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Watch Aladdin, Frozen and The Lion King at Disney Bryant Park Concert

August 3, 2018 Leave a comment

This week’s Broadway at Bryant Park was an all-Disney concert, with cast members from three Disney musicals on Broadway — Aladdin, Frozen and The Lion King — performing 10 songs from the shows, beginning with “Circle of Life” from The Lion King, and ending with “Let It Go” from Frozen, sung initially by Caissie Levy and Patti Murin, but then joined by the performers from all three shows.

Mayor Attaway and Telly Leung, from Aladdin. Photograph by Jonathan Mandell
Mayor Attaway and Telly Leung, from Aladdin. Photograph by Jonathan Mandell
Tshidi Manye, from the Lion King. Photo by Jonathan Mandell
Tshidi Manye, from the Lion King. Photo by Jonathan Mandell
Telly Leung. Photograph by Jonathan Mandell
Telly Leung. Photograph by Jonathan Mandell
Nicholas Ward from Frozen. Photograph by Jonathan Mandell
Nicholas Ward from Frozen. Photograph by Jonathan Mandell
Caissie Levy from Frozen. Photo by Steve Prue
Caissie Levy from Frozen. Photo by Steve Prue
Bradley Gibson from the Lion King
Bradley Gibson from the Lion King
Adrienne Walker and Bradley Gibson from The Lion King
Adrienne Walker and Bradley Gibson from The Lion King
"Let It Go" finale. Photo by Jonathan Mandell
“Let It Go” finale. Photo by Jonathan Mandell

Watch videos of six of the numbers below, and the complete set list.
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Best of Broadway in Bryant Park 2017: Rachelle Ann Go, Andy Karl, Betsy Wolfe

August 16, 2017 Leave a comment

Andy Karl before the Broadway at Bryant Park concert
Andy Karl before the Broadway at Bryant Park concert
Watching Groundhog Day, photo by Steve Prue
Rachelle Ann Go and Eva Noblezada in 2017 Broadway in Bryant Park concert
Rachelle Ann Go and Eva Noblezada in 2017 Broadway in Bryant Park concert
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J Harrison Ghee
J Harrison Ghee
Will Roland
Will Roland
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Below are the six most popular videos I shot of the performances during the six weekly concerts this 17th summer of Broadway in Bryant Park.

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Watch Groundhog Day at Bryant Park, 3 Songs

July 6, 2017 Leave a comment

Andy Karl before the Broadway at Bryant Park concert
Andy Karl before the Broadway at Bryant Park concert
Nobody Cares sung by Andrew Call, Raymond J. Lee, and Andy Karl
Nobody Cares sung by Andrew Call, Raymond J. Lee, and Andy Karl
Barrett Doss, Andy Karl
Barrett Doss, Andy Karl
Seeing You, sung by Barrett Doss, Andy Karl and cast.
Seeing You, sung by Barrett Doss, Andy Karl and cast.
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Watching Groundhog Day, photo by Steve Prue

Andy Karl, Barrett Doss and more than a dozen other cast members of the Broadway musical “Groundhog Day” performed three songs at the Broadway at Bryant Park lunchtime concert today: Nobody Cares, If I Had My Time Again, and Seeing You

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Free Broadway in Bryant Park Summer 2017 Schedule

June 16, 2017 Leave a comment

 

For the 17th year in a row, Bryant Park is the site of free lunchtime concerts by cast members of current Broadway (and some Off-Broadway) shows  on Thursdays in July and August between 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.

Here is the schedule for this summer:

July 6:  Stomp (pictured above), Groundhog Day, Wicked,  The Phantom of the Opera.
July 13: Kinky Boots, Beautiful, School of Rock, Soulpepper
July 20: Waitress, Chicago, Cats, Spamilton. Host Billy Porter.
July 27: A Bronx Tale, Anastasia, Avenue Q, The Imbible
August 3: Miss Saigon; Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812; Broadway Dreams
August 10: Come From Away, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Bandstand, Curvy Widow

The schedule is subject to change.

