Feinstein’s/54 Below is celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Tony Award winning musical AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’ with 54 SINGS AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’: THE MUSIC OF FATS WALLER , directed by its original Tony Award-winning director, Richard Maltby, Jr. for two shows on tonight at 7pm and 9:30pm. Click here for tickets.
The evening will feature cast members from the Broadway company- two-Tony nominee André De Shields (The Full Monty, The Wiz, Play On), Ken Page (Cats, The Nightmare Before Christmas). and Charlayne Woodard (FX’s “Pose”). Frenchie Davis (“American Idol,” Dreamgirls) will take on the role originated by Nell Carter and Cynthia Thomas (Ain’t Misbehavin’) will take on the role originated by Armelia McQueen.
Armelia McQueen, Ken Page, Charlayne Woodard, André De Shields and Nelle Carter in AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’.
The show will also feature members of the Crossroads Theatre Company production of the musical, which was directed by Mr. De Shields, including Johmaalya Adelekan (Ragtime), Rheaume Crenshaw (Groundhog Day), Tyrone Davis Jr (Waitress), and Zurin Villanueva (Mean Girls).
Johmaalya Adelekan, Rheaume Crenshaw, Zurin Villanueva. Photo by Lia Chang
The concert will be directed by the show’s original Tony Award-winning director and co-conceiver, Richard Maltby, Jr.
Receiving five Tony Award nominations, AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’ opened at the Longacre Theater in 1978 and played 1600 performances. The original company featured Nell Carter, André De Shields, Armelia McQueen, Ken Page, and Charlayne Woodard. The show was choreographed by Arthur Faria and featured arrangements by Luther Henderson. The show was conceived by Mr. Maltby and Murray Horowitz. A revival of the show hit Broadway in 1988.
AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’ features some of Fats Waller’s most iconic songs including “The Joint Is Jumpin,” “Your Feets Too Big,” “Mean To Me,” “Honeysuckle Rose,” and so many more.
54 SINGS AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’ will be produced by Robert W. Schneider. The show will be music directed by William McDaniel. The associate producer will be Benjamin Nissen.
Schneider said, “AIN’T MISBEHAVIN ‘is the epitome of a perfect revue. I am so thrilled that the man who helped bring this show to life forty years ago, the incomparable Tony Award winner Richard Maltby Jr, is once again taking the helm on this project and will be bringing Waller’s timeless music back to New York audiences. The joint, pun intended, will be jumpin!”
Tickets, starting at $30, are still available. In addition to the ticket price, there is food and beverage minimum of $25.00 54 SINGS AIN’T MISBEHAVIN tickets can be purchased at 54below.com. Tickets on the day of performance after 4:00 are only available by calling (646) 476-3551
Garth Kravits, Tamika Lawrence, Noa Solorio, Rob Marnell, Becca Kotte, Sawyer Nunes, J. Elaine Marcos, Jasmin Richardson and Ryan Duncan. Photo by Joan Marcus
J. Elaine Marcos will debut her one woman show What I Did for…a Job at Feinstein’s/54 Below on September 5 at 9:30 pm. Click here for tickets. Use code JEM5 for $5 off.
J. Elaine Marcos on the set of GETTIN’ THE BAND BACK TOGETHER at The Belasco Theatre in New York. Photo by Lia Chang
Ms. Marcos is back on Broadway in Gettin’ the Band Back Together through September 16 and received the Legacy Robe on opening night.
J. Elaine Marcos received the Legacy Robe prior to the opening night performance of GETTIN’ THE BAND BACK TOGETHER at The Belasco Theatre in New York on August 13, 2018. She is pictured with Lainie Sakakura, another Robe recipient with whom she appeared in David Henry Hwang’s revisal of FLOWER DRUM SONG.
In What I Did for… a Job, J. Ms. Marcos humorously reveals her approach to auditioning for musicals and shares her unique journey in what it took to book 9 Broadway Shows.
The many faces of J. Elaine Marcos in GETTIN’ THE BAND BACK TOGETHER. Photo courtesy of Facebook
“I had to learn to break the “rules” in order to be noticed and many of my audition pieces were practically cabaret acts. So, I put them all in a show,” says the Broadway vet.
Ms. Marcos will be joined by fellow Gettin’ the Band Back Together cast member Ryan Duncan along with some special cameos from her Broadway past and William McDaniel on the keys.
