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Tony Awards 2015 – Best Revival of a Musical / Best Musical

Posted on: June 2nd, 2015 by B.I. C. No Comments

These are the productions nominated for Best Revival of a Musical:

Best Musical Revival - Twitter

Here are a few fun facts:

– “The King and I” won the 1952 Tony-Award for Best Musical.  It’s amazing to think that 63 years later, and it still has such resonance and poignancy to be revived and nominated again!

– “On The Town” is based off of a 1944 ballet called “Fancy Free,” which was developed by Leonard Bernstein and Jerome Robbins.

– The original Broadway production of “On The Twentieth Century” opened on February 19, 1978 at the St. James Theatre.  Judy Kaye replaced Madeline Kahn only 9 weeks into performances which turned her into an overnight star.

 

These are the productions nominated for Best Musical:

Best Musical - Twitter

Here are a few more fun facts:

– In the film version of “An American in Paris,” the climax of the film is a 16 minutes ballet featuring Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron set to Gershwin’s An American in Paris.  The ballet alone cost more than $500,000.

– “Fun Home” is based off the graphic memoir by American writer Alison Bechdel, and it stirred such controversy that a public library in Missouri once removed it from its shelves for five months after complaints from its residents.

– Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell, the creators of “Something Rotten!”, are also known for their work in the stop-motion animated film, “Chicken Run.”

– The musical adaptation of “The Visit” originally starred Angela Lansbury, and had planned to open on Broadway March 15, 2001.  However, in July 2000, Lansbury withdrew from the show because of the death of her husband.

 

Guest Blog Post: Jeff M. Smith from West Side Story

Posted on: June 12th, 2013 by broadwayinchicago No Comments
www.jeffsmith.com

www.jeffmsmith.net

Growing up in West Texas I never thought I’d find myself performing such an amazing show in such an unbelievable venue. The Oriental Theatre here in Chicago is a perfect place to see West Side Story.
Our company couldn’t be more excited to be performing here either! Even though we are in our last two weeks of a nine month run, being in Chicago has given us the second wind of the century and we couldn’t be more pumped up to knock these performances out of the park.
I can’t wait to walk the streets of this wonderful city and see what it has to offer! We always love playing cities with such a rich history, in theater specifically, but also in general – the architecture, the landmarks, the restaurants, the baseball! We can’t wait to check it all out.

West Side Story Company © Carol Rosegg 2012

West Side Story Company
© Carol Rosegg 2012

I studied Music and Theatre at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. I can’t say my school is terribly well-represented in New York City, but Chicago is another story altogether. Opera singers, musical theatre performers, and straight theatre performers alike are all brought together in this great place!
Chicago brings our company of 33 cast members new challenges and adventures that we can’t wait to tackle. Come check us out!
-Jeff M. Smith (Snowboy, u/s Riff, u/s Tony, u/s Diesel)
www.jeffmsmith.net