”Forget You” by Cee Lo Green

Mario worked the space and the crowd like no other contestant in the quarterfinals. His growth in this competition is something everybody has noted including the judges. He went from the bottom two in the kick-off to the top three in the quarterfinals. We wish him all the best in the semifinals.

Mario is a New York City native whose passion lies with entertainment. He has “an intensity on par with the bright lights and big sounds of the city he was born and raised in.”

Born to a Colombian father doctor and a Puerto Rican mother, Mario was raised in a setting that encouraged his love of the arts despite his late father’s original desire for him to pursue a career in the sciences. His private schooling at the Saint David’s School in New York City served to further motivate him to work hard towards a career in entertainment.

Over the years, Mario has been heavily involved with theater and he spent his high school years taking classes, scriptwriting, and doing open mics to further his skills. By the time he reached college, he decided that his goal to pursue entertainment would be best served by a complete immersion in the craft. He subsequently left college and started focusing on developing projects to cultivate new skills and start his resume building.

Mario soon became a Brand Ambassador at the Samsung Experience in New York’s Time Warner Center in midtown Manhattan for three years. He also won the AX Idol singing challenge in 2010. Currently, he is spending his days pursuing his goal to be an entertainment professional, and hopes that his recent experiences coupled with involvement in the competition will guide him towards living the life he’s always worked towards…

…A life devoted to entertainment.

Highlights include: “Final Fantasy vs Kaiju Big Battel” (2005; fan film), Anime News Network (2007-2008; news webisodes), “Doujinopolis” (2009; web series), AX Idol Singing Winner (2010), numerous promotional spots for FUNimation Entertainment and Aniplex of America. (2009-current)

To see Mario’s progression in the competition please click on the links below:

Mario’s performance at the kick-off of Next Broadway Star:http://www.broadway.tv/blog/broadway-blog/next-broadway-star-quarterfinalist-mario-bueno/

Mario’s audition for Next Broadway Star: http://www.broadway.tv/blog/next-broadway-star/next-broadway-star-mario-bueno/

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.

Don’t Sing So Close To Me 

(BROADWAY MAGAZINE) One of the most controversial novels ever written could well become one of the most controversial operas ever performed. Audiences in New Jersey will have the opportunity to decide for themselves when the Belgium group Joji Inc. reinterprets Vladimir Nabokov’s LOLITA as an imagined opera with the help of the Argento Chamber Ensemble at Montclair University. Will it surpass the Stanley Kubrick classic film? Performances run from April 3-5 and they are even bussing folks from NYC to see the production. Press release info below:

Why Joji Inc.’s “Lolita” (April 3–5) is described as “an imagined opera” is literally a question of point of view. Although based on the Nabokov classic, Wooster Group founding member Jim Clayburgh (director), Joshua Fineberg (composer), Johanne Saunier (choreographer) and Kurt d’Haeseleer (video) turn tables on the novel’s original themes. The opera takes place entirely within the obsessive mind of its narrator Humbert Humbert (François Beukelaers), whose back is to the audience throughout the work. Cameras record– and screens reveal—every change in his facial expression as the performance proceeds. The Argento Chamber Ensemble (http://www.argentomusic.org/), conducted by Michel Galante, will perform Fineberg’s original score. Each element of the production contributes to revealing the unsettling delusional character of Humbert Humbert.

Ticket and Transportation Information: All tickets are $15, and are available at the Alexander Kasser Theater Box Office or by calling 973-655-5112 or online at www.peakperfs.org. Van or bus service is available from New York City ($10 per person, roundtrip) from the Maritime Hotel on 9th Avenue and 16th Street to the Alexander Kasser Theater for selected performances. Please make your bus reservations by calling the box office at 973-655-5112.

Could be quite an interesting bus ride. Ironically, Jeremy Irons from the current Broadway production of Impressionism starred in a film version of the novel as well.

