Andréa Burns to Star in the Hulu Comedy Series “Up Here”

Posted on July 4, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Andréa Burns is movin’ on Up (Here)…

The 51-year-old half-Venezuelan actress and singer has been cast in the Hulu comedy Up Here, starring Mae Whitman and Carlos Valdes.

The musical romantic comedy from 20th Television and Old 320 Sycamore Prods. is set in New York City in 1999.

It follows an ordinary couple (Whitman as Lindsay and Valdes as Miguel) as they fall in love while discovering the single greatest obstacle to finding happiness together might just be themselves.

Original songs for the series are from Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez.

Burns, best known for her portrayal of the hairdresser Daniela in Lin-Manuel Miranda‘s Tony Award-winning musical In the Heights, will portray Rosie, Miguel’s mother.

Other series regulars include Katie Finneran, John Hodgman, Sophia Hammons and newcomer Emilia Suárez as Renee, the queen bee of Miguel’s high school.

Recurring characters are Ned (George Hampe), Fiona (Julia McDermott), Orson (Scott Porter, Marta (Ayumi Patterson), and Ted aka Mr. McGooch (Brian Stokes Mitchell).

Production on the show, which has an eight-episode straight-to-series order, begins this summer in New York. Writers/executive producers are Steven Levenson (showrunner), Danielle Sanchez-Witzel, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez.

Carlos Valdes to Star in Hulu’s Musical Romantic Comedy Series “Up Here”

Posted on June 13, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Carlos Valdes is movin’ on up (here)…

The 33-year-old Colombian-American actor and singer will star in Hulu’s musical romantic comedy series Up Here alongside Mae Whitman.

Valdes will portray Miguel, who is described as sensitive and thoughtful, with an artistic sensibility and a romantic streak. Miguel has always struggled with the feeling that he doesn’t quite belong. But after a cataclysmic breakup, Miguel has decided to reinvent himself, burying his feelings and ditching a promising career as a video game concept artist for the lucrative world of investment banking, determined never to get hurt again.

Written by Steven Levenson, Danielle Sanchez-Witzel, Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez and directed by Thomas Kail, Up Here is set in New York City in the waning days of 1999. It follows the extraordinary story of one ordinary couple, Lindsay (Whitman) and Miguel, as they fall in love and discover that the single greatest obstacle to finding happiness together might just be themselves – and the treacherous world of memories, obsessions, fears, and fantasies that lives inside their heads.

Anderson-Lopez and Lopez will pen original songs for the series.

Production on the show, which has an eight-episode straight-to-series order, is set to begin this summer in New York. 20th Television is the studio, producing with Kail’s Old 320 Sycamore Productions.

Valdes most recently appeared in the Starz Watergate drama Gaslit as FBI agent Paul Magallanes. Before that, he had a seven-season run as Cisco Ramon on The Flash and numerous other Arrowverse shows including Arrow, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, and Supergirl.

He made his Broadway debut in 2013 in the Tony Award-winning musical Once.

Hulu Gives Series Order to Danielle Sanchez-Witzel’s Musical Romantic Comedy Series “Up Here”

Posted on February 4, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Things are looking good for Danielle Sanchez-Witzel up here…

Hulu has given an eight-episode series order to Up Here, a musical romantic comedy from the Mexican American comedy writer/producer, Steven Levenson, director Thomas Kail, and the Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez.

20th Century Television and Kail’s Old 320 Sycamore Productions co-produce the series, which is casting with production set to begin this summer in New York.

Kail will direct Up Here, written by Levenson, Sanchez-Witzel, Anderson-Lopez and Lopez. Anderson-Lopez and Lopez will also pen original songs for the series. The quintet executive produces with Jennifer Todd.

Up Here is a musical romantic comedy set in New York City in the waning days of 1999, following the extraordinary story of one ordinary couple as they fall in love and discover that the single greatest obstacle to finding happiness together might just be themselves – and the treacherous world of memories, obsessions, fears, and fantasies that lives inside their heads.

The project falls under the overall deal Kail and Todd signed with 20th TV in 2020 to develop for all platforms under Kail’s Old 320 Sycamore Pictures banner.

For Sanchez-Witzel, currently under a deal with Netflix, Up Here stems from the overall deal she had at 20^th Century Television where she served as showrunner on the praised comedy The Carmichael Show.

Universal Releases First Trailer for Danny Pino’s Film Adaptation of the Broadway Musical “Dear Evan Hansen”

Posted on May 18, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a Dear moment for Danny Pino…

Universal Pictures has released the first trailer for the much-anticipated film adaptation of Broadway’s award-winning musical Dear Evan Hansen, starring the 47-year-old Cuban American actor.

Stephen Chbosky directs, with Ben Platt reprising the lead role that made him a Broadway star.

Over Platt’s rendition of the musical’s breakout song “You Will Be Found,” the trailer includes clips from the film featuring Platt, Kaitlyn Dever, Amy Adams, Julianne Moore, Amandla Stenberg, Nik Dodani, DeMarius Copes, Pino and Colton Ryan.

