Previews

Beauty and the Beast

by Rachel Pantazis

beastBeauty and the Beast was my favorite Disney movie as a child. I loved the spectacle, the love story, and the elements that Disney brought to the original Grimm tale (e.g. Belle’s yellow gown, the enchanted red rose, and the musical themes). A new live-action remake is going to be released on Saint Patrick’s Day starring Emma Watson, Ian McKellen, Ewan McGregor, Kevin Kline, Audra McDonald, Emma Thompson, and Josh Gad.

Original Productions

The original film from 1991 set a precedent for other Disney films as well as other cartoon films of its time. Alan Menken wrote the music that he later extended for a stage production that opened on Broadway in April of 1994 at The Palace Theatre. With lyrics by Tim Rice and Howard Ashman and a book by Linda Woolverton, the production was nominated for nine Tony Awards and won one for Best Costume Design.

beast1The 1991 film had many stars including Paige O’Hara as Belle, Jerry Orbach as Lumiere, Jesse Corti as LeFou, David Ogden Stiers as Cogsworth, and Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Potts. Angela Lansbury was recently interviewed by Entertainment Weekly about the new remake. The 91 year old actress stated her confusion at Disney’s want to redo the story:

“I don’t quite know why they’re doing it. I can’t understand what they’re going to do with it that will be better than what we’ve already done. And how they’re doing it live — it may turn out to be very entertaining and wonderful. It won’t be like the cartoon that we did, but it’s a good story — it’s one of the famous fairy stories that is known worldwide by children. Therefore, why not? I don’t blame them for doing it. But, I’m sorry, they’re not really on our territory. We did it as cartoon characters, and that is quite different from live actors.”

A Great Remake Or Just a Money-Maker

A live-action remake for Beauty and The Beast could be great. The advanced CGI for the Disney castle will definitely be remastered in a new, enchanting way. Designers already seem to be taking advantage of the authentic, Bavarian aesthetic from the original Grimm Fairytale. The filmmakers could also be adding more of our favorite songs from the live stage production, which would set the movie apart. Then, Emma Watson will once more get an opportunity to be delivered from her perpetual place as Hermione Granger. Good things could definitely come of it!

On the other hand, the merchandise for the film will earn Disney more money and the box office earnings are expected to be ridiculous. I guess we’ll just have to wait until March 17th to see if it’s all worth it!

Click here to hear the first clips of Emma Watson singing as Belle!
 

Clive Owen Opens Roundabout’s 50th Season In Old Times

by Paul Mroczka

Owen on Broadway in Pinter's Old Times

Owen on Broadway in Pinter's Old Times

Owen to make Broadway debut in Pinter’s Old Times.

Clive Owen will star as Deeley in Harold Pinter’s dark and mysterious drama Old Times. The play will be the first offering in the Roundabout Theatre’s 50th season. Opening night is set for October 15, 2015 with previews starting September 17.

First Time on Broadway

This production marks Owen’s Broadway debut. Nominated for an Oscar for the closer, Owen won the Golden Globe for that same film. Theatre work includes Romeo & Juliet, Design for Living, and A Day in the Death of Joe Egg. At present, the actor is in New York filming the second season of Steven Soderbergh’s The Knick. The actor got a nomination for Best Actor from the Golden Globes for his work on that show.

Douglas Hodge

Douglas Hodge, Tony Award winner, will direct. Hodge won the Tony as an actor for his performance as Albin in the Broadway transfer from London of the musical La Cage aux Folles. In the U.K., Hodge has achieved great notoriety as an interpreter of many of Pinter’s characters. As an actor, he has appeared in No Man’s Land (Comedy Theatre 1993), Moonlight (Almeida Theatre 1993), A Kind of Alaska, The Lover and The Collection (Donmar Warehouse 1998). He’s also played as Jerry in Betrayal (Royal National Theatre’s Lyttelton Theatre 1998) and has appeared as Aston in The Caretaker (Comedy Theatre 2000). His stage directing credits include Torch Song Trilogy at the Menier Chocolate Factory in 2012, Last Easter by Bryony Lavery at Birmingham Rep, and See How They Run, which first went on tour and then sold out its West End run.

