Broadway Records announced today the release of Live Your Life: Live at Feinstein’s/54 Below, the recording of Nick Cordero’s cabaret performance, directed and music directed by Emmy Award-winning Producer and Music Director, Michael J Moritz Jr. Prior to being diagnosed with coronavirus, Cordero and Moritz had been planning to release the recording of his celebrated cabaret act from 2019, but his plans were put on hold. Following his passing, the album will be released with his family’s blessing to honor his legacy and celebrate the incredible talent and life that was tragically cut short. Proceeds from the album will go to benefit his wife, Amanda Kloots, and their young son Elvis. The album will be available from all major music retailers on Thursday, September 17th, 2020, to commemorate what would have been Nick’s 42nd birthday.
Guest performers on the album include Kathryn Gallagher (Jagged Little Pill, “You”), Drew Gehling (Waitress), Sara Chase (First Date, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”), and Zach Braff (Bullets Over Broadway, “Scrubs”). To preorder the album, visit BroadwayRecords.com or Amazon.
Ziegfeld Club, Inc., one of New York City’s first performing arts charities to benefit women, is thrilled to announce that they will once again offer the Billie Burke Ziegfeld Award for the sixth consecutive year. This prestigious grant for a female musical theater composer is presented in partnership with New York Stage and Film. Past recipients of the Billie Burke Ziegfeld Award include the composers Masi Asare, Julianne Wick Davis, Anna K. Jacobs, Rona Sidiqqui and Shaina Taub. The Billie Burke Ziegfeld Award, a grant in the amount of $10,000, aims to celebrate an emerging female composer or composer/lyricist who compellingly demonstrates outstanding artistic promise in musical theater composing and clearly demonstrates how the grant money and mentorship will further her artistic career. In addition, the recipient receives one year of artistic and professional mentorship from a prominent Broadway composer or producer. www.newstageandfilm.org
Thoughts of a Colored Man
“Black Plays Are Knocking on Broadway’s Door. Will It Open?” by The New York Times’ Michael Paulson – “Interviews with artists and producers suggest that there are more than a dozen plays and musicals with Black writers circling Broadway … The most obvious is “A Strange Loop,” by Michael R. Jackson …
“Blue,” a 2000 play by Charles Randolph-Wright … is being produced by Brian Moreland, who is also producing “Thoughts of a Colored Man” [by Keenan Scott II]. … Ron Simons, the lead producer of “For Colored Girls [Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf],” [by Ntozake Shange] has partnered with … Nelle Nugent, hoping that her experience will help the show win a theater. … Camille A. Brown, the choreographer, will also direct on Broadway …
A few projects have powerhouse producers behind them. Disney Theatrical Productions … is working on a musical adaptation of “Hidden Figures,” … And Scott Rudin … wants to revive August Wilson’s “The Piano Lesson,” and is also considering a commercial production of “The Black Clown,” a musical adapted by Davóne Tines and Michael Schachter from a Langston Hughes poem.” http://bway.ly/ux9rp6
“IATSE Releases COVID Safety Guidelines For Broadway Return: Testing, Sick Leave & Pick Up Your Own Playbills” by Deadline’s Greg Evans – ” … IATSE has issued a 27-page set of safety guidelines for the still-to-be-determined reopening of Broadway and other live performance venues, with recommendations including the employment of COVID-19 “compliance officers,” paid sick leave and diagnostic testing of workers.” http://bway.ly/4ch0kx
“TDF to Reopen Costume Collection Rental Program” by American Theatre – ” … the TDF Costume Collection Rental Program, which maintains an inventory of more than 80,000 costumes and accessories available to rent by nonprofits, will reopen for in-person and mail-order services on Aug. 4.” http://bway.ly/bljp1a
“Some Members of the Theater Community Flee NYC Amid Shutdown” by NY1’s Frank DiLella – “Four months into the shutdown, benefits are running out, and theater artists are being forced to make difficult career and life decisions. Some members of the community are choosing to leave the city altogether.” http://bway.ly/zga7zb
