Video Montage of ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie’!

Previews of ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie Are Underway At The Goodspeed Opera House!

 “So beat the drums ’cause here comes Thoroughly Modern Millie now!” Check out this video montage of our production – we think it’s the monkey’s eyebrows! Millie is now playing at The Goodspeed in East Haddam, CT though July 2, 2017 For show info tickets and more visit www.goodspeed.org

Breaking News: The Director and Choreographer of ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie‘ was nominated for a 2017 Tony Award

Ramona Keller and More Set for Goodspeed’s Thoroughly Modern Millie

Goodspeed Musicals has announced the cast for its upcoming production of Thoroughly Modern Millie, set to run April 21-July 2 with an official press opening May 10. Denis Jones will direct and choreograph, with Michael O’Flaherty serving as music director.

Ramona Keller will make her Goodspeed debut as ‘Muzzy Van Hossmere’ which was played by Sheryl Lee Ralph in the original Broadway production.

The show’s cast will feature Taylor Quick as Millie, Tony nominee Loretta Ables Sayre (South Pacific) as Mrs. Meers, Dan DeLuca (first national tour of Newsies) as Jimmy, Samantha Sturm (Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn) as Miss Dorothy, Edward Watts (Scandalous) as Trevor Graydon, Christopher Shin (Mary Poppins) as Bun Foo, James Seol (Small Mouth Sounds) as Ching Ho, and Lucia Spina (Kinky Boots) as Miss Flannery.

 

Thoroughly Modern Millie – Goodspeed Musicals

ABOUT THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE

In 1922 New York, all the modern girls are sporting bobbed hair and heightened hemlines! Newcomer Millie is no exception, jumping headlong into a makeover and a dizzy plan to marry rich—until she falls for a penniless charmer. Her jazz-kissed adventures are crowded with a flurry of flappers, a runaway heiress, a nefarious landlady and more. A mix of madcap mistaken identity, high-spirited show tunes and tap-happy dance has more kick than bootleg gin in the Tony Award-winning Best Musical.   Book by Richard Morris and Dick Scanlan | New Music by Jeanine Tesori | New Lyrics by Dick Scanlan 

 

Where: 
The Goodspeed
6 Main Street
East Haddam, CT 06423

 

For Tickets and more information: Click Here

“Hamilton” Isn’t The Only Show Standing Up To Donald Trump

BuzzFeed.com

Louis Peitzman

The president-elect condemned Hamilton for directing a controversial curtain call speech at Mike Pence. But theater artists won’t shy away from letting their voices be heard.

On Nov. 18, Hamilton star Brandon Victor Dixon delivered a curtain call statement to Vice President-elect Mike Pence from the stage of the Richard Rodgers Theatre: “We are the diverse America who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us, our planet, our children, our parents, or defend us and uphold our inalienable rights, sir. But we truly hope that this show has inspired you to uphold our American values and to work on behalf of all of us.”
That same night, 40 blocks downtown at the Public Theater, the audience of Party People was hearing a more confrontational message. “Why do you think Donald Trump is the president?” Amira (Ramona Keller), a founding member of the Black Panther Party, roars in the second act. “This country has never wanted us to be free. After all these years, I live by this: no permanent friends, no permanent enemies, permanent principles.”
That line was written from a place of passion and horror the day after the Nov. 8 election. “It was relatively easy to go, ‘Oh, we need to say something,’” said Steven Sapp, a founding member of the theater company Universes who co-wrote and stars in Party People. “This is what we can say.”

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Ramona Keller & more Set for Public Theater’s Party People, Directed by Tony Nominee Liesl Tommy

 

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Via Theatermanina.com

Casting is set for the Public Theater premiere of Party People, running November 1-December 4. Written by Mildred Ruiz-Sapp, Steven Sapp, and William Ruiz aka Ninja of the troupe Universes, it is directed and developed by Liesl Tommy and choreographed by Millicent Johnnie.

Along with its writers, the production will feature Oberon K.A. Adjepong, Michael Elich, Gizel Jimenez, Ramona Keller, Christopher Livingston, Jesse J. Perez, Sophia Ramos, Robynn Rodriguez, and Horace V. Rogers.

Party People features scenic and lighting design by Marcus Doshi, costume design by Meg Neville, sound design and vocal direction by Broken Chord, music composition by Universes and Broken Chord, projection design by Sven Ortel, and hair and wig design by Cookie Jordan.

For tickets and more information, click here.

11 Reasons Why Little Shop of Horrors Was a Night We’ll Never Forget!

My experience doing ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ with Ellen Greene and Jake Gyllenhaal was Awesome! Taran Killam of Saturday Night Live was a pleasure to work with and just a great person over all. Eddie Cooper stepped into his Dad’s (Chuck Cooper) shoes and was Brilliant! Reuniting with Marva Hicks and Tracy Nicole Chapman was the best part of all. I can’t thank the artistic director and composer of Fun Home and Violet, Jeanine Tesori enough for having the vision to bring this production to the stage and allowing me to be a part of it.

***

The show received rave reviews from many major media outlets including the New York Times.

Here’s what Playbill.com had to say about the Urchins:                                  “Tracy Nicole Chapman, Marva Hicks and Ramona Keller, The Radio of the award-winning Caroline, or Change, reunited to play, respectively, Chiffon, Crystal and Ronnette, offering fierce, powerhouse vocals — and spot-on harmonies — from start to finish.”