The Play

In considering Old Times and its meaning, one may simply remember one thing that playwright Pinter said about his play, “A thing is not necessarily either true or false; it can be both true and false.” In the play, Deeley is anticipating meeting his wife Kate’s longtime friend, Anna. After becoming reacquainted and acquainted with Anna, Kate and Deely find that what was supposed to be a time to share and exchange memories has become a stormy fight for superiority and power.

The full cast and creative team will be announced at a later date.

2014-15 Broadway Season: 4 Shows Open on Broadway in March 2015

by Paul Mroczka

The Heidi Chronicles will be the final show to open on Broadway in March.

The Heidi Chronicles will be the final show to open on Broadway in March.

Late April marks the deadline for Tony nominations and that means there will be a few new shows opening on Broadway in March and then 14 in April. During the next two months, a total of 18 new shows, more than have premiered in the other 10 months of the 2014-2015 theatre season, will make their way to a Broadway stage. Here is a thumbnail sketch of what is opening in March.

Fish in the Dark (Opens March 5; Cort Theatre)

It is the first Broadway comedy by Seinfeld co-creator and Curb Your Enthusiasm creator Larry David. The March 5, 2015 opening is a fait accompli, as Fish in the Dark has been selling at over 100% capacity and there is no end in sight to that phenomenon, except for the fact that the show is in a limited run and will be closing June 14, 2015. David fans have lined up to buy tickets to the show and are enthusiastic about the play and the chance to see David on stage.

The cast, which numbers 18, includes Larry David as Norman Drexel, Rosie Perez as Fabiana Melendez, Jayne Houdyshell as Gloria Drexel, and Jake Cannavale as Diego Melendez. Other cast members included Jerry Adler as Sidney Drexel, Rita Wilson as Brenda, Drexel, and Ben Shenkman as Arthur Drexel.

The dark comedy is about a son who loses his dad to death and how he and the rest of the family deal with the event.

The Audience (Opens March 8; Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre)

Helen Mirren has crossed the pond and is presently in previews in The Audience, playing Elizabeth II in the play which earned her an Olivier Award about three years ago. The Audience takes as its starting point a historical fact: every week for the past 60 years Queen Elizabeth II has had a private, secret meeting with her Prime Minister. No one knows what has been said in such meetings. Playwright Peter Morgan has created a series of scenes detailing individual meetings between the 12 Prime Ministers and one Queen that have served England for six decades. Mirren, a consummate actress, will be on Broadway through June 28, 2015. The show is selling at close to 100%.

On the Twentieth Century (Opens March 12; American Airlines Theatre)

There’s been a lot of press about the first Broadway revival of the Tony winning musical On the Twentieth Century. The musical, which has music by Cy Coleman and book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, is about a Broadway producer, Oscar Jaffe, who is desperate for a hit show. Jaffe’s professional life is in a shambles and believes that his former love and muse, Lily Garland, can save his career if he can get her to star in his next Broadway production. They board the luxury train the Twentieth Century, along with Garland’s jealous lover and an obsessed, hyperactive Christian, and as they cross the country old relationships are rekindled, jealousies surface, and mayhem ensues. It is an all stops out, no holds barred musical farce.

The revival of On the Twentieth Century stars Peter Gallagher as Oscar Jaffe and Kristin Chenoweth as Lily Garland. Gallagher has been ill of late and has missed a week’s worth of performances. He’s due to be back on stage starting Tuesday, March 3. The show has been selling at approximately 98% capacity.

