Justina Machado Earns Her First-Ever Tony Awards Nomination for “Real Women Have Curves: The Musical”

Posted on May 2, 2025 by Tom Castaneda

Justina Machado has earned a career first…

The 78th annual Tony Awards nominations have been revealed, with the 52-year-old Puerto Rican actress earning her first-ever Tony nod.

Machado earned a nod in the Actress in a Featured Role (Musical) category for her work in Real Women Have Curves: The Musical.

She originated the role of Carmen Garcia in the Broadway musical production of Real Women Have Curves.

Joy Huerta has earned her first Tony Award nomination…

The 38-year-old Mexican Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and Jesse & Joy duo member is nominated in the Best Original Score category for co-writing the music and lyrics for Real Women Have Curves: The Musical alongside Benjamin Velez.

Marco Ramirez has earned a Tony Award nod in the Best Book of a Musical category.

The Latino television producer, screenwriter and playwright earned the nod for his work on Buena Vista Social Club, which earned 10 Tony Award nominations.

Former Miami City Ballet principal dancer Patricia Delgado has earned a Tony Award nod for Best Choreography.

The 44-year-old Cuban ballet dancer, répétiteur and teacher earned the nomination for her acclaimed work alongside her husband Justin Peck for Buena Vista Social Club.

Arnulfo Maldonado earned a nod in the Best Scenic Design of a Musical category.

The Latino scenic designer set and costume designer earned the nod for Buena Vista Social Club.

This year’s Tony Awards will return to Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

Hosted by Tony, Emmy and Grammy Award-winner and three-time Oscar nominee Cynthia Erivo,

The American Theatre Wing’s Tony Awards will broadcast live to both coasts on Sunday, June 8 on CBS, and streaming on Paramount+ in the U.S.

Here’s the complete list of Tony Award nominations:

Best Musical
Buena Vista Social Club
Dead Outlaw
Death Becomes Her
Maybe Happy Ending
Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical

Best Play
English
The Hills of California
John Proctor is the Villain
Oh, Mary!
Purpose

Best Musical Revival
Floyd Collins
Gypsy
Pirates! The Penzance Musical
Sunset Blvd.

Best Play Revival
Eureka Day
Romeo + Juliet
Thornton Wilder’s Our Town
Yellow Face

Actor in a Leading Role (Musical)
Darren Criss: Maybe Happy Ending
Andrew Durand: Dead Outlaw
Tom Francis: Sunset Blvd.
Jonathan Groff: Just in Time
James Monroe Iglehart: A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical
Jeremy Jordan: Floyd Collins

Actress in a Leading Role (Musical)
Megan Hilty: Death Becomes Her
Audra McDonald: Gypsy
Jasmine Amy Rogers: Boop! The Musical
Nicole Scherzinger: Sunset Blvd.
Jennifer Simard: Death Becomes Her

Actor in a Featured Role (Musical)
Brooks Ashmanskas: Smash
Jeb Brown: Dead Outlaw
Danny Burstein: Gypsy
Jak Malone: Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical
Taylor Trensch: Floyd Collins

Actress in a Featured Role (Musical)
Natalie Venetia Belcon: Buena Vista Social Club
Julia Knitel: Dead Outlaw
Gracie Lawrence: Just in Time
Justina Machado: Real Women Have Curves: The Musical
Joy Woods: Gypsy

Actor in a Leading Role (Play)
George Clooney: Good Night, and Good Luck
Cole Escola: Oh, Mary!
Jon Michael Hill: Purpose
Daniel Dae Kim: Yellow Face
Harry Lennix: Purpose
Louis McCartney: Stranger Things: The First Shadow

Actress in a Leading Role (Play)
Laura Donnelly: The Hills of California
Mia Farrow: The Roommate
LaTanya Richardson Jackson: Purpose
Sadie Sink: John Proctor is the Villain
Sarah Snook: The Picture of Dorian Gray

Actor in a Featured Role (Play)
Glenn Davis: Purpose
Gabriel Ebert: John Proctor is the Villain
Francis Jue: Yellow Face
Bob Odenkirk: Glengarry Glen Ross
Conrad Ricamora: Oh, Mary!