Ms. Marcos was last seen stealing big laughs in Los Angeles in the 2017 CBS Diversity Showcase.
Clarke Thorell as Rooster, Jane Lynch as Miss Hannigan and J. Elaine Marcos as Lily in Annie. Photo by Joan Marcus
Prior to relocating to the West Coast she re-created the role of ‘Lily St. Regis’ in the revival of Annie along side Jane Lynch. Her comedic reputation began after her portrayal of ‘Cynthia’ in Priscilla Queen of the Desert, earning her an Astaire Award Nomination for Excellence in Dance. Additional Broadway credits include the revival of A Chorus Line, The Wedding Singer, Flower Drum Song, Sweet Charity, Wonderful Town, and Miss Saigon.
Cast of Flower Drum Song in rehearsal at 890 Broadway Studios in New York on September 22, 2002. Photo by Lia Chang
On screen, J. Elaine made her feature film debut in Morning Glory as ‘Lisa Bartlett’ opposite Rachel McAdams; and went on to appear in St. Vincent with Bill Murray. On TV she appeared in :Grace and Frankie,” “2 Broke Girls,” “School of Rock,” “30 Rock” and “Law & Order: SVU,” and is featured in the documentary Every Little Step.
This skilled Filipina comedian writes and produces her own YouTube comedy blog series :Motivational Mondays,” starring as the linguistically challenged but always optimistic motivational speaker named ‘V’.
Feinstein’s/54 Below, Broadway’s Supper Club & Private Event Destination, is a performance venue in the grand tradition of New York City nightlife. Feinstein’s/54 Below presents iconic and rising stars from the worlds of Broadway and popular music and has set a new standard for culinary excellence worthy of the world-class entertainment on the stage. Located at 254 West 54th Street.
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.
Lia Chang, Garth Kravits, Andre De Shields, J. Elaine Marcos and Nehal Joshi on the set of GETTIN’ THE BAND BACK TOGETHER at The Belasco Theatre in New York.Lia Chang, Photo by Garth Kravits
Lia Chang is an actor, a multi-media content producer and co-founder of Bev’s Girl Films, making films that foster inclusion and diversity on both sides of the camera. Bev’s Girl Films’ debut short film, Hide and Seek was a top ten film in the Asian American Film Lab’s 2015 72 Hour Shootout Filmmaking Competition, and she received a Best Actress nomination. BGF collaborates with and produces multi-media content for artists, actors, designers, theatrical productions, composers, musicians and corporations. Lia is also an internationally published and exhibited photographer, a multi-platform journalist, and a publicist. Lia has appeared in the filmsWolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman and Hide and Seek. She is profiled in Jade Magazine and Playbill.com.
Jay Klaitz, Sarah Saltzberg, Mitch Jarvis, Garth Kravits and Brandon Williams. Photo by Lia Chang
SH-K-BOOM RECORDS has announced it will record the new musical comedy, Gettin’ The Band Back Together for an Original Broadway Cast Album to be released later this year. The production, currently running at The Belasco Theatre, is directed by Tony Award winner John Rando and choreographed by Chris Bailey.
Gettin’ The Band Back Together has original music and lyrics by Mark Allen and a book by Ken Davenport and The Grundleshotz with additional material by Sarah Saltzberg. The creative team includes Tony Award winners Derek McLane (Scenic Design), Emily Rebholz (Costume Design), Ken Billington (Lighting Design), John Shivers (Sound Design) in addition to Music Direction by Sonny Paladino and Casting by Eisenberg/Beans Casting. Orchestrations are by Doug Katsaros and Sonny Paladino.
The cast of Gettin’ The Band Back Together features Mitchell Jarvis (Mitch Papadopoulos), Jay Klaitz (Bart Vickers), Manu Narayan (Dr. Rummesh “Robbie” Patel), Paul Whitty (Michael “Sully” Sullivan), Sawyer Nunes (Ricky “Bling” Goldstein), Marilu Henner (“Mitch’s Mom,” aka Sharon Papadopoulos), Kelli Barrett (Dani), Becca Kötte (Tawney), Garth Kravits (Ritchie), Tamika Lawrence (Roxanne Velasco), Noa Solorio (Billie), and Brandon Williams (Tygen Billows). The cast also includes Lindsey Brett Carothers, Ryan Duncan, Scott Richard Foster, Jenny Hill, Nehal Joshi, J. Elaine Marcos, Rob Marnell, Jasmin Richardson, Ian Ward, and Tad Wilson.