All Pets Allowed In Tuscany 

BROADWAY MAGAZINE- Arf! Animal lovers take note. There is an interesting report from Luke Jennings of the Guardian in the UK about the Italians. Jennings reports that in Tuscany there is a new law that:

“allows pets into art galleries, theatres, restaurants, cinemas, post offices, museums and beaches. The law, which comes into force in June, was drawn up by the Greens, and is in line with regulations forbidding discrimination and cruelty against domestic animals.”

Could Broadway soon follow suit? Imagine watching Billy Elliot with a crazy chimp a few rows away? While Broadway stages are filled with sea creatures in The Little Mermaid, Donkeys and more in Shrek The Musical, horses in Equus, and even gave a Tony Award to the play about the Goat, affection for non-human animals is limited on to the professional performing pets only (no discount for parakeets looking to see Hedda Gabler). Now, those who feel sadness that no cat ever saw CATS and no goats ever saw Albee’s show, can cheer up.

While the law is effective only in Tuscany, it is not without an Italian twist. According to Jennings, the law states that “‘for obvious reasons,’ however, dogs and other pets will still be banned from the Florence opera house.” Makes sense, of course. We’ll see if Broadway takes a tip from Tuscany. Meanwhile, enjoy this picture of the dogs from the recent Broadway run of Legally Blonde…or check out our favorite Broadway animal show – The Lion King.

Wow, What A Year

On February 15th, Broadway.tv celebrated its one year anniversary. Above is a profile of the video interviews we have done over the last year, and what an exciting year it has been. You can bet your boots that in 2009 we will continue to bring you the best written features from our Broadway Magazine team and you can rest assured that you can watch all the red carpet coverage and best Broadway video coverage right here. Stay tuned…

BROADWAY MAGAZINE—He may not sing strongly. He may not dance well. Still, Jerry Springer brings something inimitably important when he takes the stage in the hit revival of Chicago in London—his celebrity. Only CHICAGO can generate the kind of appropriate celebrity meta-theatrical buzz and keep its integrity in tact. The musical has always been spot on in shining a comic light on our celebrity-driven culture, and Springer in London could well pack the houses. Our UK friends tell us he has a large British following. Either way, the pulse of CHICAGO is once more re-invigorated by bringing a non-Broadway celeb to the stage, and all that jazz. Congratulations on your continued genius, CHICAGO, and best to Mr. Springer.

American Presidents Love Their Broadway

(BROADWAY MAGAZINE) We’ve shown you George W. Bush with The Lion King, told you of John McCain’s love for Mamma Mia! and how J.F.K listened to Camelot nightly before going to sleep. A brilliant web-site called walkingoffthebigapple.com now gives you the chance to walk where President’s walked on Broadway. Of immediate interest to Broadway fans is this item on Abraham Lincoln, following his famous campaign stop at Cooper Union in New York.

After dinner, he and Charles C. Nott set out on foot for the long walk down Broadway to the hotel. Nott noticed that Lincoln was having difficulty walking and asked him, “Are you lame, Mr. Lincoln?” Lincoln replied that he had on new boots and that they hurt him.

What happened next? Well, the new-booted Lincoln hobbled down the street stopping only for a moment to ask “Dear friend Nott, do you have any tickets to Jersey Boys or Wicked?”.

Of course, this gives us a chance to revisit our favorite story “George Washington’s Teeth and Favorite play”. We’ll show you the teeth…and tell you the play was not Clay Aiken in Spamalot, but rather was School For Scandal . That one is true. As for the Lincoln story, he did not get tickets to Wicked, though he may have got them for Jersey Boys.

The Biggest Broadway Story of 2009

(BROADWAY MAGAZINE) The New York Times is reporting today that Variety is reporting today that China is about to build  $686 million 32-theater complex in Beijing. The complex will serve to import Western musicals and other shows year-round, according to the article by Dave Itzkoff. This could be the biggest Broadway story of the year, or at least the most significant long term.  While Soul of Shaolin will give Broadway audiences a taste for Chinese theatricals later this month, the new Beijing-Broadway Complex or “Beijway” (as we are calling it) marks a bold, state-backed commitment to live theatre…even larger than the commitment from other cities around the globe. Broadway has always been universal, now it is literally global too. Sure shows like Cinderella with Lea Salonga have attracted crowds across Asia (could you send that show our way please),  but China now is building an entire Broadway city.  Forget 2009 as ”Year Of The Ox.” There can be little doubt that 2009 is the Year of Broadway! Congratulations, China.