Scenes and songs from previous Broadway in Bryant Park concerts:

BryantPark1AveQ
JackieHoffmanatBryantPark
TellyLeunginBryantPark
On The Town at Bryant Park
On The Town at Bryant Park
SpringAwakeningBryantPark
PrincessBroadwayinBryantPark2014
Zach Braff and Nick Cordero perform from Bullets Over Broadway in Bryant Park shortly before the show closes on Broadway
Zach Braff and Nick Cordero perform from Bullets Over Broadway in Bryant Park shortly before the show closes on Broadway
TracesinBryantParkJuly282011
Aaron Carter, child pop star who stars now in The Fantasticks,
Aaron Carter, now in the Fantasticks, after Broadway in Bryant Park concert
Joey the horse from War Horse visits Broadway in Bryant Park
Joey from War Horse in Broadway in Bryant Park
WoodstockyvieweratBryantPark

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Watch Something Rotten With Its New Cast – Will Chase, Rob McClure et al

August 12, 2016 Leave a comment

Will Chase as William Shakespeare
Will Chase as William Shakespeare
Josh Grisetti and Rob McClure has the Bottom Brothers
Josh Grisetti and Rob McClure has the Bottom Brothers
Rob McClure and Leslie Kritzer
Rob McClure and Leslie Kritzer
Catherine Brunell and Josh Grisetti
Catherine Brunell and Josh Grisetti

“Something Rotten” recently replaced most of its principal cast– Will Chase is now the sexy William Shakespeare, Rob McClure and Josh Grisetti the  Bard-envious Bottom Brothers, Leslie Kritzer  Nick Bottom’s liberated wife, and Catherine Brunell as Nigel Bottom’s love interest.

Will Chase as Shakespeare singing "Will Power" in Bryant Park.

Will Chase as Shakespeare singing “Will Power” in Bryant Park.

Watch the videos below of their performances at the last Broadway in Bryant Park lunchtime concert of the summer.

When the musical comedy about the first-ever (made-up) musical opened on Broadway in April, 2015, the reviews were mixed, including from me. But I saw it again recently with most of the replacement cast and found the pacing much improved, and while some of the content still revels in bad taste in service of an outdated humor, the acting is less winky-winky (Andre Ward as the Minstrel is especially welcome.)

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Watch BAAH – Beautiful, Avenue Q, American in Paris, Holiday Inn – in Bryant Park

August 5, 2016 Leave a comment

Beautiful - The_Drifters_(c)Zachary_Maxwell_Sterz
AvenueQ2016
AnAmericanInParisAug2016
HolidayInnposter

Below, cast members from the Broadway shows Beautiful and American in Paris, the Off-Broadway musical Avenue Q  and the forthcoming Broadway musical Holiday Inn, perform at the August 4, 2016  Broadway at Bryant Park concert.

(See two more Holiday Inn videos and photographs from rehearsal)

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Watch Corbin Bleu, Bryce Pinkham in Irving Berlin Musical Holiday Inn

August 4, 2016 Leave a comment

 

Corbin Bleu 2
Megan Sikora and Bryce Pinkham
Holiday Inn in rehearsal
CorbinBleuandBrycePinkham

Corbin Bleu sang “Cheek to Cheek” with Lora Lee Gayer. Bryce Pinkham sang “Blue Skies,” and Megan Lawrence sang “Shaking the Blues Away” in a preview of “Holiday Inn: The New Irving Berlin Musical” at the Broadway in Bryant Park lunchtime concert today.

“Holiday Inn,” which is set to open at Roundabout Theater’s Studio 54 on October 6, 2016 is “inspired” by the 1942 movie of the same name starring Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby that introduced Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas.” The Broadway musical will have several hit Berlin songs that were not in the movie.

Here is how Roundabout describes the story of Holiday Inn the musical: “Jim [Bryce Pinkham}leaves the lights of show business behind to settle down on his farmhouse in Connecticut… but life just isn’t the same without a bit of song and dance. Jim’s luck takes a spectacular turn when he meets Linda [Lora Lee Gayer], a spirited schoolteacher with talent to spare. Together they turn the farmhouse into a fabulous inn with dazzling performances to celebrate each holiday, from Thanksgiving to the Fourth of July. But when Jim’s best friend Ted [Corbin Bleu] tries to lure Linda away to be his new dance partner in Hollywood, will Jim be able to salvage his latest chance at love?”

The book is co-written by Gordon Greenberg, who is also making his Broadway directorial debut, and Chad Hodge. It is choreographed by Denis Jones.

HolidayInnposter

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Watch Preview of Broadway’s Great Comet of 1812

July 29, 2016 Leave a comment

Great Comet of 1812 preview photoThe Broadway cast of “Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812” — minus Josh Groban — sang three songs at the Broadway in Bryant Park lunch-time concert on Thursday.  Dave Malloy’s musical, which is set to open in Broadway’s Imperial Theater on November 14, was exuberantly praised in its various incarnations Off-Broadway, including by me.

