Evita to Launch National Tour Fall of 2013

Michael Grandage’s Tony Award-nominated revival of Tim Rice’s and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita will launch a national tour at the Providence Performing Arts Center in Providence, RI, beginning in the fall of 2013.

Casting and additional details for the production, which features choreography by Rob Ashford, will be announced at a later date.

The Broadway production of the musical, about the life of Argentinean First Lady Eva Peron, is currently playing at the Marquis Theatre.

Click here for the official Evita website.

For tickets and more information on the Broadway production of Evita, click here.

Broadway’s Streetcar Named Desire Extends Through August 19

The Broadway revival of Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire, originally set to end its limited run at the Broadhurst Theatre on July 22, will now extend through August 19. Emily Mann has directed the production.

The production stars Blair Underwood as Stanley, Nicole Ari Parker as Blanche, Daphne Rubin-Vega as Stella, and Wood Harris as Mitch, and also features Rosa Arredondo, Amelia Campbell, Carmen De Lavallade, Danielle Lee Greaves, J. Mallory-McCree, Aaron Clifton Moten, Morocco Omari, Jacino Taras Riddick, Matthew Saldivar, and Count Stovall.

The creative team includes Terence Blanchard (original music), Camille Brown (choreography), Eugene Lee (set design), Edward Pierce (lighting design), Paul Tazewell (costume design), Mark Bennett (sound design), and Rick Sordelet (fight direction).

Click here for more information and A Streetcar Named Desire tickets.

Click here for additional TheaterMania stories relating to A Streetcar Named Desire.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

The champagne flows freely onstage at New York City Centerduring Encores! Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, but it’s the audience that will feel heady watching John Rando’s sparkling (and surprisingly elaborate) production of the 1949 musical.

And even if they’re sitting in the gallery, they can’t help but feel the incandescence of Megan Hilty as the diamond-loving, diamond-wearing Lorelei Lee, the not-so-dumb blonde who knows how to get what she wants (diamonds and men — not necessarily in that order). If Hilty wasn’t already a star (now courtesy of TV’sSmash), her singular take on Lorelei — a blend of calculatedly exaggerated comic line readings and powerhouse vocals —would make her one. Now, she’s a supernova.

Not much needs to be said about the plot, created by Joseph Fields and Anita Loos, which follows the adventures of Lorelei and best pal Dorothy Shaw (the divine Rachel York), a pair of former showgirls traveling aboard a ship to Paris. Lorelei has left behind her lover, Gus Esmond Jr. (Clarke Thorell) in New York — but then thinking he has dumped her, proceeds to find a series of (temporary) successors, including browbeaten philanderer Sir Francis Beekman (Simon Jones) and health nut Josephus Gage (Stephen R. Buntrock).

Meanwhile, Dorothy, who cares more for love than money, quickly succumbs to the low-key charms of Henry Spofford (Aaron Lazar), who is traveling with his wealthy, alcohol-loving mother (a droll Deborah Rush).

If the story is downright silly, the score — by Jule Styne and Leo Robin — is filled with gems, some being discovered by many audiences for the first time. (The majority of these songs were jettisoned for the well-known film version starring Marilyn Monroe.) York makes the most of the toe-tapping “It’s High Time” and the jaunty “I Love What I’m Doing” (augmented by the presence of a quintet of talented half-naked male dancers!); Lazar croons beautifully on “Just a Kiss Apart”; and Hilty and Jones have great fun with the aptly-named “It’s Delightful Down in Chile.”

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Hilty also gets to make her mark with the show’s two most famous songs, and neither opportunity is wasted. She milks every ounce of the spirited “Little Girl from Little Rock,” and she practically reinvents “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend,” emphasizing the deep-learned pearls of wisdom in Robin’s clever lyrics, adding a dash of much-needed dimension to Lorelei.

While Diamonds, perhaps predictably, brings down the house, the biggest — and most surprising — showstopper is “Mamie is Mimi,” in which Randy Skinner’s superb, exhausting choreography — on view through much of the show — comes into full focus, brilliantly executed by Megan Sikora (channeling her inner Ann Miller), Jared Grimes, and Phillip Attmore.

That number is also indicative of how much Encores! has changed in the last two decades. While the orchestra remains onstage and the set is barely there, all of the performers rarely (if ever) glanced at their books. Moreover, Gentlemen features numerous costume changes for the cast, including a few truly specatcular outfits for Hilty from designer David C. Woolard, something unseen in the series’ earliest days.

Yet — as has been true of so many Encores! shows — while this production shines more brightly than some of Broadway’s current fare, this Diamonds is not forever. Catch it while you can.