Actress in a Featured Role (Play)
Tala Ashe: English
Jessica Hecht: Eureka Day
Marjan Neshat: English
Fina Strazza: John Proctor is the Villain
Kara Young: Purpose

Best Book of a Musical
Buena Vista Social Club: Marco Ramirez
Dead Outlaw: Itamar Moses
Death Becomes Her: Marco Pennette
Maybe Happy Ending: Will Aronson and Hue Park
Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical: David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts

Best Original Score
Dead Outlaw: Music & Lyrics: David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna
Death Becomes Her: Music & Lyrics: Julia Mattison and Noel Carey
Maybe Happy Ending: Music: Will Aronson; Lyrics: Will Aronson and Hue Park
Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical: Music & Lyrics: David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts

Real Women Have Curves: The Musical: Music & Lyrics: Joy Huerta and Benjamin Velez

Best Choreography
Joshua Bergasse: Smash
Camille A. Brown: Gypsy
Christopher Gattelli: Death Becomes Her
Jerry Mitchell: Boop! The Musical
Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck: Buena Vista Social Club

Direction (Play)
Knud Adams: English
Sam Mendes: The Hills of California
Sam Pinkleton: Oh, Mary!
Danya Taymor: John Proctor is the Villain
Kip Williams: The Picture of Dorian Gray

Direction (Musical)
Saheem Ali: Buena Vista Social Club
Michael Arden: Maybe Happy Ending
David Cromer: Dead Outlaw
Christopher Gattelli: Death Becomes Her
Jamie Lloyd: Sunset Blvd.

Best Scenic Design of a Play
Marsha Ginsberg: English
Rob Howell: The Hills of California
Marg Horwell and David Bergman: The Picture of Dorian Gray
Miriam Buether and 59: Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Scott Pask: Good Night, and Good Luck

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Rachel Hauck: Swept Away (pictured)
Dane Laffrey and George Reeve: Maybe Happy Ending
Arnulfo Maldonado: Buena Vista Social Club
Derek McLane: Death Becomes Her
Derek McLane: Just in Time

Best Costume Design of a Play
Brenda Abbandandolo: Good Night, and Good Luck
Marg Horwell: The Picture of Dorian Gray
Rob Howell: The Hills of California
Holly Pierson: Oh, Mary!
Brigitte Reiffenstuel: Stranger Things: The First Shadow

Best Costume Design of a Musical
Dede Ayite: Buena Vista Social Club
Gregg Barnes: BOOP! The Musical
Clint Ramos: Maybe Happy Ending
Paul Tazewell: Death Becomes Her
Catherine Zuber: Just in Time

Best Lighting Design of a Play
Natasha Chivers: The Hills of California
Jon Clark: Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Heather Gilbert and David Bengali: Good Night, and Good Luck
Natasha Katz and Hannah Wasilesk: John Proctor is the Villain (pictured)
Nick Schlieper: The Picture of Dorian Gray

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Jack Knowles: Sunset Blvd.
Tyler Micoleau: Buena Vista Social Club
Scott Zielinski and Ruey Horng Sun Floyd Collins
Ben Stanton: Maybe Happy Ending
Justin Townsend: Death Becomes Her

Best Sound Design of a Play
Paul Arditti: Stranger Things: The First Shadow (pictured)
Palmer Hefferan: John Proctor is the Villain
Daniel Kluger: Good Night, and Good Luck
Nick Powell: The Hills of California
Clemence Williams: The Picture of Dorian Gray

Best Sound Design of a Musical
Jonathan Deans: Buena Vista Social Club
Adam Fisher: Sunset Blvd.
Peter Hylenski: Just in Time
Peter Hylenski: Maybe Happy Ending
Dan Moses Schreier: Floyd Collins

Best Orchestrations
Andrew Resnick and Michael Thurber: Just in Time
Will Aronson: Maybe Happy Ending
Bruce Coughlin: Floyd Collins
Marco Paguia: Buena Vista Social Club
David Cullen and Andrew Lloyd Webber: Sunset Blvd.

Joy Huerta Earns Outer Critics Circle Awards Nomination for Co-Composing “Real Women Have Curves” Score

Posted on April 25, 2025 by Tom Castaneda

Joy Huerta is celebrating a Curves-aceous shout out!

The 38-year-old Mexican Grammy– and Latin Grammy-winning singer and songwriter – a vocalist of Jesse & Joy, a duo she forms with her older brother, Jesse Huerta – has earned a nomination for this year’s Outer Critics Circle Awards.

Huerta is nominated in the Outstanding Score (Broadway or Off-Broadway) for co-composing the music and wrote the lyrics for the Broadway musical Real Women Have Curves alongside Benjamin Velez,

The musical is based on the play and film of the same name.

But Huerta isn’t the only Real contender this year.

Wilberth Gonzalez has earned an Outer Critics Circle Awards nod for Outstanding Ciostume Design.

The Latino costume designer and illustrator earned the nomination for his work alongside Paloma Young for Real Women Have Curves.

The winners of the 75th Anniversary Outer Critics Circle Awards will be announced on Monday, May 12, 2025, followed by an awards ceremony on Thursday, May 22, 2025.

The Outer Critics Circle is the official organization of writers on New York theater for out-of-town, national, and digital news publications. The Circle awards trophies for both Broadway and Off Broadway productions.

