musicals: Last News

Michael Jackson, you don’t wanna be startin’ somethin’ with Stephanie Mills — the R&B legend who originated the role of Dorothy in the Tony-winning musical “The Wiz” 50 years ago.The 67-year-old diva — who dated Jackson in the ’70s — remains fiercely loyal to the King of Pop and protective of his legacy despite the child molestation allegations that he faced in 1993 and then again in 2003.The first case — in which Jackson was accused of molesting then-13-year-old Jordan Chandler — resulted an out-of-court settlement in January 1994, while the latter case resulted in the “Thriller” singer being found not guilty of all charges of sexual abuse of another minor, Gavin Arvizo, in a 2005 trial.Despite all of the ugly accusations against Jackson, famously documented in 2019’s “Leaving Neverland,” Mills is still rocking with him 15 years after his 2009 death at 50.“I loved him,” she told The Post. “We had a great friendship, a great relationship.

“Annie” starring EGOT winner Whoopi Goldberg as the aforementioned orphanage matron will run at New York City’s The Theater at Madison Square Garden.The curtains close on the beloved musical on Jan. 5, 2025; Goldberg is slated to appear in all performances from Dec.

Richard Simmons was famous for revolutionizing the workout world by “Sweatin’ to the Oldies.”And before his death on July 13 — a day after celebrating his 76th birthday — the fitness guru was toning up tunes for a musical about his legendary life with longtime Madonna collaborator Patrick Leonard.“He had sent me some lyrics, and I wrote some melodies to them, and that was the beginning of it,” Leonard, 68, told The Post. “And then he passed … I sent him something the day he passed that he never heard.”Before Simmons’ death, Leonard said, “I think there were eight pieces [done] … These things were very personal, and they were very autobiographical and very time-stamped, you know, at certain times in his life and his career.“There was one about him opening his first place, his first exercise place,” he continued.

Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga put on a bloody show as they sing and dance through Arkham State Hospital in the latest trailer for “Joker: Folie à Deux.” The new speak peek dropped on July 23 after a 24-hour live stream hosted by Warner Bros, and it showcases Joker’s “trial of the century” in the sequel to Todd Phillips’ “Joker” (2019), as he faces the consequences for his actions in the original film.But this time around, Phoenix, 49, as the disturbed Joker in Arthur Fleck, now finds a partner-in-crime in Gaga’s Harley Quinn. The trailer opens with Quinn saying: “When I first saw Joker — when I saw you — for once in my life, I didn’t feel so alone anymore,” before showing any of the malicious acts from the duo.Their tumultuous journey then unfolds with scenes of dance and mischief, with Harley encouraging Joker through his ventures into entertainment and violence.“You can do anything you want … you’re Joker,” she tells him.Phillips, 53, returns to direct the sequel after the 2019 original was majorly successful.

Two hours and 30 minutes, with one intermission. At PAC NYC, 251 Fulton Street. Through July 28.The hottest show in town is… “Cats”?Nobody’s said that about Andrew Lloyd Webber’s singing-dancing feline musical since around 1984.

“Stereophonic” was the night’s biggest winner, nabbing five awards (of a record-setting 13 nominations) including Best Play, while “The Outsiders” took home Best Musical.At the time of publication, both shows are running for the foreseeable future; “Stereophonic” has the John Golden Theatre booked until January 2025 and “The Outsiders” doesn’t have an end date at the Jacobs Theatre in sight.And if watching the lively performances during the Tonys telecast make you want to catch a show live in person, you’re in luck. Not only can you beat the heat wave in NYC this week, you can spend an evening in an air-conditioned Broadway theater with discounted tickets, to boot.From now until June 30, Vivid Seats is offering an exclusive discount just for New York Post readers and only on Broadway tickets.For a limited time, you’ll be able to save $25 on $200 Broadway ticket orders purchased through any link in this article.That includes catching Tony winners Daniel Radcliffe in “Merrily We Roll Along” and Jeremy Strong in “An Enemy Of The People” live onstage (both which close very soon).With that, ladies and gentlemen, it’s time to head to the theater district; let’s see a Tony-winning Broadway show.What is it about?It’s 1976 and an unnamed up-and-coming rock band is recording their second album.

“Merrily We Roll Along” was already a “surefire, genuine, walk-away blockbuster, lines down to Broadway, boffola, sensational, box office lalapalooza, gargantuan hit” and now it has the Tony Awards to prove it.The first Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s infamous flop (seriously — the original production played just 16 performances in 1981) took home four statuettes at 2024 Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Musical and a long awaited Best Orchestrations award for Jonathan Tunick (Sondheim’s orchestrator of choice, who has never won a Tony for his work with Sondheim before now).Perhaps ‘Merrily’s most triumphant moments at the Tonys were in the acting categories; first, Daniel Radcliffe won his first Tony in the Featured Actor category (and accepted it from future Charley Kringas Ben Platt!), then Jonathan Groff took home his first Tony Award for Best Lead Actor in a Musical. The pair were visibly emotional during each other’s wins, both of which have been a long time in the making.

