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Posts tagged ‘Phantom of the Opera’

29
Jul

Stage Rush TV: Episode 72

Talking points:

What do you think, Rushers? Did this week’s Bryant Park concert rock your world with the sexy people that performed? What is your favorite role of Chester Gregory’s to date? Have you ever attended the 24-hour musicals event? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and don’t forget to enter our Follies ticket giveaway for a chance to win one of two pairs of tickets to the show!

Follow Stage Rush on Facebook and Twitter, and sign up for the weekly newsletter!

28
Jul

Broadway in Bryant Park recap: ‘Anything Goes’ and ‘The Phantom of the Opera’

The oldie musicals came to Broadway in Bryant Park this week to show the newbies who’s boss. The lively casts of The Phantom of the Opera, The Fantasticks, Hair, and Anything Goes performed their classic, well-trodden material with fresh enthusiasm.

At first, I wasn’t so sure about the Phantom set. Kyle Barisich and Marni Raab sang a sweet “All I Ask of You,” but the acting was so out of context on the Bryant Park stage that I had trouble holding back a few snide laughs. I shut up when Hugh Panaro took the stage for “Music of the Night.” The Broadway A-lister and long-time Phantom sang the famous number with remarkable control, and his power notes filled the park effortlessly.

VIDEO: Hugh Panaro sings “Music of the Night” from The Phantom of the Opera

Read more »

3
Jun

Stage Rush TV: Episode 66

Talking points:

  • Lucky Guy‘s unexpected, early closing almost derails Stage Rush giveaway winners
  • The Phantom of the Opera ticket giveaway concludes
  • The four Tony-nominated Book of Mormon actors interviewed by Seth Rudetsky
  • Stage Rush is traveling to LA for theater coverage
  • Stage Rush will predict Tony winners on WGHT radio Wednesday, June 8 @ 9:30 a.m.
  • Broadway grosses

What do you think, Rushers? Are you surprised of Lucky Guy‘s closing, in light of its aggressive marketing? Did you see/hear Seth Rudetsky’s interview with the four Tony-nominated Mormon actors? Which Mormon actor is your favorite? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

Follow Stage Rush on Facebook and Twitter, and sign up for the weekly newsletter!

27
May

Stage Rush TV: Episode 65

Talking points:

What do you think, Rushers? Is Kate Shindle the perfect combination of beauty and humor? Do you think Zarkana is going to be one of Cirque du Soleil’s best shows, or another Banana Shpeel? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and have a fantastic Memorial Day Weekend!

Follow Stage Rush on Facebook and Twitter, and sign up for the weekly newsletter!

26
May

Ticket giveaway: The Phantom of the Opera

There are lots of shiny, new musicals on Broadway this season, and while a lot of them have superior star power to offer, it’s hard to top that of an institution. Stage Rush is giving a way a free pair of tickets to the Broadway mainstay The Phantom of the Opera at the Majestic Theatre!

phantom of the opera broadway musical poster
Here are the easy steps you need to take to have your chance to win these tickets:

  • Enter on Facebook by writing on Stage Rush’s Facebook wall (“Like” us, if you haven’t already done so)
  • Enter on Twitter by retweeting a link to the Phantom of the Opera contest page (a retweet button is located at the top of this page) OR one of Stage Rush’s tweets about the contest (@StageRush must be mentioned somewhere within your tweet, or else we won’t receive your entry)
  • Subscribe to Stage Rush’s weekly newsletter. (Previous subscribers will automatically be entered into the contest.)

You can enter this contest one time via each method. So if you enter through Facebook, Twitter, and the newsletter subscription, you will have three entries in the contest. No more than three entries per person will count. If you play through Facebook, you must be able to be contacted via private message. If you play through Twitter, I must be able to direct message (DM) you (you must be following @StageRush in order for this to happen).

The giveaway will end on Friday, June 3. I will notify the winner through email, Facebook, and/or Twitter private message.

