Ephraim Sykes Set to Star as Michael Jackson in MJ on Broadway

November 21, 2019November 21, 2019 ~ bpwlcadmin ~ Leave a comment

Tony Award nominee Ephraim Sykes will star as Michael Jackson in the upcoming Broadway World Premiere of MJ the Musical. MJ will begin preview performances on Monday, July 6, 2020, at the Neil Simon Theatre. Opening night is set for Thursday evening, August 13, 2020, at 6:30 p.m.

Currently on Broadway in the smash hit musical Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations, Mr. Sykes was Tony Award-nominated for his thrilling, microphone-flying performance as Motown recording artist David Ruffin. He also received the Chita Rivera Award, a San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award, a Theater Bay Area Award, the Helen Hayes Award, and The Actors’ Equity Clarence Derwent Award. Just yesterday, he received a 2020 Grammy Award nomination as a principal artist on the Original Cast Recording of Ain’t Too Proud.

MJ The Musical will feature a book by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage and a score made up of some of the best-loved, top-selling songs in recording history. Tony Award winner Christopher Wheeldon will direct and choreograph.

Mr. Wheeldon stated, “Ephraim Sykes is a bonafide triple threat, and dynamic rising star on Broadway. I am honored to be working with him on this exciting new production.”

Tickets for MJ the Musical will go on sale on January 15, 2020, at 10 a.m. To sign-up for priority ticket access, go to MJTheMusical.com.

Ephraim Sykes currently stars as David Ruffin in Broadway’s Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations. For this role he earned a Tony nomination, a Chita Rivera Award, the Helen Hayes Award, the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award, Theater Bay Area Award, The Actors’ Equity Clarence Derwent Award, and nominations from the Drama League and Outer Critics Circle. Sykes also starred as Ruffin in the World Premiere of Ain’t Too Proud — The Life And Times of The Temptations at Berkeley Rep.

Sykes was last seen on screen as “Seaweed J. Stubbs” in NBC’s “Hairspray Live!” His Broadway credits include: Hamilton: An American Musical (OBC), Memphis (OBC), Newsies (OBC), Motown (OBC), and The Little Mermaid. Additional TV/Film credits include: “Marvin” on “Vinyl,” “Luke Cage,” “Smash,” “30 Rock,” Leave It On The Floor, Woody Allen’s Crisis in Six Scenes, and Detroit directed by Katheryn Bigelow. A native of St. Petersburg, Florida, Ephraim graduated from the Alvin Ailey/Fordham University BFA program with departmental honors and toured with the Ailey II Company for two years.

HADESTOWN, AIN’T TOO PROUD, MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL, OKLAHOMA and THE MUSIC OF HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD Receive Grammy Nominations for ‘Best Musical Theater Album’

November 20, 2019November 20, 2019 ~ Lia Chang ~ Leave a comment

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

The 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards will take place in Los Angeles on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020, at the STAPLES Center with Alicea Keys as host and will be broadcast live on CBS at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Streamed live on GRAMMY.com, the GRAMMY Awards Premiere Ceremony will be held at the Microsoft Theater at 12:30 p.m. PT.

MUSICAL THEATER

58. Best Musical Theater Album
For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new recordings. Award to the principle vocalist(s) and the album producer(s) of 51% or more playing time of the album. The lyricist(s) and composer(s) of a new score are eligible for an Award if they have written and/or composed a new score which comprises 51% or more playing time of the album.

AIN’T TOO PROUD: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE TEMPTATIONS
Saint Aubyn, Derrick Baskin, James Harkness, Jawan M. Jackson, Jeremy Pope & Ephraim Sykes, principal soloists; Scott M. Riesett, producer (Original Broadway Cast)
HADESTOWN
Reeve Carney, André De Shields, Amber Gray, Eva Noblezada & Patrick Page, principal soloists; Mara Isaacs, David Lai, Anaïs Mitchell & Todd Sickafoose, producers (Anaïs Mitchell, composer & lyricist) (Original Broadway Cast)
MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL
Danny Burstein, Tam Mutu, Sahr Ngaujah, Karen Olivo & Aaron Tveit, principal soloists; Justin Levine, Baz Luhrmann, Matt Stine & Alex Timbers, producers (Original Broadway Cast)
THE MUSIC OF HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD – IN FOUR CONTEMPORARY SUITES
Imogen Heap, producer; Imogen Heap, composer (Imogen Heap)
OKLAHOMA!
Damon Daunno, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Ali Stroker, Mary Testa & Patrick Vaill, principal soloists; Daniel Kluger & Dean Sharenow, producers (Richard Rodgers, composer; Oscar Hammerstein II, lyricist) (2019 Broadway Cast)

Click here for the full list of nominations.