The Heidi Chronicles (Opens March 19; Music Box Theatre)

The cast of The Heidi Chronicles includes Elisabeth Moss as Heidi Holland, Jason Biggs as Scoop Rosenbaum, and Bryce Pinkham as Peter Patrone, That is an exciting triumvirate of actors for the first Broadway revival of Wendy Wasserstein’s 1989 Pulitzer and Tony Award wining comedy.

The Heidi Chronicles focuses on the life of Heidi Holland and details her journey as a high school student in the 1960s, through her college and early professional years in the 70s, and into the 80s where she finally finds a balance of some sort between love, family, intimacy, and career. Wasserstein adeptly captures characters in respective eras and adroitly details their emotions, challenges, disillusionments, frustrations, and triumphs. In her comedy, Wasserstein investigates redefining family, love, and motherhood as the end of the 20th century nears.

Some of What to Expect in April

There’s a lot more to preview in March including Chita Rivera in the Kander, Ebb and McNally musical The Visit, the dark comedy Hand to God, and the romantic comedy Living on Love with opera superstar Renee Fleming making her Broadway debut. Also coming in April will be the Broadway premiere of the Gershwin musical An American in Paris, with a book by Craig Lucas, the musical adaptation of the epic Doctor Zhivago, and the new musical about how J.M. Barrie discovered Peter Pan, finding Neverland.

Classic Stage Company’s Hamlet Directed by Austin Pendleton

by Paul Mroczka

Peter Sarsgaard as hamlet off broadway

Peter Sarsgaard as hamlet off broadway

Peter Sarsgaard plays Hamlet.

Recently announced players for the Classic Stage Company’s Hamlet, which will be directed by Austin Pendleton, include Lisa Joyce, Penelope Allen, and Two-time Tony winner Stephen Spinella. Peter Sarsgaard (Garden State) wlll play Hamlet.

The Roles

The cast is exceptionally exciting. Along with Joyce (Boardwalk Empire) as Ophelia, the cast will include Allen (Richard III) as Gertrude, Spinella (Angels in America: Perestroika, Angels in America: Millenium Approaches) as Polonius, and Glenn Fitzgerald (The Sixth Sense) as Laerte. Also, Harris Yulin (Frank’s Home) will play Claudius, Austin Jones (Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me) will be Horatio, Jim Broaddus (13 Rue de l’Amour) will be the Player King, and Scott Parkinson (The Coast of Utopia) as Rosencrantz, and Daniel Morgan Shelley (Othello) as Guildenstern.

Limited Engagement

The limited engagement will play from March 27 through May 10 at the Classic Stage Company with opening night set for April 15. Along with direction by Austin Pendleton, the show will include scenic design by Walt Spangler, costume design by Constance Hoffman, lighting design by Justin Townsend, and original music and sound design by Ryan Rumery.

Lisa D’Amour’s Broadway Debut of Airline Highway Features Tony Winner Julie White

by Paul Mroczka

Julie White to star in Airline Highway.

Julie White to star in Airline Highway.

The Broadway premiere of Lisa D’Amour’s Airline Highway will include a stellar cast. Tony winner Julie White (The Little Dog Laughed) will play Tanya. Included in the Broadway production will be K. Todd Freeman (The Song of Jacob Zulu) as Sissy Na Na, Scott Jaeck (August: Osage County) as Wayne, Ken Marks as Francis (Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark), and Judith Roberts (Orange Is The New Black) as Miss Ruby. Also, in their Broadway debuts will be Carolyn Braver as Zoe, Caroline Neff as Krista, Tim Edward Rhoze as Terry and Joe Tippett as Bait Boy. Additional casting for Airline Highway will be announced soon.

The Show

Lisa D’Amour’s Airline Highway is an homage of sorts to the disenfranchised and those who are out on another plane who always seem to make life as we know it a little more interesting. The setting is the parking lot of The Hummingbird Motel. In its splendor of yesteryear it was the place to be if you were on New Orleans’ infamous Airline Highway – glamorous, enticing, and royal.