Mitch Papadopoulos always wanted to be the next Bruce Springsteen, but he left those daydreams behind for a day job. When this big-shot banker is handed a pink slip on his 40th birthday, he’s forced to move back in with his mom in New Jersey. A run-in with his former music rival leads to a threat of foreclosure on Mitch’s family home, unless he can win The Battle of the Bands-a rematch over 25 years in the making. So he dusts off his guitar, gathers his old gang, and sets out to win back his house, his pride-and maybe even the high school sweetheart he left behind-proving it’s never too late to give your dreams one last shot.
Feinstein’s/54 Below is celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Tony Award winning musical Ain’t Misbehavin’ with 54 SINGS AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’: THE MUSIC OF FATS WALLER , directed by its original Tony Award-winning director, Richard Maltby, Jr. for two shows on September 9 at 7pm and 9:30pm. Click here for tickets.
The inimitable Thomas “Fats” Waller rose to international fame during the Golden Age of the Cotton Club and that jumpin’ new beat, swing music. Ain’t Misbehavin’ evokes the delightful humor and infectious energy of this American original as some of Broadway’s best struts, strums, and sings the songs that he made famous in a career that ranged from uptown clubs to downtown Tin Pan Alley to Hollywood and concert stages in the U.S., Canada, and Europe.
Audiences can expect to hear some of Waller’s most iconic works including the incomparable “Honeysuckle Rose,” “Mean To Me,” “You’re Feets Too Big,” “I’ve Got A Feeling I’m Falling,” “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love,” and so many more!
Featuring cast members from the Broadway company- André De Shields, Ken Page and Charlayne Woodard; Johmaalya Adelekan, Rheaume Crenshaw, Tyrone Davis, Jr. and Zurin Villanueva from the Crossroads Theatre Production; Frenchie Davis (“American Idol”) from the National Tour and Cynthia Thomas from Delaware Theatre Company.
Music Directed by William McDaniel
Produced by Robert W. Schneider
Feinstein’s/54 Below, Broadway’s Supper Club & Private Event Destination, is a performance venue in the grand tradition of New York City nightlife. Feinstein’s/54 Below presents iconic and rising stars from the worlds of Broadway and popular music and has set a new standard for culinary excellence worthy of the world-class entertainment on the stage. Located at 254 West 54th Street.
Feinstein’s/54 Below is celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Tony Award winning musical Ain’t Misbehavin’ with 54 SINGS AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’: THE MUSIC OF FATS WALLER , directed by its original Tony Award-winning director, Richard Maltby, Jr. for two shows on September 9 at 7pm and 9:30pm. Click here for tickets.
The inimitable Thomas “Fats” Waller rose to international fame during the Golden Age of the Cotton Club and that jumpin’ new beat, swing music. Ain’t Misbehavin’ evokes the delightful humor and infectious energy of this American original as some of Broadway’s best struts, strums, and sings the songs that he made famous in a career that ranged from uptown clubs to downtown Tin Pan Alley to Hollywood and concert stages in the U.S., Canada, and Europe.
Audiences can expect to hear some of Waller’s most iconic works including the incomparable “Honeysuckle Rose,” “Mean To Me,” “You’re Feets Too Big,” “I’ve Got A Feeling I’m Falling,” “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love,” and so many more!
Featuring cast members from the Broadway company- André De Shields, Ken Page and Charlayne Woodard; Johmaalya Adelekan, Rheaume Crenshaw, Tyrone Davis, Jr. and Zurin Villanueva from the Crossroads Theatre Production; Frenchie Davis (“American Idol”) from the National Tour and Cynthia Thomas from Delaware Theatre Company.
Music Directed by William McDaniel
Produced by Robert W. Schneider
Feinstein’s/54 Below, Broadway’s Supper Club & Private Event Destination, is a performance venue in the grand tradition of New York City nightlife. Feinstein’s/54 Below presents iconic and rising stars from the worlds of Broadway and popular music and has set a new standard for culinary excellence worthy of the world-class entertainment on the stage. Located at 254 West 54th Street.
Kit Yan, Melissa Li and Jon Viktor Corpuz represent Interstate at the Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Festival in New York City.
Interstate, a new musical created by Melissa Li and Kit Yan, has been selected as one of 12 productions to take part in the 2018 New York Musical Festival Next Link Project. The workshop production will open the festival and features a diverse mix of talent while showcasing the journey of two Asian transgender artists. Interstate is directed by Jessi D. Hill, choreographed by Jessica Chen, with music direction by Karen Dryer.
