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...
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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By 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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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...
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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