But like those who now meet and congregate for Miss Ruby’s orchestrated send off, the motel has seen better days. It is a motley group that gathers, a diverse collection of strippers, hustlers, ne’er-do-wells, and philosophers, that meet celebrate the life of Miss Ruby. Miss Ruby was, in her day, an iconic burlesque performer.

And she has done something a tad unusual to bring everyone together. She has requested a funeral before she dies. It is a party unlike anyone has ever seen, as those from her past come back to pay their respects while they reconnect.

Creatives

Joe Mantello (Wicked, Take Me Out, Assassins) directs Airline Highway. The Broadway production will include scenic design by Scott Pask, costume design by David Zinn, lighting design by Japhy Weideman, and original music and sound design by Fitz Patton. Airline Highway was given itds world premiere at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre in December 2014.

Robert De Niro to Direct A Bronx Tale for Paper Mill Production

by Paul Mroczka

Robert De Niro to direct A Bronx Tale. at Paper Mill

Robert De Niro to direct A Bronx Tale. at Paper Mill

Robert De Niro to direct A Bronx Tale.

Oscar winner Robert De Niro will be part of the creative team that brings the musical adaptation of the Chazz Palminteri film A Bronx Tale to the stage. Along with De Niro will be four-time Tony winner director Jerry Zaks. Palminteri is adapting his film script for the stage while Alan Menken & Glenn Slater will score the musical. De Niro directed and starred in the 1993 film, which is based on Palminteri’s childhood.

The Genesis

A Bronx Tale is set in the ‘60s. It focuses on Calogero, an Italian-American teen, and his friendship with a neighborhood gang member named Sonny. When Calogero sees Sonny murder someone, it makes the bond between the two grow stronger, as Calogero remains loyal to his friend and keeps the killing a secret. First a play by Palminteri, it was performed in Los Angeles in 1990. It was then produced Off-Broadway, and, after the film was released, the play was produced on Broadway in 2007.

The musical was first reported to be in the works in February 2013. At that time, Bon Jovi’s David Bryan was signed to write the score. Palminteri and De Niro were part of the original team, as was current choreographer Sergio Trujillo.

Performances and the Season

Performances of A Bronx Tale are scheduled to run from February 4, 2016 through March 6. The Paper Mill’s 2015-2016 season will open will another world premiere musical entitled Bandstand. Andy Blankenbuehler (In the Heights and Hamilton) will direct the show, which is written by Richard Oberacker and Robert Taylor. Bandstand opens October 8. Three other musicals make up the Paper Mill Season- A Christmas Story, Pump Boys and Dinettes and West Side Story.

Hamilton & Lin-Manuel Miranda Headed to Broadway

by Paul Mroczka

Lin-Manuel Miranda in Hamilton the New Musical

Lin-Manuel Miranda in Hamilton the New Musical

Hamilton starring Lin-Manuel Miranda will go to Broadway.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, a Tony, Drama Desk, Grammy, and Emmy winner, has a new musical and it will be on Broadway this summer. The musical, Hamilton, will start previews on July 16 at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. Miranda, who created the highly acclaimed musical In the Heights, is presently enjoying an extended run of Hamilton at the Public Theatre. Hamilton, which will play at the Public’s Newman theatre through May 3 in what is a sold out run, will replace If/Then at the Richard Rodgers. If/Then ends its Broadway run on Match 22. Hamilton opened at the Public on February 17 to rave reviews and was extended quickly.

Hamilton

Hamilton is a hip-hop musical about the United State’s first Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton. Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote the book, music, and lyrics for the show, also stars in it.

The musical tells the story of the birth of the U.S. We see how America was created through the character of Hamilton. There’s a stress on the immigrant, orphaned background of “the $10 Founding Father without a father.” The musical investigates and exposes various aspects of Hamilton, including his ambition, ego, and vices. The man who would kill him in a duel, Aaron Burr, ironically narrates the tale.

The same team that created In the Heights is responsible for Hamilton. Along with Miranda, there’s director Thomas Kail and choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler.