Multimedia: Tony Award Winner André De Shields Receives Actors’ Equity Foundation’s Richard Seff Award

June 16, 2019July 3, 2019 ~ Lia Chang ~ Leave a comment

Newly anointed Tony winner André De Shields culminated the 2019 theater award season by receiving the 2019 Richard Seff Award at Equity’s Eastern Regional Board meeting on June 11th at Equity’s office in New York.

2019 Richard Seff Award winner and 2019 Tony Award winner André De Shields. Photo by Lia Chang

The Richard Seff award, administered by the Actors’ Equity Foundation, honors veteran stage actors’ best supporting performances of the year. Mr. De Shields was chosen to receive this year’s award by a panel of judges who were unanimous in their acclaim of his performance as Hermes in Hadestown. The award consists of a check for $1,000 and a crystal trophy.

2019 Tony Award winner Rachel Chavkin. Photo by Lia Chang

Rachel Chavkin, 2019 Tony winner for Best Director of a Musical, introduced Mr. De Shields. During her remarks, Ms. Chavkin donned a hat imprinted with the phrase, “André De Shields is My Stage Fave.”

2019 Richard Seff Award winner and 2019 Tony Award winner André De Shields and his HADESTOWN family. Photo by Lia Chang

On cue, more than 20 members of the Hadestown company stood wearing the hats which were the brainchild of Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer, who plays one of the Fates in Hadestown.

2019 Richard Seff Award winner and 2019 Tony Award winner André De Shields and Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer. Photo by Lia Chang

In keeping with his flair for the dramatic, Mr. De Shields called out to his agent to bring his bag to the podium and pulled out his Tony Award.

2019 Richard Seff Award winner and 2019 Tony Award winner André De Shields and 2019 Tony Award winner Rachel Chavkin. Photo by Lia Chang

2019 Richard Seff Award winner and 2019 Tony Award winner André De Shields with Judith Rice, President, Actors’ Equity Foundation. Photo by Lia Chang

In a career spanning 50 years, Mr. De Shields has distinguished himself as an unparalleled actor, director, and educator. He has intermittently portrayed Hermes in Hadestown since 2012, including the recent critically acclaimed production at London’s National Theatre. Mr. De Shields took home his first Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical on June 9th at Radio City Music Hall in New York and also received the 2019 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical, a 2019 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical and a 2019 Drama League Award nomination for Distinguished Performance for his role as Hermes.

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In 2018, Mr. De Shields was the recipient of the 8^th Annual Off-Broadway Alliance Legend Award and the 33^rd Annual Bob Harrington Life Achievement Bistro Award. Among his other accolades are the 2009 National Black Theatre Festival’s Living Legend Award, and the 2007 Village Voice Obie Award for Sustained Excellence of Performance. A three-time Tony Award nominee, he is best known for his show-stopping performances in four legendary Broadway productions: The Wiz, Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Emmy Award), Play On!, and The Full Monty. Mr. De Shields is a proud member of AEA, SAG-AFTRA, and SDC. www.andredeshields.com

Anais Mitchell, Mara Isaacs, Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer, Kimberly Marable and Afra Hines. Photo by Lia Chang

2019 Richard Seff Award winner and 2019 Tony Award winner André De Shields

The Actors’ Equity Foundation also presented the Richard Seff Award to Marylouise Burke and the Clarence Derwent Award to Sarah Stiles and Ephraim Sykes.

2019 Clarence Derwent Award winners Ephraim Sykes and Sarah Stiles with 2019 Richard Seff Award winner Mary Louise Burke and 2019 Richard Seff Award winner and 2019 Tony Award winner André De Shields. Photo by Lia Chang

Actors’ Equity Foundation honorees Ephraim Sykes, Sarah Stiles, Tony winner André De Shields and Marylouise Burke with Tony winners Santino Fontana and Sergio Trujillo. Photo by Lia Chang

Pulitzer Prize winning playwright David Lindsay-Abaire introduced Marylouise Burke who was honored for her role as Mom in True West.

2019 Richard Seff Award winner Marylouise Burke with Playwright David Lindsay-Abaire. Photo by Lia Chang

Equity member Richard Seff, who was in the audience, established this award in 2003. It is considered a lifetime achievement award for an actor who is over the age of 50 and has been an Equity member for 25 years or more. Previous recipients include: Margo Martindale, Jayne Houdyshell, Dana Ivey, Kristine Nielsen, Patrick Page, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Bill Camp, and Michael Potts.

Richard Seff, Amber Gray, Rachel Chavkin and Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer. Photo by Lia Chang

Richard Seff, 2019 Richard Seff Award winner Marylouise Burke, 2019 Richard Seff Award winner and 2019 Tony Award winner André De Shields. Photo by Lia Chang

Julie Halston, Richard Seff, 2019 Richard Seff Award winner Marylouise Burke, Playwright David Lindsay-Abaire, 2019 Richard Seff Award winner and 2019 Tony Award winner André De Shields. Photo by Lia Chang

Santino Fontana, 2019 Tony winner for Best Leading Actor in a Musical, introduced Sarah Stiles who was honored for her role as Sandy in Tootsie. Sarah was a 2019 Tony nominee, Outer Critics Circle nominee and Drama desk nominee this year as well.

