Timothy Huang’s AMERICAN MORNING Cast Recording Featuring Josh Dela Cruz, Raymond J. Lee, Arielle Jacobs, Thom Sesma, Troy Iwata, Will Roland, Jason Sweettooth Williams, Andrew Cristi, Isabel Santiago, Allie Trimm and More Available on iTunes

July 2, 2020July 2, 2020 ~ Lia Chang ~ Leave a comment

Kate Hall & Gary Lynch and The Lisa Cleff Kurtz and Michael Kurtz Foundation, in association with Less Than Rent Theatre has released the studio cast recording of American Morning, with book, music and lyrics by Timothy Huang.

The album, produced by Alexander Sage Oyen and Timothy Huang, is available on iTunes and Spotify. It features Josh Dela Cruz (Aladdin, Blues Clues), Raymond J. Lee (Once Upon a One More Time, Groundhog Day) Arielle Jacobs (Aladdin, Between the Lines), Andrew Cristi (Moby Dick, Miss You Like Hell), Troy Iwata (Be More Chill), Will Roland (Be More Chill, Dear Evan Hansen), Allie Trimm (Once Upon a One More Time, 13), Thom Sesma (Unknown Soldier, Sweeney Todd), Jason Sweettooth Williams (Be More Chill, Freaky Friday), and Isabel Santiago (Giant, In the Heights).

The album, with orchestrations by Oyen, also features the ensemble voices of Matthew Acevedo, Kerstin Anderson, Jack Bowman, Anika Braganza, Hunter Brown, Christiana Cole, Austin Davidson, Lauren Echausse, Rachel Franco, Diana Huey, Samantha Messina, Aaron Phillips, Alexander Sage Oyen, A.J. Shively, RJ Vaillancourt, Elanna White, and Noah Zachary.

Arielle Jacobs and Timothy Huang. Photo courtesy of Timothy Huang

Arielle Jacobs. Photo courtesy of Timothy Huang

Inspired by the New York Times article Night and Day by Corey Kilgannon, American Morning tells the story of two immigrant cab drivers taking opposite shifts off the same medallion. The two men’s fates become intertwined as forced competition and marginalization drives a wedge between them that culminates in a desperate act leaving one man dead and the other disfigured.

Andrew Cristi. Photo courtesy of Timothy Huang

Josh De La Cruz. Photo courtesy of Timothy Huang

American Morning received a workshop production at Prospect Theater in 2019, co-produced by Kenny and Marleen Alhadeff, Kate Hall & Gary Lynch and The Lisa Cleff Kurtz and Michael Kurtz Foundation and directed/choreographed by Marlo Hunter, with music direction by Julianne B. Merrill. It was previously workshopped at Playwrights Horizons (as Costs of Living), the Village Theater’s 2016 Festival of New Musicals, the NAMT 2015 Festival of New Musicals, the 2012 Lehman Engel Musical Theater Lab Master Class moderated by Stephen Sondheim, and the 2011 ASCAP Musical Theater Workshop.

Troy Iwata. Photo courtesy of Timothy Huang

James Seol, Hansel Tan, Andew Cristi, Chil Kong, Daniel Le, Dorcas Leung, Aaron Phillips and Isabel Santiago Set for Prospect Theater Company’s Workshop Production of AMERICAN MORNING by Timothy Huang, May 8 -19

Check out production photos below.

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Timothy Huang

Timothy Huang is a finalist for the 2020 NYMF Artist Fellowship and the recipient of a 2019 NYSC/NYFA Grant in Screenwriting/Playwriting, the 2016 Richard Rodgers Award, the 2015 B-Side New American Musical Award, a 2013 Jerry Harrington Award, and the composer/lyricist/librettist o the short musicals Missing Karma (Samuel French OOB SPF finalist), A Relative Relationship (Best Musical, 2013 SoundBITES festival), Koi Story (2018 Samuel French OOB SPF Finalist) and The View From Here.

Timothy Huang Website

Less Than Rent creates dynamic and dangerous theatre where the energy is explosive, and the volume is turned all the way up. Whether it’s with a new work from a fresh voice, a remix of a classic, or a devised piece by our ensemble, their goal is to skew the canon, exploring universal themes and familiar ideas in a way that’s jolting and in-your-face. Their work has been seen at the 59E59, New Ohio, HERE Arts Center, La Mama, Walkerspace, Wild Project, and Horse Trade Theater Group. In addition to multiple FringeNYC and United Solo awards and NYIT nominations, they were named Indie Theater Now’s “People of the Year” in 2013.

Ali Ewoldt, Devin Ilaw, Jason Ma, Diane de Boer-Phelan, Hansel Tan, Nina Zoie Lam, Timothy Huang, Jelani Alladin and More Celebrate Steven Eng at Prospect Theater Company Gala

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 has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman. She stars in and served as Executive Producer for the short independent films Hide and Seek, Balancing Act, Rom-Com Gone Wrong, Belongingness and When the World was Young. She is also the Executive Producer for The Cactus, The Language Lesson, The Writer and Cream and 2 Shugahs.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2020 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com

Sony Music Masterworks Releases NOT OUR FIRST GOAT RODEO Featuring Yo-Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer, and Chris Thile

June 20, 2020June 20, 2020 ~ Lia Chang ~ Leave a comment

Sony Music Masterworks has released the highly anticipated new album, Not Our First Goat Rodeo from Yo-Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer, and Chris Thile.

From Left to Right: Yo-Yo Ma, Chris Thile, Stuart Duncan, Edgar MeyerNot Our First Goat Rodeo is the long-awaited follow-up to the critically-acclaimed GRAMMY Award-winning album The Goat Rodeo Sessions. Click here to purchase.

