Greening The Great White Way

Today New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg along with the Broadway League, made a special announcement: Broadway is going green. This is in part of a larger strategy for New York City’s Long Term Planning and Sustainability and the National Resources Defense Council.

Broadway producers, actors, and theater owners are just some of the others involved to help reduce Broadway’s carbon footprint in New York City.

Mayor Bloomberg said that theater goers will not notice large changes in their theater going experience, if any.

“Nearly a quarter of Broadway theaters have already switched the theaters’ lights to more energy efficient bulbs - and the remaining theaters have pledged to do so within the next 12 months,” said Mayor Bloomberg.

“I’d always believed that the environmental movement didn’t require my attention and was being handled by professionals and activists…” said Broadway Producer David Stone of the hit musical “Wicked” who was also on hand for the event.

“Broadway reaches a huge audience, so in addition to Broadway doing our part to help Earth, we hope to encourage theatergoers to take personal action to make meaningful changes to their daily lives,” said The Broadway League Chair Nina Lannan.

There were green characters on hand to delight the press including Elphaba from “Wicked”, Nicky from “Avenue Q” and Frank from “Young Frankenstein.”

When asked about the cities current economic times and if that he feels Broadway will be affected, Mr. Bloomberg said that New York City’s tourism numbers remain high he hopes that those numbers will continue to fill theaters.

Leader of Broadway Dies

Gerald Schoenfeld died early Tuesday at his Manhattan home, said Sam Rudy, a spokesman for the Shubert Organization, according to a report by AP. The cause of his death was not immediately known.

-Broadway Magazine

Time For The Holidays!

What to Joan Rivers, Blythe Danner, and Vanessa Williams all have in common? They all were kicking off the holiday season at the Broadway opening night of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas. Click here to watch the red carpet interviews and stars of the show comment on White Christmas opening in New York.  

Mayor’s Office and Broadway League Making Announcment

In one of the most inexplicable articles recently written about Broadway, Patricia Cohen the New York Times describes theater people as having  an “unusual guilty glee” at the news of a show’s recent closing announcement.  I can’t see anyone who loves theater happy at the news of the number of show closings this season. Sobering is the word. The number and frequency of strong shows closing on Broadway is breathtaking. 3 Best Musical Tony Winners will shutter in January, other audience favorites are also packing up, among them are Young Frankenstein, Hairspray, Gypsy, Spring Awakening, Spamalot, and the recent loss of American Buffalo, A Tale Of Two Cities, To Be Or Not To Be, RENT and the news that 13 will be closing. 

Given the state of the stage, we are intrigued to learn that later today the Broadway League will make a “industry-wide” announcement at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre in conjunction with the Mayor’s Office. What will the news be? We hope it will be a serious attempt to keep Broadway on solid footing going forward. We expect it will be something innovative and bold.  We may not know what it will be, but here is our Broadway list of 5 things that the Mayor will be unlikely to announce at the event:

1. Free tickets for everyone! We’d all love that, but it wouldn’t help anyone.

2. The Mayor will take over for Patti Lupone in Gypsy. This would possibly extend the run of Gypsy for a few performances, but we are doubtful this will help Broadway overall.

3. The Mayor will name Clay Aiken to a post in his next administration. We doubt that will happen, though Ace Young or Taylor Hicks are still in consideration according to our sources.

4. A Broadway Bailout, giving the city of New York a stake in all future productions. This would work in the same way that the people of Wisconsin literally own the Green Bay Packers. Unlikely that this would happen, but who knows.

5. Broadway will introduce scientific pricing. Scientific pricing is a way to strategically and profitably manage inventory. This is similar to the pricing method used by airlines. This is idea is well worth looking into. Mr. Mayor and Broadway League, please check out The Future of Pricing by E. Andrew Boyd. You will be glad you did.

–Christopher Moore, Broadway Magazine

A Wonder of the Season

 We were at the Broadway opening of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas last night in New York. Click here to read a full story on last nights events. Want to see pictures from the red carpet and after party? You can also do that by clicking here. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s White Christmas video feature where Joan Rivers, Vanessa Williams, and Blythe Danner tell us why White Christmas is so special.  Photo:Countess/WireImage.com 

Young Talent Combined With Teacher’s Love

We had a chance to take a peak at the Applause Theater Workshop in Manhattan recently. Founder, Audrey Kaplan spoke to us on why she started the theater school and why it is one of the best acting school in Manhattan. Click here to see kids learning how to become Broadway stars.

Mel Brooks’ Musical Ending

The Mel Brooks’ Musical Young Frankenstein today announced that it will close on January 4, 2009. The production has run for over a year, surviving an early sabotage to become an audience favorite. This is the third Broadway production in the last two days to announce its closing in January. Fortunately the show will remain through the holiday season at the Hilton Theatre. Though it is a funny show, there is nothing funny about the number of shows closing on Broadway. Our best to all involved.

