Broadway.tv Blog

BROADWAY MAGAZINE – Will Stella start getting’ jiggy with it? One of the Broadway producers of Fela! (and an international star in his own right) Will Smith and wife Jada Pinkett Smith are in talks to bring Tennessee Williams’ masterwork A Streetcar Named Desire to Broadway.

The report comes from the New York Post-er Michael Riedel. In the article, Mr. Riedel takes pains to say it is far from a done deal. Check it out here.

Set in New Orleans, Williams’ drama is one of the greatest American plays ever written. Though in the past actors have shied away from the play because of the long shadow of the Brando film, the fact is a Streetcar revival should always be welcome news on Broadway.

The most recent Broadway revival of Streetcar was in 2005 and featured John C. Reilly and Natasha Richardson. In 1992, Alec Baldwin played Stanley to Jessica Lange’s Blanche.

Another fun highlight of the Riedel column is the story about Aretha Franklin turning down a short stint in the Broadway musical Fela! because her character would have to go up a ladder every night.

“I’m not climbing that ladder every night,” Ms. Franklin is quoted as saying. R-E-S-P-E-C-T, indeed.

Follow us on Twitter and see if you (or we) can name all the Broadway Stanley’s in 140 characters or less.

BROADWAY MAGAZINE – The prehistoric scene-stealers known as Dinosaurs are the kings of Broadway next week as the audience favorite Walking With Dinosaurs arrives at Madison Square Garden July 21-25 for 12 performances only.

To herald their arrival in Herald Square, the 7 foot tall baby Tyrannosaurus Rex led a crowd of young and young-at-heart fans in an attempt to break the world record for “loudest dinosaur roar” by an outdoor crowd.

On had was an actual Guinness official to confirm the success of the attempt to set a world record. We suspect the official wouldn’t tell a T-Rex he missed the record. Remember, these dinosaurs move and roar and fight and eat too…

For those new to the show, Walking With Dinosaurs features live (and enormous) Dinosaurs in Madison Square Garden. Based on the hit BBC show, this is one you have to see to believe.

The production packed them in two summers ago at Madison Square Garden, and will likely do so again this year. Part science, part spectacle, all amazing. Visit http://www.thegarden.com/dinos for more information.

Follow us on Twitter for more Broadway Dinosaur Fun.

BROADWAY MAGAZINE- Listen to the music of the… afternoon. Broadway fans can join The Phantom and other Broadway Blockbuster shows for a free concert today (Thursday July 15) in New York City in Bryant Park.

The event kicks off at 12:30 with performance scheduled from The Phantom of the Opera, Billy Elliot, Memphis, South Pacific, and Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Yes ,that is a lot of Best Musical Winners all in one place.

If you can’t make it on Thursday, you can try again next week. Different shows, same magic. Visit here for details on the free Broadway concerts in Bryant Park.

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BROADWAY MAGAZINE- President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama have shown a genuine passion for the art of live theatre. From seeing Joe Turner’s Come And
Gone on Broadway for a date night, to bringing Sasha and Malia to this year’s Tony Award winning musical Memphis, a touring production of Mary Poppins, or The Addams Family…the Obamas know Broadway.

Now, reports are that an army of Broadway stars will visit the White House on Monday including Nathan Lane, Audra McDonald, Idina Menzel, Chad Kimball, Brian d’Arcy James, Tonya Pinkins, Karen Olivo and Assata Alston. PBS will broadcast the concert as “A Broadway Celebration: In Performance at the White House” on Oct. 20.

To celebrate, we invite you to enjoy our Presidential Broadway gallery and check out the issue of Broadway Magazine when the First Couple first came to Broadway.

BROADWAY MAGAZINE- Experiencing a play at the Globe Theatre in London is a must-do for any theatre fan. The combination of theatrical scale and human intimacy defies description, and seeing Shakespeare’s plays produced in their natural habitat is not-to-be missed.

Now, theatre fans can get their Globe Theatre experience on their own time (and without a trip to London).

Opus Arte DVD has begun releasing Blu-rays/DVDS of select Shakespeare productions from the Globe. Both As You Like It and Romeo and Juliet are now available, with Love’s Labour’s Lost coming out in the fall. Seeing these productions in HD goes a long way toward capturing the actual experience of being in the Globe and watching the performance.

While filmed productions often fall flat of the live experience, both As You Like It and Romeo and Juliet prove the exception to the rule. The HD experience capture audience and actor in vivid detail, and the productions are remarkably alive.

To celebrate the new releases, they are holding a video contest and giving away over $150 of Shakespeare music, audioboks, and DVDs to the winner. You can check out the details on their facebook page or click here.