Broadway Celebrates Juneteenth Concert
Returns to Times Square

June 18, 2023
11:00am – 12:30pm

www.diversity.broadway

New York, NY – May 11, 2023 – The Broadway League’s Black to Broadway Initiative announces the third annual Broadway Celebrates Juneteenth concert in Times Square on Sunday, June 18^th from 11:00am – 12:30pm (rain or shine). This free outdoor concert is open to all as the community gathers to honor this important holiday. Black culture and expression will be celebrated by Black Broadway artists performing songs, dances, and spoken word accompanied by live music provided by The Music Performance Trust Fund. Special guest speakers will also make appearances throughout the event.

“We know that the arts can bring people together and it is beautifully evident during Broadway Celebrates Juneteenth as thousands gather in the heart of Times Square to reflect on the importance of this national holiday through live performance,” said Charlotte St. Martin, President of The Broadway League. “We thank the Broadway community for helping to make this third annual concert possible.”

This year’s sponsors include United Airlines, M·A·C (Make-up Art Cosmetics), the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, The Music Performance Trust Fund, The Araca Group, Open Jar Studios, and The Times Square Alliance.

American Sign Language interpretation will be provided during Broadway Celebrates Juneteenth. Details about this year’s host and talent line-up will be announced soon. For more information, please visit www.diversity.broadway.

Presented by The Broadway League’s Black to Broadway Initiative, Broadway Celebrates Juneteenth creative and production teams include Steve H. Broadnax III as Director and Writer, Rashad McPherson as Music Director, Brian Moreland and Aaliytha Stevens as Executive Producers as well as Co-Chairs of The Broadway League’s Multi-Cultural Task Force, Jhanaë Bonnick as Stage Manager, and Devon Miller of Foresight Theatrical as General Manager.

The goal of Black to Broadway is to inspire deeper engagement with awareness of, and access to Broadway for all Black people. Created by The Broadway League in 2019, this initiative is an industry-wide celebration of the Black community on Broadway – on stage, in the audience, behind the scenes, and as leaders in the Broadway community. To learn more about Black to Broadway, visit BroadwayLeague.com or Diversity.Broadway.

Juneteenth concert in 2022: 2023 Tony Award nominee Alex Newell (‘Shucked’) performs for crowed. Photo: Marc J. Franklin.

EVENT DETAILS

Title: Broadway Celebrates Juneteenth
Date: Sunday, June 18, 2023
Time: 11:00am – 12:30pm; rain or shine
Location: Duffy Square in Times Square (46^th and 47^th Streets between Broadway and Seventh Avenue)
Cost: Free
Website: www.diversity.broadway

About United
At United, Good Leads The Way. With U.S. hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., United operates the most comprehensive global route network among North American carriers, and is now the largest airline in the world as measured by available seat miles. For more about how to join the United team, please visit www.united.com/careers and more information about the company is at www.united.com. United Airlines Holdings, Inc., the parent company of United Airlines, Inc., is traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol “UAL”.

M·A·C (Make-Up Art Cosmetics) is a leading brand of professional cosmetics and part of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. Since its creation in Toronto, Canada, over 30 years ago, the brand’s popularity has grown through a tradition of word-of-mouth endorsement from Makeup Artists, models, photographers, and journalists around the world. M·A·C is now sold in over 130 countries/territories worldwide. Follow M·A·C on TikTok, Twitter, Snapchat and Pinterest (@maccosmetics); become a M·A·C fan on Facebook (facebook.com/MACcosmetics); follow M·A·C on Instagram (instagram.com/maccosmetics) and watch M·A·C videos on YouTube (youtube.com/maccosmetics). For a M·A·C location near you, visit maccosmetics.com.

THE MUSIC PERFORMANCE TRUST FUND (MPTF) was established in 1948 as a nonprofit independent public service organization whose mission includes contributing to the public knowledge and appreciation of music, as well as making music a part of every child’s life experience. Headquartered in New York City, the tax-exempt MPTF, operating under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, evolved from a landmark collective bargaining agreement between the American Federation of Musicians and the major recording companies of the day. Today the MPTF is a vital organization that brings music to the public and supplements the income of musicians, all at no cost to those receiving this precious gift of music.