The eclectic cast of Interstate stars Jon Viktor Corpuz (The King and I/Broadway), Sushma Saha (Cabaret/Ithaca College), Angel Lin (Once/National Tour), and an ensemble including Kiet Tai Cao, Esco Jouley (Runaways/Public Theater), Allison Linker (Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame/PaperMill Playhouse), Michelle Noh (“Grey’s Anatomy”), and Andreas Wyder (Titanic:The Musical/National Tour).
The band features Karen Dryer (Musical Direction, 1st Keyboard,) Allison Kelly (Guitar/Bassist), Tidtaya Sinutoke (2nd Keyboard), and Ashley Baier (Drummer).
Interstate is an Asian-American pop-rock poetry musical that follows Dash, a transgender spoken word performer who becomes internet-famous along with his best friend Adrian, a lesbian singer-songwriter. Fueled by the allure of fame and a desire to connect with their community, the band embarks on a road trip across America for their first national tour. Their fiercely political and deeply personal music touches Henry, a transgender teenage boy living in small-town middle America, and he finds solace in their art as he struggles with his own identity and family. After blogging about the band and documenting his own gender journey, he decides to set out on a quest to meet his heroes in person, hoping to find answers to his own struggles. Interstate is a touching story about how two transgender people at different stages of their journey navigate love, family, masculinity, and finding a community in the era of social media.
Book & lyrics writer, Kit Yan, discussed the impetus for creating this musical. “I was inspired to write this musical from a place of queer pain, queer healing, and queer love. Melissa and I used to be in a band called Good Asian Drivers, and we were as popular as a super niche internet-based band could be. Then we went on tour for 2 years and had all the drama that a touring band has, so we broke up. We ended our incredible band and our even more incredible friendship. This was the greatest heartbreak of my life – my friendship and my artistic dreams all crashing at the same time. This show came out of a desire to tell a story of a band whose lives are as complicated as ours, and to give voice, life, and heart, to a couple of queer poc kids with a dream to make music, write poetry, and love hard.”
Interstate features Music, Book & Lyrics by Melissa Li, Book & Lyrics by Kit Yan. The creative team also features the talent of Jessica Chen (Choreography), Edward Morris (Scenic Design), Deepsikha Chatterjee (Costume Design), Jennifer J. Fok (Lighting Design), Fan Zhang (Sound Design), Janelle Lawrence (Properties Design), Natasha Sinha (Dramaturg), Macy Schmidt (Orchestrations & Arrangement), Nic Cory (Assistant Director), Anton Volovsek (Co-Scenic Design), and Joyce Lim (Costume Assistant). General Management, Dailey-Monda Management. Produced by Nicole Kwan, Mark Gagliardi, and Theresa Perkins in association with The Musical Theatre Factory.
Performances take place at Theatre Row’s Acorn Theatre, 410 West 42nd Street, (between 9th and 10th Avenues). Tickets are $31.75 and can be purchased at NYMF.org. The show’s running time is 120 minutes with intermission.
Performance dates:
Monday, July 9 @7:00 pm
Thursday, July 12 @ 9:00 pm
Friday, July 13 @ 5:00 pm
Saturday, July 14 @ 9:00 pm
Sunday, July 15 @ 1:00 pm
The Creative Team
Kit Yan (Book, Music, Lyrics) is an award-winning Yellow American New York based artist, born in Enping, China, and raised in the Kingdom of Hawaii. Kit’s work has been produced by the American Repertory Theater, the Smithsonian, and Dixon Place among many others. They have been a Civilians resident, WP/Public theater Trans Lab fellow, and resident with Musical Theatre Factory and the Village Theatre. www.kityanpoet.com
Melissa Li (Book, Music, Lyrics) is a composer, performer, and writer. She is a recipient of the Jonathan Larson Award and a Queer|Art|Mentorship fellow. Musicals include Surviving the Nian (The Theater Offensive, IRNE Award for Best New Play 2007), 99% Stone (The Theater Offensive), and Interstate (New York Musical Festival). Her works have received support from the National Performance Network, New England Foundation for the Arts, Dixon Place, terraNOVA Collective, and Musical Theater Factory, among others. www.melissali.com
Jessi D. Hill (Director) credits include: new work at New York Theatre Workshop, The Public Theater/Joe’s Pub, The Playwrights’ Center, Primary Stages, Labyrinth, The Women’s Project, 59E59, P73, The New Group, Rattlestick, Ensemble Studio Theatre, HERE Arts Center, terraNOVA Collective, Culture Project, Musical Theatre Factory, The Barrow Group, PS122, New Dramatists, The Lark, The Playwrights Realm, New Georges, The Wild Project, and others. She has been a director and teacher in professional training programs at Yale School of Drama, Juilliard, The Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center/NTI, The Atlantic School, Playwrights Horizons and others. Her work has been seen internationally in Edinburgh, London, New Zealand, Berlin and Hamburg. MFA: Yale. Member SDC. http://www.jessidhill.com
For more information on Interstate and their journey to NYMF, or how to get involved, you can visit the show’s Kickstarter page at http://bit.ly/InterstateNYMF.
