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News (5)
![A romantic Q&A with the cast of Broadwayâs âThe Notebookâ for Valentineâs Day A romantic Q&A with the cast of Broadwayâs âThe Notebookâ for Valentineâs Day](https://media.timeout.com/images/106080515/750/562/image.jpg)
A romantic Q&A with the cast of Broadwayâs âThe Notebookâ for Valentineâs Day
Twenty years ago, the film The Notebook was released in theaters and quickly became a sensation. Based on Nicholas Sparksâs bestselling 1996 novel, the story centers on Noah and Allie, a 1940s couple in a whirlwind romance that transforms into a lifelong love. Fans couldnât get enough of the movieâs stars, Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, who shared a steamy kiss in the pouring rain and whose undeniable chemistry carried over into an offscreen romance. Itâs still common to see The Notebook ranked in the top 10, or even as number one, on lists of the best movie romances. Now a stage musical based on the same story is in previews at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre (just two streets down from where McAdams is preparing to make her Broadway debut in Mary Jane). The showâs creative team is full of heavy hitters: the music and lyrics are by singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson, the book is by Bekah Brunstetter and Michael Greif (Rent) and Schele Williams (The Wiz) are directing. Get your tissues ready. In the musical, Allie and Noah are portrayed at different ages by six actors: Maryann Plunkett and Dorian Harewood play the oldest versions of the characters, Jordan Tyson and John Cardoza play the youngest, and Joy Woods and Ryan Vasquez cover the period in between. Ahead of the showâs official opening March 14, we asked these six stars a few important questions about all things romantic.  Photograph: Rachel Neville, courtesy of The Notebook The Musical | Dorian Harewood as Older No
![Broadwayâs first openly trans Roxie Hart is ready to show why she should not be the last Broadwayâs first openly trans Roxie Hart is ready to show why she should not be the last](https://media.timeout.com/images/105926681/750/562/image.jpg)
Broadwayâs first openly trans Roxie Hart is ready to show why she should not be the last
When Angelica Ross takes the stage in Chicago at Broadwayâs Ambassador Theater on September 12, she will make history as the first openly trans woman to play Roxie Hart, but Ross isnât letting that title take up the spotlight as she dances Bob Fosseâs iconic choreography. âIâm not one to focus on titles,â said Ross.âI know how powerful I am with or without the title of âpioneerâ or âthe first.â Iâm not concerned about that. I love celebrating this moment, but Iâm here to do my best and show why I should not be the last.â The historic scarcity of Black trans women representation on Broadway means thereâs been a surge of âfirstâ milestones in recent years. In 2018, Peppermint, most well-known from RuPaulâs Drag Race, was the first openly trans woman to originate a principal role on Broadway when she bowed in Head Over Heels. L Morgan Leeâs Best Performance by Featured Actress in a Musical nomination for A Strange Loop at the 2022 Tony Awards ceremony marked the first time an openly trans woman garnered a nod. While the politics of her bestowed title isnât top of mind for Ross, she acknowledges that her intersectional identity of being a Black trans woman adds nuanced layers to the character of Roxie, one of Chicagoâs two leading ladies. The Tony-winning Kander and Ebb musical follows Roxie, along with Velma Kelly, as they navigate the Cook County Jail and their respective murder trials, competing for attention from the press and their shared lawyer, Billy Flynn, during Chicago
![Broadway's Beetlejuice comes back from the dead Broadway's Beetlejuice comes back from the dead](https://media.timeout.com/images/105889865/750/562/image.jpg)
Broadway's Beetlejuice comes back from the dead