Here’s a look at this year’s nominees:

2025 OUTER CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD NOMINATIONS

Outstanding New Broadway Play
Cult of Love
The Hills of California
John Proctor Is the Villain
Purpose
Stranger Things: The First Shadow

Outstanding New Broadway Musical
Boop! The Musical
Death Becomes Her
Maybe Happy Ending
Operation Mincemeat
Real Women Have Curves

Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical
The Big Gay Jamboree
Drag: The Musical
We Live in Cairo

Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play
The Antiquities Grangeville
Here There Are Blueberries Liberation
Table 17

John Gassner Award (new American play preferably by a new playwright)
Amy Berryman, Walden
George Clooney and Grant Heslov, Good Night, and Good Luck
Marin Ireland, Pre-Existing Condition
Lia Romeo, Still
Emil Weinstein, Becoming Eve

Outstanding Revival of a Musical
Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Floyd Collins
Gypsy
Once Upon a Mattress
Sunset Boulevard

Outstanding Revival of a Play
Beckett Briefs: From the Cradle to the Grave
Glengarry Glen Ross
Romeo + Juliet
Vanya
Yellow Face

Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Play
Kit Connor, Romeo + Juliet
Laura Donnelly, The Hills of California
Mia Farrow, The Roommate
Jon Michael Hill, Purpose
Louis McCartney, Stranger Things: The First Shadow

Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Play
Kieran Culkin, Glengarry Glen Ross
LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Purpose
Francis Jue, Yellow Face
Mare Winningham, Cult of Love
Kara Young, Purpose

Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Musical
Darren Criss, Maybe Happy Ending
Jeremy Jordan, Floyd Collins
Audra McDonald, Gypsy
Jasmine Amy Rogers, Boop! The Musical
Nicole Scherzinger, Sunset Boulevard
Jennifer Simard, Death Becomes Her

Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Musical
Danny Burstein, Gypsy
Jak Malone, Operation Mincemeat
Michele Pawk, Just in Time
Christopher Sieber, Death Becomes Her
Michael Urie, Once Upon a Mattress

Outstanding Lead Performer in an Off-Broadway Musical
Nick Adams, Drag: The Musical
Marla Mindelle, The Big Gay Jamboree
Nkeki Obi-Melekwe, Safety Not Guaranteed
Alaska Thunderfuck, Drag: The Musical
Taylor Trensch, Safety Not Guaranteed

Outstanding Featured Performer in an Off-Broadway Musical
Ali Louis Bourzgui, We Live in Cairo Paris Nix, The Big Gay Jamboree Eddie Korbich, Drag: The Musical
Elaine Marcos, Drag: The Musical Andre De Shields, Cats: The Jellicle Ball Henry Stram, Three Houses

Outstanding Lead Performer in an Off-Broadway Play
Caroline Aaron, Conversations with Mother
Murray Abraham, Beckett Briefs: From the Cradle to the Grave
Jayne Atkinson, Still
Adam Driver, Hold On to Me Darling
Anthony Edwards, The Counter
Paul Sparks, Grangeville

Outstanding Featured Performer in an Off-Broadway Play
Betsy Aidem, Liberation Sean Bell, The Beacon
Michael Rishawn, Table 17
Richard Schiff, Becoming Eve
Frank Wood, Hold On to Me Darling

Outstanding Solo Performance
David Greenspan, I’m Assuming You Know David Greenspan
Khawla Ibraheem, A Knock on the Roof
Sam Kissajukian, 300 Paintings
Andrew Scott, Vanya
Sarah Snook, The Picture of Dorian Gray

Outstanding Book of a Musical (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Will Aronson and Hue Park, Maybe Happy Ending
David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, and Zoë Roberts, Operation Mincemeat
Daniel Lazour and Patrick Lazour, We Live in Cairo
Bob Martin, Boop! The Musical
Marco Pennette, Death Becomes Her

Outstanding Score (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Will Aronson and Hue Park, Maybe Happy Ending
David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, and Zoë Roberts, Operation Mincemeat
David Foster and Susan Birkenhead, Boop! The Musical
Joy Huerta and Benjamin Velez, Real Women Have Curves
Julia Mattison and Noel Carey, Death Becomes Her

Outstanding Orchestrations (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Will Aronson, Maybe Happy Ending
Doug Besterman, Death Becomes Her
Joseph Joubert and Daryl Waters, Pirates! The Penzance Musical
Daniel Lazour and Michael Starobin, We Live in Cairo
Andrew Resnick, Just in Time

Outstanding Direction of a Musical
Michael Arden, Maybe Happy Ending
Christopher Gattelli, Death Becomes Her
Robert Hastie, Operation Mincemeat
Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Jerry Mitchell, Boop! The Musical

Outstanding Direction of a Play
Trip Cullman, Cult of Love
Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Sam Mendes, The Hills of California
Phylicia Rashad, Purpose
Danya Taymor, John Proctor Is the Villain

Outstanding Choreography
Jenny Arnold, Operation Mincemeat
Warren Carlyle, Pirates! The Penzance Musical
Christopher Gattelli, Death Becomes Her
Shannon Lewis, Just in Time
Jerry Mitchell, Boop! the Musical