“Illinoise,” “Suffs,” “Water For Elephants” and “The Outsiders.” But the real competition, as it has been since the day the nominations were announced back in April, is between Alicia Keys’ “Hell’s Kitchen” and the twangy adaptation of S.E. Hinton’s young-adult novel “The Outsiders.” I’ve spoken to voters for all of these shows, and it’s the Greasers and Socs that get the most impassioned responses.“Everyone says ‘Hell’s Kitchen,’ but I say ‘The Outsiders,’” one voter told me.

the hysterical “Titanique” downtown at the Daryl Roth Theater.Yeston’s show is far less bombastic than the Oscar-winning disaster film. It’s an often-subtle patchwork quilt of travelers’ stories from the boat, with a particular emphasis on class disparities.Yes, there is a pair of young lovers, Kate McGowan (Samantha Williams) and Jim Farrell (rising star Andrew Durand), but also a more seasoned husband and wife, Isidor and Ida Strauss (Chip Zien and Judy Kuhn, a sublime combo).

Audra McDonald as Mama Rose, was announced Wednesday.Directed by George C. Wolfe, the production of Jule Styne, Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurents’ classic musical will open in December (previews start in November) at the newly renovated Majestic Theatre — its first tenant since “The Phantom of the Opera” closed after 35 years.This story might ring a bell.

On the Road AgainThe New York institution Shakespeare in the Park is taking a break this year while the famous Delacorte Theater in Central Park undergoes renovations. But the Public Theater, which produces it, will still tour a bilingual, 90-minute musical version of the Bard’s “Comedy of Errors” to locations around the city as part of its Mobile Unit program.

Breitbart News argued the performance “should still be drawing big crowds during Broadway’s peak season – the month before the Tony Awards,” which is right now.The play first opened on Broadway last month, following an Off-Broadway run that started in 2022 in New York City’s “The Public” theater. The musical was by singer-songwriter Shaina Taub, directed by Leigh Silverman, and produced by lead producers Jill Furman and Rachel Sussman, along with co-producers Hillary Clinton and Malala Yousafzai.Breitbart also noted that Vice President Harris’s niece, Meena Harris, is another producer on the stage play.The three-hour-long play brings the women’s suffrage movement of the early 1900s to the stage.

Hell’s Kitchen. Reviews were fairly solid, and plenty of buzz was generated when the jukebox tuner premiered at the end of last year at New York’s Public Theater.It didn’t even complete its run in January before Keys, along with producers, announced a transfer to Broadway, where it opened in April.New Yorkers — and specifically those who live in the midtown neighborhood the show is named for (now a predominantly gay mecca) — will appreciate that the locality is having a moment in the spotlight.

Cabaret is back on Broadway with unbridled decadence and immersive glory. Certain musicals are constructed so well that, even if they are cast with mediocre performances or if the production value is low, they still hold.Cabaret stands as one of the indestructible.This might explain why the original sixties production has been revived and reinvented so many times on both sides of the Atlantic.

Hamilton, oldest sister Angelica sings, “I’m a girl in which, my only job is to marry rich.” None of them would live long enough to experience the painstaking efforts assumed by their female successors for a woman’s right to vote.Fortunately, their descendants and current audiences are hearing a completely different song just a few blocks away in New York’s theater district, thanks largely to Shaina Taub.An Obie Award-winning singer/songwriter, Taub has written the book, a winning score, and lyrics for the completely original, historically based Suffs, which tracks the decades-long struggle for fair and equal treatment of women to be treated as equally as men. The show educates, inspires, and persuades — all while being incredibly entertaining.Taub also stars in the show as Alice Paul, an activist considered one of the major architects of the twentieth-century suffragist movement.

2024 Tony Award nominations announced on Tuesday.When the list was read aloud by Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Renée Elise Goldsberry, it was snub city. Barry Manilow’s “Harmony,” the Britney Spears pop-sical “Once Upon a One More Time,” Huey Lewis’ funny “The Heart of Rock and Roll” and “How To Dance in Ohio” were all totally shut out.The musicals “The Great Gatsby” (one mention), “The Notebook” (three) and “Back to the Future” (two) got a dusting, but you can’t very well put “Best costume design nominee!” on a poster.Well, not on a good poster, anyway.David Byrne and Fatboy Slim’s Imelda Marcos disco show “Here Lies Love” managed four noms, and “Days of Wine and Roses” got three, including score and best actress and actor for terrific Kelli O’Hara and Brian d’Arcy James, respectively.

The Outsiders,” as vicious as the Greasers and the Socs.Ten of those 15 eligible productions are still running, but there will be only five Best Musical nominees called out (six if there’s a tie). So, more than half of what’s on could get the brush.A Tony nod is a big deal for reasons beyond the prestige.

1 hour, 30 minutes, no intermission. The St.

Two hours and 30 minutes, with one intermission. At the Broadway Theatre, 53rd Street and Broadway.Forget East Egg and West Egg.

The other, “Back to the Future: The Musical,” did not.)Rolled out modestly, little “Heart” is also a lot more fun and proudly frivolous than any of its sober-minded neighbors. It’s perhaps the first time in my life that I’ve been happy to see a confetti cannon at curtain call.The show is hilarious, too.

except for me).And, thanks to the intoxicating atmosphere created by designer Tom Scutt and Redmayne’s meticulous and freakish performance, the show does not make for an unsatisfying night out in New York. There’s plenty to admire.Yet the pricey bells and whistles distract from what is a so-so, overly dreary staging that is often undermined by its own overwrought machinations.