-Broadway Magazine

Newest Issue Hits The Town

We are  quite thrilled to share the news that the new holiday issue of Broadway Magazine is now available in New York City. Check your hotel or the Times Square Visitor Center (1560 Broadway- between 46th & 47th) for free copies. Also, Broadway Ambassadors hand the free magazine out in the Duffy Square area of Times Square every day (but Monday). The new Broadway Magazine includes Barack Obama, Will Ferrell, Harry Potter’s Daniel Radcliffe, Gypsy, Mamma Mia!, Rock of Ages, Young Frankenstein, Hairspray,  Irving Berlin’s White Christmas including a profile of starsJeffry Denman and Meredith Patterson, Forbidden Broadway, Radio City Christmas Spectacular, Big Apple Circus, the Fantasticks, Perfect Crime, and a complete overview of all Broadway shows in our EZ guide, of course.

Each new issue represents the tremendous effort and good will of many, many, many people. As New York City’s only hand-distributed tourist guide, we are reaching more readers every day who are looking for information on the current shows on Broadway. With restaurants like Bamboo 52(on 52nd between 8th and 9th) and Trattoria Tricolori (next door to Grease on 47th Street), our readers are using Broadway Magazine to decide what to see, where to eat, and what to do around town while they are here.

Personally, I’d like to thank everyone who has put forth so much effort and support to continue to make Broadway Magazine the only hand-distributed free tourist and Broadway guide in New York City. Thank you Ellen and Jackson, Stuart, Brian, Mark, Nancy, Kevin and his team, Leora, Tara, Daniel, Mazall, Eric, Molly, Juliane, Edith, Gunnar, Andrew, Joe, Jeffry and Meredith, and everyone who has helped to make this new issue happen.

-Christopher Moore, Broadway Magazine

Vampire Movie Could Live On  Broadway?

With the opening of the vampire movie Twilight all over the news, it is only natural to speculate that the theatrical vampire story may find its way to the Broadway stage. Can Edward Cullen (or Robert Pattinson) and Bella Swan (or Kristen Stewart) sing and dance?  Well, they have their hands full at the moment. As we await news of the Twilight Musical, we offer this Broadway Magazine - Broadway List of the Top 6 Vampire Productions:

6. The Vampire (1909)by Edgar Allan Woolf and George Sylvester Viereck. The show played at the Hackett Theatre during January and February 1909 and is the first one out of the coffin and onto the Broadway stage.

5. Dracula (1927)adapted from Bram Stoker’s novel by Hamilton Deane and John L. Balderston. This is the a landmark production. This hit production played for over 260 performances at the Fulton Theatre starting in October 1927, and starred the great Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula.

4. Dance of the Vampires (2002-2003)based on the film “The Fearless Vampire Killers” by Roman Polanski. Key creatives were star Michael Crawford, Jim Steinman (music, lyrics, book), David Ives (book), and Michael Kunze who birthed the German original version. These Vampires danced at the Minskoff Theatre for over 100 total performances.

3. Dracula (1931)also used the Balderston and Deane adaptation, but lacked the Lugosi. With Courtney White as the Count, the show played only 8 performances at the Royale Theatre (now known as the Bernard Jacobs Theatre).

2. Dracula, the Musical (2004)brought together Don Black and Christopher Hampton for a musical version of the classic tale. Tom Hewitt starred and sang as Count Dracula at the haunted Belasco Theatre. The show played for over 150 performances.

1. Dracula (1977-1980)is a landmark. The production had Edward Gorey designs, and starred the great Frank Langella as the Count you can count on. The hit played for 925 performances, and is still regarded as one of the most pitch perfect vampire productions ever staged.

-from Broadway Magazine

Photo: Actors Kristen Stewart (R) and Robert Pattinson pose for the ‘Twilight’ Portrait Session during the 3rd Rome International Film Festival.  Origli/WireImage.com

Special Discount To New York Tradition

The Big Apple Circus at Lincoln Center is the most enjoyable New York City cultural institution and the only non-profit Circus around. We are excited to be able to offer $30 off tickets to the Big Apple Circus. If you click this link, and enter the code BMAG you will get to see the specific discounts for the show. This is the final installment of the Big Apple Circus under artistic director Paul Binder, and the traditional circus has earned praise from critics across the board, including the New York Times:

“Taking its title from the line “If music be the food of love, play on” in Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night,” this thoroughly entertaining one-ring show shines a well-deserved spotlight on the music essential to the spectacle while never for a moment slighting the traditional talents of circus art.” –Lawrence Van Gelder, New York Times

Popcorn will be available. There is nothing else like this. The show is under the big top at Lincoln Center. Yes, this is the same Big Apple Circus that will feature Britney Spears performing on December 2 to launch her album.

-Broadway Magazine