Showing posts with label hairspray. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hairspray. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Fun Fact of the Day: Diana DeGarmo Joins the 1st National Tour of 9 to 5: The Musical!

Diana DeGarmo, American Idol season 3 runner-up and Broadway performer in Hairspray and Hair, will be taking on a new type of role. She announced today via twitter (@DianaDeGarmo) that she will be playing the role of Doralee Rhodes in the 1st National Tour of 9 to 5, a musical by the incomparable Dolly Parton. The role was originated on film by Dolly Parton herself and on Broadway by Megan Hilty. The tour kicks off in Nashville in September of 2010.

Congratulations Diana!

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

My Pre-TONY Post...I Promise

All I've been able to think about recently is the TONYs so I'm going to list My Favorite Things (no pun intended)from each show over past decade. **Disclaimer: my 'favorite things' will probably only relate to musicals**

1999, Greatest Dynamic Duo: Both of my theater idols, Kristin Chenoweth and Bernadette Peters win the TONY -- Kristin wins for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for You're A Good Man Charlie Brown and Bernadette for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for Annie Get Your Gun

2000, Revolution of The Decade: Contact wins Best Musical-- This win by a show that was primarily danced and include no original score was the controversy of the year, but it paved the way for what I like to call dance-icals like Movin' Out

2001, Most Predictable Ceremony Ever, The Producers Owns the TONYs-- I didn't enjoy this show, but I found it funny (funny ironic, not funny haha) that there was nothing else better in that season. Precursor of the 2010 season, anyone?

2002, Most Peggy Sawyer-like moment: Sutton Foster wins for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for Thoroughly Modern Millie-- Sutton Foster was pulled out of the show's chorus when the original Millie was forced to step down and the result was Broadway stardom

2003, Yay For Cross-dressers: Harvey Fierstein wins for Best Leading Actor in a Musical for his portrayal of a woman in Hairspray-- This is only the second time an actor has won in a cross-dressing role, Mary Martin won previously in the role of Peter Pan

2004, Best Winner's Speech: Idina Menzel -- When she won the Leading Actress in a musical category for Wicked, not only did she thank the show's creative team for creating a show that celebrates women, but she also thanked her mom for taking her to see Dreamgirls and Annie when she was a little girl

2005, The Classical Musical is Reborn: Adam Guettel's The Light in The Piazza takes Best Score and Orchestrations-- While it ultimately didn't take the night's biggest prize, Best Musical, Guettel showed us that classical melodies, lush orchestrations, and well-trained sopranos still have a place in the musical theater

2006, La-Upset: LaChanze beats the Diva Quartet of Patti LuPone, Chita Rivera, Sutton Foster, and Kelli O'Hara in the Best Leading Actress in a Musical category-- I adore all five women in this category, but LaChanze's performace as Celie in The Color Purple blew the roof off of the Broadway Theatre

2007, Best Themed Opening: God I Hope I Get It-- Introducing every nominated show and presenter with their head shot against background of Marvin Hamlisch's One from A Chorus Line was pure genius. We all remember watching the cast of A Chorus Line performing the opening of their show in front of Radio City Music Hall, seeing the cast of Spring Awakening getting ready in a stairwell and watching Raul Esparza in the role of Bobby from Company as he read a newspaper with his feet propped on a dressing table

2008, Most Divalicious Performances: Patti Lupone singing Everything's Coming Up Roses-- too amazing for words, simply fabulous

2009, Most Exhilarating Opening Number: Liza, Dolly, and Elton, oh my-- I practically fell out of my chair during this opening performance. When I thought it was simply too fabulous for words, it kept getting better and better. We started with Elton John and the Billy Elliot boys, then we went into a rumble between the casts of West Side Story and Guys and Dolls. Then Aaron Tveit and Stockard Channing battled it out in a mash up of I'm Alive and Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered. Then Brett Michaels performed with the cast of Rock of Ages and got smashed with a moving set piece while the Shrek cast let their freak flags fly. But the moment that left me breathless was Dolly Parton singing the title song with the cast of 9 to 5, followed by Liza Minelli kickin' it like it was 1975. It all ended with a big dance party with the cast of Hair singing Let The Sunshine In with every performer from the whole Broadway season.