Photo by Joan Marcus
Marva Hicks,Tracy Nicole Chapman, Ramona Keller,Anwar Kareem, and Jake Gyllenhaal

The New York City Center Encores! Off-Center production of the Alan Menken-Howard Ashman musical Little Shop of Horrors, featuring stage and screen stars Ellen Greene and Jake Gyllenhaal, opened July 1 at the famed Manhattan venue. Playbill.com offers 11 reasons why the evening was truly a night to remember. Full article….

Jake Gyllenhaal Will Make Musical Debut in Encores! LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS

I am super excited that Jake Gyllenhaal and Chuck Cooper will be joining us in the production of ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ at City Center in July!

 

Photo by BroadwayWorld.com

by BWW News Desk

Jake Gyllenhaal, Chuck Cooper and Taran Killam will join the previously announced Ellen Greene in the Encores! Off-Center concert production ofHoward Ashman and Alan Menken’s Little Shop of Horrors, running July 1-2, 2015. NOTE: A third performance has been added at 2pm on Thursday, July 2 in order to meet ticket demand. The production will be directed by Dick Scanlan, with choreography by Patricia Wilcox. Jeanine Tesori is the Artistic Director of Encores! Off-Center, and Chris Fenwick is Music Director. The show will mark the musical theater debuts of both Gyllenhaal and Killam.

Little Shop of Horrors is a sci-fi musical about Seymour Krelborn (Jake Gyllenhaal), a hapless florist shop worker who pursues a doomed romance with his ditzy, lovable co-worker Audrey (Ellen Greene) by acquiring an R&B-singing plant (Chuck Cooper) that feeds on human blood. The production also stars Taran Killam as Audrey’s sadistic dentist boyfriend Orin Scrivello. An R&B girl group, The Urchins, provides commentary on the action and will feature Tracy Nicole Chapman, Marva Hicks and Ramona Keller. Little Shop is based on Roger Corman’s 1960 black comedyfilm by the same name. With book and lyrics by Howard Ashman and music by Alan Menken, the show premiered Off-Off-Broadway in 1982 before moving Off-Broadway to the Orpheum Theatre, where it played 2,209 performances, winning the Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Drama Critics’ Circle Awards for Best Musical. It was revived on Broadway in 2003, playing 372 performances at the Virginia Theatre.

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Ramona Keller and More to Celebrate Dionne Warwick

What’s It All About Miss Dionne? The music of Burt Bacharach & Dionne Warwick

What's It All About Miss Dionne?

Spend a night with these Broadway and recording divas as they celebrate why there’s always something there to remind us of the voice and career of living legend Dionne Warwick. Join Brian Whitted as he welcomes to the stage Tony Award winner Adriane Lenox, Tony Award winner La Chanze, recording artist Alyson Williams, and Broadway’s Marva Hicks, Ramona Keller, Soara-Joye Ross, Amber Iman, and Darlesia Cearcy. You’ll hear your favorite Burt Bacharach tunes from Alfie, to Promises, Promises, and There’s Always Something There to Remind Me. Josette Marchak, Romona Dunlap, and Kristina Nicole Miller will back this fabulous group of ladies in an evening you don’t want to miss.

Monday, February 2, at 9:30pm                                                                 Metropolitan Room – 34 W 22nd St, New York, New York 10010

Tickets Available metropolitanroom.com

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Broadway.com features ‘BKLYN’ in Wayback Wednesday Series

Wayback Wednesday! Vintage Videos ofHairspray, Brooklyn & More From the Broadway.com Vaults

For 14 years, Broadway.com has been on the scene for some of the most important events in theater history: We’ve seen Broadway hopefuls become legends, unknown musicals become Tony-winning smash hits and so much more. Every Wednesday in January, we’re opening the Broadway.com vaults to take a little trip down memory lane.

Brooklyn Rehearsal, 2004
Once upon a time, before a one-bedroom in Williamsburg was $1,700 a month, there was a musical called Brooklyn, where Broadway divas had belt-offs in dresses made of trash bags and bubble wrap. See fierce favorites Eden Espinosa, Karen Olivo and Ramona Keller make fireworks in an early rehearsal

 

‘The Radio’ to join Ellen Greene in Little Shop for 1 Nite Only!

‘The Radio’ to join Ellen Greene

 In Little Shop 

 

for 1 Nite Only!

 

‘The Radio’ to join Ellen Greene in Little Shop for 1 Nite Only!

Ellen Greene to Re-create Her Audreyin Encores! Off-Center'sLittle Shop of Horrors                                                                                                       
By David Gordon • TheaterMania.com

Ellen Greene as Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors.

 

 

Ellen Greene will reprise her legendary performance as Audrey when Little Shop of Horrors (musical) returns for a one-night-only concert as part of the 2015 Encores! Off-Center season at New York City Center.

Directed by Dick Scanlan, the July 1 show will also star Caroline, or Change‘s Tracy Nicole Chapman, Marva Hicks and Ramona Keller as the Urchins. Full casting for the Alan Menken-Howard Ashman musical, which tells the story of a lowly florist who acquires an alien plant that feeds on human blood, will be announced in the coming months.