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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Audible Releases 2020 Tony Nominee The Sound Inside March 18

This post was originally published on Playbill - News

Written by: Dan Meyer

Audible continues its spring releases March 18 with an audio play version of 2020 Tony nominee The Sound Inside, starring Mary-Louise Parker and Will Hochman, reprising their roles from the Broadway production. The Adam Rapp play follows an Ivy League professor who approaches a mysterious student with a troubling proposal.

Also returning from the Broadway staging is director David Cromer, along with composer and sound designer Daniel Kluger.

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