New Musical Adaptation of “The Great Gatsby,” Starring Eva Noblezada, to Open on Broadway This Spring

Posted on January 16, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Eva Noblezada is preparing for a great time on Broadway…

A new musical adaptation of The Great Gatsby, starring the 27-year-old half-Mexican American actress/singer and Broadway star and Jeremy Jordan, will open on Broadway this spring, producers have announced.

The musical begins previews on Friday, March 29, at The Broadway Theatre, with an opening night set for Thursday, April 25.

The announcement was made by lead producer Chunsoo Shin.

Direct from a record-breaking, sold-out world premiere at Paper Mill Playhouse last fall, the show features music and lyrics by Tony Award nominees Nathan Tysen & Jason Howland, a book by Kait Kerrigan, and is staged by award-winning director Marc Bruni and choreographer Dominique Kelley.

The Broadway premiere of The Great Gatsby will feature scenic and projection design by Paul Tate de Poo III, costume design by Linda Cho, lighting design by Cory Pattak, sound design by Brian Ronan, hair & wig design by Charles G. LaPointe & Rachael Geier. Arrangements are by Jason Howland, and Orchestrations are by Jason Howland and Kim Scharnberg. The Music Director is Daniel Edmonds and the music producer is Billy Jay Stein for Strike Audio. Mark Shacket of Foresight Theatrical serves as Executive Producer.

The musical’s world premiere engagement was the highest grossing show in Paper Mill Playhouse history.

The production, which ran October 12–November 12, 2023, also broke the theater’s record for ticket sales in a single day, and sold out the entire run before its very first performance.

This production is not to be confused with a Gatsby stage musical announced in 2021 with Florence Welch and Thomas Bartlett attached.

Noblezada made her Broadway debut as Kim in a revival of Miss Saigon, a performance for which she received a nomination for a 2017 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical, becoming one of the youngest nominees in the category, at age 21.

She also originated the lead role of Eurydice in Hadestown on Broadway, a performance for which she received her second nomination for a 2019 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical, as well as winning the 2020 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. Noblezada also played the title character of Rose in the 2020 film Yellow Rose, starring alongside Lea Salonga, who originated the role of Kim in Miss Saigon.

Bruno Mars Named to Gold House’s A100 List of Impactful Asians & Pacific Islanders

Posted on May 3, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Bruno Mars has earned a spot on the A(100) List…

The 36-year-old part-Puerto Rican Grammy-winning singer/songwriter and his Silk Sonic group mate Anderson .Paak have been named to Gold House’s 2022 A100 List, which seeks to recognize the 100 APIs (Asians and Pacific Islanders) who have most significantly impacted American culture and society in the last year across various industries.

Mars, who was born in Hawaii and is part Filipino, and .Paak won four Grammys at this year’s awards show for their chart-topping single “Leave the Door Open.”

The A100 List was announced to help commemorate Asian & Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

Other honorees include Michelle Yeoh, Dwayne Johnson and Mindy Kaling as this year’s A100 Legends, while Gemma Chan and Kelly Marie Tran are among the A100 Hall of Fame Inductees for 2022.

Additional honorees in the Entertainment section of the list Simu Liu, Chloé Zhao, Bowen Yang, Turning Red helmer Domee Shi, the creative teams and stars of Pachinko and Squid Game, Jimmy O. Yang, Destin Daniel Cretton, Riz Ahmed and Ryuske Hamaguchi.

The annual lists’ honorees are selected by a selection committee. Among this year’s judges are Lea Salonga, Daniel Dae Kim, Lisa Link, Janet Yang and Janice Min.

Gold House will celebrate the notable APIs at its inaugural in-person Gold Gala on May 21 in downtown Los Angeles.

Click here for the full list.

Anthony Ordonez to Appear on HBO Max’s Upcoming “Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin” Series

Posted on November 4, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Anthony Ordonez is Pretty busy these days…

The Latino actor has been cast in a recurring role on HBO Max’s upcoming Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin reboot.

Ordonez is part of a list of new cast additions that includes Cristala Carter, Derek Klena, Kate Jennings Grant, Robert Stanton, Jennifer Ferrin, Lilla Crawford, Brian Altemus and Jeffrey Bean.

The present-day iteration of the popular 2010-17 series hails from Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Lindsay Calhoon Bring, Alloy Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television.

Written by Aguirre-Sacasa and Calhoon Bring, the reboot based on the bestselling books by Sara Shepard will feature a new story and new characters. Twenty years ago, a series of tragic events almost ripped the blue-collar town of Millwood apart. Now, in the present day, a group of disparate teen girls — a brand-new set of Little Liars — find themselves tormented by an unknown Assailant and made to pay for the secret sin their parents committed two decades ago…as well as their own. In the dark, coming-of-age, horror-tinged drama Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin, we find ourselves miles away from Rosewood, but within the existing Pretty Little Liars universe — in a brand-new town, with a new generation of Little Liars.

The nine recurring join previously announced series regulars Chandler Kinney, Bailee Madison, Maia Reficco, Malia Pyles, Zaria, Mallory Bechtel, Sharon Leal, Elena Goode, Lea Salonga, Alex Aiono and Eric Johnson.