Both sets of Goat Rodeo sessions combine the talents of the four solo artists, each a Grammy Award-winning talent in his own right, to create a singular sound that’s part composed, part improvised, and uniquely American. The music is so complex to pull off that the group likens it to a goat rodeo — an aviation term for a situation in which 100 things need to go right to avoid disaster. Both the first album and the new recording also feature the voice and artistry of singer-songwriter and fellow Grammy Award-winner Aoife O’Donovan, who rejoins the group as a guest on Not Our First Goat Rodeo.

The new release builds on 2011’s genre-defying The Goat Rodeo Sessions, which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Classical, Classical Crossover, and Bluegrass charts and remained at No. 1 for 11 weeks on the Bluegrass chart. Marking Yo-Yo Ma’s highest debut on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart, the release went on to break into the chart’s top 20 albums, where it peaked at No. 18. NPR’s World Cafe called the album, which received GRAMMY Awards for Best Folk Album and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical, “organic yet composed in a way that only four deeply talented, in-tune musicians could make it,” with traces of, “Appalachia[n], Chinese, classical, Celtic, and jazz influences. If there was ever an album — or an unlikely band — that embodies the word ‘eclectic,’ this is it.”

The Los Angeles Times has described the collaboration as “unlikely musicians on unlikely instruments … part blues, part bluegrass and a smidgen of Bach.” The four musicians come from diverse backgrounds: Yo-Yo Ma (cello), a classical cellist known for his cross-genre collaborations and deep belief in culture’s essential role in society; Stuart Duncan (fiddle, banjo), a multi-instrument bluegrass virtuoso who has played with artists from Dolly Parton to George Strait; Edgar Meyer (bass), a double bassist and composer who has written for musicians from Béla Fleck and Zakir Hussain to Emanuel Ax and Hilary Hahn; and Chris Thile (mandolin, fiddle, guitar, vocals), the mandolinist wunderkind who fronts bands such as Nickel Creek and Punch Brothers and hosts public radio’s Live from Here. Their traditions and experiences intersect in this collaboration to create a compelling sound that is at once global and American, a shared voice that speaks to the moment in which we live.

TRACKLISTING –

1. Your Coffee Is a Disaster

2. Waltz Whitman

3. The Trappings (feat. Aoife O’Donovan)

4. Every Note a Pearl (feat. Aoife O’Donovan)

5. Not for Lack of Trying

6. Voila!

7. Scarcely Cricket

8. We Were Animals (feat. Aoife O’Donovan)

9. Nebbia

10. 757 ml

Jonathan Cuevas Releases Debut Album SUNSET

June 16, 2020June 16, 2020 ~ Lia Chang ~ Leave a comment

Cover made by Patrick Knott and shot by Christina Cuevas.

Congratulations to Jonathan Cuevas on the debut of Sunset, his 11-track album of original acoustic pop music. It explores a singular story about infatuation, heartbreak, anxiety, and finding love for the first time. Each song was written, recorded, and produced by Jonathan Cuevas. Sunset is available on iTunes and other streaming platforms.

Combining his technical recording skills with his classical music background and love for pop, singer-songwriter Jonathan Cuevas’s music breathes soul. His beautiful melodies and down-to-earth lyrics in his music perfectly represent this 22-year-old. Cuevas is a man of many talents, specifically in the music world. He has played the cello since before he can remember and has continued to pick up new instruments along the way, such as the guitar, bass, piano, saxophone, drums, and many more. Cuevas recently graduated from NYU with a degree in Music Technology and is an openly gay Filipino artist based out of New York City who preaches love and acceptance to all.

His music reminds me of Norah Jones, The Beatles and Justin Timberlake. The album is guitar driven neo-soul but the addition of strings and lush harmonies expands the track list and adds some nice variety. Cuevas’s sweet, lilting and soulful voice finds the power, exactly when it’s needed. The album plays like stories of love and loss and personal journey and make me really connect with him as a songwriter. Whether or not the songs are autobiographical, there is a universality that makes each track relatable.

Cuevas collaborated with Bev’s Girl Films on a #quarantunes cover of The Beatles’ “In My Life” with his brother Steven and Garth Kravits.

Timothy Huang’s AMERICAN MORNING Cast Recording Featuring Josh Dela Cruz, Raymond J. Lee, Arielle Jacobs, Thom Sesma, Troy Iwata, Will Roland, Jason Sweettooth Williams, Andrew Cristi, Isabel Santiago, Allie Trimm and More, Will Be Released on June 19

June 9, 2020July 2, 2020 ~ Lia Chang ~ Leave a comment

Kate Hall & Gary Lynch and The Lisa Cleff Kurtz and Michael Kurtz Foundation, in association with Less Than Rent Theatre will release the studio cast recording of American Morning, with book, music and lyrics by Timothy Huang.

The album, produced by Alexander Sage Oyen and Timothy Huang, will be released on Friday June 19^th on Apple music, Amazon Music, Spotify and other digital platforms. It will feature Josh Dela Cruz (Aladdin, Blues Clues), Raymond J. Lee (Once Upon a One More Time, Groundhog Day) Arielle Jacobs (Aladdin, Between the Lines), Andrew Cristi (Moby Dick, Miss You Like Hell), Troy Iwata (Be More Chill), Will Roland (Be More Chill, Dear Evan Hansen), Allie Trimm (Once Upon a One More Time, 13), Thom Sesma (Unknown Soldier, Sweeney Todd), Jason Sweettooth Williams (Be More Chill, Freaky Friday), and Isabel Santiago (Giant, In the Heights).

