Curtain Call: The Tony's Hault, Youtube, Reimaginings And Cancellations
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Broadway: The 74th Annual Tony Awards have been officially put on hold due the spread of the COVID-19. The ceremony, which was set to take place on June 7th at the Radio City Musical Hall, was already in talks as the deadline for eligibility for shows and Broadway’s final stretch for the season was set to take place on April 23 to make way for nominations on April 28. Due to the mass gathering restrictions set by Governor Andrew Cuomo there are sixteen shows that have yet to officially open and eight are still waiting for previews to begin. It was also announced earlier this week that two of these shows, the revival of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, starring Laurie Metcalf and Rupert Everett, and ‘Hangmen’, starring Dan Stevens and Mark Addy, will not resume performances after the shutdown as many other shows have planned to do so. No official rescheduling details have been announced for the broadcast as The American Theatre Wing stated that the celebration will be postponed indefinitely.
Krystina Alabado, who plays Gretchen Wieners in ‘Mean Girls’ on Broadway, has taken up YouTube during the massive shut down that dimed the lights on the great white way on March 12. In her series of episodes, Alabado talks about how she is dealing with the shut down and opens up to viewers about her life and how she has established her career in Musical Theater with hits including Spring Awakening, American Idiot, and ‘American Psycho’, while emphasizing the importance of creating content during such a difficult time for the entertainment industry in general. Alabado joined the company back in March, replacing Tony nominee Ashley Park in the role, and is part of a new era in the show which was currently showcasing a new cast, scenes and sequences from the tour that launched in September 2019.
Off-Broadway: Between the Lines, a new musical based on the book by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer, premiered a music video showcasing ‘Be More Chill’ alum Morgan Siobhan Green singing “Do It For You”, written by Elyssa Samsel and Kate Anderson. The musical, directed by Jeff Calhoun, tells the story of Delilah, an outsider in a new school who finds comfort in her books, who soon has to discover if she alone has the power to rewrite her story. The show is set to begin performances in New York’s Tony Kisher Theater at Second Stage this spring.
The Realm’s production of Richard & Jane & Dick & Sally has been canceled in the wake of the pandemic that has shaken up the theater district in New York City. The play, directed by Taylor Reynolds, was set to open on April 3rd and presented in partnership with The Sol Project through its artistic director Jacob G. Padron, who collaborates with artists of color in order to amplify the voices of Latinx Playwrights by producing their works. Written by Noah Diaz, the play tells the story of the four title characters and their struggles in adulthood delving in topics like grief, returning home and keeping a family together. The play recently wrapped its premiere at the Baltimore Center Stage, who are also part of the show’s producing partners. Katherine Kovner, founding artistic director of The Realm, has stated that she is viewing this time as an opportunity to start conversations with playwrights and understand their concerns as “we view ourselves as equally a playwrights’ organization and a producing theatre.”
Yaritza Aponte/Helda Hoy
International: ‘In the Heights’ is revisiting Puerto Rico with a reimagined show that includes all local artists in the hit musical created by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Directed by Marcos Santana, the cast includes a diverse group of Puerto Rican artists, singers and dancers that range from TV Hosts and influencers to a former Miss Universe. Dagmar Rivera, Tony Chiroldes, Denise Quiñones, Sara Jarque, Didi Romero, Ana Isabelle and Juan Pablo Diaz will join Ektor Rivera, who will play the title role of Usnavi. Rivera has graced the stage before in Broadway’s On Your Feet and in the Regent’s Park production of Evita in London. The premiere of the musical was slated to happen a month before the cinematic release of the film based on the show before it was recently announced that the movie’s release date has been delayed due to the coronavirus. The musical is set to premiere from May 7th to May 17th at the Centro de Bellas Artes in Santurce.
The London International Festival of Theatre (LIFT) has officially announced the cancellation of its festival that was due to take place from June 2nd to July 11th of this year. This is in part due to the official announcement of the British Government to close down all activities and limit social gatherings in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Considered London’s leading biennial festival of international theater, the festival was due to launch the new program established by their new leadership team formed by Kris Nelson, who functions as the Artistic Director and CEO, and Stella Kanu as the new Executive Director for the event. Some of the artist lineup for this year with their original works included Tina Satter, Ben Duke, Phia Ménard and Sonia Hughes. Both Nelson and Kanu encouraged audiences in a released statement to consider donating the cost of their tickets to the festival as they will do “all we can to support the artistic sector in the UK, as well as international artists all over the world”. It was also announced that the festival will return in 2021 and will not be rescheduled any time this year and that guests will also be entitled to a credit note, exchange or refunds.