“Broadway Shutdown Affects Theater-Adjacent Businesses” by NY1’s Frank DiLella – “From restaurants like Joe Allen, to stores to hotels to parking garages, Broadway fuels the surrounding businesses in midtown, not to mention a good portion of tourism for New York City. But with the curtains down till at least next year, many who work in Broadway adjacent places are just scraping to get by.” http://bway.ly/20h8up
“The Public Extends The Line, Docu-Play About the Pandemic” by Playbill’s Olivia Clement – “The Public Theater has extended its virtual world premiere of The Line through September 1 … via live stream on YouTube … originally scheduled to go offline August 4.” http://bway.ly/9ejbmn
ACROSS THE POND:
“‘Sleepless’ World Premiere to Proceed With Rapid-Response COVID-19 Testing” by Variety’s Naman Ramachandran – ““Sleepless,” … will go ahead with daily, rapid-response COVID-19 testing system for cast, musicians, crew and theater staff during rehearsals and the show’s run. The testing, which is called FRANKD (Fast, Reliable, Accurate, Nucleic-based Kit for COVID-19 Diagnostic Detection), will be carried out on-site, since the technology does not require a laboratory. Test results will be sent directly to crew, cast and staff phones via a secure app within an hour of a swab being taken. … “Sleepless” will premiere … on Sept. 1, with previews from Aug. 25.” http://bway.ly/q9j1xz
“C.P.Taylor’s Good starring David Tennant postponed until Spring 2021” by London Theatre Direct’s Jade Ali – “The West End revival … has now been postponed until Spring 2021.” http://bway.ly/c12rou
“Report Slams U.K. Government COVID Response to Cultural Sector” by Variety’s Naman Ramachandran – “The report, … compiled by a Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee, found it “regrettable” that it took so long for the government’s £1.57 billion ($1.96 billion) relief package to be announced. The uncertainty caused by the delay could lead to mass redundancies in the cultural sector, with 70% of theaters and production companies risking going out of business by the end of 2020 … ” http://bway.ly/9lp4ox
NETFLIX: “Ryan Murphy’s ‘The Prom’ to Restart Production in Los Angeles” by The Hollywood Reporter’s Bryn Elise Sandberg – “The movie, which will begin filming on Thursday, marks the streamer’s second major project to return to production in the U.S. amid the pandemic. … The movie, which had two days left of shooting when the pandemic forced an industry-wide shutdown, is slated to film for the next four days.” http://bway.ly/lp55mt
CONCERT: “Alysha Umphress, Storm Lever, Alexandra Silber & More Will Star in Barrington Stage’s Rodgers & Hammerstein Concert” by BroadwayWorld – “Mr. Finn’s Cabaret will move outdoors to a tent in Downtown Pittsfield for the concert, The Hills Are Alive with Rodgers & Hammerstein … ” http://bway.ly/yii4a3
ONLINE: “Taylor Louderman, Rob McClure and More Join Second Episode of The MUNY 2020 Summer Variety Hour Live!” by BroadwayWorld – “This free, live-streamed program will air on Monday, July 27, at 8:15 p.m.” http://bway.ly/8y7k1u
“Original Cast of Side Show to Stop by Quarantine Cabaret and Cocktails This Week” by BroadwayWorld – “This week, Quarantine Cabaret and Cocktails welcomes … Alice Ripley, … Emily Skinner, … Norm Lewis, Jeff McCarthy, Hugh Panaro, and Ken Jennings. The show streams live on Thursdays at 7:00PM EST.” http://bway.ly/yl6qzt
THE CONVERSATION: “Theatre companies are pushing storytelling boundaries with online audiences amid COVID-19” by The Conversation’s Kelsey Jacobson – ” … change in how to perform theatre has required a reconsideration of longstanding ideas of what it means to be a theatre audience member: How has access to theatre changed? What etiquette is expected? How have ideas of privacy and intimacy shifted?” http://bway.ly/j80t0p
SINGING IN THE CAR: “‘Waving Through a Window’ is Revealed as the Most Popular Broadway Song to Sing in the Car” by BroadwayWorld – “Halfords … study analyzed thousands of playlists with names such as ‘musical road trip’ and came to the conclusion that Dear Evan Hansen’s ‘Waving Through A Window‘ … is the number one most used … Hamilton also features 8 songs in the top 10. … Other songs from musicals in the top 50 include ‘Candy Store‘ from Heathers: The Musical, ‘Defying Gravity‘ from Wicked and ‘Take Me or Leave Me‘ from Rent at 15th, 18th and 22nd respectively.” http://bway.ly/93mvt3