THE BROADWAY LEAGUE (Charlotte St. Martin, President), founded in 1930, is the national trade association for the Broadway industry. The League’s 700-plus members include theatre owners and operators, producers, presenters, and general managers in nearly 200 markets in North America and internationally. Each year, League members bring Broadway to upwards of 30 million people in New York, on Tour across the U.S. and Canada, and around the globe. The Broadway League’s newest category of membership, League Fellows, affords access and benefits to upcoming professionals who represent a diversity of background, ethnicity, experience, and views. The Broadway League annually co-presents the Antoinette Perry “Tony” Awards®, one of the most coveted awards in the entertainment industry.

The post Free Broadway Juneteenth concert 6/18/23 in Times Square appeared first on StageZine.

‘SHUCKED’: Ashley D. Kelley & Grey Henson. Photo: Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman.

SHUCKED
Book by Robert Horn
Music and lyrics by Brandy Clark & Shane McAnally
Directed by Jack O’Brien
Nederlander Theatre
208 West 41st Street
(866-870-2717), www.shuckedmusical.com

By David NouNou

Shucked may be the hardest-working original musical in trying to please an audience this year or in many a year. Everything about it is genuine and a hoot. Starting with the creative team with Robert Horn’s hysterical book, with a solid storyline and rapid-fire one-liners that are hard to keep up with. Either you will be laughing hard—or audience members around you are—so listen carefully. Next, the score by Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally is delicious. The songs in practically every case are memorable, and as we learned in Musicals 101, they propel the storyline forward, and they are written for the character to define them. Lastly, a huge debt is owed to veteran director, Jack O’Brien. His direction is fast-paced and succinct, and each of his seven leads are fine-tuned to perfection.

I’ll try to give you a start to the storyline, set in Cob County, the state won’t matter, because it is part of a punchline. It begins with Storyteller 1 (Ashley D. Kelly) and Storyteller 2 (Grey Henson) they have a fantastic opening number named “Corn” (which I hope they’ll show on the Tony Awards telecast) followed by telling us that it is Beau’s (Andrew Durand) and Maizy’s (Caroline Innerbichler) wedding day, but things have come to a halt, because right in the middle of the ceremony, the corn starts drying up and starting to die. This is a bad omen. What to do? Well, Maizy defiantly leaves Cob County and goes to the big city to get help. There, she finds a neon sign saying “Corn Doctor.” Gordy (John Behlmann)— whom Maizy assumes is a corn doctor that cures corn— in reality is purportedly a podiatrist and a smooth city slicker that’s up to no good. Back home are two more characters, Peanut (Kevin Cahoon) Beau’s lovable older, simple-minded but philosophical brother, and Maizy’s cousin, Lulu (Alex Newell) and what a gal she is; she takes no crap from anyone and makes the finest whiskey from the corn. Lulu has a showstopping number entitled “Independently Owned,” near the end of Act I and I will bet this might qualify her for the newly minted Tony Award Winner as Best Featured Actress in a Musical. If the producers decide to show the opening number “Corn,” and Lulu’s song is featured on the awards show, the lines will be forming around the block.

John Behlmann, Kevin Cahoon, Andrew Durand, Grey Henson, Caroline Innerbichler, Ashley D. Kelly, and the indomitable Alex Newell are all perfectly cast and multi-talented. Whether singing, dancing, acting or their rapid-fire delivery, they all shine individually and as an ensemble.

Don’t let TV ads or subway posters fool or deter you; this is not a reimagining of “Hee-Haw” or a corny musical. The corn here is higher than an elephant’s eye and it just might be the best musical of the year.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published April 14, 2023
Reviewed at April 13, 2023 press performance.

‘SHUCKED’: Alex Newell & cast. Photo: Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman.

‘SHUCKED’: (left to right): Alex Newell, Caroline Innerbichler, Kevin Cahoon & Andrew Durand. Photo: Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman.

‘SHUCKED’: The cast. Photo: Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman.