Outstanding Scenic Design
Miriam Buether, Jamie Harrison, and Chris Fisher, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Rachel Hauck, Swept Away
Rob Howell, The Hills of California
Dane Laffrey, Maybe Happy Ending
Derek McLane, Death Becomes Her

Outstanding Costume Design
Gregg Barnes, Boop! The Musical
Wilberth Gonzalez and Paloma Young, Real Women Have Curves
Rob Howell, The Hills of California
Qween Jean, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Paul Tazewell, Death Becomes Her

Outstanding Lighting Design
Kevin Adams, Swept Away
Natasha Chivers, The Hills of California
Jon Clark, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Ben Stanton, Maybe Happy Ending
Justin Townsend, Death Becomes Her

Outstanding Sound Design
Paul Arditti, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Adam Fisher, Sunset Boulevard
Peter Hylenski, Death Becomes Her
Peter Hylenski, Maybe Happy Ending
John Shivers, Swept Away

Outstanding Video/Projections
59, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Nathan Amzi and Joe Ransom, Sunset Boulevard
David Bergman, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Hana S. Kim, Redwood
Finn Ross, Boop! The Musical

Special Awards
Patrick Hoffman, the recently retired curator of the Theatre on Film and Tape Archive at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, in honor of over three decades of service to the theater community, during which time he ensured the preservation of over 1,200 productions.

Note on Eligibility
The following productions were considered in previous seasons, with only new elements eligible during this cycle: Buena Vista Social Club; Dead Outlaw; English; Hold On to Me Darling; Job; and Oh, Mary!. The following productions were not eligible for awards this season: All In: Comedy About Love, and Ben Platt: Live at the Palace.

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton” Cast Album Added to Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry

Posted on April 9, 2025 by Tom Castaneda

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s smash Broadway musical has earned a place in the Registry.

The 45-year-old Puerto Rican award-winning actor, composer, lyricist, producer, director and playwright’s cast album for his Tony Award-winning Broadway sensation Hamilton: An American Musical is among this year’s 25 additions to the National Recording Registry, which is administered by the Library of Congress.

This year’s selections span 102 years, from 1913 (a recording of “Aloha ‘Oe” by Hawaiian Quintette) to 2015 (Miranda’s Hamilton cast album).

Hamilton (2015) is the first Broadway cast album that was released since Sweeney Todd in 1979 to be selected.

The album, like the musical, has been a best-selling phenomenon, receiving Diamond certification (meaning 10 million copies sold) from the RIAA in 2023.

Produced by The Roots members Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter, the album preserves the musical’s original Broadway cast, and released September 25, 2015, via Atlantic Records.

Freddy Fender’s country/pop smash “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” (1975) has also been added to the Registry.

The late Mexican American singer’s song is one of three songs on the Registry to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

“Before the Next Teardrop Falls” topped that chart for two weeks.

The single — which features verses sung in both English and Spanish — broke boundaries in the music industry by becoming a crossover hit, reaching No. 1 on both the Hot Country Songs chart and the Billboard Hot 100.

Fender’s emotive performance and heartfelt delivery turned the song into a classic, showcasing the power of Latin voices in country music — a genre that initially had limited representation from Hispanic artists.

Vicente Fernández’s enduring ranchera classic “El Rey” (1973), one of the most recognizable songs in Regional Mexican music, joined the roster of Latin recordings in the Registry.

The late Mexican singer and actor’s iconic song appears on his 1973 album, El Ídolo de México, and it was written by José Alfredo Jiménez in 1971.

With its kingly themes of resilience and pride, “El Rey” has become emblematic of Chente’s enduring legacy, even inspiring a 2022 Netflix bioseries of the same name that celebrates his life and career. The mariachi singer — who died in 2021 — remains one of Mexico’s most celebrated musical figures, and his induction into the Registry further solidifies his enduring legacy.

More than 2,600 nominations were made by the public this year.

Under the terms of the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, the Librarian of Congress, with advice from the National Recording Preservation Board, selects 25 titles each year that are “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

Recordings become eligible for the Registry 10 years after release, compared to 25 years for the Grammy Hall of Fame. (Which means the Hamilton cast album won’t be eligible there for another 15 years.)

“These are the sounds of America – our wide-ranging history and culture,” Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said in a statement. “The Library of Congress is proud and honored to select these audio treasures worthy of preservation.”

Industry veteran Robbin Ahrold serves as chair of the National Recording Preservation Board. “This year’s National Recording Registry list is an honor roll of superb American popular music from the wide-ranging repertoire of our great nation,” he said in a statement.

These 25 recordings bring the number of titles on the Registry to 675. This represents just a tiny fraction of the Library’s vast recorded sound collection of nearly four million items.

Here’s the complete list of 2025 additions to the National Recording Registry. They are listed in chronological order by release date.

