In 2009, Lin-Manuel Miranda premiered the opening number from “Hamilton” at a televised poetry jam at the White House. On Monday, the Broadway cast of “Hamilton” will travel to the White House to speak with students and perform songs from the musical. The event will be hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama.
Broadway is no place for ‘Nerds’
“Nerds,” a new musical comedy about the rise of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates that was on the verge of starting previews at the Longacre Theatre, has been forced to call off its Broadway run due to the last-minute loss of a major investor. Nevertheless, the day after the announcement, the cast performed a run-through of the show in a rehearsal studio for an invited audience. A national tour is supposedly in the works.
Jason Robert Brown: ‘Parade’ is scarily relevant today
During a discussion about the dark 1998 musical “Parade” held at the Museum of Jewish Heritage on Monday night, songwriter Jason Robert Brown warned that its themes of hysteria and racial prejudice have become scarily relevant during the current presidential race. In “Parade,” a Jewish man is falsely accused of murder in the early-20th-century American South. “Are there any racist demagogues running around?“ Brown said sarcastically. Musical selections from “Parade” were performed by married couple Sebastian Arcelus and Stephanie J. Block.
Leguizamo to bring ‘Latin History’ to the Public
John Leguizamo’s latest one-man show, titled “Latin History for Dummies” and intended to explore the contributions of Latinos in American history, will play the Public Theater next spring. “Just imagine you’re a white kid and all of a sudden everybody’s Latin and everything they’re teaching you is Latin and you don’t hear anything about yourself or about your contributions,” Leguizamo said in statement.
‘Avenue Q’ reacts to Democratic debate shout-out
“Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist,” a song from the long-running musical “Avenue Q,” was unexpectedly quoted during Sunday night’s Democratic Party debate by moderator Don Lemon when he questioned Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders about racial blind spots. In response, “Avenue Q” character/puppet Kate Monster has apparently put out a statement about Clinton: “Hillary and I did some serious bonding the night she and her husband saw the show. We both know what it’s like when men behave badly.”
Wainwright to bring Garland show back to Carnegie Hall
Singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright, who paid tribute to Judy Garland’s legendary 1961 concert at Carnegie Hall with his own two-night concert 10 years ago, will bring the show back to Carnegie Hall on June 16 and 17. “A lot has happened in 10 years on all fronts and musically this show will reflect that,” Wainwright said in a statement.
Spotted …
Chita Rivera at Carnegie Hall’s production of “West Side Story” at the Knockdown Center … Tina Fey and Gloria Gaynor at “Disaster!” … Paul Rudd at “The Humans” … John Lithgow at “Fiddler on the Roof” … Josh Groban at “The Royale” … Gloria Steinem at “Eclipsed.”