Chaplin Musical to Play Broadway’s Barrymore Theatre

The new Broadway musical Chaplin will play the Barrymore Theatrebeginning August 21, with an opening on September 10, 2012. Aspreviously reported, Warren Carlyle will direct and choreograph the project.

With music and lyrics by Christopher Curtis and book by Thomas Meehan, the show charts the life of silent film legend Charlie Chaplin, from his beginnings in the slums of London to the years when he was the toast of Hollywood. The musical was previously produced under the title Limelight at the La Jolla Playhouse in 2010.

Chaplin will be produced on Broadway by the Rich Entertainment Group (Bob & Mindy Rich), Roy Gabay and John and Claire Caudwell.

Casting and additional creative team to be announced soon.

Click here for more information on Chaplin.

2012 Tony Award Nominations Announced

Nominees for the 2012 Tony Awards have been announced. As previously reported, stage and screen star Neil Patrick Harris will once again host the Tony Awards ceremony, to be presented a the Beacon Theatreon Sunday, June 10 and broadcast live on CBS from 8pm to 11pm (ET/PT time delay).

The musical Once leads the nominations with 11, followed by Nice Work If You Can Get It and The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess with 10 each, Peter and the Starcatcher with 9 and Follies and Newsies with 8 apiece.

The Shakespeare Theatre Company, Washington, D.C. has been named as the recipient of the Regional Theatre Award, with additional special honors going to the previously reported Emanuel Azenberg (Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre); the recently announced Bernadette Peters (Isabelle Stevenson Award), Actors’ Equity Association (Special Tony Award), and Hugh Jackman (Special Tony Award); and the previously reported Freddie Gershon (Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre), Artie Siccardi (Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre), and TDF Open Doors (Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre).

A full list of nominations in competitive categories follows:

Best Play

Clybourne Park by Bruce Norris 
Other Desert Cities by Jon Robin Baitz 
Peter and the Starcatcher by Rick Elice 
Venus in Fur by David Ives

Best Musical

Leap of Faith 
Newsies 
Nice Work If You Can Get It 
Once

Best Revival of a Play

Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman 
Gore Vidal’s The Best Man 
Master Class 
Wit

Best Revival of a Musical

Evita 
Follies 
The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess 
Jesus Christ Superstar

Best Book of a Musical

Lysistrata Jones, Douglas Carter Beane 
Newsies, Harvey Fierstein 
Nice Work If You Can Get It, Joe DiPietro 
Once, Enda Walsh

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

Bonnie & Clyde, Music: Frank Wildhorn, Lyrics: Don Black 
Newsies, Music: Alan Menken, Lyrics: Jack Feldman 
One Man, Two Guvnors, Music & Lyrics: Grant Olding 
Peter and the Starcatcher, Music: Wayne Barker, Lyrics: Rick Elice

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play

James Corden, One Man, Two Guvnors
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
James Earl Jones, Gore Vidal’s The Best Man
Frank Langella, Man and Boy
John Lithgow, The Columnist

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play

Nina Arianda, Venus in Fur
Tracie Bennett, End of the Rainbow
Stockard Channing, Other Desert Cities
Linda Lavin, The Lyons
Cynthia Nixon, Wit

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical

Danny Burstein, Follies
Jeremy Jordan, Newsies
Steve Kazee, Once
Norm Lewis, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess
Ron Raines, Follies

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical

Jan Maxwell, Follies
Audra McDonald, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess
Cristin Milioti, Once
Kelli O’Hara, Nice Work If You Can Get It
Laura Osnes, Bonnie & Clyde

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play

Christian Borle, Peter and the Starcatcher
Michael Cumpsty, End of the Rainbow
Tom Edden, One Man, Two Guvnors
Andrew Garfield, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
Jeremy Shamos, Clybourne Park

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play

Linda Emond, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
Spencer Kayden, Don’t Dress for Dinner
Celia Keenan-Bolger, Peter and the Starcatcher
Judith Light, Other Desert Cities
Condola Rashad, Stick Fly

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical

Phillip Boykin, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess
Michael Cerveris, Evita
David Alan Grier, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess
Michael McGrath, Nice Work If You Can Get It
Josh Young, Jesus Christ Superstar

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical

Elizabeth A. Davis, Once
Jayne Houdyshell, Follies
Judy Kaye, Nice Work If You Can Get It
Jessie Mueller, On A Clear Day You Can See Forever
Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Ghost the Musical