“Aloha ‘Oe” – Hawaiian Quintette (1913, Victor)
“Sweet Georgia Brown” – Brother Bones & His Shadows (1949, Tempo)
“Happy Trails” – Roy Rogers and Dale Evans (1952, RCA Victor)
Radio Broadcast of Game 7 of the 1960 World Series – Chuck Thompson (1960)
Harry Urata Field Recordings (1960-1980)
Hello Dummy! – Don Rickles (1968, Warner Bros.)
Chicago Transit Authority – Chicago (1969, Columbia)
Bitches Brew – Miles Davis (1970, Columbia)
“Kiss An Angel Good Mornin’” – Charley Pride (1971, RCA Victor)
“I Am Woman” – Helen Reddy (1972, Capitol)
“El Rey” – Vicente Fernández (1973, CBS)
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road – Elton John (1973, MCA)
“Before the Next Teardrop Falls” – Freddy Fender (1975, ABC/Dot)
I’ve Got the Music in Me – Thelma Houston & Pressure Cooker (1975, Sheffield Lab)
The Kӧln Concert – Keith Jarrett (1975, ECM)
Fly Like an Eagle – Steve Miller Band (1976, Capitol)
Nimrod Workman Collection (1973-1994)
Tracy Chapman – Tracy Chapman (1988, Elektra)
My Life – Mary J. Blige (1994, Uptown/MCA)
Microsoft Windows Reboot Chime – Brian Eno (1995)
“My Heart Will Go On” – Celine Dion (1997, 550 Music/Epic)
Our American Journey – Chanticleer (2002) (album, Warner Classics International)
Back to Black – Amy Winehouse (2006 album, Republic/Universal Music)
Minecraft: Volume Alpha – Daniel Rosenfeld (2011 album, self-released)
Hamilton: An American Musical – Original Broadway Cast Album (2015 album, Atlantic)

Lindsay Mendez to Participate in One-Night-Only Special Event “Broadway’s Leading Ladies”

Posted on February 24, 2025 by Tom Castaneda

Lindsay Mendez is leading a special charge on Broadway…

The 43-year-old half-Mexican American Tony Award-winning actress and singer will be among the featured stars in the upcoming one-night-only special event, Broadway’s Leading Ladies, set for New York City’s Town Hall on March 10.

The event will be broadcast on PBS later this year.

Mendez, who most recently starred in Merrily We Roll Along, joins a roster of leading ladies of The Great White Way that includes LaChanze, Kate Baldwin, Jennifer Holliday, Judy Kuhn, Jessie Mueller and Death Becomes Her star Jennifer Simard.

Additional all-star casting to be announced soon.

PBS, in partnership with No Guarantees and Nouveau Productions, said the performers were chosen in part for “unique contributions [that] have energized and defined the Broadway we know today.”

The leading ladies will be joined by members of the American Pops Orchestra, conducted by Luke Frazier, whose PBS credits include Wicked in Concert and Broadway’s Leading Men.

Frazier and the American Pops Orchestra last appeared at Town Hall in the critically acclaimed musical tribute to Edith Piaf.

A portion of the ticket proceeds will benefit the Women’s Health Initiative at the Entertainment Community Fund, founded by cancer survivor and Fund board member Phyllis Newman.

“Broadway’s Leading Ladies is a celebration of the profound influence and enduring legacy women have made in theater,” said Christine Schwarzman, President of No Guarantees, the production company partnering with PBS and Nouveau Productions on the event. “The Broadway leading lady is a timeless and cherished tradition, from the legendary Ethel Merman to the many remarkable women who grace the stage today.”

Broadway’s Leading Men aired on PBS in November and included performances by Something Rotten!‘s Christian Borle, Aladdin’s Jacob Gutierrez, Hamilton‘s Christopher Jackson, Glee‘s Matthew Morrison, and Hadestown’s André De Shields, among others.

Eva Noblezada to Reprise Tony-Nominated Role in Special Live & Filmed West End Engagement of “Hadestown”

Posted on January 30, 2025 by Tom Castaneda

Eva Noblezada is returning to the Greek underworld.

The 28-year-old half-Mexican American Tony Award-nominated and Grammy-winning actress and singer will return to Hadestown for a special live West End engagement.

Anaïs Mitchell’s hit Tony-winning Broadway musical – based on the Orpheus myth – will be professionally filmed live featuring the original Broadway cast, producers

Noblezada will reprise her Tony-nominated role as Eurydice for the special engagement.

Additionally, Reeve Carney will reprise his role as Orpheus from the original Broadway cast for the London pro-shoot. André De Shields as Hermes, Amber Gray as Persephone, and Patrick Page as Hades.

The filming will take place at London’s Lyric Theatre across three performances: Friday, February 28; and both matinee and evening performances on Saturday March 1. There will be 2,000 tickets in total available to purchase for the filmed performances, with tickets on sale Friday, January 31 at 12 pm.