Andrew Cristi. Photo courtesy of Timothy Huang

Josh De La Cruz. Photo courtesy of Timothy Huang

Timothy Huang

Timothy Huang Website

Ali Ewoldt, Devin Ilaw, Jason Ma, Diane de Boer-Phelan, Hansel Tan, Nina Zoie Lam, Timothy Huang, Jelani Alladin and More Celebrate Steven Eng at Prospect Theater Company Gala

May 24: WGBH Live Broadcast: Yo-Yo Ma to Play Bach Six Suites for Solo Cello, A memorial for those we have lost and a tribute to our resilience

May 23, 2020May 23, 2020 ~ Lia Chang ~ Leave a comment

Cellist Yo-Yo Ma will perform J.S. Bach’s six cello suites live from the studios of public media producer WGBH on Sunday, May 24 at 3:00 p.m. ET, a memorial for those we have lost in the pandemic and a tribute to the resilience of our communities. Presented by WCRB Classical Radio Boston, the two-and-a-half-hour performance will air live and uninterrupted on WGBH channel 2 in Boston, and on public radio airwaves, made available to stations across the country by PRX. The performance will also stream live worldwide on Yo-Yo Ma’s YouTube channel and at ClassicalWCRB.org.

Ma’s offering of music comes in the midst of the now-rescheduled final leg of his Bach Project, a tour of the complete cello suites to 36 communities on six continents, part of a larger conversation about how culture can help us to imagine and build the world we want.

Ma will perform the six suites in isolation from WGBH’s Fraser Studio, with each element of the production managed remotely by a single person and using robotic cameras.

“In times of challenge, we’ve often come together in shared experiences,” said Jon Abbott, president and CEO of WGBH. “Yo-Yo Ma has a generosity of spirit, a solemnity that the moment deserves, and a warmth that reminds us of togetherness even as we feel alone. It is the strength we draw from each other that will help move us forward, and we are honored to host and produce this memorial event at WGBH and share it with the world through our public media network.”

“We are proud to work with Yo-Yo to share his sounds of solace from our studio to the world,” said Anthony Rudel, general manager at WCRB. “It is supremely fitting to have a great musician who has devoted his life to the international community bring the world closer together through the international language that is music, and more specifically Bach.”

How to Watch and Listen
Yo-Yo Ma’s live performance will broadcast on WGBH-TV Channel 2 in Boston and 99.5 WCRB Classical Radio Boston. The performance will stream on Yo-Yo Ma’s YouTube channel and at ClassicalWCRB.org. Through the distribution efforts of public media organization PRX, select local radio stations across the nation will also air the performance including Iowa Public Radio; Maine Public Radio; Louisville Public Media; Texas Public Radio – KPAC, San Antonio; Nashville Public Radio – WPLN; Hawaii Public Radio; WNED, Buffalo; WCLV in Cleveland, OH; KUSC in Los Angeles, CA; KALW in San Francisco, CA; New England Public Radio in Amherst, MA; St. Louis Public Radio; WETA in Washington, DC; Virginia Public Media in Richmond, VA; KPBS in San Diego, CA; Blue Ridge Public Radio (WCQS) in Asheville, NC; KRPS in Pittsburgh, KS, WRTI, Philadelphia and WQXR in New York, NY. (Additional stations may be added/check local listings.) Stations who would like to air the program can reach out to PRX’s Station Services team at membership@prx.org. The performance will only be available live, uniting an audience in a shared experience.

Management for Yo-Yo Ma
Opus3Artists.com

About WCRB
WCRB 99.5 FM is a non-commercial, independent, listener-supported public radio station dedicated to excellence in classical music broadcasting. Serving Boston and the New England region, it offers accessible classical radio of the highest caliber and operates under the core belief that classical music can and should be part of everyone’s life. WCRB is a key community convener for classical music in New England, partnering with local arts organizations including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Handel and Haydn Society, Boston Early Music Festival, the New England Conservatory, and more. Its online streaming reaches a global audience. WCRB is a service of national public media leader WGBH.

About WGBH
WGBH Boston is America’s preeminent public broadcaster and the largest producer of PBS content for TV and the Web, including Masterpiece, Antiques Roadshow, Frontline, Nova, American Experience, Arthur, and more than a dozen other primetime, lifestyle, and children’s series. WGBH’s television channels include WGBH 2, WGBX 44, and the digital channels WORLD and Create. WGBH TV productions focusing on the region’s diverse community include Greater Boston, Basic Black, and High School Quiz Show. WGBH Radio serves listeners across New England with 89.7 WGBH, Boston’s Local NPR®; 99.5 WCRB Classical Radio Boston; and WCAI, the Cape and Islands NPR® Station. WGBH also is a major source of digital content and programs for public radio through PRX, including The World and Innovation Hub, a leader in educational multimedia with PBS LearningMedia™, providing the nation’s educators with free, curriculum-based digital content, and a pioneer in services that make media accessible to deaf, hard-of-hearing, blind, and visually-impaired audiences. WGBH has been recognized with hundreds of honors: Emmys, Peabodys, duPont-Columbia Awards and Oscars. Find more information at wgbh.org.

About PRX PRX is a non-profit media organization shaping the future of audio by producing and distributing content, building technology, and training talented, independent producers. PRX’s award-winning portfolio ranges from iconic public radio programs such as The Moth Radio Hour, This American Life, The World, The Takeaway and Reveal to a growing body of podcast-first productions, including the Radiotopia network. Each month, PRX reaches more than 28.5 million listeners and generates more than 70 million podcast downloads. Visit PRX.org for more.