Playbill Interview

Miranda explained in a Playbill interview as to the fact that he wasn’t thinking about whether the show might make it to Broadway for the 2014-15 season or the next one. But, as he observed, there was a lot of excitement once the reviews came out.

He told Playbill, “And then it got a lot louder around us last Tuesday, when we opened and the world freaked out. And, it’s been incredibly humbling and incredibly gratifying. We talked about all the options on the table, and opening this summer allows people who can’t get tickets to get tickets next Sunday, and that’s really exciting for me. It also allows us to make a cast album sooner than later because we have a break in May, when we can actually put that into motion — where I’m not doing the show and thinking about the show all the time, so it allows everything to happen in the pace at which it should.”

Tickets Go On Sale

Tickets to the Broadway run of the new musical Hamilton will go on sale March 8. It will be one of the first shows, if not the first, of the 2015-16 Broadway season.

The Heidi Chronicles Previews Tonight at the Music Box

by Paul Mroczka

heidi56Four shows, including The Heidi Chronicles, will open on Broadway in March. The other three, Fish in the Dark, On the Twentieth Century, and The Audience, are already in previews. Which means that tonight The Heidi Chronicles completes the quarter of February previews destined for March openings.

The Cast and Creative Team

The revival of Wendy Wasserstein’s Pulitzer Prize and Tony winning play includes “Mad Men” star Elisabeth Moss in the title role. Jason Biggs (The Graduate) plays Scoop Rosenbaum, a nebbish writer who has a flirtatious friendship with Heidi, and Bryce Pinkham (A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Ghost the Musical) appears as Peter Patrone, Heidi’s gay best friend and sometimes conscience. Tracee Chimo is charged with creating the roles of Fran, Molly, Betsy and April.

Additional cast members include Ali Ahn as Susan Johnston, Leighton Bryan as Jill/Debbie/Lisa, Elise Kibler as Becky/Clara/Denise, and Andy Truschinski as Chris Boxer/Mark/Waiter/Ray.

Pam MacKinnon directs the revival of The Heidi Chronicles. MacKinnon won a 2013 Tony for her direction of the revival of Edward Albee’s masterful Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? The production of Wasserstein’s play includes scenic design by John Lee Beatty, costume design by Jessica Pabst, and lighting design by Japhy Weideman. In addition, sound design is by Jill BC Du Boff, projection design by Peter Nigrini, and hair and make-up design by Leah J. Loukas.

The Play

The Heidi Chronicles focuses on what were some of Wasserstein’s favorite themes, including the changing roles of women in America from the 1960s through the 1980s, defining and redefining family and love, and how women must constantly choose between what they want and what society dictates they should be.

The plot concerns Heidi Holland, tracing her life’s path from high school in the 1960s to her career as a successful art historian and her choice to be a single mom by adopting a baby more than twenty years later. As Heidi encounters various situations, trends, and opportunities throughout the years, we see her awaken to the call of feminism in the 1970s, only to feel betrayed by the movement in the 1980s.

Opening Nights

The four March shows are scheduled to open in the following order- March 5th Fish in the Dark (Cort), March 8th The Audience (Gerald Schoenfeld), March 12th On the Twentieth Century (American Airlines), and March 19th The Heidi Chronicles (Music Box).

On the Twentieth Century Derailed Saturday Night Back on Schedule for Sunday

by Paul Mroczka

James Moye understudy for Peter Gallagher Twentieth Century

James Moye understudy for Peter Gallagher Twentieth Century

James Moye as Buddy rehearsing the Paper Mill Playhouse production of Elf in November 2014.

It’s been announced that the Roundabout’s revival of On the Twentieth Century at the American Airlines Theatre will be back on track today. The show did not go on last night as one of the stars, Peter Gallagher, was unable to perform due to vocal problems. It’s been reported that Gallagher has been rehearsing and performing all week with a cold and that it finally got the best of him. To complicate things, the understudy was not yet ready to perform. That combination of factors meant that the performance had to be cancelled.

