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Will Nick Jonas Release New Music Before He Hits Broadway?

Posted 9/8/11 4:45 pm EST by in Broadway, Jonas Brothers


Sure Nick Jonas is prepping for a 2012 leading role in the hit Broadway musical "How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying," but does that mean we really won't see any new music from the Jo Bro any time soon?

The answer, in short, is yes. With a bustling career on the stage and behind-the-scenes working with artists like Charice and Greyson Chance, right now, Nick confirms to MTV News, he's more focused on writing for others than writing for himself.

"You know, I don’t really have any plans right now to release any of those [songs] on my own, but what I think is really interesting about this year is my focus really has been on other people," he told us earlier this summer. "[I'll be] using all that I've learned over the years and hopefully creating some great music for other people."

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Beatles Film To Be Adapted Into The Latest Rock And Roll Musical

Posted 8/3/11 2:30 pm EST by in Broadway, Music


Beatles

By Zachary Swickey

The 1994 film “Backbeat” – a British drama depicting the early days of The Beatles – is getting the musical treatment at London’s Duke of York Theatre this coming October.

The film starred Stephen Dorff and included several rebellious musicians (Henry Rollins, Dave Grohl, Thurston Moore) playing other “punk acts” since that’s how the Beatles were perceived at the time. It traced the bands formative years and focused on the relationship between John Lennon and original bassist Stuart Sutcliffe. Classic vintage rock songs to appear in the musical include “Twist & Shout,” “Please Mr. Postman,” “Money” and “Rock & Roll Music.”

The Glasgow Citizen’s Theatre premiered the stage version, which was co-written by the film’s director Iain Softley, last year, and five-time Tony Award nominee David Leveaux will direct the West End production, which will open October 10.

How does “Backbeat” compare to the many other rock and roll musicals that have recently swept through London and New York? Read on to find out. Read More...

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Alicia Keys Wants To 'Experience' Broadway Like Jay-Z And Will Smith

Posted 6/30/11 5:30 pm EST by in Broadway


Once you get to a certain point, some superstars need new challenges and new ways to tell stories. For Alicia Keys, that means producing a Broadway show. The singer is slated to be involved with the show Stick Fly, which opens later this year.

And when we caught up with her at Madame Tussauds in New York for her wax figure unveiling earlier this week, where she also gushed over the state’s recent legalization of same-sex marriage, she revealed why she felt like she wanted to have her hand in something that's set to appear on the Great White Way.

"Broadway is something that's played an integral part in my life. It's been something that I've experienced my whole life," the New York native gushed. "I've always wanted to be a part of it."

She recalled growing up just a stone's throw away in Hell's Kitchen and the fact that her mom used to take her to quite a few shows back in the day. Read More...

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‘South Park’ Creators En Route To EGOT? Looks Like It

Posted 6/14/11 11:00 am EST by in awards, Broadway


Trey Parker and Matt Stone

By Zachary Swickey

South Park co-creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker have plenty to celebrate this week. The duo’s latest brainchild, the satirical Broadway show The Book of Mormon, is riding high after walking away with an impressive nine Tony Awards, including the coveted Best Musical prize. Broadway is just the latest medium the pair have conquered, collecting plenty of awards hardware along the way.

Mormon is the hottest thing on Broadway right now (we dare you to try and get tickets) and is a favorite to pick up a Grammy nomination early next year. If it ends up scoring a Grammy, which seems likely, the anti-establishment heroes will be a mere Oscar away from the ultimate showbiz honor – EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony). Few can claim this particular bragging right, but when you realize that Mel Brooks is one of the 12 people to ever land all four top honors, it doesn’t sound as crazy.

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Ashanti Gets 'Wicked' For Charity

Posted 10/28/08 5:39 pm EST by in Broadway


Ashanti once clicked her heels together as Dorothy, but for one night, she was the Wicked Witch of the West.