Ordonez will portray Mr. Gardner, the Computer Science Teacher at Millwood High. Known as Mr. Gee, Mr. Gardner is a mentor and friend to Minnie (Pyles).

Aguirre-Sacasa executive produces via his Muckle Man Productions, with Alloy’s Leslie Morgenstein and Gina Girolamo, as well as Michael Grassi and Caroline Baron.

Lisa Soper will direct the first two episodes.

Ordonez’s previous credits include appearances on Manifest and Blue Bloods.

Santino Fontana to Perform During Broadway “Show of Titles” Musical Event to Benefit The Actors Fund

Posted on May 20, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Santino Fontana is a title(s) act…

The 39-year-old part-Spanish America actor will perform at Show of Titles, a special livestreamed musical event next month benefiting The Actors Fund.

Fontana joins a lineup of nearly 30 stars – from Glenn Close, Patti LuPone, Darren Criss, Kelsey Grammar and David Alan Grier to Jake Gyllenhaal, Joshua Henry and Phillipa Soo – who will perform title songs from more than 20 musicals.

The event will feature title songs of Broadway musicals spanning nine decades, from “Lady Be Good” to “The Light in the Piazza.”

The line-up also includes Annaleigh Ashford, Len Cariou, Isabelle Huppert, Norm Lewis, Rob McClure, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Melba Moore, Jessie Mueller, Eva Noblezada, Kelli O’Hara, Laura Osnes, Steven Pasquale, Michael Rupert, Ernie Sabella, Lea Salonga, Will Swenson, Aaron Tveit, Leslie Uggams, Vanessa Williams and Patrick Wilson.

Making special appearances will be Broadway Inspirational Voices, Candice Bergen, Danny Burstein, Bryan Cranston, Sheldon Harnick, John Kander, Angela Lansbury, John Lithgow, Lindsay Mendez, Phylicia Rashad, Ben Vereen, BD Wong and Florian Zeller.

Conceived by Broadway’s Best Shows producer Jeffrey Richards, Show of Titles will be directed by Lonny Price, with music direction by Jason Howland, and livestreamed on June 8, 8:00 pm ET on Stellar for a limited time only.

Tickets went on sale May 17 for $29 ($39 starting May 21), with all sales donated to The Actor’s Fund.

Composers represented include Lee Adams, Maxwell Anderson, Burt Bacharach, Irving Berlin, Jerry Bock, Bertolt Brecht, Cy Coleman, Betty Comden, Joe Darion, Hal David, Fred Ebb, Gary Geld, George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, Adolph Green, Adam Guettel, Oscar Hammerstein, Sheldon Harnick, Jerry Herman, John Kander, Burton Lane, Mitch Leigh, Alan Jay Lerner, Frank Loesser, Frederick Loewe, Galt MacDermot, Cole Porter, James Rado, Gerome Ragni, Richard Rodgers, Charles Strouse, Jule Styne, Peter Udell and Kurt Weill.

Valentina to ‘Drag Out the Vote’ at Variety Show “Divas For Democracy: United We Slay”

Posted on October 5, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Valentina’s prepared to drag out the vote…

The 29-year-old Mexican American drag performer and former RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant will team up with some of her fellow queens and Broadway celebrities to get out the vote for November’s presidential election.

Valentina and divas from the drag world and icons of the stage will come together for Divas For Democracy: United We Slay, a one-night-only variety show extravaganza promoting voter participation and key issues relating to the LGBTQIA+ community in the upcoming 2020 election.

Presented by the nonprofit voter engagement organization Drag Out the Vote and hosted by RuPaul’s Drag Race star Nina West and Entertainment Tonight‘s Keltie Knight, Divas for Democracy: United We Slay features scores of talent who’ll sing and lip-synch through dazzling performances of theater classics and pop songs.

Special segments will highlight LGBTQIA+ activists in a nonpartisan effort to shine a light on community participation in the political process, including celebrity appearances by Tony winner Cyndi Lauper, Drag Race panelist Michelle Visage, Harvey Fierstein, James Monroe Iglehart, Bianca Del Rio, Shangela, Cheyenne Jackson, Mila Jam, and Oscar-winning actress Allison Janney.

In addition to Valentina, other drag superstars slated to perform during the broadcast include Alaska, Jinkx Monsoon, Jujubee, Peppermint, Cynthia Lee Fontaine, Shuga Cain, Honey Davenport, and Drag Out the Vote’s national co-chairs Brita Filter, Marti Gould Cummings, and Pixie Aventura.

Broadway figures set to appear include legendary three-time Tony-winning actress Chita Rivera, as well as Tony winners Stephanie J. Block, Lea Salonga, Nikki M. James, Beth Leavel and Annaleigh Ashford. Also joining the program are stage stars Shoshana Bean, Eden Espinosa, Jenn Collela, Chilina Kennedy, Keala Settle, Tamika Lawrence, L Morgan Lee, and Our Lady J.

The presentation will be directed by Josh Rhodes and Lee Wilkins, whose joint careers include work choreographing Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, First Date, It Shoulda Been You, and Bright Star on Broadway. Tony winner Stephen Oremus will serve as music supervisor.

