Tag Archives: Spring Awakening

Krysta Rodriguez to Star in the Indie Comedy “Lunch Hour”

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Krysta Rodriguez is out to lunch…

The 40-year-old Latina actress, singer and Broadway star has signed on to star in Lunch Hour, a new indie comedy from director Larry Guterman and Winter State Entertainment.

Krysta Rodriguez,Rodriguez will be joined by Thomas Middleditch and Alan Cumming in the project.

Delving into the anatomy of an affair, Lunch Hour watches as a soup-loving married man meets the soup-loving married woman of his dreams. Thereafter, both throw caution to the wind and engage in a messy affair for the ages.

Oren Safdie wrote the script and serves as executive producer. Hamid & Camille Torabpour and Nick Hagen produced for Winter State.

“I am thrilled to work with Oren, Hamid, Camille and the Winterstate team to bring this whip-smart comedy, driven by nuanced and complex comic performances, to the screen,” Guterman told Deadline. “I fell in love with the script and I knew that I had to be part of the special project.”

Added the Torabpours, “Oren is a wonderful writer, and watching his words come to life with Larry’s incredible direction and the brilliant work of our amazing cast of Thomas, Krista and Alan has been a tremendous experience. Camille and I are happy to have brought a project like this to Minnesota!!”

Rodriguez, who rose to acclaim on television in Smash, portrayed Liza Minnelli in Netflix’s limited series Halston from executive producer Ryan Murphy and has also been seen in Broadway productions like Into the Woods, First Date, The Addams Family and Spring Awakening.

Krysta Rodriguez & Fellow “Smash” Cast & Crew to Mount Fully Staged & Choreographed Workshop This Month

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Krysta Rodriguez is one step closer to smashing it on Broadway again…

Smash, the stage musical adaptation of the NBC musical series of the same name starring the 39-year-old Latina actress/singer and Broadway star, is set to take another major step in its march to Broadway.

Krysta Rodriguez,The cast and crew will gather for six weeks starting this month to mount a fully staged and choreographed workshop, with an orchestra, culminating in five performances for recruited audiences.

The new Susan Stroman-directed musical, inspired by the NBC TV series, is slated for Broadway in the 2024-25 season.

In addition to Rodriguez, who starred on the original television series as Ana Vargas, the workshop cast includes Brooks Ashmanskas, Alex Brightman, Yvette Nicole Brown, Bella Coppola, newcomer Nihar Duvvuri, Casey Garvin, Robyn Hurder, Kristine Nielsen and Jonalyn Saxer.

The full company includes Wendi Bergamini, Giovanni Bonaventura, Jim Borstelmann, Zachary Downer, Tiffany Engen, Ashley Blair Fitzgerald, Megan Kane, Caleb Marshall-Villarreal, Connor McRory, JJ Niemann, Tanairi Sade Vazquez, Brian Shepard, Sarah Sigman, Jake Trammel and Katie Webber.

Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, who wrote songs for the series, also handle the score for the Smash musical, which will feature tunes from the TV show as well as new material. Book writers are Bob Martin and Rick Elice.

The musical is produced by Steven Spielberg, Robert Greenblatt and Neil Meron.

“Bob, Steven and I are thrilled to take this next big development step on the road to bringing ‘Smash’ where it was always meant to be: a Broadway theater,” Meron tells me. “Not a week goes by when someone doesn’t tell us how much they loved the original series, and it’s time to pull back the curtain on how we’re transforming this show into a funny, joyous stage musical.”

Greenblatt adds, “This workshop/rehearsal process will give the creative team a chance to get reactions from real theatergoers who will experience it for the first time in a theater setting. We’re so fortunate to be working with this fantastic cast of Tony and Emmy nominees, and it will be exciting to see the show on its feet, fully staged by Susan Stroman and choreographed by Josh Bergasse.”

Rodriguez’s previous theater credits include Cabaret, Into the Woods, West Side Story, Spring Awakening and The Addams Family.

Krysta Rodriguez to Star in Broadway Production of Anthony McCarten’s “The Collaboration” 

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Krysta Rodriguez is working on a new collaboration…

The 38-year-old Latina actress/singer and Broadway star and Erik Jensen will complete the cast of the upcoming Broadway production of Anthony McCarten’s The Collaboration starring the previously announced actors Paul Bettany and Jeremy Pope.

Krysta Rodriguez,The play, a hit in London, depicts the artistic collaboration of painters Andy Warhol (Bettany) and Jean-Michel Basquiat (Pope), will make its American premiere in a Manhattan Theatre Club production beginning previews on Tuesday, November 29 ahead of a Tuesday, December 20 opening at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre.

Rodriguez will play Basquiat’s girlfriend “Maya” and Jensen will portray “Bruno Bischofberger,” the art dealer and gallery owner who brings Warhol and Basquiat together. Kwame Kwei-Armah directs.

The casting announcement was made today by Manhattan Theatre Club, Lynne Meadow (Artistic Director) and Barry Grove (Executive Producer) and the Young Vic Theatre, Kwame Kwei-Armah (Artistic Director) and Lucy Davies (Executive Director) by special arrangement with Eleanor Lloyd Productions, Anthology Theatre, Stanley Buchthal, and Denis O’Sullivan.

Rodriguez’s previous Broadway credits include Spring Awakening, Into The Woods, Hercules, A Chorus Line and The Addams Family.

Michele & Ryan Murphy Open to Bringing a “Funny Girl” Revival to Broadway

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Lea Michele’s Glee character has already brought a Funny Girl revival to Broadway on the series…

But will the 25-year-old part-Spanish actress/singer and former Broadway star bring the beloved musical to The Great White Way in real life?

Lea Michele

Michele and Glee co-creator Ryan Murphy are considering whether to bring the beloved musical back to Broadway, Entertainment Weekly reports.

“I have the rights to it,” Murphy told the magazine. “It’s something that we’re talking about. I’ve never done Broadway. I’ve always wanted to. Right now, we’re just sort of testing the waters with different people.”

Michele expressed interest in the project in March. “When the time is right and I have had the chance to get some good rest for a while after Glee and I feel ready to do it then definitely we will do it,” she told BroadwayWorld.com.

It sounds like fans will have to wait for a Funny Girl revival.

“[Lea] and I have made no mistake of our mutual love for that property, so if it could come together at a time that she’d be willing to make that commitment to go back to Broadway — which I don’t know that she is right now — it would have to be the right director and the right leading man,” Murphy said.

With Glee ending next season, the timing may be right for the actress to head back to Broadway.

Before her breakthrough role on the Fox series, Michele starred in Broadway productions of Les Misérables, Ragtime, Fiddler on the Roof and Spring Awakening.

Rodriguez to Star on NBC’s “Smash” Next Season

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Krysta Rodriguez is preparing to make a smash on television…

The 27-year-old Latina Broadway actress/singer has joined the cast of NBC’s Smash as a series regular, according to TVLine.

Krysta Rodriguez

Rodriguez, who most recently starred as Wednesday in the Broadway adaptation of The Addams Family, will play Ana, the roommate to Katharine McPhee’s character Karen, in the Broadway drama’s second season.

She joins new cast members Jennifer Hudson, Newsies‘ Jeremy Jordan and Andy Mientus.

Rodriguez has previously appeared in In the Heights, Spring Awakening, A Chorus Line and Good Vibrations. On television, Rodriguez has guest-starred on the CW’s Gossip Girl.

The second season of Smash, the musical drama about the Broadway starring Emmy winner Debra Messing, Oscar winner Anjelica Huston and Megan Hilty, is set for a midseason premiere.