Latest news with #TonyAward-nominated
Winnipeg Free Press
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Warning: campy '80s romp could induce headbanging
Rock on! Rainbow Stage took Thursday's opening night audience on a blast to the past as it launched its 71st season with the mullet-curling professional Manitoba première of Broadway hit Rock of Ages. The Tony Award-nominated jukebox musical offers a string of 1980s rock anthems immortalized by bands such as Foreigner, Whitesnake, Poison, Twisted Sister and Styx, while its broad-strokes narrative tells the tale of lead characters Drew and Sherrie, who fall in love while chasing their dreams on Hollywood's legendary Sunset Strip. It became the basis for the 2012 film starring Tom Cruise and Mary J. Blige, which took creative licence in adapting the show's original book, penned by Chris D'Arienzoi. Nathaniel Muir (centre left) and Jeff Rivet (centre right) rock out with members of the energetic ensemble. In many ways, the stage version is much funnier and often downright campy, boasting several meta-layers in which narrator Lonny breaks the fourth wall to take jabs at the fantastical nature of Broadway musicals. Director Alexandra Herzog, who also helmed last year's Mary Poppins, wisely plays up these moments with her gung-ho cast. Their iron-clad conviction includes wearing costume designer Daina Leitold's eye-popping period spandex and Laura Warren's shoulder-grazing wigs while punching out choreographer Josh Assor's angular movement vocabulary peppered with more fluid body isolations. Tiered sets by Ksenia Broad-Milian evoke the gritty Bourbon Room bar and Act II's palm tree-flanked Venus strip club. Scott Henderson's effective lighting adds further colour, highlighting key moments throughout the nearly three-hour (including intermission) production. Every theatre impresario dreams of mounting a showstopper, and in this case, the performance actually did halt for a nerve-racking six minutes during the opening medley of Cum on Feel the Noize/Just Like Paradise/Nothin' But a Good Time, owing to technical issues. A tight onstage rock band led by music director/conductor/keyboardist Paul Rodermond features bewigged players appearing as Arsenal, whose members freely flip the bird to their lead singer Stacee Jaxx (Reid McTavish) in the outro of his career. The actor's portrayal of this juicy role might have been more satisfying if any backstory were provided (one of the skeletal script's many gaping holes), but he nonetheless slithers around the stage like a panther in skin-tight leggings and wails during We Built this City/Too Much Time, after first bursting into the action from the house, mobbed by groupies. Rainbow's latest offering admittedly won't be everyone's cup of tea. There's some profanity, a lot of bump 'n' grind, and the copious pelvic thrusts risk becoming gratuitous. The show certainly warrants a 'mature content' warning for the younger audience members who eagerly lapped up Mary Poppins last year and will surely throng to Disney's Frozen next month. Having said this, kudos to a trio of ensemble members, who morph into waitresses/strippers at the Venus club, for their fearlessly athletic pole dance at the top of Act II, hanging upside down like bats out of hell and enthralling the mixed-age crowd. Tiera Lee Watts marks a terrific Rainbow debut as fresh-faced Sherrie from Oklahoma, effectively navigating her emotional trajectory from Midwest innocent dead-set on breaking into showbiz with her own acting career to disillusioned dreamer headed back home. She also boasts powerhouse vocals, first heard in Sister Christian, and weaves her compelling voice into many of the show's medleys and duets, including More than Words, High Enough, and Harden My Heart/Shadows of the Night. Jeff Rivet is a standout as Lonny. Nathaniel Muir is rock-solid as Drew, proving he has a balladeer's heart with his more soulful hits such as Heaven, accompanying himself on acoustic guitar, and belting out others for all he's worth, including the rafter-raising I Want to Rock and Waiting for a Girl like You. In fact, more of these ballads, such as Act II's gorgeous rendition of Every Rose Has its Thorn performed by the entire company, would provide welcome contrast in the playlist; one rock tune zipping to the next often feels exhausting. Two of the night's strongest performances belong to Daniel Bogart as Dennis Dupree and his loose cannon 'soundman' sidekick Lonny, a charismatic Jeff Rivet; their spot-on portrayals hew uncomfortably close to the gold-chained rockers still lurking among us. Weekday Evenings Today's must-read stories and a roundup of the day's headlines, delivered every evening. Another shout-out goes to Rochelle Kives as 'Mother' (doubling as Justice), a.k.a. Mama, who offers life advice to Sherrie while egging her on to lap dance for Stacee in the Venus's Champagne Room. A Rainbow Stage fan favourite, Kevin Klassen returns as menacing building developer, Hertz Klinemann, with his son, Jean van der Merwe's Franz, spitting out their plans to demolish the Bourbon in German accents. This sets up Act II's showdown with Victoria Exconde's feisty city planner Regina, who leads the charge — with the audience warbling along — during We're Not Gonna Take It. Rock of Ages is not exactly a heavy dramatic slog, promising Nothin' But a Good Time as it appeals to those still pining for the glory days of yesteryear. However, buried — deeply — in the cracks is the timeless message that, whether Dead or Alive, it's never too late to rock out and believe in dreams that can morph like a lava lamp into new, often jolting visions for the future.