Brakes Put on Last Minute

Although some audience members were irritated that the cancellation of On the Twentieth Century was announced right about curtain time, Kristin Chenoweth, who came out to make the announcement with director Scott Ellis, made every effort to smooth things over.

After explaining the predicament, Chenoweth offered the sold out house a rendition of the Charlie Chaplin classic “Smile.” Then she asked the four actors who play the porters in On the Twentieth Century to come out and they performed the tap dance number “Life is Like a Train”. It was a huge audience pleaser.

Tough Sell

It’s not easy to cancel a performance on a Saturday night, which is the most attended performance time of the theatre week, but due to the fact that the show is still in previews Gallagher’s understudy, James Moye, was not fully rehearsed. This is not unusual to have this situation at this point in the production process, as the show is still being refined and changes continue to be made. Plus, along with learning Gallagher’s role, Moye, who is part of the ensemble, must know his ensemble duties in the show.

The Show Will Go On

The latest news from On the Twentieth Century is that Moye rehearsed last night after the cancellation and will be able to perform in Gallagher’s stead. Showtime is 2 pm. Gallagher is day-to-day.

Finding Neverland Preps for Broadway Opening and Pushes for West End Transfer

by Paul Mroczka

Finding Neverland Lunt Fontane on Broadway

Finding Neverland Lunt Fontane on Broadway

Finding Neverland pointing towards a West End production too?

Finding Neverland, with a score by Gary Barlow and Eliot Kennedy and a book by James Graham, will begin previews at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on March 15 and will open on April 15. But the new musical may have an even more important performance date before its preview and opening, as the Daily Mail reports that Barlow and stage and screen star Bryan Cranston will be hosting a preview of the show for West End theatre managers and owners on February 26.

A Push Towards London

The push towards London at this time is aggressive in that the show, which was performed at the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, MA this past summer, is still working towards opening night on Broadway. Directed by ART Artistic Director Diane Paulus (Tony Award for Pippin and Hair), the musical has been generating some good buzz.

Finding Neverland is not unknown in England as it did make its world premiere at the Curve Theatre in Leicester in 2012. The ART version, which was the U.S. premiere, included a lot of reworking and rewriting. Refinement is ongoing.

The Musical

Finding Neverland is based on two sources- David Magee’s Academy Award-winning motion picture of the same name and Allan Knee’s play The Man Who Was Peter Pan. The musical finds British playwright J. M. Barrie much in the need for inspiration, and he discovers it through a chance meeting with a family. The meeting develops into a relationship that leads Barrie to write his best-known work, Peter Pan.

History of Finding Neverland

Although Finding Neverland made its premiere at the Curve Theatre in September 2012, Finding Neverland was to have first been produced in 2011 at the La Jolla Playhouse. But that premiere fell through. Rob Ashford directed the Curve Theatre production. At that time the show had an entirely different creative team that included Scott Frankel (music) and Michael Korie (lyrics) and Knee as the book writer. The musical was focused on a 2013 West End transfer, but it was plagued by mixed reviews and problems that brewed and festered backstage. Producer Harvey Weinstein then decided to replace the creative team, and, thus far, the results seem to be much more positive.

Broadway Grosses for Week Ending 2/15/15 Reveal New Strength

by Paul Mroczka

Mirren made a big splash last weekend.

Mirren made a big splash last weekend.

Helen Mirren in The Audience had a big first week, selling at 101.1%. That number is based on a short two-performance week. However, it’s expected that Mirren, who won an Olivier a few years ago for The Audience, will do big box office during her limited New York run.

Larry David’s comedy Fish in the Dark continued selling beyond capacity. The comedy realized a .5% increase over the week prior, filling the Cort Theatre at 101.6%, which was third for all shows on Broadway. The comedy earned $21,703 more than it did the week before.