#Quarantunes: Joan Almedilla and Garth Kravits Sing ‘To Make You Feel My Love’ and ‘Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow’

May 5, 2020May 7, 2020 ~ Lia Chang ~ Leave a comment

Joan Almedilla, Steven Cuevas and Garth Kravits

Garth Kravits’ latest #quarantunes duet features Joan Almedilla (Miss Saigon, The King and I) singing ‘To Make You Feel My Love,’ a classic Bob Dylan song that Adele covered so beautifully, accompanied on violin by Steven Cuevas.

Joan Almedilla was last seen as Sarah Jane Moore in Assassins at East West Players. She played Donna Sheridan in East West Player’s acclaimed production of Mamma Mia. Last summer she appeared in Passing Through, a new musical, at Goodspeed.

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Credits: Broadway: Miss Saigon (Kim) National Tours: Les Miserables (Fantine), LCT’s The King and I (Lady Thiang) Jesus Christ Superstar. East West Players: Chess, Criers For Hire, Krunk Fu Battle Battle, Tea, with Music. RTC: Songs For A New World, It’s Only Life. Feature Film: Commencement with Marin Hinkle and Arye Gross. She has performed at Carnegie Hall (Here Lies Love song-cycle), Disney Concert Hall and The Apollo Theater. Proud member of AEA/SAG-AFTRA and Mama Bares.joanalmedilla.com

Below is their duet of ‘Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow.’

Other #quarantunes collaborations include a duet of ‘Soon It’s Gonna Rain’ with Ali Ewoldt (Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, The King and I), ‘Lucky’ with Cherie B. Tay (Hadestown, Gettin’ The Band Back Together, Amelie), and a trio of ‘In My Life‘ with Musical Director, Conductor and Musician Steven Cuevas (Once on this Island, Anastasia, Kinky Boots) on viola and his brother, Jonathan Cuevas on guitar.

Broadwayworld.com: VIDEO: Ali Ewoldt And Garth Kravits Sing ‘Soon It’s Gonna Rain’ From THE FANTASTICKS

Quarantunes Video: Ali Ewoldt and Garth Kravits Sing “Soon It’s Gonna Rain”

Steven Cuevas is a NYC-based music director, musician, singer, and actor. Broadway: Once On This Island, Anastasia, Kinky Boots. Off-Broadway: We Are The Tigers, Closer Than Ever, Trip of Love, Songs for a New World, Iron Curtain. Tours:Once On This Island, Kinky Boots, Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical, Spring Awakening, My Fair Lady (Marina Bay Sands, Singapore). Recordings: Once On This Island (2019 Grammy nominee, Best Musical Theater Album), How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, Monstersongs. Steven’s arrangements for Broadway Barkada have been performed at Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, and the White House. Steven is the Chair of Local 802 AFM’s Diversity Committee. BFA in Musical Theatre, Emerson College. @StevenMCuevas

Garth Kravits is an actor, a singer, a composer, and an award winning filmmaker. He made his Broadway debut in the Tony Award winning musical The Drowsy Chaperone and appeared most recently on Broadway in the original musical Gettin’ the Band Back Together.

Kravits has guest starred on CBS’s ‘Tommy,’ HBO’s ‘Divorce,’ Amazon Prime’s ‘The Hunters’ and ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,’ USA’s ‘Mr. Robot,’ SyFy’s ‘Happy’ over the last year, and has also appeared on NBC’s ’30 Rock,’ and ‘The Blacklist,’ The CW’s ‘Princess Diaries,’ Showtime’s ‘Nurse Jackie,’ and ‘Hostages.’

Kravits has written, directed and edited over 50 film projects and his films have been shown in film festivals around the world.www.garthkravits.com

HADESTOWN Set for iHeartRadio Broadway Saturday Matinee Today at 2pm

April 25, 2020June 1, 2020 ~ Lia Chang ~ Leave a comment

iHeartRadio Broadway is presenting a weekly program to help support the Broadway community while the industry is dark during the COVID-19 crisis – the iHeartRadio Broadway’s Saturday Matinee.

Amber Gray, André De Shields, Eva Noblezada. Photo by Lia Chang

iHeartRadio Broadway is bringing theater fans closer to the music by playing cast albums from the current season and beyond, cover-to-cover, Hadestown will be featured on Saturday April 25th at 2pm on the iHeartRadio Broadway station. Each week, the iHeartRadio Broadway Saturday Matinee will feature cast and creators of scheduled Broadway shows hosting the program by providing pre-record sound bites that were created in the comfort of their own homes. These liners will include fun facts, cast stories and moments from each production. The Saturday Matinee will continue each week until Broadway is back up and running.

Reeve Carney, Amber Gray, André De Shields, Eva Noblezada and Patrick Page. Photo by Lia Chang

Anaïs Mitchell developed the Hadestown with director and Tony Award winner Rachel Chavkin which was the most honored and critically acclaimed new musical of 2019.

Hadestown opened on Broadway on April 17, 2019. The production stars Reeve Carney, André De Shields, Amber Gray, Eva Noblezada, and Patrick Page swith Jewelle Blackman, Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer, and Kay Trinidad as the Fates.

1st Row: Malcolm Armwood and Amber Gray. 2nd Row: Kimberly Marable, T. Oliver Reid, Khaila Wilcoxon, John Krause, Jessie Shelton, Rachel Chavkin, André De Shields. 3rd Row: Jewelle Blackman, Kay Trinidad, Anaïs Mitchell, Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer, Eva Noblezada. 4th Row: Afra Hines, Timothy Hughes, Malcolm Armwood, Mara Isaacs, Patrick Page, Reeve Carney. Photo by Lia Chang

In addition to the show’s eight Tony Awards, it has been honored with the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, four Drama Desk Awards, six Outer Critics Circle Awards including Outstanding New Broadway Musical and the Drama League Award for Outstanding Production of a Musical.