2019 Clarence Derwent Award winner Sarah Stiles and TOOTSIE co-star and Tony winner Santino Fontana. Photo by Lia Chang

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Sergio Trujillo, 2019 Tony winner for Choreography introduced Ephraim Sykes who was honored for his role as David Ruffin in Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations. Ephraim was a 2019 TONY nominee, and Outer Critics Circle nominee this year as well.

2019 Tony winner Sergio Trujillo, 2019 Clarence Derwent Award winner Ephraim Sykes and Judith Rice, President of Actors’ Equity Foundation. Photo by Lia Chang

2019 Clarence Derwent Award winner Ephraim Sykes with his mom. Photo by Lia Chang

2019 Richard Seff Award winner and 2019 Tony Award winner André De Shields, with the Sykes family- Martina Sykes, Ephraim Sykes and his mother. Photo by Lia Chang

Both Sykes and Stiles are recipients of the Clarence Derwent Award which is presented to an actor who has shown the most promise this season. Previous recipients of this award include George C. Scott, Ann Reinking, Morgan Freeman, Dianne Weist, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Santino Fontana who was introducing one of this year’s winners.

2019 Clarence Derwent Award winners Ephraim Sykes and Sarah Stiles. Photo by Lia Chang

2019 Clarence Derwent Award winn Ephraim Sykes, 2019 Tony Winner Santino Fontana, 2019 Clarence Derwent Award winner Sarah Stiles, 2019 Tony winner Sergio Trujillo. Photo by Lia Chang

The judges’ panel includes Joe Dziemianowicz, Daily News; Adam Feldman, Time Out New York; Susan Haskins-Doloff, Theater Talk; Harry Haun, Playbill and David Rosenberg, The Hour Newspapers

2019 Richard Seff Award winner and 2019 Tony Award winner André De Shields, Judith Rice, President, Actors’ Equity Foundation, Reeve Carney, Eva Noblezada and Kimberly Marable. Photo by Lia Chang

The Actors’ Equity Foundation, a philanthropic and humanitarian nonprofit organization, was created in 1962 to aid and assist the members of the acting profession and to promote the theatre arts. It is separate from Actors’ Equity Association and is funded by estate bequests and individual donations.

Broadwayworld.com: Photo Flash: Andre De Shields Receives 2019 Richard Seff Award

Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits. Photo by Lia Chang

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 films Wolf, 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.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2019 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

2019 Drama League Award Winners: HADESTOWN, THE FERRYMAN, THE WAVERLY GALLERY, KISS, ME KATE, Bryan Cranston, Kelli O’Hara, Taylor Mac and Alex Timbers

May 28, 2019May 29, 2019 ~ Lia Chang ~ Leave a comment

André De Shields, Beth Leavel and John Lithgow. Photo by Lia Chang

The 85th Annual Drama League Awards were held at the Marriott Marquis Times Square on Friday, May 17.

First awarded in 1922 and formalized in 1935, The Drama League Awards are the oldest theatrical honors in America. They are the only major theater awards chosen by a cross-section of the theatre community – specifically, by the industry professionals, producers, artists, audiences, and critics who are Drama League members nationwide.

Kay Trinidad, Rachel Chavkin, Jordan Roth, a guest, Michael Krass, Anais Mitchell and Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer. Photo by Lia Chang

2019 Drama League awards were presented to Hadestown for Outstanding Production of a Musical, Kiss Me, Kate for Outstanding Revival of a Musical, The Ferryman for Outstanding Production of a Play and The Waverly Gallery for Outstanding Revival of a Play.

Reeve Carney and Eva Noblezada. Photo by Lia Chang

Richie Jackson and Jordan Roth. Photo by Lia Chang

HADESTOWN producers Mara Isaacs, Dale Franzen, Hunter Arnold. Photo by Lia Chang

David Neumann and Oskar Eustis. Photo by Lia Chang

Aaron Meier and Rachel Hauck. Photo by Lia Chang

Kay Trinidad, Michael Krass and Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer. Photo by Lia Chang

Kay Trinidad, Bradley King and Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer. Photo by Lia Chang

Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus stars Julie White and Kristine Nielsen co-hosted the festivities.

Bryan Cranston, who is Tony-nominated for his role as Howard Beale in Network, took home the Distinguished Performance Award. Cranston received a Drama League nomination in 2014 for his Broadway debut in All the Way, and won the Tony Award for his performance as Lyndon B. Johnson.

Special Recognition Awards were presented to Tony® Award winner Kelli O’Hara (Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theater Award), director Alex Timbers (The Founders Award for Excellence in Directing) and Taylor Mac (Unique Contribution to the Theater Award).