Topping out the capacity stats was The Book of Mormon at 102.6%. The musical came in second in grosses, bringing in a total of $1,648,502. The Lion King was first in terms of gross, realizing $1,726,042, while filling 98.9% of its seats.

On the Twentieth Century

In its first weekend, the revival of On the Twentieth Century gave four performances and sold at 96.5% capacity. The madcap musical, which is produced by the Roundabout, stars Kristin Chenoweth and Peter Gallagher. It will be interesting to see if it does better than Honeymoon in Vegas and On the Town, both of which, until this past week, have seen sales slump.

Honeymoon and On the Town

Honeymoon in Vegas enjoyed the biggest gain in capacity of any show on Broadway. The musical sold at 64.9%, which marks a 13.6% jump from last week. Its gross receipts were at $491,146, which was an increase of $131,983 over last week.

The other show that witnessed a marked increase was On the Town. The 13.1% rise in capacity meant that the show sold at 49.3%, realizing $172,536 more in gross receipts, which totaled $552,450 for the week.

Other Box Office news

The Elephant Man was at 101.7%, up 1.5%, while Cabaret rose by 2.5%, coming in at 100.5%. The Elephant Man, which stars Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper (American Sniper), closes this week just before the statuettes are given out, and Cabaret, which stars Oscar nominee Emma Stone (Birdman), saw Stone play her final performances this week. It’s said that the nominations helped both productions get added attention and increased ticket sales.

Sales on the Rise

With 18 new productions opening in March and April, eventual improvement in the weather, and Tony buzz developing, we should expect to see ticket sales for Broadway shows continue to rise.

(Note: All figures from this report were provided by the Broadway League. )

Clinton The Musical Off-Broadway Premiere at New World Stages Announces Leads

by Paul Mroczka

Clinton The Musical casting for Off-Broadway premiere.

Clinton The Musical casting for Off-Broadway premiere.

Clinton: the Musical, a satire that spoofs the eight years our 42nd president and his wife spent in the White House, will star Tom Galantich and Duke Lafoon as the president. Both Galantich and Lafoon possess a range of Broadway credits. Galantich has been in The Great White Way productions of Don’t Dress for Dinner, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Boys from Syracuse, Mamma Mia! and City of Angels. Lafoon has been in the Broadway productions of Casa Valentina, Nice Work If You Can Get It, Sister Act and Bye Bye Birdie.

Galantich and Lafoon will each portray a different side of Bill Clinton. Galantich will play WJ, who is the All-American, wholesome president, while Lafoon will portray Billy, who is the rapscallion, bad boy of the White House.

Other Cast Members

Clinton: The Musical has more than two actors. It’s a full-length, full cast show, which includes John Treacy Egan as Newt Gingrich, Veronica Kuehn as Monica Lewinsky, Kerry Butler as Hillary Clinton, and Judy Gold as Eleanor Roosevelt. Kuehn made her Broadway debut in Mamma Mia! and has been in Avenue Q Off-Broadway.

The Creators

A pair of Australian brothers wrote Clinton: The Musical. The score is by Paul Hodge and the book by Paul Hodge and Michael Hodge. The idea for the musical came to Paul Hodge when he was on a family outing. At that time, he was seeing a musical in his homeland about a politician. His dad said, after seeing the musical with his son, “Oh, it was good, but politicians don’t make good subjects for musicals. The only politician who would make a good subject for that would be Bill Clinton.” Paul Hodge thought that his dad was onto something.

The Musical

The satire exploits the wide range of scandals, hijinks, rumors, and controversies that defined the Clinton years, including Bill Clinton’s sax and sex appeal, moral reformers and FOB wannabes, and political one-upmanship and media miscues. The score includes 90s pop, standard musical theatre styles, and burlesque.

Important Dates

Clinton: The Musical will premiere at New World Stages on March 25 and will officially open on April 9. It’s a change for audiences to relive history in a unique manner, as fodder for satire in a musical comedy.