During the promotion of the Saturday Matinee, iHeartRadio Broadway will also highlight Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Fund and how our listeners can donate by visiting Broadwaycares.org/help2020. Your support provides urgent health care and immediate financial assistance to those onstage, backstage and behind the scenes who make the magic of theater happen.

iHeartRadio Broadway Saturday Matinee Schedule:

April 25th – Hadestown

Click here to listen.

May 2nd – Dear Evan Hansen

May 9th – Little Shop of Horrors

May 16th – Moulin Rouge

May 23rd – Disney on Broadway Celebration (Featuring Frozen, Lion King & Aladdin)

Additional dates and Broadway shows will be announced on iHeartRadioBroadway.com and the station shortly. Listeners can tune in to iHeartRadio Broadway by visiting iHeartRadioBroadway.com or by downloading the free iHeart App and searching “Broadway”.

Reeve Carney, Eva Noblezada and Anaïs Mitchell to Celebrate HADESTOWN Broadway Anniversary Via Livestream Tonight at 6:30pm

Photos and Video: The Cast of HADESTOWN Celebrates Rachel Chavkin and Jordan Roth at NYTW Gala

HADESTOWN Celebrates Release of Grammy Award-Nominated Cast Album with a Signing Event on the Walter Kerr Stage

Inside the Opening Night Afterparty of HADESTOWN with André De Shields

Playbill: Hadestown Celebrates a Year on Broadway With This New Video

Bebe Neuwirth, Arielle Jacobs, Dawnn Lewis and David Jennings Attend HADESTOWN Benefit Performance for The Actors Fund

HADESTOWN Celebrates 2020 Grammy Award Nomination and 250th Performance on Broadway; Will Perform in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade®

Multimedia: André De Shields, Reeve Carney, Amber Gray, Eva Noblezada, Patrick Page and More in Preview of Anaïs Mitchell’s HADESTOWN

HADESTOWN’s Malcolm Armwood, Afra Hines, Timothy Hughes, John Krause, Kimberly Marable, T. Oliver Reid, Jessie Shelton, Ahmad Simmons and Khaila Wilcoxon Receive 2019 ACCA Awards for Outstanding Broadway Chorus

Multimedia: Reeve Carney, André De Shields, Amber Gray, Eva Noblezada, Patrick Page and More in Sneak Peek of Anaïs Mitchell’s HADESTOWN at The McKittrick Hotel

Ghostlight Records: BROADWAY BOUNTY HUNTER Original Cast Recording Featuring Annie Golden, Alan H. Green, Emily Borromeo, Brad Oscar, Jasmine Forsberg, Jared Joseph, Christina Sajous, Omar Garibay and Badia Farha to Be Released April 24

April 16, 2020April 16, 2020 ~ bpwlcadmin ~ Leave a comment

Ghostlight Records has announced that the Broadway Bounty Hunter – Original Cast Recording will be available on digital and streaming formats on Friday, April 24. The new musical comedy features music and lyrics by Tony Award nominee Joe Iconis (“Smash,” Be More Chill), who also co-wrote the book with Lance Rubin (Denton Little’s Deathdate), and Jason SweetTooth Williams (Be More Chill). The show is directed and choreographed by Jennifer Werner (The Book of Mormon, Supervising Associate Director) and stars Screen Actors Guild Award winner Annie Golden (Hair, Assassins, “Orange is the New Black”) in the title role.

Jasmine Forsberg, Ian Coulter-Buford, Jared Joseph, Emily Borromeo, Alan H. Green, Annie Golden, Brad Oscar, Christina Sajous, Omar Garibay (not pictured, Badia Farha). Photo by Lia Chang

The album is produced by Joe Iconis, Charlie Rosen and Ian Kagey, and co-produced by Geoffrey Ko, with Jennifer Ashley Tepper serving as executive producer. Click here to pre-order the album.

An electric musical comedy with an irresistible, soulful new score, Broadway Bounty Hunter follows down-on-her-luck actress Annie (Annie Golden) who has just about had it with showbiz, when along comes a gig no one could have predicted: the opportunity to become a real-life, Kung Fu-fighting bounty hunter. With a six-piece powerhouse band, the musical chronicles the journey of this woman of a certain age -from bad auditions on the streets of New York to beating up bad guys in the jungles of South America and discovering her true badass identity along the way. This New York premiere – produced by Jennifer Ashley Tepper (Be More Chill) and Allison Bressi (Songbird) – ran at Greenwich House Theater from July 9 through August 8, 2019, following the musical’s sold-out, critically acclaimed world-premiere at Barrington Stage Company.

The album also features cast members Alan H. Green (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) as Lazarus; Tony Award nominee Brad Oscar (Something Rotten!) as Mac Roundtree; Emily Borromeo (School of Rock) as Shiro Jin; Badia Farha (School of Rock) as Sienna and others; Jasmine Forsberg (Love in Hate Nation) as Indigo and others; Omar Garibay (Ghost the Musical) as Spark Plug and others; Jared Joseph (Holler if Ya Hear Me) as Felipe and others; and Christina Sajous (SpongeBob SquarePants) as Claudine Machine and others.

The Broadway Bounty Hunter band features Geoffrey Ko (conductor, keyboard I), Zac Zinger (saxophone, woodwinds, keyboard II), Khrys Williams (trumpet, flugabone), Megan Talay (guitar), Amanda Ruzza (bass), and Rosa Avila(drums), with Danielle Gimbal as copyist.