About The New York Musical Festival
The New York Musical Festival nurtures the creation, production, and public presentation of stylistically, thematically, and culturally diverse new musicals to ensure the future vitality of musical theater.
Now in its fifteenth year, the Festival is the premier musical theater event in the world. The preeminent site for launching new musicals and discovering new talent, the Festival provides an affordable platform for artists to mount professional productions that reach their peers, industry leaders, and musical theater fans. More than 90 Festival shows have gone on to productions on and Off-Broadway, in regional theaters in all 50 states, and in more than 24 countries worldwide. Festival alumni have received a wide array of awards including the Tony Award® and the Pulitzer Prize. In 2013, NYMF received a special Drama Desk Award in recognition of its work “creating and nurturing new musical theater, ensuring the future of this essential art form.”
NYMF is the flagship program of National Music Theater Network, Inc., a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization. 2018 NYMF is sponsored by The City of New York Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, PRG, TheaterMania, Clear Channel Outdoor, Tinc Productions and Fox Stage Productions and is supported, in part, by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, and by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.
The NYMF PASS is a great way to experience The New York Musical Festival. With a NYMF PASS, you can get into the theater before individual ticket holders. Passes also offer the exclusive ability to book tickets before they go on sale to the public. Individual tickets on sale now.
The 2018 New York Musical Festival will take place July 9th – August 5th. For more information, please visit: www.nymf.org.
The Will Calhoun Jazz Quintet featuring drummer Will Calhoun, bassist Buster Williams, pianist Donald Vega, tenor saxophonist Troy Roberts, and alto saxophonist Eric Person are at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Broadway and 60th Street, 5th Fl. at 7:30pm and 9:30pm. Reserve by phone 212-258-9595 and in person after 6pm daily at the club. Click here for tickets to the 9:30pm show. The cover charge is $35, $25 for students.
Grammy Award–winner Will Calhoun is best known as the groundbreaking drummer in the band Living Colour, but he has performed across multiple genres, working with everyone from Pharoah Sanders, Ron Carter, Wayne Shorter, McCoy Tyner, and other jazz greats to Public Enemy, B.B. King, and Dr. John. Tonight Calhoun is bringing his jazz quintet to Dizzy’s Club to perform music from his latest release on Motéma Records, Celebrating Elvin Jones.. Alongside saxophonist Troy Roberts, pianist Donald Vega, and bassist Buster Williams, Calhoun will draw from his unusually large musical toolkit to pay tribute to master drummer Elvin Jones.
National Asian Artists Project Broadway Community Chorus presents its annual Spring concert showcasing the music of legendary Broadway composer Andrew Lloyd Webber on Wednesday, May 23, 2018, at University Settlement House – Speyer Hall, 184 Eldridge Street in New York at 7:30pm. Click here for tickets.
Devin Ilaw
Diane Phelan
The 30 plus member chorus, music directed by Dan Pardo, will be joined by guest artists Devin Ilaw (Miss Saigon) and Diane Phelan (School of Rock) in an exciting musical evening showcasing music from classic musicals including Cats, Jesus Christ Superstar, Sunset Boulevard, Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Phantom of the Opera.
The chorus includes Amy Ashley, Cailin Chang, Tim Chang, Ann Chow, Shan Y. Chuang, Kiet Tai Cao, Samara Ariel Ehrlich, Eric Elizaga, David Eng, Philip Eng, Shino Frances, Musa Hitomi, Karin Kawamoto, Alex Lawrence, Linda Lee McBride, Sandra Lee, Mio Nakanishi, Anthony Obnial, Chrissy Pardo, Frank Nicholas Poon, Melissa Rivera, Melissa Slaughter, Layla Yu, Tomo Watanabe and Viet Vo.