Best Scenic Design of a Play

John Lee Beatty, Other Desert Cities
Daniel Ostling, Clybourne Park
Mark Thompson, One Man, Two Guvnors
Donyale Werle, Peter and the Starcatcher

Best Scenic Design of a Musical

Bob Crowley, Once
Rob Howell and Jon Driscoll, Ghost the Musical
Tobin Ost and Sven Ortel, Newsies
George Tsypin, Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark

Best Costume Design of a Play

William Ivey Long, Don’t Dress for Dinner
Paul Tazewell, A Streetcar Named Desire
Mark Thompson, One Man, Two Guvnors
Paloma Young, Peter and the Starcatcher

Best Costume Design of a Musical

Gregg Barnes, Follies
ESosa, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess
Eiko Ishioka, Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark
Martin Pakledinaz, Nice Work If You Can Get It

Best Lighting Design of a Play

Jeff Croiter, Peter and the Starcatcher
Peter Kaczorowski, The Road to Mecca
Brian MacDevitt, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
Kenneth Posner, Other Desert Cities

Best Lighting Design of a Musical

Christopher Akerlind, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess
Natasha Katz, Follies
Natasha Katz, Once
Hugh Vanstone, Ghost the Musical

Best Sound Design of a Play

Paul Arditti, One Man, Two Guvnors
Scott Lehrer, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
Gareth Owen, End of the Rainbow
Darron L. West, Peter and the Starcatcher

Best Sound Design of a Musical

Acme Sound Partners, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess
Clive Goodwin, Once
Kai Harada, Follies
Brian Ronan, Nice Work If You Can Get It

Best Choreography

Rob Ashford, Evita
Christopher Gattelli, Newsies
Steven Hoggett, Once
Kathleen Marshall, Nice Work If You Can Get It

Best Direction of a Play Nicholas Hytner, One Man, Two Guvnors
Pam MacKinnon, Clybourne Park
Mike Nichols, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
Roger Rees and Alex Timbers, Peter and the Starcatcher

Best Direction of a Musical

Jeff Calhoun, Newsies
Kathleen Marshall, Nice Work If You Can Get It
Diane Paulus, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess
John Tiffany, Once

Best Orchestrations

William David Brohn and Christopher Jahnke, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess
Bill Elliott, Nice Work If You Can Get It
Martin Lowe, Once
Danny Troob, Newsies

Click here for more TheaterMania coverage of the Tony Awards.

Click here for TheaterMania’s Guide to Theater Awards.

PHOTO FLASH: Anthony Heald, Bebe Neuwirth, Christina Ricci at CSC’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream Opening

PHOTO FLASH: Anthony Heald, Bebe Neuwirth, Christina Ricci at CSC’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream Opening

INTERVIEW: Megan Hilty Is a Smash

The Broadway star talks about her role on the hit NBC series and its upcoming soundtrack album.

Megan Hilty has enchanted Broadway audiences inWicked and 9 to 5, but she currently has the entire nation enthralled as chorus girl and wannabe Broadway superstar Ivy Lynn on the NBC hit musical series Smash, and can be heard on the series’ first soundtrack album, due out on May 1. The versatile actress — who will appear as Lorelei Lee in Encores! production ofGentlemen Prefer Blondes, May 9-13 at New York City Center — took time from her busy schedule to speak with TheaterMania about Smash and its music.

THEATERMANIA: What has it been like having to learn a new song practically every week and then record it?
MEGAN HILTY: It’s different with every piece of music. Some things Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman had to write or rewrite quickly, so we’d learn it in 24 hours and we’d be recording it. That was madness. And sometimes we had plenty of time to rehearse.

TM: So many of Ivy’s songs sound like they were written just for you. Is that true?
MH: I don’t know how much of the writing was really done for me, but I feel so honored to be the first voice of Marc and Scott’s new music. They are so smart, and the songs forSmash work on so many different levels — for the character of Marilyn Monroe and the musical we’re putting on and the life of my character.

TM: In a lot of these songs, like “Mr & Mrs. Smith,” you need to sound like Marilyn, yet also like Ivy/Megan. Is that difficult?
MH: I’ve learned to sing kind of like Marilyn, with that breathy, sultry sound. But that wouldn’t carry on a big stage, so it makes sense that for a musical that I also sound like Ivy/Megan. I’ve tried hard to keep that balance.

TM: Do you have a favorite number from the show?
MH: My favorite is “Let’s Be Bad.” I was playing Ivy, Ivy playing Marilyn, and Marilyn playing Sugar in Some Like It Hot. It was an epic number.