“Broadway Bounty Hunter is a musical that celebrates people who feel like they don’t belong,” comments Joe Iconis. “The tough-as-nails misfits, butt-kicking unicorns, and marginalized humans who populate the piece are forced to create a space for themselves in a world that feels equal parts apathetic and dangerous. I am so grateful that we are able to release this particular album at a time when our community feels displaced. Hopefully, people across New York City and America and the world will find themselves bobbing their heads in unintentional unison to the anthems of our woman of a certain age. Broadway Bounty Hunter is a love letter to Annie Golden and all the passionate weirdos like her and I cannot wait for the world to hear what myself and the entire team has been cooking up. Crank it loud, dance along, sing at the top of your lungs, and know that we’re all in this together, fighting the good fight.”

“The entire Broadway Bounty Hunter team is thrilled to unleash our original cast recording on the world,” says Jennifer Ashley Tepper. “We were so proud of the show’s 2019 off-Broadway production and can’t wait for more people to experience our original musical in album form. We hope that the fighting spirit of Annie Golden and our bounty hunters will inspire joy and tenacity in listeners, and that Broadway Bounty Hunter‘s killer songs will inspire some much-needed dance parties as we all #StayHome.”

When Broadway Bounty Hunter opened in New York, Variety called it “A love letter to Broadway. Just the right balance of hard knocks, soft shoes and soul.” Newsday raved that “Annie Golden is a tour de force in this rollicking Joe Iconis musical. Iconis’ pop score soars.” The New Yorker hailed the show “an unabashedly silly sendup of martial-arts and blaxpoitation movies. The real star is Iconis’ catchy score.”

Annie Golden’s career has spanned punk rock, theater and television, having first stepped into the spotlight as lead singer of CBGB headliner The Shirts in the 1970s. On Broadway, she appeared in Hair; Leader of the Pack; Ah, Wilderness!; On the Town, The Full Monty, and Violet; and originated the role of Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme in Sondheim’s Assassins Off-Broadway. On screen, she played Jeannie Ryan in Milos Forman’s 1979 film adaptation of Hair, Norma Romano in five seasons of the hit Netflix series “Orange Is the New Black,” and Eudora in I Love You Phillip Morris.

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 has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman. She stars in and served as Executive Producer for the short independent films Hide and Seek, Balancing Act, Rom-Com Gone Wrong, Belongingness andWhen the World was Young. She is also the Executive Producer for The Cactus, The Language Lesson, The Writer and Cream and 2 Shugahs.

SOFT POWER Cast Album Virtual Listening Party to Benefit AALDEF and The Public Theater on April 17 at 8pm

April 16, 2020April 17, 2020 ~ Lia Chang ~ Leave a comment

The Public Theater is hosting a live virtual listening party on Friday, April 17 to celebrate the cast album recording of Soft Power at 8pm on youtube. Funds will be raised to support The Public Theater and the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund during the event. Click on the link below.

David Henry Hwang and Jeanine Tesori’s Soft Power, produced by The Public Theater and Center Theatre Group, recently received five Lucille Lortel nominations including Outstanding Musical, Outstanding Choreography for Sam Pinkleton and Outstanding Scenic Design for Clint Ramos and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical for Conrad Ricamora and Francis Jue.

The Soft Power – Original Cast Recording will be available on digital and streaming formats on Friday, April 17 on Ghostlight Records. The album is based on the new musical’s recent New York premiere production at The Public Theater (Artistic Director, Oskar Eustis; Executive Director, Patrick Willingham). Soft Power features book and lyrics by Tony Award winner David Henry Hwang and music and additional lyrics by Tony Award winner Jeanine Tesori, with choreography by Tony nominee Sam Pinkleton. A co-commission and co-production with Center Theatre Group, Tony nominee Leigh Silverman directed this groundbreaking new musical. The album is produced by Jeanine Tesori and Matt Stine, with The Public Theater and Kurt Deutsch serving as executive producers. To pre-order Soft Power, please visit ghostlightrecords.lnk.to/softpower

Conrad Ricamora and the cast of SOFT POWER. Photo by Joan Marcus

Watch a music video of the show’s finale “Democracy (Reprise)” – featuring footage from the album recording session!

When Soft Power opened at The Public’s Newman Theater last year, Variety called it “thrilling, moving, and revolutionary.” The Wall Street Journal raved “Mr. Hwang’s book is gloriously funny, while Ms. Tesori’s score is a persuasive blend of emotional directness and ingenious musical pastiche. I don’t remember when I last saw a musical that was this smart-and touching.” The Daily Beast said “Tesori has a wonderful knack of creating a lush melody, spiked with very pointed, political point-making.” According to The New Yorker, “[Hwang] affirms the things that could make America good again: care, compassion, mutual respect.” Performances ran from September 24 through November 17, 2019.

Last Friday, Theater Mu’s Artistic Director Lily Tung Crystal hosted a Mu-tini Hour zoom chat with David Henry Hwang and Francis Jue. Watch the interview below.

“The extraordinary beauty of Jeanine Tesori’s score and David Henry Hwang’s lyrics for Soft Power will now be preserved forever,” said Oskar Eustis. “Soft Power is a beautiful, heartbreaking, and history-making show: this recording will not only save this amazing cast and orchestra, but it will be a thrilling map for what promises to be an exciting future for the show.”