For a special performance of "Wicked" — the Broadway musical in which you learn the Wicked Witch in "The Wizard of Oz" wasn't so wicked after all — Ashanti joined former castmembers from the show, as well as celebs such as Mario Cantone, Joy Behar, George Wendt and Matthew Settle from "Gossip Girl," in a charity performance on Monday called "The Yellow Brick Road Not Taken." The production featured never-before-seen scenes and songs from a rough draft of the first act, with proceeds benefitting the New York Restoration Project.

Though some of the celebs couldn't sing quite as well as Broadway regulars, Wendt (as the Wizard) got points from the audience just for trying. (Behar didn't try at all, but instead read her lines with a sense of rhythm that implied song.) Settle tackled a love song, "As If By Magic," while Cantone brought down the house with his ad-libbed rendition of "Popular." (Both Behar and Cantone made digs at Palin and McCain in their songs.) Read More...

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Monty Python's 'Spamalot' To End Its Successful Broadway Run

Posted 10/20/08 1:54 pm EST by in Broadway


After a nearly four-year run on Broadway, Monty Python’s “Spamalot” will perform its final show on January 18 at its home the Shubert Theatre, according to The New York Times. The Tony Award-winning spectacle, based on the 1975 movie "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," is the latest casualty on Broadway, following in the wake of "Hairspray" and "Legally Blonde."

Currently, the show stars "American Idol" alum and new dad Clay Aiken, who will end his role as Sir Robin on January 4. Other castmembers include Michael Siberry, Merle Dandridge, Tom Deckman, Rick Holmes, Bradley Dean, Wally Dunn and David Hibbard. In the past, Tim Curry, Hank Azaria, Sara Ramirez of "Grey's Anatomy" and Monty Python's own John Cleese have all starred in the show.
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Meet The Teenage House Band For Musical '13'

Posted 10/6/08 4:32 pm EST by in Broadway


Zac Coe, Zach Page, Lexi Bodick, Adam Michael Kaufman, Chris Raymond - Photo By Joan MarcusBy Tami Katzoff

Friday evening before the curtain rose on "13," I went up to New York's Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre to chat with the orchestra for the new Broadway musical. Unlike other Broadway shows, the orchestra for "13" performs onstage with the cast, not in a pit below or in front of the stage.

The musicians' accomplishments are impressive. According to his bio on the show's official Web site percussionist Zachary Coe has played drums on Sony and ESPN soundtracks. Multi-instrumentalist Charlie Rosen has not only played bass in other productions of "13" but also played piano at the Monterey Jazz and Playboy Jazz festivals. Guitarist Zach Page has performed with Nuno Bettencourt, Perry Farrell and Vernon Reid.

But what's most impressive about this band is that they're all kids: It's not often you see musicians ranging in age from 15 to 18 providing the music for a high-profile Broadway show, day after day.


Here's some info you won't get from their bios:
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'Legally Blonde' To Stop Bending And Snapping On Broadway

Posted 9/25/08 1:22 pm EST by in Broadway


By Garth Bardsley

Poor Bailey Hanks has to change her lyrics: "Omigod, omigod, you guys! Our show's closing just when I'd won my prize!"

Emergency mani-pedis are being scheduled all over New York as word spreads that MTV's most beloved Broadway musical, "Legally Blonde," will bend and snap for the final time on October 19 following an 18-month run.

It came as quite a shock to folks in the newsroom when MTV announced about a year ago that it would tape a live performance of "Legally Blonde: The Musical." A Broadway musical on MTV? Really? Is Lauren Conrad in it? (No, but she did introduce it.)


But here was the bigger surprise: You watched it! MTV's repeated broadcasts of the musical were a surprise ratings hit. Read More...

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Catch Up With Aubrey O'Day Backstage Before Her Broadway Debut!

Posted 7/18/08 8:17 pm EST by in Broadway


Aubrey Backstage

By Christina Garibaldi

Aubrey O'Day is more than ready for her Broadway debut in "Hairspray." We just caught up with the Danity Kane singer and her puppy Ginger backstage.

Aubrey, in full makeup, showed off her dog, who she dressed up in a pink wig and doggie cape accessorized with various "Hairspray"-themed trinkets. We talked to her in her dressing room minutes before she graced the Broadway stage for the first time.

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