Casting for performances between February 11 and March 9, including the filmed performances, will feature the previously announced original cast members from the National Theatre and the Tony and Grammy Award-winning Broadway productions.

Completing the cast will be Bella Brown, Madeline Charlemagne and Allie Daniel as Fates, Lauren Azania, Tiago Dhondt Bamberger, Waylon Jacobs and Christopher Short as Workers, and Lucinda Buckley, Francessca Daniella-Baker, Winny Herbert, Ryesha Higgs and Miriam Nyarko as Swings.

To prepare for the filming, performances from February 25 – 27 have been removed from the performance schedule. The producers have noted that there are currently no set plans or dates for the release of the film version.

Hadestown opened to huge critical acclaim at the Lyric Theatre, London in February last year, five years after a sold-out engagement at the National Theatre in 2018 and is now booking in the West End until September 28, 2025.

Hadestown is produced in London by Mara Isaacs, Dale Franzen, Hunter Arnold, Tom Kirdahy and the National Theatre in association with JAS Theatricals.

Justina Machado to Star in Broadway Production “Real Women Have Curves: The Musical”

Posted on January 17, 2025 by Tom Castaneda

Justina Machado is preparing to take on a curvy new role on Broadway.

The 52-year-old Puerto Rican SAG Award-winning actress and Broadway newcomer Tatianna Córdoba have been cast as the leads in the upcoming Broadway production Real Women Have Curves: The Musical.

Córdoba will make her debut starring as ambitious high school senior Ana Garcia (a role that marked America Ferrera’s breakout debut in the 2002 HBO film).

Starring alongside her will be Machado as Carmen Garcia, Ana’s hardworking mother who imagines a traditional life for her daughter.

Real Women Have Curves: The Musical is set to begin previews on April 1 at the James Earl Jones Theatre ahead of an opening night on April 27.

The official synopsis: It’s the summer of 1987, and Ana Garcia dreams of flying away from East Los Angeles. But when her family receives a make-or-break order for 200 dresses, Ana finds herself juggling her own ambitions, her mother’s expectations, and a community of women all trying to make it work against the odds.

The production also announced the full creative team for the Broadway run, which will feature direction & choreography by Sergio Trujillo, music and lyrics by Joy Huerta and composer/lyricist Benjamin Velez, book by Lisa Loomer with Nell Benjamin, and music supervision by Nadia DiGiallonardo.

The production will also feature music direction by Roberto Sinha, scenic design by Arnulfo Maldonado, costume design by Wilberth Gonzalez and Paloma Young, lighting design by Natasha Katz, sound design by John Shivers, video design by Hana S. Kim, and hair, wig, and make-up design by Krystal Balleza.

The musical is based on the play by Josefina López and HBO’s Real Women Have Curves (screenplay by Josefina López and George LaVoo). American Repertory Theater (A.R.T) at Harvard University produced the musical’s world premiere in 2023.

Machado’s previous credits include the television programs One Day at a Time, Queen of the South and Devious Maids, as well as the films The Purge: Anarchy and Final Destination 2.

Eva Noblezada Joining Cast of Broadway‘s “Cabaret at the KitKat Club” for Limited Run

Posted on January 16, 2025 by Tom Castaneda

Eva Noblezada is hitting the cabaret….

The 28-year-old half-Mexican American actress and singer, a two-time Tony Award nominee and Grammy winner, will join masked country music star Orville Peck in Broadway‘s Cabaret at the KitKat Club.

Noblezada and Peck are set as the new Sally Bowles and Emcee in the musical.

Peck, making his Broadway debut, and Noblezada will play a limited 16-week engagement at the August Wilson Theatre starting Monday, March 31, through Sunday, July 20.

They’ll take over for Adam Lambert and Auli‘i Cravalho who, as previously announced, will play their final performances on Saturday evening, March 29.

Casting for the two roles after Sunday, July 20, will be announced this summer.

The announcement was made by producers Adam Speers for ATG Productions, Underbelly, Gavin Kalin Productions, Hunter Arnold, Smith & Brant Theatricals and Wessex Grove.

Noblezada finishes her run as Daisy Buchanan in the hit Broadway musical The Great Gatsby on January 30, then joins other original Broadway cast members of Hadestown for a limited engagement reunion in the West End production.

She made her Tony-nominated Broadway debut in the 2017 revival of Miss Saigon, and on film she has appeared in Yellow Rose and Easter Sunday.

Said Noblezada, “While studying musical theater in school, Cabaret always stood out. I was, and am, amazed by the lineage of theater royalty who have been in the show. And Sally Bowles to me is simply… fascinating. She is like a totally conscious child who is also completely unhinged. Almost clownish. But real and raw and in your face. And that character amidst and against that backdrop of such an evil reality is painfully surreal. I am totally psyched to start learning more. And I am ready to be as submissive as possible to the iconic world that is Cabaret.”