“One in five LGBTQIA+ people is not registered to vote, and 100 million people did not vote in the 2016 election. We must fix this,” said Drag Out the Vote founder Jackie Huba in a press statement. “We are excited to bring together the worlds of Broadway and drag to inspire voters to sashay their way to the polls or their mailboxes.”

Divas for Democracy: United We Slay airs October 18 at 8:00 p.m. ET exclusively on StageIt. Tickets — available on a “donate-what-you-can” basis — go on sale Thursday at 10:00 a.m. ET at divasfordemocracy.com.

New Heart-Tugging Trailer Released for Eva Noblezada’s Musical Drama “Yellow Rose”

Posted on October 1, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Eva Noblezada’s blooming with pride…

The latest trailer for the 24-year-old half-Mexican American actress/singer and Broadway star’s upcoming musical drama Yellow Rose has been released.

The clip for the film, directed by Diane Paragas, features an intimate moment where Tony Award-winner and Grammy-nominee Lea Salonga is singing the classic Filipino song “Dahil Sa Iyo” to her child as a lullaby while the Grammy-winner and two-time Tony nominee Noblezada tearfully listens outside — it’s a moment of the film that will tug at your heartstrings.

Yellow Rose marks Paragas’ narrative feature debut and follows a Filipino teen named Rose (Noblezada), who is from a small Texas town. She fights to pursue her dreams as a country music performer while facing the threat of deportation. As Rose flees, she looks to her aunt (Salonga) for help and stays with her as she figures out her next move.

The film also stars Princess Punzalan, Dale Watson, Gustavo Gomez, Libby Villari and Liam Booth.

The film, directed by and starring Filipino women, is one of the first major studio releases to address the timely topic of the immigration experience in America from a Filipino lens.

The film made its debut last year at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF).

It was acquired by Sony Pictures Worldwide. Sony Pictures and Stage 6 Films will debut the film in theaters on October 9, just in time for Filipino American History Month.

Eva Noblezada to Star Opposite Lea Salonga in the Musical Drama “Yellow Rose”

Posted on September 11, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

Everything’s coming up Roses for Eva Noblezada…

The 22-year-old half-Mexican American actress and singer will star in the musical drama Yellow Rose.

Noblezada, who received a Tony Award nomination for her lead role as Kim in the 2014 West End and 2017 Broadway revivals of Miss Saigon, will star opposite Tony Award winner Lea Salonga, who portrayed Kim in the original Broadway cast.

Directed by Diane Paragas, Yellow Rose tells the story of a 17-year old Filipino American girl from Texas who secretly dreams of becoming a country music star. When her mom is arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, she runs away and is forced to embark on a journey to forge her own path or face deportation with her mother back to the Philippines.

This will mark Noblezada feature film debut. In addition to Salonga, she’ll also star alongside country music artist Dale Watson, Liam Booth, Gustavo Gomez(Walking Dead, Animal Kingdom),Libby Villari (Boyhood) and Princess Punzalan.

The film will feature original music composed and performed by the cast and director.

Lin-Manuel Miranda to Perform at This Year’s Tony Awards

Posted on June 8, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Lin-Manuel Miranda is making his triumphant return to the Tony Awards…

The 37-year-old Puerto Rican composer, playwright, actor and singer will perform on Sunday’s Tonycast, almost one year after his hit Broadway musical Hamilton swept the awards.

The casts of Bandstand, Come From Away, Dear Evan Hansen, Falsettos, Groundhog Day The Musical, Hello, Dolly!, Miss Saigon, Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 and War Paint will perform during 71st Annual Tony Awards, which CBS will broadcast live from Radio City Music Hall from 8:00 to 11:00 PM.

There’s still no word on what Miranda will perform.

There will be additional performances by The Radio City Rockettes and Tony Award winners Cynthia Erivo (The Color Purple) and Leslie Odom Jr. (Hamilton).

There will be additional appearances by Scott Bakula, Sara Bareilles, Orlando Bloom, Rachel Bloom, Glenn Close, Stephen Colbert, Brian d’Arcy James, Cynthia Erivo, Tina Fey, Sutton Foster, Josh Gad, Whoopi Goldberg, Jonathan Groff, Mark Hamill, Taraji P. Henson, Christopher Jackson, Allison Janney, Scarlett Johansson, Anna Kendrick, Keegan-Michael Key, Nick Kroll, John Legend, John Lithgow, Patina Miller, John Mulaney, David Oyelowo, Chazz Palminteri, Sarah Paulson, Lea Salonga, Tom Sturridge, Tommy Tune, Olivia Wilde, and 2017 Tony nominees Sally Field, Josh Groban, Bette Midler and Ben Platt.

Although Midler will appear as a presenter in one of the acting categories, she is not scheduled to participate in the Hello, Dolly! segment, which will be led by co-star Hyde Pierce. The blockbuster production’s offer to present the title song, or another of Dolly’s show-stoppers, live via remote from the Shubert Theatre was declined by the Tony producers.

The ceremony will be hosted by Tony and Academy Award-winning actor Kevin Spacey.

The Tony Awards are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing.

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