New Paper
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New Paper
Broadway hit Beetlejuice The Musical debuts in Singapore in January 2026
Eight-time Tony Award-nominated Beetlejuice The Musical will arrive in Singapore in January. Based on American film-maker Tim Burton's Oscar-winning 1988 film Beetlejuice, the musical follows Lydia Deetz, a gothic teenager who summons a demon to scare away her insufferable parents. It stars Andy Karl as the demon Beetlejuice. He has been nominated at the Tony Awards three times: for Best Actor in a Musical for Rocky (2014) and Groundhog Day (2017), and Best Featured Actor in a Musical for On The Twentieth Century (2015). The production includes the original Broadway set design and costume designs, and special effects that transform the stage into a hilarious and horrifying netherworld. Beetlejuice The Musical will play at the Esplanade Theatre from Jan 15. Tickets go on sale from July 3, with pre-sale access available. Pricing details have not been announced. The production is from Michael Cassel Group and Warner Bros Theatre Venues, which also brought to Singapore the musicals Hamilton and The Lion King. Karl said in a statement: "Beetlejuice is not your typical leading man - unless your typical leading man is a hilarious, fast-talking demon with an attitude and worse fashion sense. He's wildly inappropriate, totally unhinged and, yet, somehow... weirdly lovable?" After the film became a hit, a spin-off animated television series (1989 to 1991) - also developed by Burton - introduced new characters and settings. Beetlejuice was subsequently adapted for the stage in 2018, premiering at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C., before heading to Broadway in 2019. Beetlejuice The Musical Where: Esplanade Theatre, 1 Esplanade Drive When: From Jan 15 Admission: Tickets go on sale from July 3, with pre-sale access available via Ticketek Singapore ( and for Esplanade&Me members
Straits Times
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Broadway hit Beetlejuice The Musical debuts in Singapore in January 2026
Broadway's Beetlejuice The Musical will premiere in Singapore in January 2026. PHOTO: MICHELLE GRACE HUNDER Broadway hit Beetlejuice The Musical debuts in Singapore in January 2026 SINGAPORE – Eight-time Tony Award-nominated Beetlejuice The Musical will arrive in Singapore in January 2026. Based on Tim Burton's Oscar-winning 1988 film Beetlejuice, the musical follows Lydia Deetz, a goth teenager who summons a demon to scare away her insufferable parents. It stars Andy Karl as the demon Beetlejuice. He has been nominated at the Tony Awards three times: for Best Actor in a Musical for Rocky (2014) and Groundhog Day (2017), and Best Featured Actor in a Musical for On The Twentieth Century (2015). The production includes the original Broadway set design and costume designs, and special effects that transform the stage into a hilarious and horrifying netherworld. Beetlejuice The Musical will play at the Esplanade Theatre from Jan 15. Tickets go on sale from July 3, with pre-sale access available. Pricing details have not been announced. The production is from Michael Cassel Group and Warner Bros Theatre Venues, which also brought to Singapore the musicals Hamilton and The Lion King. Karl said in a statement: 'Beetlejuice is not your typical leading man – unless your typical leading man is a hilarious fast-talking demon with an attitude and worse fashion sense. He's wildly inappropriate, totally unhinged, and yet somehow... weirdly lovable?' After the film became a hit, a spin-off animated television series (1989 to 1991) – also developed by Burton – introduced new characters and settings. Beetlejuice was subsequently adapted for the stage in 2018, premiering at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C., before heading for Broadway in 2019. Book it/ Beetlejuice The Musical Where: Esplanade Theatre, 1 Esplanade Drive When: From Jan 15 Admission: Tickets go on sale from July 3, with pre-sale access available via Ticketek Singapore and for Esplanade&Me members. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
‘John Proctor Is the Villain' flips script on literary classic
ABC News' Will Ganss sits down with Kimberly Belflower and Danya Taymor, the writer and director of the most Tony Award-nominated play of the 2025 Broadway season. June 3, 2025
San Francisco Chronicle
24-05-2025
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
Kennedy Center ex-president decries ‘false allegations' about her tenure
The offstage drama at the embattled John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts just took another turn. Deborah Rutter, whose tenure as president of the premier Washington, D.C. arts organization was cut short this year by President Donald Trump, issued a withering statement on LinkedIn decrying 'false allegations' about her leadership. Those critics, she wrote on Tuesday, May 20, lack 'the context or expertise to understand the complexities involved in nonprofit and arts management.' The statement follows allegations made Monday, May, 19, by Richard Grenell, who Trump appointed as the institution's interim executive director, that the center's deferred maintenance and deficit were criminal matters for prosecutors to investigate. The remark, reported by the Associated Press, came during a meal with Trump and board members at the White House's State Dining Room. It was not immediately clear what law the center might be breaking; deficit spending by nonprofit arts organizations has practically been the norm, not the exception, since the COVID pandemic. Berkeley's Aurora Theatre Company, for instance, recently announced plans to forego producing a season next year after draining its savings. Moreover, Rutter pointed out that Trump's allies approved previous Kennedy Center budgets. 'The Finance, Audit, and Executive Committees of the Board — composed of appointees from President Trump's first term — had full transparency into all financial transactions and decisions,' she wrote. She also noted that when she left in February, as part of a wave of terminations and resignations that reconstituted the center, the organization had $10 million in reserve funds. 'Perhaps those now in charge are facing significant financial gaps and are seeking to attribute them to past management,' she hypothesized. 'This malicious attempt to distort the facts, which were consistently, transparently and readily available in professionally audited financial reports, recklessly disregards the truth.' The dispute exacerbates an already tumultuous 2025 at the Kennedy Center. In February, Trump appointed himself chair of the board. Soon after, a host of shows at the organization, including Tony Award-nominated 'Eureka Day' by Oakland playwright Jonathan Spector, was axed from the lineup. A Kennedy Center artist leaked 'unprofessional and rude' emails Grenell sent her in April, further exposing the internal chaos there since Trump's takeover. This month, 'Les Miserables' cast members announced plans to boycott Trump's attendance at a June 11 Kennedy Center performance, which recently scheduled a run of 'Mrs. Doubtfire' despite the presidents frequent castigations of drag. Also this month, center employees took steps with the National Labor Relations Board to unionize.