Producers aren’t saying whether Peck will play the Emcee with or without a mask.

“The Emcee has been my dream role since I was a teenager,” said Peck, who is rarely seen in public without his signature, often-fringed mask and whose concert performances are highly theatrical. “The nature of the character allows for complete freedom of individual expression. It can be portrayed through such a vast range of emotions, perspectives, and performance styles. That kind of freedom is every actor’s dream.”

Peck, who trained as an actor at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and appeared on London’s West End in the Olivier Award-nominated Peter Pan Goes Wrong before releasing his innovative, career-making albums Pony (2019), Bronco (2022) and Stampede (2024), continued, “I truly cannot believe I’m getting to make my Broadway debut in one of my favorite shows and in probably my favorite role in all of musical theater. I grew up in the theater. I was a working actor and a dancer for many years before I started making music. I did the hustle, and the struggle, for a long time, trying to make things happen for myself. But it taught me so much of who I am as a performer and a person, so it feels very full circle to be making a return to it at this point in my career.”

In a statement, director Rebecca Frecknall said, “After such a brilliant collaboration with Adam Lambert, I’m thrilled to be able to bring yet another incredible contemporary musician into the role of the Emcee. Orville brings such theatricality to his own musical performance and has one of the most crystalline voices in music right. It’s going to be exciting to see him become a part of our production and hear him sing John Kander and Fred Ebb’s score.”

She continued, “I’ve followed Eva’s work for years and it’s a privilege to have her join the company as our next Sally Bowles on Broadway following Auli‘i’s magnificent run. She brings such truth and emotional vulnerability to her work and has a voice that always thrills. She is truly one of theater’s great leading ladies, so it only seems fitting for us to get to see her take on this great canonical role.”

Prior to Adam Lambert and Auli‘i Cravalho, Broadway’s Cabaret starred Eddie Redmayne and Gayle Rankin, who originated the roles last spring. The current cast also includes Bebe Neuwirth, Calvin Leon Smith, Steven Skybell, Henry Gottfried and Michelle Aravena.

Sebastian Yatra Makes Broadway Debut in “Chicago”

Posted on November 27, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Sebastian Yatra is taking a special stage…

The 30-year-old Colombian singer and actor made his Broadway debut this week in Chicago.

Yatra delivers a solid vocal performance and demonstrates an enjoyable stage presence as the charming, corrupt lawyer Billy Flynn in Chicago.

In the musical, he’s not the same singer of Latin pop chart-topping hits; he’ss a conscious cast member committed to the requirements of this type of show.

Yatra began his four-week engagement in the long-running musical on Monday (Nov. 25), where he shares leading roles with Broadway veterans Bianca Marroquín and Kimberly Marable, who play Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly, respectively.

Known for No. 1 hits on the Billboard Latin Airplay chart like “Tacones Rojos,” “Un Año” (with Reik) and “Robarte un Beso” (with Carlos Vives), Yatra makes the leap to the theater mecca two years after making his acting debut in the miniseries Once Upon a Time… Happily Never After.

Although he’s younger (and sweeter) than other actors who’ve played Billy Flynn — Jerry Orbach was almost 40 in the original 1975 production, and Richard Gere was 52 in the 2002 film adaptation — on Tuesday (Nov. 26), in only his second performance, Yatra shone, showing new vocal registers and singing classics like “Razzle Dazzle” and “We Both Reached for the Gun” in English.

While dancing is not considered his forte, he followed the choreography without issue and stood out with his bearing and likability.

“Everyone in Chicago is excited and proud of him,” Marroquín, who shares several scenes with Yatra in the performance, told Billboard Español on Tuesday as she left the theater. “He has done an exceptional job. He arrived super disciplined with everything memorized, very committed, very responsible, and on top of that he is a sweetheart. Being backstage with him is divine. He is a very beautiful soul. So I love having that connection because, besides, Roxie and Billy have a lot to do with each other in the show. We have created a beautiful friendship, a bond, a very nice chemistry.”

Set in the 1920s, Chicago is a scathing satire of how show business and the media make celebrities out of criminals. While the original production debuted in 1975, the current production, which opened on Broadway in 1996, holds the record for the longest-running American musical on Broadway. With a book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, music by John Kander and lyrics by Ebb, it includes killer songs like “All That Jazz,” “Cell Block Tango” and “Mr. Cellophane.”

With Yatra, the role of Billy Flynn now receives some Latin and contemporary flavor. “Latinos have something special even when we are speaking English, there is a lot of love within us, a lot of passion,” Yatra told Billboard Español in September, upon the announcement of his Broadway debut. “I think I can offer a perspective from someone who is living in 2024 at almost 30, how he sees that world, also knowing that I could have perfectly been a lawyer and could be that person standing there. Thank God Billy and I don’t share the same values, because that would be messed up!” he added with a laugh.