Photo courtesy of Broadway Asia Entertainment.

Musical Star Takes Crown

We have a winner! Congratulations to Nick Spangler, star of the musical The Fantasticks at the Snapple Theater Center, and his sister Starr Spangler. They have won the crown on CBS’ Amazing Race tonight. They will share a $1 Million dollar prize and a host of other prizes as well. Always fun to see a musical star in the spotlight, and great to see a family win.

“This is the moment we’ve been waiting for,” said Catherine Russell, a producer of The Fantasticks. “We knew that the same infectious energy and guileless charm Nick brings to the role of Matt would lead to his win on The Amazing Race. We are beyond thrilled for Nick and Starr.”

Spangler, who goes on a personal journey through life, loss, adventure and love eight times a week as the young lover in The Fantasticks, was the seaon front-runner on the reality competition which chronicles teams on a race around the world, having won six of the nine challenges leading up to the finale. Along with Starr, a former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, the actor raced through Salvador, Brazil against ten other teams and was the fastest to scale a 240-foot cargo net; hauled fish and unlocked a clue at Angkor Wat that led to victory in Siem Reap, Cambodia; painted a rickshaw and ironed clothes faster than anyone else for a third win in New Delhi, India; braved the Holi Festival and a busy outdoor marketplace in Old Delhi, India; gone head-to-head with rivals in Almaty, Kazakhstan and ate a dish of sheep’s buttocks to secure victory number five; used his impressive New York City subway skills to navigate Moscow’s subway system; and tackled a variety of physically and mentally challenging tasks in Portland, Oregon.

Oscar Winner Makes Broadway Buzz

The rumors of  Gwyneth Paltrow coming to Broadway are pervasive if not entirely persuasive. Given her performance in Shakespeare In Love, the range of possible roles show could attempt on Broadway is quite diverse.  We hope that she does. So, here are 7 shows we think Gwyneth Paltrow should consider playing on Broadway.

1. A Streetcar Named Desire as Blanche - This is where the rumors are focused, which suggest that Gwyneth is interested in playing Blanche Dubois. A great part and a great play, and if that’s what she wants to do, go for it.

2. Orpheus Descending as Lady - Here’s a less iconic Tennessee Williams play (if that is possible), and certainly a more daring choice. She is a little young for the role, but that is where the acting comes in handy.

3. Much Ado About Nothing as Beatrice - A Shakespeare comedy in the hands of a skilled director could be quite a treat. Could be fun.

4. The Lady From The Sea as Ellida - With Hedda Gabler already coming to Broadway, perhaps Gwyneth would like to try her hand at another great Henrik Ibsen heroine. The play is less well known, but Ibsen in the right hands can be quite haunting.

5. The New Chris Martin Musical -To be clear, there is no new musical that we know of coming from the Coldplay star who is also married to Gwyneth Paltrow. Still, she has said she wants to do a musical, and he is a talented musician and storyteller…so why not team up.

6. Avenue Q -With the controversy surrounding Proposition 8, the off-beat Tony Winner has regained a relevance that previously had been dimmed. We don’t know if Gwyneth could do puppetry, but if so she could sing, act, make people laugh, and change the world. Not a bad outcome for a Broadway debut.

7. Caesar and Cleopatra (Bernard Shaw) as Cleopatra-This would be a fun one to see, and it could also give Broadway the chance to bring Christopher Plummer back to town. He’s just done the show in Stratford with Des McAnuff, who is bringing Guys and Dolls to Broadway in February.

Of course, Mary Poppins or The Little Mermaid would be fun too. Photo by Cabellero/WireImage.com.

-Broadway Magazine