Noms...yes please!!!

Okay so today was super exciting because finally the Tony nominations for the 2010/2011 season on Broadway have come out! I personally am really excited to see who wins this year in the "Best Musical" category. I am rooting for Catch Me If You Can and maybe Sister Act, though I'm sure that The Book of Mormon is going to win. By far this show has the most nominations, which is 14, this year. Scottsboro Boys is not too far behind, with 9 nominations. For the "Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical" category, I'm absolutely positive that Sutton Foster will win for her amazing performance in Anything Goes. Many critics have been raving about how Foster fits Reno Sweeney ever so perfectly. This year's "Best Revival of a Musical" will be a tough category, with Anything Goes and How to Succeed... the only shows in this category for this year. With the Tony's, you never know what might happen. To find the whole list of Tony nominations, go to: http://www.tonyawards.com/en_US/nominees/index.html

Alice Heading for Broadway

Think you've seen enough of the Mad Hatter and the Queen of Hearts? Well get ready for Wonderland: A New Alice. A New Musical! Yes, that's right, soon Broadway will make way for the Disney classic. Oh but don't worry because Disney is not producing this musical (for once). So no need to fret about more Disney on Broadway (I know I'm sick of it!) I'm actually excited about this show because it is yet another take on this story. It is supposed to be pretty close to the original but of course ON STAGE! I watched a preview of it on Broadway and the music sounds upbeat and interesting. It's opening at the Marquis Theatre on April 17. I'm really hoping this show does well on Broadway.

Spiderman Vs. Elphaba

Okay, so every Broadway geek has probably heard about the success of Spiderman: The Musical. According to weekly grosses, it is coming up very close to the insanely popular Wicked. Personally, I'm rooting for Wicked to overrule the newcomer to Broadway because most people only really like Spiderman for its special effects. I have not yet heard one person mention that it has a great score or amazing lyrics. Now take a look at Wicked. The score, lyrics, costumes, set, special effects, everything about it is amazing! Then what makes Spiderman so great? I honestly don't see it, since there have been other shows with cool special effects plus more. I'm really hoping that when people read this post, they realize that Wicked has so much more than Spiderman.

I Promise It'll Be Good...

Last night, for those that are SO disconnected from the wonderful world of Broadway, the revival of Promises, Promises started its previews at the Broadway Theatre. Now, normally, a show like this wouldn't interest me in the least bit, but Kristin Chenoweth, my idol, is starring in it along with Sean Hayes and so many other "Broadway peeps", as I like to call them. I am sooooooo jealous of anyone who actually lives in New York and is able to see this show, let alone the previews. I mean, this is KRISTIN CHENOWETH we are talking about here!!!!!!! Okay, so sure, it's not a household-name production, but hey! Kristin Chenoweth can make ANY show a household-name production, right? So, if any of you who are reading this right now live in New York and get the chance to see Promises, Promises, PLEASE post a comment on this blog post to let me know how good it was. although, I'm sure it's going to be AMAZING (with Kristin Chenoweth in it!)

Phantom of the Opera May Die...

As some of you may know, Andrew Lloyd Webber's sequel of the classic Phantom of the Opera, titled Phantom of the Opera: Love Never Dies, made its London debut this past Tuesday at the Adelphi Theatre. That's crazy, because I was sure that the sequel wasn't coming out until sometime in 2011, but now? You know, I also feel fairly impartial to the plot. I mean, really? A carnival? I REALLY liked the Phantom when he was in the catacombs, when he seemed more mysterious. Not out in the real world, at a carnival freak show, of all places? Anyways, if you were listening to Sirius XM On Broadway on Tuesday night, you probably heard the cast album, which I unfortunately didn't get the chance to listen to that night. But my dad heard it, and told me that it was too Vaudeville-like for this classic love story. Really Andrew? I'm actually shocked at what he did, based on what my dad told me. Another that makes me mad about this show is that as soon as others heard the news about the sequel coming out, people stopped going to see the first Phantom on Broadway. Why? Just because it may be better, it doesn't mean that people should totally ditch the original. So, please readers, tell every Broadway geek you know (um, which probably isn't very many but...) to keep Phantom of the Opera alive!

