BKLYN Cast Joins -Jon Bon Jovi, Meryl Streep, Audra McDonald, Dolly Parton, Stephen Colbert, and more in Online Concert for Covenant House

NEW YORK /PRNewswire/

Bklyn cast- Reunion concert
Horace V Rodgers, Caren Tackett, Julie Rieber, Ramona Keller, Karen Olivo, Will Swenson, Eden Espinosa, Quentin Earl Darrington (photo MA2LA)

***************************

The original cast of ‘BKLYN’ will reunite again for a special fund raising event for Covenant House!

Hollywood stars and Broadway veterans are teaming up on May 18th to celebrate Covenant House, the international charity providing housing, food and healthcare to children and youth facing homelessness. In a special virtual concert, titled A Night of Covenant House Stars, more than 50 powerhouse performers are uniting to sing and share a message of inspiration for young people.

Stars from stage and screen will perform on Monday, May 18th at 8 pm ET, in a celebration of support for young people experiencing homelessness and the heroism of front line staff working 24/7 to keep them safe during the COVID-19 crisis. A Night of Covenant House Stars will be streamed on Broadway on Demand, iHeartRadio Broadway, Facebook, Twitch, YouTube, and Stars in the House. Event proceeds will benefit Covenant House’s work across 31 cities in 6 countries.

Produced by acclaimed Broadway director and choreographer and Covenant House Board member Jeff Calhoun, A Night of Covenant House Stars will combine moving performances by some of the entertainment world’s biggest stars with performances by Covenant House youth. Jeff Calhoun also directed ‘BKLYN The Musical’ on Broadway.

The concert will by co-hosted by 6-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald (CBS’ The Good Fight) and CBS 60 Minutes correspondent John Dickerson, both members of the Covenant House Board of Directors. A Night of Covenant House Stars will feature performances and appearances by Jon Bon Jovi, Meryl Streep, Diane Keaton, Rachel Brosnahan, Stephen Colbert, Martin Short, Dolly Parton, Dionne Warwick, Stephanie J. Block, Tony Shalhoub, Charlie Day, Chris O’Dowd, Zachary Levi, Zack Quinto, Robin Thicke, Deborah Cox, Quentin Earl Darrington, Ariana DeBose, Darius de Haas, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Eden Espinosa, Jordan Fisher, Stephanie Hsu, Randy Jackson, Capathia Jenkins, Jeremy Jordan, Ramona Keller, Alex Newell, Karen Olivo, Dawn O’Porter, Laura Osnes, Benj Pasek, Jodi Picoult, Shereen Pimentel, Andrew Rannells, Keala Settle, Jake David Smith, Will Swenson, Bobby Conte Thornton, Ana Villafane, Frank Wildhorn, Broadway Inspirational Voices, Covenant House Youth and more!

Read more

Photo And Video Flash: Inside the BKLYN Reunion Concert!

Once upon a time has never felt more right than it did last night…

Last night, October 21, BKLYN came back with a 15th Anniversary reunion concert for one-night-only. The company was led by Eden Espinosa (RENT, Wicked) as Brooklyn, Karen Olivo (Moulin Rouge, In the Heights) as Faith, and stage star Ramona Keller (The Public Theatre’s Hercules, City Center’s Little Shop of Horrors) as Paradice, with Tony Award nominee Will Swenson (Hair, Les Miserables) as Taylor Collins, Grammy Award nominee Quentin Earl Darrington (Once On This Island, CATS) as Streetsinger, Original Broadway cast members Julie Reiber (Come From Away), Horace V. Rogers (Tarzan), and Caren Lyn Tackett (High Fidelity).

With original direction by Tony Award winner Jeff Calhoun (Newsies, Big River) the musical is written by Mark Schoenfeld and Barri McPherson. BKLYN made its World Premiere in Denver in 2003 and opened on Broadway on October 21, 2004 at The Plymouth Theatre (later renamed the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater), playing 311 performances.

Check out photos from inside the big night below!

Photo Credit: MA2LA and Mark Ashe via BWW News Desk

[ngg src=”galleries” ids=”3″ display=”basic_thumbnail” thumbnail_crop=”0″]

Eden Espinosa, Karen Olivo, Ramona Keller Will Star in BKLYN 15th Anniversary Concert

Karen Olivo, Eden Espinosa, Ramona Keller

Today, producers announced a One-Night-Only 15th Anniversary reunion concert of BKLYN: The Musical featuring Original Broadway stars Drama League nominee Eden Espinosa (RENT, Wicked) as Brooklyn, Tony Award winner Karen Olivo (Moulin Rouge, In the Heights) as Faith, and stage star Ramona Keller (The Public Theatre’s Hercules, City Center’s Little Shop of Horrors) as Paradice.

The concert, which benefits Covenant House Foundation (www.covenanthouse.org), will be presented on the 15th anniversary of the show’s Broadway opening night, Monday, October 21 at 7:30 PM, at Brooklyn Steel (319 Frost Street, Brooklyn, NY 11222).

The musical tells the story of the “City Weeds,” five homeless musicians who band together to transform their neighborhood beneath the Brooklyn Bridge. Utilizing the play within a play structure, the City Weeds share the story of Brooklyn – a Parisian singer – in addition to their own stories. Orphaned after her mother’s death, Brooklyn travels to the United States in search of her father and the life she always dreamed of. The discovery of a newfound passion leads to opportunities she’d always hoped for, as two stories weave together to create an inspiring and refreshing performance.

With original direction by Tony Award winner Jeff Calhoun (Newsies, Big River) the musical is written by Mark Schoenfeld and Barri McPherson. BKLYN made its World Premiere in Denver in 2003 and opened on Broadway on October 21, 2004 at The Plymouth Theatre (later renamed the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater), playing 311 performances. The original Broadway cast of ten featured stars-in-the-making Kevin Anderson as “Taylor”, Eden Espinosa as “Brooklyn”, Ramona Keller as “Paradice”, Cleavant Derricks as “Streetsinger” and Karen Olivo as “Faith”.

Ben Brantley of New York Times wrote, “Brooklyn is in many ways a throwback to the quaint, simple and whimsy-laden musicals that first blossomed Off-Broadway and then the mainstream in the late 1960’s and the early 70’s.”

Tickets to the 15th Anniversary concert of BKLYN range from $55 to $150 and can be purchased on AXS. via : Broadwayworld