The complete cast of Soft Power includes Billy Bustamante (Xuē Xíng Standby), Jon Hoche (Chief Justice/Hālǐ Àohālā/Ensemble), Kendyl Ito (Jīng/Prof. Lǐ Bìyù/Ensemble), Francis Jue (DHH), Austin Ku (Bobby Bob/Jū Míng), Raymond J. Lee (Randy Ray/Yáo Tuō/Veep/Ensemble), Alyse Alan Louis (Zoe/Hillary), Jaygee Macapugay (Betsy/Lóng Lín Kūn/Ensemble), Daniel May (Ensemble), Paul HeeSang Miller (Ensemble), Kristen Faith Oei (Ensemble), Geena Quintos (Airport Greeter/Ensemble), Conrad Ricamora (Xuē Xíng), Trevor Salter (Ensemble), Kyra Smith (Ensemble), Emily Stillings (Swing), Emily Trumble (Zoe/Hillary Standby), and John Yi (Swing).

Soft Power is an exploration of America’s current place in the world, told through an East-West musical from China’s point of view, in which a theater producer from Shanghai forges a powerful bond with Hillary Clinton. Soft Power is a fever dream of modern American politics amidst global conversations, asking us all-why do we love democracy? And should we?

Soft Power features orchestrations by Danny Troob; music direction and supervision by Chris Fenwick; dance arrangements by John Clancy; scenic design by Clint Ramos; costume design by Anita Yavich; lighting design by Mark Barton; sound design by Kai Harada; sound effects design by Bart Fasbender; video design by Bryce Cutler; hair, wig, and makeup design by Tom Watson; special effects by Lillis Meeh; music contracting by Antoine Silverman; and additional orchestrations by Larry Hochman and John Clancy.

After the virtual listening party Jon Hoche and Raymond J. Lee are having a live Q & A on Jon Hoche’s Instagram live at 930 p.m.

David Henry Hwang and Jeanine Tesori’s SOFT POWER Receives Five Lucille Lortel Nominations Including Outstanding Musical, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical for Francis Jue and Conrad Ricamora, Outstanding Choreography for Sam Pinkleton and Outstanding Scenic Design for Clint Ramos; Full List of Nominations

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 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. She stars in and served as Executive Producer for the short independent films Hide and Seek, Balancing Act, Rom-Com Gone Wrong, Belongingness andWhen the World was Young. She is also the Executive Producer for The Cactus, The Language Lesson, The Writer and Cream and 2 Shugahs.

Video Teaser: Cast Recording of Signature Theatre Production of Lauren Yee’s CAMBODIAN ROCK BAND, Featuring Francis Jue, Abraham Kim, Jane Lui, Joe Ngo, Courtney Reed and Moses Villarama, To be released on May 8

April 15, 2020May 8, 2020 ~ Lia Chang ~ Leave a comment

Lauren Yee with Signature Theatre’s Artistic Director Paige Evans and Executive Director Harold Wolpert at the opening night party of CAMBODIAN ROCK BAND at The Pershing Square Signature Center in New York on February 24, 2020. Photo by Lia Chang

Signature Theatre (Paige Evans, Artistic Director; Harold Wolpert, Executive Director) today announced that the cast recording of its production of their acclaimed production of Lauren Yee’s Cambodian Rock Band, featuring songs by Dengue Fever, will be released on May 8 by Yellow Sound Label. The album will be produced by Michael Croiter and Matthias Winter. It will be available on Amazon, iTunes, Spotify, and wherever music is sold. The album is currently available for pre-order at www.yellowsoundlabel.com.

Signature Theatre’s Artistic Director Paige Evans said, “We are thrilled to be able to share something joyful at this moment. The messages in Signature resident playwright’s award-winning Cambodian Rock Band around resilience and perseverance is so resonate today Lauren’s unique play will now live on not only through the script, but also through these exciting songs — which had audiences literally dancing by the end of the show.”

Opening night for Chay Yew, Moses Villarama, Francis Jue, Jane Lui, Lauren Yee, Courtney Reed, Joe Ngo, Abraham Kim of CAMBODIAN ROCK BAND at the Pershing Square Signature Center in New York on February 24, 2020. Photo by Lia Chang

Signature Theatre’s Executive Director Harold Wolpert added, “Recording Lauren Yee’s Cambodian Rock Band will expose the play and the music it celebrates to audiences beyond our theatre. To be able to share this with everyone outside of those who saw the show at the Pershing Square Signature Center is just another way that we are able to deliver on our core value of access, which is more important now than ever.”

The Cambodian Rock Band cast recording is the second cast recording in Signature’s history, coming on the heels of the release of the recording of Signature resident playwright Dave Malloy’s Octet, which was Signature’s first musical. The Octet cast recording was released by Nonesuch Records and can be found on all streaming platforms.

Joe Ngo, Abraham Kim, Francis Jue, Jane Lui, Courtney Reed and Moses Villarama in CAMBODIAN ROCK BAND. Photo by Joan Marcus

The Signature Theatre production of Cambodian Rock Band began performances February 4, opened on February 24, and was scheduled to run through March 22 on The Irene Diamond Stage at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues) before canceling performances on March 12.

The cast of Cambodian Rock Band includes Abraham Kim as Rom/Journalist, Jane Lui as Pou/S21 Guard, Joe Ngo as Chum, Courtney Reed as Neary/Sothea, Moses Villarama as Ted/Leng/Cadre, and Francis Jue, who recently received a Lucille Lortel nomination for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play for his turn as as Duch.