What I'm Expecting...

I'm so sorry that I haven't been blogging for a few weeks. But hey! When you're still in school , you can really get caught up. Anywho, so it's finally 2010!!!!!!!! I really do think that this year is getting off to a great start and it will continue to be great in the wonderful world of Broadway. Here are my expectations for the Broadway stage this year:

1. We will be hit with a HUGE Titanic-hitting-the-iceberg musical that can push Mary Poppins out for good.

2. Sutton Foster can FINALLY have a lead role in a successful musical.

3. Finian's Rainbow will be loved by all who see it.

and finally...

4. BAN THE DISNEY SHOWS!!!!!!

In addition to this being a new year, this is also an all-new decade! So, here are my expectations for the new decade:

1. Wicked will pass up Phantom of the Opera for number of performances.

2. Phantom of the Opera will NOT leave Broadway!

3. More of the old classics are revived on Broadway.

and finally...

4. Patti LuPone retires.

Okay, so maybe not ALL of my expectations will actually happen, but you never know!

Priscilla Queen...Heading to Broadway?

Okay, so I thought the play Superior Donuts, which opened at the Music Box Theatre on Broadway yesterday, was bad enough. But what's coming on Broadway in March 2011 is even worse. Yes, it's a musical (I give them kudos for that!); but with a title like Priscilla Queen of the Desert, I doubt this musical is going to be any good. Although it may sound quite enjoyable, (ahem, I beg your pardon?) the music and lyrics are written by total no-names, which for me is a bad sign! Based on the (supposedly) Oscar-winning film, the Broadway cast will include Jason Donovan, Tony Sheldon, Oliver Thornton and many others (ones I haven't heard of.) I'm sorry to say, but because it's a bad musical overall, it will be thrown into the "Broadway trash can" for a very long time.

Dumpin' Donuts

I LOVE checking out the IBDB website every now and then to see if they have any new musicals debuting or returning to Broadway. Recently, I was looking at IBDB's homepage to look for new Broadway shows (September is the best time of year for Broadway!) and found a brand new play called Superior Donuts, (which is again NOT a musical) opening October 1. As soon as I saw it, my mouth dropped open. Supposedly, this play is about a small donut shop in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood. I mean, who would even want to see such a ridiculous play about a breakfast treat? (The kids at my church would especially enjoy this play) I doubt it's going to succeed on Broadway!

LuPone Power

It's a true statement: I am a Broadway geek! But there's one particular person that I have no idea why she's so popular: Patti LuPone. I mean, what is so great about her? I think her phrasing is all wrong and I just overall hate her voice! And being an Ethel Merman fan, I don't like the fact that LuPone has taken on some of Ethel's best roles and then gotten all the credit. I actually prefer Ethel over Patti (well, obviously!) Plus after hearing the story about her calling out a person who was distracting in the audience, I'm utterly annoyed with this woman. She's just seems like a person who I would never want to meet (and I hope I never do!) Well, if someone can ever explain Patti LuPone's popularity to me, a lot of things would be cleared up.

A Little Bit Chenoweth

Every Broadway fan, either young or old, had heard of the popular musical, Wicked. This musical, with music and lyrics by the incredible Stephen Schwartz, debuted on Broadway in October 2003. The original Glinda was of course played by the lovable and peppy Kristin Chenoweth, who we all know from Pushing Up Daisies. As her fame became larger, Chenoweth decided to write an autobiography (well, sort of. Author Joni Rodgers wrote it all done while Kristin did the talking.) In this novel, Kristin talks about all the ups and downs of her life on Broadway and even back when she was just a small-town-Oklahoma girl. Well, of course, I am currently reading this book (as I am a HUGE fan of Kristin Chenoweth) and absolutely love it! So if you are a big fan of Wicked or at all part of this magical show, I recommend this fantastic novel to all of you.