TM: One of my favorite songs on the soundtrack wasn’t written by Marc and Scott: Carrie Underwood’s “Crazy Dreams.” Did you know the song beforehand?
MH: I wasn’t familiar with it. They sent me Carrie’s recording and I thought this could be fun, whatever we do with it. When we went into the recording studio, our producer decided to slow it down and make it tender, so you could really listen to the lyrics. And that felt right. I appreciate that we get to do some pop songs and we get to do our own arrangements so they fit within the show.

TM: Would you like to do more pop tunes next season?
MH: I really would like Ivy to sing some Ray LoMantagne or some Bonnie Raitt songs. Maybe something by Heart. I tend to think outside of the box, instead of the super-mainstream or ultra-current. I don’t care about that. I think you’ll also see that when my own album comes out. It’s going to be very contemporary.

TM: The show uses so many people from Broadway. Is that a bonus for you?
MH: It’s really great to look up in the makeup trailer and see so many of my friends from the Broadway community every week. They’ve really done right by us by using these incredible people who can really sing and dance.

TM: What has it been like working with Bernadette Peters, who plays your mother?
MH: It’s been the ultimate dream come. She is the true reason I wanted to be in musical theater. When I was going to meet her at this awards ceremony at college, I was so excited. And I needed her to know how important she was in my life; so I wrote this long fan letter, put it in a card, and handed it to her. Ivy has this very tumultuous relationship with her mother, and the hardest thing I’ve done all season is to act like I do not like Bernadette. Make sure to tune in on May 14, there are some really great scenes between us on the season finale.

Leap of Faith

REVIEW

The best song in this season’s smallish crop of new musicals is “I Can Read You” — a duet for flimflamming evangelist Jonas Nightingale (Raul Esparza, in his finest performance to date) and local sheriff Marla McGowan (Jessica Phillips) — in Leap of Faith, the new Broadway tuner adapted loosely from the 1992 film of the same name, at the St. James Theatre.

While the show is now stirring up audiences for both the right and wrong reasons, the good news — especially for musical lovers willing to take the leap — is that the musical also includes the season’s second and third best songs: “Dancin’ in the Devil’s Shoes” and “Are You on the Bus?”

Their irresistible qualities are no mystery, since the composer is Oscar-winner Alan Menken, who has teamed once again with his Sister Act lyricist Glenn Slater. They are a pair of tunesmiths who don’t compromise craft for contemporary-pop credibility.

Leap of Faith may take on a familiar subject — hypocritical self-proclaimed healers are at least as old as Sinclair Lewis’ Elmer Gantry and N. Richard Nash’s The Rainmaker — but bookwriters Janus Cercone (who wrote the film’s screenplay) and Warren Leight have put a mitigating spin on it. (They also create an unnecessary framing device in which the show is being put on specifically for Manhattan audiences, and the story is essentially being told in flashback.)

Here, Nightingale arrives in the drought-ridden small town of Sweetwater with sister Sam (Kendra Kassebaum) coordinating the nefarious activities, Ida Mae Sturdevant (Kecia Lewis-Evans) cooking the books, and her daughter Ornella (Krystal Joy Brown) bucking up the troupe of singing “Angels” — whose dissatisfaction grows when Ornella’s brother Isaiah (Leslie Odom Jr.) arrives, preaching a truer gospel.

Complicating matters further is Marla, who smells a con artist when she sees one and is determined to shield her wheel-chair-ridden son Jake (Talon Ackerman) from exploitation. She initially resists Jonas’ aggressive charms, then gives in, and then puts duty before feeling by throwing Jonas briefly in jail, and later threatening to shut him down once and for all.

However, what suspense there is in Leap of Faith revolves around whether Jonas will work the miracle of getting Jake, who has more faith than anyone else on hand, to walk during the final revival meeting in designer Robin Wagner’s striped tent.

As Nightingale, Esparza infuses substance into this sometimes contrived material. Moreover, as lit by Don Holder as if receiving God’s grace, he delivers the very fine “Jonas’ Soliloquy” as an 11 o’clock number and thereby puts the finishing touches on a piece of acting remarkable for its dynamic blend of hokum and heart.

Chalk up the rest of what clicks to the abundant musical stops pulled out by director Christopher Ashley, choreographer Sergio Trujillo (at least once borrowing from Alvin Ailey’s “Revelations”) and a mixed chorus of gospel shouters who deliver the Menken-Slater score.

Sure, such ditties may sound simple, but with “Rise Up,” “Step Into the Light,” and “If Your Faith is Strong Enough,” Menken and Slater toss them off smartly enough that you might just be tempted to shout Amen.