Francis Jue as Duch in Lauren Yee’s CAMBODIAN ROCK BAND. Photo by Joan Marcus

CAMBODIAN ROCK BAND’s Francis Jue Wins 2020 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play; Full List of Winners

CAMBODIAN ROCK BAND, HALFWAY BITCHES GO STRAIGHT TO HEAVEN, A STRANGE LOOP, ROMEO & BERNADETTE, THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES and More Nominated for Off Broadway Alliance Awards

2020 Drama League Awards Nominees

The creative team for Cambodian Rock Band includes Takeshi Kata (Scenic Design), Linda Cho (Costume Design), David Weiner (Lighting Design), Mikhail Fiksel (Sound Design), Luke Norby (Projection Design), Matt MacNelly (Music Supervision) and Unkle Dave’s Fight-House (Fight Director). The Production Stage Manager is Charles M. Turner III and casting is by Caparelliotis Casting.

Guitars tuned. Mic checked. Get ready to rock! This darkly funny, electric new play with music tells the story of a Khmer Rouge survivor returning to Cambodia for the first time in thirty years, as his daughter prepares to prosecute one of Cambodia’s most infamous war criminals. Backed by a live band playing contemporary Dengue Fever hits and classic Cambodian oldies, this thrilling story toggles back and forth in time as father and daughter face the music of the past. Directed by Chay Yew, the New York premiere of this intimate rock epic about family secrets is set against a dark chapter of Cambodian history. It launches Steinberg Award-winning playwright Lauren Yee’s Residency 5.

Yellow Sound Label is an Emmy Award-winning and Grammy Award-nominated, cutting-edge record company that produces established performers, up-and-coming artists and original cast recordings. The boutique label takes a hands-on approach in nurturing and producing passionate, focused performers and composers who create quality, noteworthy recordings.

About SIGNATURE THEATRE Signature Theatre celebrates playwrights and gives them an artistic home. Signature makes an extended commitment to a playwright’s body of work, producing several plays by each resident writer and delivering an intimate and immersive journey into the playwright’s singular vision In 2014, Signature became the first New York City company to receive the Regional Theater Tony Award.

Signature serves its mission through its permanent home at The Pershing Square Signature Center, a three-theatre facility on West 42nd Street designed by Frank Gehry Architects to host Signature’s three distinct playwrights’ residencies and foster a cultural community. At the Center, opened in January 2012, Signature continues its original Playwright-in-Residence model as Residency 1, a year-long intensive exploration of a single writer’s body of work. Residency 5, the only program of its kind, was launched at the Center to support multiple playwrights as they build bodies of work by guaranteeing each writer three productions over a five-year period. The Legacy Program, launched during Signature’s 10th Anniversary, invites writers from both residencies back for productions of premiere or earlier plays.

The Pershing Square Signature Center is a major contribution to New York City’s cultural landscape and provides a venue for cultural organizations that supports and encourages collaboration among artists throughout the space. In addition to its three intimate theatres, the Center features a studio theatre, a rehearsal studio and a public café, bar and bookstore.

Through the Signature Ticket Initiative: A Generation of Access, Signature has also made an unprecedented commitment to making its productions accessible by underwriting the cost of the initial run tickets through 2031.

Founded in 1991 by James Houghton and now led by Artistic Director Paige Evans and Executive Director Harold Wolpert, Signature has presented entire seasons of the work of Edward Albee, Lee Blessing, Horton Foote, María Irene Fornés, Athol Fugard, Stephen Adly Guirgis, John Guare, A.R. Gurney, David Henry Hwang, Bill Irwin, Adrienne Kennedy, Tony Kushner, Romulus Linney, Charles Mee, Arthur Miller, Suzan-Lori Parks, Sam Shepard, Paula Vogel, Naomi Wallace, August Wilson, Lanford Wilson and a season celebrating the historic Negro Ensemble Company. Lynn Nottage is the current Residency 1 playwright. Signature’s Residency 5 playwrights are Annie Baker, Martha Clarke, Katori Hall, Quiara Alegría Hudes, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Dave Malloy and Dominique Morisseau; Will Eno completed his Residency 5 in 2016. Signature’s productions and its resident writers have been recognized with the Pulitzer Prize, MacArthur “Genius” Fellowships, Lucille Lortel, Obie, Drama Desk and AUDELCO awards, among many other distinctions. For more information, please visit www.signaturetheatre.org.

Delta Air Lines is the Official Airline of Signature Theatre.

For more information, please visit www.signaturetheatre.org.

SOFT POWER Receives Eleven Drama Desk Nominations, HALFWAY BITCHES GO STRAIGHT TO HEAVEN Receives Eight Nods; Full List of Nominees

Theater Mu Artistic Director Lily Tung Crystal Hosts Mu-tini Hour with CAMBODIAN ROCK BAND’s Lauren Yee, Joe Ngo and Jane Lui

CAMBODIAN ROCK BAND, Chay Yew, Daisuke Tsuji, HOLD THESE TRUTH’s Ryun Yu Win San Diego’s 2019 Craig Noel Awards; Full List of Winners

Yellow Sound Label to Release the Original Off-Broadway Cast Recording of Lauren Yee’s CAMBODIAN ROCK BAND Featuring Francis Jue, Abraham Kim, Jane Lui, Joe Ngo, Courtney Reed and Moses Villarama on May 8

Inside Lauren Yee’s CAMBODIAN ROCK BAND Opening Night; Extends Again at Signature Theatre Through March 22

Video and Photos: Inside the 2nd Asian American Night of Lauren Yee’s CAMBODIAN ROCK BAND at Signature Theatre

Inside Asian American Night at Signature’s First Preview of Lauren Yee’s CAMBODIAN ROCK BAND

Lauren Yee and Jackie Sibblies Drury Receive 2019 Steinberg Playwright Awards at the 12th Annual “Mimi” Awards