About National Asian Artists Project:
NAAP was founded in 2009 by Baayork Lee, Steven Eng and Nina Zoie Lam. Prominent theater artists in their own right, they joined together in an effort to address what they felt was a significant lack of opportunity for professional Asian-American theater artists to practice their craft and contribute on a broader level to the diversity of the American theater. NAAP seeks to showcase the work of professional theater artists of Asian descent through performance, education and outreach. NAAP is a community of artists, educators, administrators, community leaders and professionals who recognize the need to bridge the work of artists of Asian descent to the many communities the work can serve, from underserved primary school students to seasoned arts patrons. For more information about NAAP, visit www.NAAProject.org
Nina Zoie Lam, Baayork Lee and Steven Eng, the founders of NAAP onstage before the performance of Oliver!, at The Romulus Linney Courtyard Theatre inside The Pershing Square Signature Center in New York on June 7, 2014. Photo by Lia Chang
In 2017, NAAP founder Baayork Lee was honored with the 2017 Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award, presented annually to a member of the theatre community who has made a substantial contribution of volunteered time and effort on behalf of one or more humanitarian, social service or charitable organizations. NAAP was proudly cited and showcased as a contributing factor in the award.
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.
Lia Chang, Photo by Garth Kravits
Lia Chang is an actor, a multi-media content producer and co-founder of Bev’s Girl Films, making films that foster inclusion and diversity on both sides of the camera. Bev’s Girl Films’ debut short film, Hide and Seek was a top ten film in the Asian American Film Lab’s 2015 72 Hour Shootout Filmmaking Competition, and she received a Best Actress nomination. BGF collaborates with and produces multi-media content for artists, actors, designers, theatrical productions, composers, musicians and corporations. Lia is also an internationally published and exhibited photographer, a multi-platform journalist, and a publicist. Lia has appeared in the filmsWolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman and Hide and Seek. She is profiled in Jade Magazine and Playbill.com.
Elena Shaddow joins the Lincoln Center Theater production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s THE KING AND I as Anna Leonowens, beginning March 20 at ASU Gammage, 1200 S. Forest Ave, Tempe, AZ 85287. GET TICKETS
Jose Llana as The King in Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The King and I. Photo by Matthew Murphy
Shaddow joins the company starring Jose Llana as the King of Siam, Joan Almedilla as Lady Thiang, Brian Rivera as Kralahome, Q Lim as Tuptim, Kavin Panmeechao as Lun Tha, Charlie Oh as Prince Chulalongkorn, Rhyees Stump as Louis Leonowens and Baylen Thomas as Captain Orton/Sir Edward Ramsey.
Joan Almedilla as Lady Thiang in Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The King and I. Photo by Matthew Murphy
Director Bartlett Sher had this to say about Elena Shaddow: “I have worked with Elena for many years, going back to The Light in the Piazza and The Bridges of Madison County. I don’t think there is anyone in the American Theater who possesses her rare combination of qualities: a soaring, pure voice, extraordinary acting skill, all held together by uncommon grace. She genuinely lights up the stage. And she is almost born to the part of Anna in The King and I. She has power, a strong will, and immense kindness. And she can break your heart onstage. She is all heart, and a perfect voice.”
Q Lim as Tuptim, Kavin Panmeechao as Lun Tha. Photo by Matthew Murphy
The ensemble includes Madeline Trumble, LaMae Caparas, Andrew Cheng, Kristen Choi, Max B. Ehrlich, Marie Gutierrez, Rie Hatanaka, Marina Kondo, Darren Lee, Stephanie Lo, Michael Lomeka, Saki Masuda, Nobutaka Mochimaru, Yuki Ozeki, Kevin Schuering, Julius Sermonia, Marcus Shane, Alicia Shumway, Ryan Stout, Michiko Takemasa and Jeoffrey Watson, with Kayla Paige Amistad, Jaden D. Amistad, Sydney Chan, Spencer Donovan Jones, Noah Toledo, CJ Uy and Keira Belle Young as the Royal Children.
THE KING AND I, directed by Tony Award® winner Bartlett Sher, won four 2015 Tony Awards® including Best Revival of a Musical. Hailed as “first-rate, sumptuous” (The New York Times) and “too beautiful to miss” (New York Magazine), the production played 538 performances on Broadway at the Vivian Beaumont Theater.