Beetlejuice has been summoned back to Broadway. Five blocks south from its original Broadway home, the Winter Garden Theater, the Tony-nominated musical answers the call from its new haunt: the Marriott Marquis Theater. The musical stage adaptation of the 1988 Tim Burton-directed film of the same name resumed performances April 8, nearly three years after its original Broadway opening. With a book by Scott Brown and Anthony King, and music and lyrics by Eddie Perfect, the story does loosely follow the original source material, but due to mixed reviews from critics and sluggish ticket sales, the musical version got off to a slower start than its film predecessor. The development of a strong cult following turned everything around for the ghost with the most. RECOMMENDED: Review: Broadwayâs musical reboot of Beetlejuice is buggy The resonance with fans was gradually reflected through a boost in ticket sales in late 2019âeventually breaking multiple box office records for the Winter Garden just as the musical announced its June 2020 closing date because of its low grosses during the previous summer and contractual obligations. The COVID-19-induced Broadway shutdown beginning March 12, 2020 meant Beetlejuice was laid to rest earlier than expected, which left fans and company members disappointed. âThe heartache of when we got word we were shutting down was gutting,â says Rachel Bauder, Beetlejuiceâs Production Stage Manager. âWe had a final moment that we didn't realize was our
![The Little Prince, now on Broadway, has some surprising NYC roots The Little Prince, now on Broadway, has some surprising NYC roots](https://media.timeout.com/images/105883789/750/562/image.jpg)
The Little Prince, now on Broadway, has some surprising NYC roots
In The Little Prince, author Antoine de Saint-ExupĂ©ry writes, âAll grown-ups were once children, but only few of them remember that.â That idea is the thread that director-choreographer Anne TourniĂ© and librettist-co-director Chris Mouron (who also performs as The Narrator in the show) are following in their musical stage adaptation of the novel, playing a limited run at the Broadway Theatre until August 14. RECOMMENDED: April is the craziest month of new shows on Broadway Perhaps because, for them, The Little Prince was woven into the fabric of their own childhoods. âMy father was a big fan,â says TourniĂ©. âHe offered the book to my mother when they got married with a note inside that said, âThis will be a guide for your life.â Then my mother read it to me as a child. Now it's the guide for my life.â Mouron was 12 years-old when she was introduced to the story at school through a teacher playing the 1954 vinyl audiobook recording with Gerard Phillipe. âI was in tears,â Mouron remembers. âIt was an emotional shock. It was so beautiful. I felt so close to the Little Prince [character].â Channeling their lifelong love of the story, the duo started translating the story to the stage beginning in 2018. Like its original source material, their musicalized stage version follows âthe Little Prince on his journey as he meets many fascinating characters who help him learn how to follow his heart.â For him the only possibility was to go to New York. Starring Lionel Zalachas as the
![What it's like to be a COVID compliance officer in a Broadway theater What it's like to be a COVID compliance officer in a Broadway theater](https://media.timeout.com/images/105865329/750/562/image.jpg)
What it's like to be a COVID compliance officer in a Broadway theater
With the continued waves of COVID-19, the 41 theaters that make up Broadway have become their own battlefields, combating the virus with a crucial line of defense: COVID Compliance Teams. Thrust to the frontlines, these teams hold the heavy burden of ensuring a safe environment for audiences and theater workers alike. The front-of-house compliance teams are responsible for enforcing the audience member protocols set by the Broadway League (the industryâs trade association): attending a show with photo identification and proof of full vaccination. For those who claim exemption, a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of the performance, or an antigen test within six hours, is needed instead.  âItâs a bootcamp in customer service,â says Gianfranco Lentini, Sixâs COVID Compliance Manager at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. âYou canât take it personally. You have to stay pleasant, lower the stakes of the moment, and mediate the situation quickly.â While Lentini acknowledges that crisis and conflict management is a big aspect of his role, he sees that overall success in COVID compliance work means seamlessly pivoting between multiple mindsets: scientists, doctors, psychologists and even babysitters for the parents who didnât meet the criteria but insist on sending their children to see the show without them. Understanding the fear and confusion theatergoers might feel about the new COVID routines, Lentini checks for any updates to the CDC guidelines and Broadway League protocols