The story: Natasha (Denee Benton) is a beautiful ingénue visiting Moscow while she waits for her beloved fiancé Andrey to return from the war. In a moment of indiscretion, she is seduced by the dashing but already married Anatole (Lucas Steele) and her position in society is ruined. Her only hope lies with Pierre (Josh Groban),  the lonely outsider whose love and compassion for Natasha may be the key to her redemption… and to the renewal of his own soul.

The Prologue introduces the characters and the plot of the show, which is based on a sliver of Tolstoy’s War and Peace.

 

Denee Benton, who will portray Natasha on Broadway, sings “No One Else”

Lulu Fall as Helen sang “Charming.” The role will be played on Broadway by Amber Gray.

It’s interesting to compare these videos with three made at a Broadway in Bryant Park concert three years ago. Many of the cast members in the 2013 production, such as Amber Gray and Brittain Ashford, will be on Broadway as well.

Brittain Ashford will be playing Sonya again on Broadway:

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Watch Les Miz, Fiddler, Paramour at Broadway in Bryant Park

July 23, 2016 Leave a comment

C2E2 2016 - Cosplay Sunday Floor

Below, cast members from the Broadway shows Les Miserables, Fiddler on the Roof, and Cirque du Soleil’s Paramour, as well as the Marvelous Wonderettes Off-Broadway, sing and dance during the July 21, 2016 Broadway at Bryant Park concert.

From Les Miserables:
John Owen-Jones as Valjean sings “Bring Him Home”
Alison Luff as Fantine sings “I Dreamed a Dream”

From Fiddler on the Roof:
Sarah Parker, Marla Phelan and Silvia Vrskova sing “Matchmaker, Matchmaker”

From Paramour
“The Honeymoon Days of Fame”

From the Marvelous Wonderettes

Diana DeGarmo, Christina Bianco, Jenna Leigh Green and Sally Schwab sing “Mr. Sandman”

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Broadway in Bryant Park Summer 2016 Schedule

June 28, 2016 Leave a comment

For the 16th year in a row, Bryant Park is the site of free lunchtime concerts of current Broadway shows — and forthcoming Broadway musicals (this year, Holiday Inn; Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812) —  on Thursdays in July and August between 12:30 – 1:30 p.m

 

StompBroadwayinBryantPark
SpringAwakeningBryantPark
JackieHoffmanatBryantPark
On The Town at Bryant Park
On The Town at Bryant Park
TellyLeunginBryantPark
PrincessBroadwayinBryantPark2014
Zach Braff and Nick Cordero perform from Bullets Over Broadway in Bryant Park shortly before the show closes on Broadway
Zach Braff and Nick Cordero perform from Bullets Over Broadway in Bryant Park shortly before the show closes on Broadway
WoodstockyvieweratBryantPark
Aaron Carter, child pop star who stars now in The Fantasticks,
Aaron Carter, now in the Fantasticks, after Broadway in Bryant Park concert
BryantPark1AveQ
Joey the horse from War Horse visits Broadway in Bryant Park
Joey from War Horse in Broadway in Bryant Park
TracesinBryantParkJuly282011

 

 

Here is the schedule.

Thursday, July 7

106.7 LITE FM Host: Delilah

Co-Host: Cady Huffman (Shear Madness)

  • WICKED
  • STOMP
  • The Color Purple
  • Matilda
  • Radio City Rockettes

 

Thursday, July 14

106.7 LITE FM Host: Christine Nagy

Co-Host: Catherine Russell (Perfect Crime)

  • Chicago
  • The Fantastiks
  • Motown
  • Finding Neverland

 

Thursday, July 21

106.7 LITE FM Host: Helen Little

Co-Host: Alex Brightman + Sierra Boggess (School of Rock)

  • Fiddler On The Roof
  • Les Misérables
  • Cirque de Soleil’s Paramour
  • The Marvelous Wonderettes

 

Thursday, July 28

106.7 LITE FM Host: Bob Bronson

  • Waitress
  • Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812
  • Kinky Boots
  • Fun Home
  • Himself & Nora

 

Thursday, August 4

106.7 LITE FM Host: Rich Kaminski

Co-Host: Dena Blizzard (One Funny Mother)

  • Beautiful
  • An American In Paris
  • Avenue Q
  • Holiday Inn

 

Thursday, August 11

106.7 LITE FM Host: Victor Sosa

  • Phantom Of The Opera
  • Something Rotten
  • Cagney
  • Ruthless

The schedule is subject to change. For details, schedule updates and a chance to win free Broadway tickets, fans can listen to 106.7 LITE FM via the station’s website, www.litefm.com, as well as on iHeartRadio.
Some of the most popular and intriguing videos of Broadway in Bryant Park performances from past years:

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