Looking Back at Frozen’s Journey To Broadway

This post was originally published on Playbill - Features

Written by: Marc J. Franklin

Following a Denver tryout, Disney’s Frozen opened on Broadway at the St. James Theatre March 22, 2018. The musical, directed by Michael Grandage with choreography by Rob Ashford, played 26 previews and 822 performances before closing March 11, 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The production earned three Tony Award nominations including Best musical.

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When Kathleen Turner Brought Maggie the Cat Back to Broadway

This post was originally published on Playbill - Features

Written by: Harry Haun

A little Body Heat is being applied to Cat on a Hot Tin Roof these days in the shapely, silk-slipped form of Kathleen Turner, hiking the theatre temperature appreciably. She turned instant star her first time on film — as the tragically literal femme fatale of the 1981’s Body Heat — and she has been circling for a Broadway opening ever since. It actually comes to pass this month when Turner stars, in her glamorous and predatory fashion, as Maggie the Cat, prowling through Tennessee William’s 1955 Pulitzer Prize–winner about Southern-fried avarice and mendacity.

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Playbill Vault’s Today in Theatre History: March 21

This post was originally published on Playbill - News

Written by: Playbill Staff

1867 Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. is born in Chicago, Illinois. He goes on to become one of the most powerful showmen ever. His Follies, filled with beautiful women and exciting variety acts, becomes a 25-year tradition following the first Follies of 1907. He introduces talent such as Fanny Brice, Bert Williams, Ed Wynn, W.C. Fields, Marion Davies, Eddie Cantor, and Will Rogers.

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Celebrate 7 Years of Disney’s Aladdin on Broadway

This post was originally published on Playbill - Features

Written by: Marc J. Franklin

Disney’s Aladdin, which opened March 20, 2014 at the New Amsterdam Theatre, celebrates seven years on Broadway today. Aladdin, directed and choreographed Casey Nicholaw, was nominated for five Tony Awards including Best Musical, with James Monroe Iglehart winning Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance as The Genie.

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Playbill Experiences and Neil Maxfield are Bringing West End History Into Your Home

This post was originally published on Playbill - News

Written by: Victoria Cairl

Seeing a show in London’s West End is a special experience for many reasons, but one is the centuries-long history surrounding the dozens of theaters. Where can you learn more about those storied performance halls? Enter Neil Maxfield, owner of The West End Musical Walking Tour. He takes tourists around the famed theatre district discovering fascinating architecture, anecdotes, and historical figures from the 1700’s to today.

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Freeze Frame: An Inside Look at James Jin’s Showstopping Dance Photography

This post was originally published on Playbill - Features

Written by: Marc J. Franklin

Watching a piece of choreography, one sees image after image, animated through movement, brought to life by a performer. But distilling dance to a single picture is an art form all its own. From just a few movements, an audience can immediately discern a story, an emotion, or even identify a choreographer. The flexed jazz hands in Bob Fosse’s work in Chicago, the kick line in Michael Bennett’s work in A Chorus Line, and more all take on a life of their own when isolated from the larger body of work.

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