Bartlett Sher is reunited with the award-winning creative team from Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific and The Light in the Piazza. THE KING AND I has music direction by Ted Sperling, sets by Michael Yeargan, costumes by Catherine Zuber (Tony Award® winner for THE KING AND I), lighting by Donald Holder, sound by Scott Lehrer and casting by Telsey + Company/Abbie Brady-Dalton, CSA. THE KING AND I features choreography by Christopher Gattelli based on the original choreography by Jerome Robbins.
One of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s finest works, THE KING AND I boasts a score that features such beloved classics as “Getting To Know You,” “Hello, Young Lovers,” “Shall We Dance,” “I Have Dreamed” and “Something Wonderful.” Set in 1860’s Bangkok, the musical tells the story of the unconventional and tempestuous relationship that develops between the King of Siam and Anna Leonowens, a British schoolteacher, whom the modernist King, in an imperialistic world, brings to Siam to teach his many wives and children.
Elena Shaddow (Anna Leonowens). Broadway: Ottilie in The Visit, Anne in La Cage aux Folles, Bridges, The Woman in White, Fiddler..., Nine, Sweet Smell…, and Les Misérables. London: Magnolia in Showboat at the Royal Albert Hall. National Tour: Clara Johnson in The Light in the Piazza. NYC: Fanny in Fanny at City Center Encores!, The Bacchae at The Public. Favorite Regional: Mary in Mary Poppins (Papermill), Lilly in Carnival (Papermill) Francesca Johnson in The Bridges of Madison County (Williamstown), Olivia in Twelfth Night (Shakespeare TNJ). Concerts: Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady in Concert with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and North Carolina Symphony through UIAPresents. Recent TV: “Conviction,” “Person of Interest,” “Time After Time,” Sister Sophia in NBC’s “The Sound of Music Live!”. www.elenashaddow.com
Jose Llana (King of Siam) returns to the role of the King of Siam after two starring engagements in the Tony-winning Lincoln Center Theater revival. Broadway: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Drama Desk Award), Wonderland, Flower Drum Song, Rent, Street Corner Symphony and the 1996 Revival of The King and I (Lun Tha). Off-Broadway: Twelfth Night, Here Lies Love (Lortel nom.), Falling For Eve, On the Town and Saturn Returns. Regional: Poster Boy, Oliver!, Martin Guerre, Ballad of Little Jo (Jefferson nom.) and Candide (Barrymore nom.). TV/Film: “Sex and the City” and Hitch. Albums: VIVA Philippines label and Altitude based on his concert for Lincoln Center’s American Songbook series. www.josellana.com @josellana
The new musical POSTCARD AMERICAN TOWN will have its first industry presentation in New York City on January 12th. This timely new musical features a book by Crystal Skillman (Geek, Mary & Max) and music and lyrics by Lynne Shankel (Allegiance, Cry- Baby, bare: The Musical, Altar Boyz), with direction by Stafford Arima (Allegiance, Carrie, bare: the Musical, Altar Boyz), musical direction by Michael Gacetta (Groundhog Day, Matilda) and music supervision by Mary-Mitchell Campbell (Mean Girls, Tuck Everlasting, Finding Neverland, Company).
The cast features: Bonnie Milligan (Gigantic, Kinky Boots), Christiane Noll (Ragtime, Jekyll & Hyde), Zach Piser (Wicked), Nehal Joshi (Les Miserables Original Revival, School of Rock), Laura Jordan (Cry-Baby), Pamela Bob (A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder), Jodi Capeless (All About Me), Tally Sessions (Falsettos), EJ Zimmerman (Les Misérables), Alan Ariano (Miss Saigon) Shea Renne (Allegiance), Michael Buchanan (Book of Mormon), Chuck Ragsdale (A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder, US Tour), Christian Whelan (“Blacklist”) and Melody Madarasz (Mad Libs Live).
The evening will feature cast members from the Broadway company- two-Tony nominee André De Shields (The Full Monty, The Wiz, Play On), Ken Page (Cats, The Nightmare Before Christmas). and Charlayne Woodard (FX’s “Pose”). Frenchie Davis (“American Idol,” Dreamgirls) will take on the role originated by Nell Carter and Cynthia Thomas (Ain’t Misbehavin’) will take on the role originated by Armelia McQueen.