The musical follows Evan Hansen, an anxious and isolated high school student whose letter to himself is found in the pocket of a classmate (Ryan) who died by suicide, with the note misinterpreted by the classmate’s parents as a suicide letter.

The film is written for the screen by the musical’s Steven Levenson with music and lyrics by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul.

Dear Evan Hansen is produced by Marc Platt and Adam Siegel, and is executive produced by Michael Bederman, Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. Universal Pictures will distribute the film in all territories.

The movie opens in theaters on September 24.

Danny Pino to Star in Universal’s Film Adaptation of the Broadway Hit Musical “Dear Evan Hansen”

Posted on August 29, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Danny Pino has landed a Dear role…

The 46-year-old Cuban American actor has joined the ensemble cast of Universal’s film adaptation of the Broadway hit musical Dear Evan Hansen, joining Ben Platt, Kaitlyn Dever, Amy Adams and Amandla Stenberg.

The story follows Hansen, a high school student with social anxiety. He unintentionally gets caught up in a lie after the family of a classmate who committed suicide mistakes one of Hansen’s letters for their son’s suicide note.

Pino will play the stepfather to the classmate that commits suicide.

Steven Levenson, who wrote the book for the stage musical, wrote the script, and Benj Pasek and Justin Paul wrote the music and penned the original lyrics for the musical and film.

Stephen Chbosky will direct.

Pino is best known as the cartel boss Miguel on FX’s series Mayans M.C.

His other credits include Cold Case, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Across the Hall and The Burning Plain.

Robin de Jesus to Star in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Directorial Debut Project “tick, tick…BOOM!”

Posted on November 5, 2019 by Tom Castaneda

Robin de Jesus’ career is in full boom…

The 35-year-oldPuerto Rican actor and Broadway star has joined the cast of tick, tick…BOOM!, the feature directorial debut project from Lin-Manuel Miranda.

de Jesus will star opposite Andrew Garfield, Alexandra Ship and Vanessa Hudgensin the Netflix adaptation based on the autobiographical Off-Broadwayshow written by the late Jonathan Larson.

The musical, written by Steven Levenson, is set in 1990 and will follow Jon (Garfield), an aspiring theater composer who waits tables in New York City while writing Superbia, which he hopes will be the great American musical that will finally give him his big career break. The young man is feeling pressure from his girlfriend Susan (Shipp), who is tired of continuing to put her life on hold for Jon’s career aspiration. Meanwhile, Jon’s best friend and roommate Michael has given up on his creative dream and has taken a high paying advertising job on Madison Avenue and is preparing to move out. As Jon approaches his 30th birthday, he is overcome with anxiety, wondering if his own impossible dream is worth the cost.

Miranda is producing with Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, and Julie Ohof Imagine Entertainment. Julie Larson, sister of Rentcreator Jonathan, will serve as an executive producer along with Levenson and Celia Costas.

de Jesusearned a Tony Award nomination for his performance on Miranda’s In the Heights, La Cage aux Folles, and The Boys in the Band. He’s also starred in stage productions of Rentand Wicked.

Bianca Marroquin to Portray Chita Rivera in FX’s Limited Drama Series “Fosse/Verdon”

Posted on November 20, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

Bianca Marroquin is a Chita girl…

The 43-year-old Mexican musical theatre and television actress has been cast in FX’s high-profile eight-episode limited drama series Fosse/Verdon, starring Oscar winner Sam Rockwell and Oscar nominee Michelle Williams in the title roles.

Written by Sam Wasson and based on his Fosse bio, the limited series tells the story of the singular romantic and creative partnership between Bob Fosse (Rockwell) and Gwen Verdon (Williams). He was a visionary filmmaker and one of theater’s most influential choreographers and directors. She was the greatest Broadway dancer of all time. Together they changed the face of American entertainment – at a perilous cost. Featuring Fosse’s choreography, the series explores the hidden corners of show business, the price of pursuing greatness, and the suffering inflicted in the name of art.

Marroquin will portray the legendary Chita Rivera in the series, which will also star Norbert Leo Butz, Margaret Qualley, Evan Handler, Aya Cash, Nate Corddry, Susan Misner, Kelli Barrett, Rick Holmes, Paul Reiser, Ethan Slater, Byron Jennings and Laura Osnes.

Originally from Mexico, Marroquin made her Broadway debut as Roxie Hart in Chicago in 2002 and has since appeared on Broadway in The Pajama GameandIn the Heights. On television in Miami and Mexico City, she can be seen as a judge in Pequeños Gigantes and Mira Quien Baila, among others.

The project hails from award-winning producers Thomas Kail, Steven Levenson, Lin Manuel-Miranda and Joel Fields, FX Television Studios and FX Productions.

Production on the series is currently underway in New York City ahead of its spring 2019 premiere on FX.

Hispanically Yours

Celebrating the Latino Influence

Tag Archives: Steven Levenson