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‘ONCE ON THIS ISLAND’: (left to right) Alex Newell, Lea Salonga & Merle Dandridge. Photo: Joan Marcus

ONCE ON THIS ISLAND
Book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens
Music by Stephen Flaherty
Based on the novel My Love, My Love by Rosa Guy
Directed by Michael Arden
Choreographed by Camille A. Brown
Circle In The Square
235 West 50th Street
212-239-6200, www.OnceOnThisIsland.com

By Scott Harrah

Tales of star-crossed lovers might be nothing new, but director Michael Arden offers a unique twist in this charming, innovative revival of Once On This Island, the 1990 Lynn Ahrens and Steven Flaherty musical, based on a Rosa Guy novel. Set on an island in the French Antilles, this Caribbean fantasy is beautifully re-conceived by Mr. Arden, with clever sets by Dane Laffrey, lavish period costumes by Clint Ramos and imaginative lighting design by Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer. With the help of his scenic and lighting team, Mr. Arden offers a vivid “theater in the round” experience that works well in the confines of Circle in the Square, totally enveloping the audience and making us feel as if we are there on a windswept tropical island, complete with sand, a live goat, water, etc.

The rhythmic score by Ahrens and Flaherty transports us to a mythical time and place with a story paralleling Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Instead of the Montagues and Capulets, we have a beautiful Afro-Caribbean native girl, Ti Moune (the outstanding Hailey Kilgore), rescued from a near-fatal accident during a storm. She is adopted by two islanders, Mama Euralie (Kenita R. Miller) and Tonton Julian (Phillip Boykin), both of whom raise the orphan child as their own. Later, Ti Moune falls for the lighter-skinned, aristocratic native Daniel (Isaac Powell), an upper-class guy from the other side of the island who lives in a gated community.

Once On This Island relies heavily on the mystical superstition, voodoo and folklore of the French-speaking Caribbean, offering an endless parade of Calypso-infused songs like “We Dance,” “And the Gods Heard Her Prayer,” ‘The Sad Tale of the Beauxhommes,” and more. The songs propel the story forward like any well-made musical should, filled with the faith and rituals of the islanders. Granted, there’s a lot of confusing talk about gods and sorcery, but all one needs to believe in is the magic of the music while marveling at Camille A. Brown’s winning choreography.

Although the narrative conflict is fairly standard (dark-skinned Ti Moune can never truly be accepted by lighter-skinned Daniel’s family), the message still packs an emotional punch, considering the current political climate in America. However, under Michael Arden’s trenchant direction, the musical is more about the celebration of life and the gorgeous Afro-Caribbean songbook than anything else, so the story never seems heavy-handed.

This revival works so well thanks to the near-seismic energy of the cast, all brimming with talent. The multi-ethnic cast members gel together marvelously, but a few stand out. Ms. Kilgore gives a vivacious, sincere and truly heartbreaking performance as Ti Moune, the “peasant” girl, but Mr. Powell as Daniel is somewhat forgettable in comparison. Mr. Powell’s Daniel doesn’t always convince us that he’s someone Ti Moune would risk her life for, but without this notion there would be no story. Love perpetuates life, it seems.

Some of the show’s greatest performances are given by supporting cast members, like Tony winner Lea Salonga, bewitching us with her mellifluous voice as goddess Erzulie in such songs as “The Human Heart.” Kenita R. Miller, as Mama Eurlie, is often haunting as she sings of the love she has for Ti Moune, while Alex Newell, as gender-bending Asaka, has the whole house grooving as she belts out the rousing “Mama Will Provide.”

Once On This Island is a colorful, immersive experience for everyone, giving audiences a helluva joyful ride, making it one of the season’s freshest surprises.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published December 5, 2017
Reviewed at December 4, 2017 press performance.

‘ONCE ON THIS ISLAND’: Hailey Kilgore. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘ONCE ON THIS ISLAND’: Lea Salonga. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘ONCE ON THIS ISLAND’: Hailey Kilgore. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘ONCE ON THIS ISLAND’: Kenita R. Miller. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘ONCE ON THIS ISLAND’: Quentin Earl Darrington. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘ONCE ON THIS ISLAND’: Phillip Boykin. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘ONCE ON THIS ISLAND’: Isaac Powell & Merle Dandridge. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘ONCE ON THIS ISLAND’: (left to right) Emerson Davis, Lea Salonga, Alex Newell, Quentin Earl Darrington & Merle Dandridge. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘ONCE ON THIS ISLAND’: Isaac Powell & Quentin Earl Darrington. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘ONCE ON THIS ISLAND’: The cast. Photo: Joan Marcus

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