma Mia! (1.71 million) and the highlights edition of the complete symphonic recording of Les Miserables (1.03 million).

In 2016, Hamilton received a record-setting 16 Tony Award nominations, winning 11, including Best Musical and the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Miranda’s “Hamilton” Ends Year as Broadway’s Box Office Star

Posted on December 29, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton is the new king of the jungle…

The 36-year-old Puerto Rican actor, playwright, composer, rapper and writer’s Broadway musical nudged past Disney blockbuster The Lion King to top the Broadway box office end of the year chart.

Hamilton ended the year earning $105.5 million, besting The Lion King ($103.2 million) by a nose.

The show’s hugely profitable year comes as little surprise given the ultra-high demand for tickets and the rising prices of premium seats.

Over Thanksgiving, Hamilton became the first Broadway show to earn more than $3 million in a single eight-performance week.

Although Broadway bookkeeping mostly follows a season calendar that begins and ends in May, the year-end box office tallies nonetheless provide a good mid-season snapshot of the health of the Broadway industry. With box office measured in weekly increments that run Monday through Sunday, bookkeepers at the Broadway League are counting the week ending December 25 as the end of the 52-week year, with the 2017 calendar year beginning this week.

Hamilton and the 19-year-old Lion King, which had been the biggest earner on the street for the previous three calendar years, were the only two shows to earn more than $100 million in 2016.

Another of Broadway’s consistent hot tickets, Wicked ($89 million), followed them on the chart, with Disney’s Aladdin ($78.2 million) and The Book of Mormon ($70.6 million) rounding out the Top 5.

Gonzalez to Join the Broadway Cast of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton” Musical

Posted on August 1, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Mandy Gonzalez is ready to Ham(ilton) it up…

The 37-year-old half-Mexican American Broadway actress and singer has landed a plum role in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony Award-winning smash Hamilton.

Gonzalez, who previously worked with Miranda in the original Broadway production of In the Heights, will step into the role of Angelica Schuyler Church on Broadway.

Gonzalez will join the cast in October following the exit of the show’s original Broadway cast member Renée Elise Goldsberry, who’ll leave to appear in the Netflix series Altered Carbon.

Exact dates for both Goldsberry’s departure and Gonzalez’s start remain to be set.

Hamilton, the stage juggernaut that opened on Broadway about a year ago, will launch its long-term Chicago engagement Sept. 27 at the PrivateBank Theater.

It’ll be followed by another production that will play 21-week runs in San Francisco and Los Angeles; a London staging is also on the way.

Gonzalez also previously starred as Elphaba in the Broadway musical, Wicked.

Paladin Pictures Acquires the Psychological Thriller “After,” Starring Gonzalez

Posted on May 4, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Mandy Gonzalez’s latest project will be released in August…

Paladin Pictures has acquired the distribution rights to the psychological thriller After, which stars the half-Mexican American actress/singer and Broadway star.

From first-time director Pieter Gaspersz, the film tells the tale of a middle class family in upstate New York centered around cheerful but fragile matriarch Nora, whose family stone-cutting business is slowly failing and whose delicate balance is threatened by a secret that could change everyone’s lives forever.

Gonzalez stars as Molly Valentino in the film, which was written by Sabrina Gennarino.

After will be released on August 8 in partnership with Accretion Films.

The film also co-stars John Doman, Pablo Schreiber, Adam Scarimbolo, Diane Neal, Darrin Dewitt Henson, Bruno Gunn and Gennarino.

Gonzalez, who starred in the Broadway musical Wicked, has also appeared in Across the Universe (directed by Julie Taymor), In God’s Hands, The Good Wife, Third Watch and Guiding Light.

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