All participants must be able to see the show between the dates of June 3 and June 23, 2011 (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evening performances only). The tickets are not valid for resale.

What are you waiting for, Rushers? Get over to the Stage Rush Facebook wall, retweet us on Twitter, and sign up for the weekly newsletter—it couldn’t be easier!

Tickets are provided by The Phantom of the Opera.

11
Feb

Stage Rush TV: Episode 50, with co-host Jeremy Stolle of ‘Phantom’

(Using an iPhone or iPad? Watch on YouTube)

Talking points:

What do you think, Rushers? Is Jeremy Stolle the man, or what! Below, I have a special letter of gratitude in lieu of SRTV’s 50th episode—please check that out. Be sure to enter to win a pair of tickets to How To Succeed starring Daniel Radcliffe, and as always, leave your thoughts in the comments below. Thank you so much for watching this special episode! Read more »

13
Sep

Concert recap: Broadway on Broadway

The new Broadway season swoops in with quite a homecoming when it takes over the area it inhabits. During the annual Broadway on Broadway concert, Broadway the art takes full control of Broadway the district. In its nineteenth year, the free outdoor concert in Times Square offered strong performances, many of theater’s biggest stars, and a lack of new offerings.

Sponsored by The Broadway League and billed as a kick-off to the new theater season, Broadway on Broadway should (and usually does) feature the new musical productions that will be bowing in the coming months. It’s an exciting sneak peak of shows that are opening in a few weeks, and some much further into the year. Last year, new productions like Finian’s Rainbow and Memphis were among those that debuted their songs and cast to the Times Square audience. This year, just two new musicals performed, out of the 10+ productions slated for Broadway this year.

Only one of those two productions, Elf, features original music. Beth Leavel was on hand to perform “There Is A Santa Claus,” which was pretty paint-by-numbers in melody, but embodied a strong seasonal flavor. Will Swenson (with newly cropped hair, much to the female audience’s audible disdain) performed “I Say A Little Prayer” from Priscilla Queen of the Desert—a jukebox musical. Not two of the strongest numbers of the day, but still exciting, being they were new.

Where was the cast of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, who is clearly ready to go? The Scottsboro Boys are still performing at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, so they get a pass on this event. But why couldn’t Reeve Carney represent Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark like he did on Good Morning America on Friday? Were the A-list stars of Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown above the free concert? Being that all these shows are set to open in the next two months, a one-song performance couldn’t have been too far out of their reach. Instead of performances, Sutton Foster, from the upcoming revival of Anything Goes (another production that didn’t perform—like she doesn’t know how to sing “Blow, Gabriel, Blow?) appeared on stage to read from the list of all these shows that are coming to Broadway and wouldn’t be performing. Some tease. Read more »

16
Jul

Broadway in Bryant Park recap: Memphis and Billy Elliot

The second installment of the free summer Broadway-at-lunchtime extravaganza (aka Broadway in Bryant Park) enjoyed much less steamy weather than its premiere week. I also indulged in one of the park’s signature green chair this time, which resulted in a much further spot for filming, which I didn’t realize was a consequence until later. Let me know if the videos are too difficult to see, or if you enjoyed the full-stage perspective.

This week’s concert, which boasted a hefty lineup, kicked off with the oddball of the group—The Radio City Christmas Spectacular, featuring the Rockettes. I can’t be the only one who isn’t keen on Christmas in July. Thankfully, the Rockettes showed the audience mercy and refrained from performing to any Yuletide tunes. Instead, they relegated their performance to a brief routine of high kicks and chorus lines to an instrumental number (no Christmas carol I could make out), and exited the stage roughly three minutes after they began. Someone’s not getting coal in their stocking, come December.

The first real show to take the stage was the king of Broadway, The Phantom of the Opera. Phantom actor John Cudia was not in attendance, but Paul Schaefer knocked it out of the park with “Music of the Night.” Interestingly, Phantom only got two songs, which, as I would find out, left more time for newer shows. Usually, all shows get four numbers. This week, the allotted numbers were quite unbalanced.