Over the years, Chicago has invited various Latin stars to join the musical for brief runs. Yatra joins a list that includes Colombian actress Sofia Vergara, who in 2009 played Matron “Mama” Morton, and Mexican singer and actor Jaime Camil, who in 2016 portrayed Billy Flynn.

Chicago is presented at the Ambassador Theatre (219 W. 49th St.) For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the Broadway musical’s site.

Kenny Ortega Teams Up with Former “Newsies” Team for Special Video to Get Out the Vote

Posted on October 15, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Kenny Ortega is makin’ news(ies) while getting out the vote…

The 74-year-old Spanish American prolific director, choreographer and producer has teamed up with composer Alan Menken and lyricist Jack Feldman have reunited for a non-partisan get out the vote video that features new performances of updated songs from Newsies.

The project is for Broadway Votes, the theater industry’s largest organized get out the vote effort, and features a remix video of Newsies’ “Carrying the Banner” and “Seize the Day” numbers.

The project reunites Ortega, the director of the 1992 film adaptation of the Broadway musical with Menken and Feldman for the first time since the film.

The songs are reframed for the 2024 election and newly re-recorded. The video was filmed at the Connelly Theater in Manhattan’s East Village.

The performers include leads from the original Newsies Broadway cast such as Ben Fankhauser, Andrew Keegan-Bolger, Kara Lindsay and Tommy Bracco, as well as notable Broadway actors such as Josh Strobl, Justin David Sullivan, Oyoyo Joi and Antonio Cipriano.

The Broadway musical’s book writer Harvey Fierstein was also involved.

“My gratitude to Broadway Votes for this joyous full circle opportunity to re-visit the spirit and empowering messages of my film Newsies,” Ortega said in a statement, “and for the privilege to collaborate with New York’s extraordinary Broadway and filmmaking communities in this non-partisan musical rally to get out and vote.”

Said Menken, “This medley, blending beloved songs from both the 1992 film and the Broadway production of Newsies, serves as a reminder of the power we hold as people who care about Democracy.” He added, “By reimagining these familiar tunes, we hope to inspire every American to exercise their fundamental right to vote. The magic of music and storytelling has always moved people – now we’re using that magic to move them to the polls.”

Broadway Votes launched in early September with a mission to motivate and mobilize theater lovers around the country to make a plan to vote. For National Voter Registration Day the initiative partnered with over 18 shows to encourage voter registration, and recently threw an all-star free concert in Times Square featuring Broadway actors and musicians.

Lin-Manuel Miranda Returning to Broadway in Simon Rich’s “All In: Comedy About Love”

Posted on September 23, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Lin-Manuel Miranda is returning to Broadway…

The 44-year-old Puerto Rican Tony Award-winning Broadway star will lead the second company of Simon Rich’s All In: Comedy About Love on Broadway this January, taking over when John Mulaney finishes up his limited run in a production featuring a revolving cast of actors.

The production, directed by Alex Timbers, begins performances on Wednesday, December 11 at the Hudson Theatre with the previously announced Mulaney-led cast of Fred Armisen, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Richard Kind and Chloe Fineman.

In a second roster of cast members for the final five weeks of the production, Miranda takes over on Tuesday, January 14, running through Sunday, February 16.

Appearing on various dates during Miranda’s run will be Aidy Bryant, Andrew Rannells, Sam Richardson, Jimmy Fallon, David Cross, Tim Meadows and Hank Azaria

Produced by Seaview and Lorne Michaels, the world premiere of the Rich comedy is a series of stories “about dating, heartbreak, marriage and that sort of thing,” adapted from the short stories of Rich and performed by a rotating cast.

Per the synopsis: “Sometimes they will play pirates, sometimes they will play dogs, and there’s one where we make them talk in British accents. But even though the show’s kind of all over the place, it’s meant to tell one simple story: that the most important part of life is who we share it with. We hope everybody will relate to it, even if it was their date’s idea to come and they are starting out from a place of quiet resentment.”

The musical duo The Bengsons (Abigail and Shaun Bengson) will perform songs live on stage from The Magnetic Fields (composer, Stephin Merritt), including from the album 69 Love Songs.

The dates for the initial cast are: John Mulaney (December 11 – January 12) Fred Armisen (December 11 – January 12) Renée Elise Goldsberry (December 11 – 30) Richard Kind (December 11 – January 12) Chloe Fineman (January 2 – 12).

Miranda will be joined by the following cast: Aidy Bryant (January 14 – February 2), Andrew Rannells (January 14 – 26), Sam Richardson (January 14 – February 2), Jimmy Fallon (January 28 – February 2) David Cross (February 4 – 9), Tim Meadows (February 4 – 16) and Hank Azaria (February 11 – 16).

All In is produced on Broadway by Seaview and Lorne Michaels with New Yorker Studios. Micah Frank and Caroline Maroney will produce on behalf of Broadway Video.

Hispanically Yours

Celebrating the Latino Influence

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