The cast of South Pacific was up to bat next, and they were easily the best performers of the day. I’ve thought for a while that the South Pacific chorus is the strongest I’ve ever seen on Broadway. Danny Burstein and his men proved it once again with “There Is Nothing Like A Dame,” making full use of the stage, something that Memphis could have done (but more on that later). Laura Osnes (ah, a star!) was up for the Bryant Park challenge and sang “A Wonderful Guy.” Seeing her perform was a first for me, and I was quite impressed with her vocals.

Video: “There Is Nothing Like A Dame”

Read more »

19
Apr

Understudy Hall: ‘At This Performance’: Spring 2010

Before the actors took the stage for the penultimate performance of the spring series of At This Performance concerts Sunday night, Musicals Tonight! artistic director Mel Miller delivered the bittersweet introduction. “These are among the most talented and underappreciated performers on Broadway,” he said. And therein lies what is so brilliant about this concert series that features Broadway understudies—for this night, the spotlight is on them; they are the headliners. Little white slips of paper be damned!
Sunday night’s lineup featured actors currently appearing in The Addams Family, Hair, Lend Me A Tenor, The Phantom of the Opera, and the recently closed Ragtime. Each performer took the stage, looking thrilled to be there, and ebulliently performed their prepared numbers. A barebones stage allowed the audience to focus solely on these (most likely, new) performers’ talents. Singing with only a piano accompanist (Eugene Gwozdz), the setting had an “audition feel” to it, which felt relevant to these performers’ stories. 
Frank Mastrone sang a hyper-emotional “Bring Him Home” from Les Miserables. Mykal Kilgore performed an octave defying “Aquarius” from Hair (he understudies the female role of Dionne?? Interesting!). And Mamie Parris gave a heartbreaking rendition of “Back To Before” from Ragtime. In addition to impressive vocals, many of the actors’ performances displayed infectiously likeable personalities. Briana Carlson-Goodman of Hair performed a comedic song from a musical workshop she was involved with, where she sings of her love for her piano accompanist, and Lend Me A Tenor’s Donna English displayed a multitude of hilarious facial expressions during “The Killer Soprano,” a song featured in Forbidden Broadway. 
Setlist:
Briana Carlson-Goodman (Hair, u/s Sheila and Chrissy)
“Easy To Be Hard” and the in-love-with-accompanist tune 
Donna English (Lend Me A Tenor, standby Maria and Julia)
“Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered” and “The Killer Soprano” 
Mary Illes (The Phantom of the Opera, u/s Madame Giry)
“Yes, It’s Love” and “Go Little Boat” 
Morgan James (The Addams Family, u/s Wednesday Addams and Alice Beineke)
“Pulled” and “Ohio, 1904”
Mykal Kilgore (Hair, u/s Dionne)
“Aquarius” and “Don’t Let The Sun Get You Crying” 
Frank Mastrone (The Phantom of the Opera, u/s Monsieur Andre and Piangi)
The dress rehearsal of ‘Hannibal’ (from Phantom), “Bring Him Home” and “Those Were The Good Old Days” 
Anastacia McClesky (Hair, u/s Dionne)
“White Boys” and “Stormy Weather” 
Mamie Parris (Ragtime, u/s Mother)
“Back To Before” and “Perfect” 
The spring dates of At This Performance (which also takes place in the fall) has been playing on scattered Sunday and Monday evenings since February 28. Today is the final performance, and tickets can be purchased for $25 online or at the box office. Further information can be found at musicalstonight.org.
12
Mar

Stage Rush TV: Episode 4


Talking points:
  • The Broadway portion of Las Vegas
  • The Scottsboro Boys has a rush policy, but no rush tickets
  • Evan Rachel Wood backs out of Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark
  • Steven Sater: Spring Awakening film could begin production as soon as fall
  • Broadway grosses
Please leave your thoughts, questions in the comments below!
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