An exciting and entertaining destination...this is PlayhouseSquare!

This week’s theater news…

Published May 17th, 2013 by | No Comments


NBC’s Live The Sound of Music sets premiere date

Theater news for the week of May 11 – May 18, 2013

Each week, we’re going to keep you up-to-speed with the latest Broadway news and stories. Check back every Friday to see what you missed this week and to catch a glimpse of what’s going on at PlayhouseSquare this weekend. Enjoy!

Happening on Broadway …

NBC’s Live The Sound of Music sets premiere date
The live three hour television special of The Sound of Music, featuring Grammy winner Carrie Underwood as Maria Von Trapp, will premiere on NBC on December 5. No additional casting or director has been announced at this time .(broadway.comRead more.

Billy Crystal’s 700 Sundays heading back to Broadway in the fall
Legendary comedian and actor Billy Crystal is bringing back to Broadway his Tony-Award-winning one-man show about growing up on Long Island, 700 Sundays, this fall. 700 Sundays will play a 9 week engagement at the Imperial Theater November 5-January 5. (broadway.comRead more.

Tony nominee Cristin Milioti revealed as Mother on How I Met Your Mother
Tony nominee and Once star Cristin Milioti was revealed as the Mother on How I Met Your Mother on the season eight finale of the popular CBS series. Milioti will play a prominent role of the final season of the series. Set in New York City, How I Met Your Mother follows Ted Mosby’s quest for his soul mate. Told in flashback to his growing children, Ted recalls the eight season odyssey that eventually led him to meet and marry their mother (Milioti). The series also stars Tony host and Broadway vet Neil Patrick Harris, Jason Segel, Alyson Hannigan and Cobie Smulders. (broadway.com) Read more.

Upcoming Events at PlayhouseSquare

Rich Girl – Cleveland Play House
Guys and Dolls – KeyBank Broadway Series, Great Lakes Theater
The Singing Angels 49th Annual Spring Benefit Concert
Partners Life Size Game Night – PlayhouseSquare Partners
A Night of Classic Funk featuring Con Funk Shun

Share your thoughts on this week’s news below, or talk to us on Facebook or Twitter!

This week’s theater news…

Published May 10th, 2013 by | No Comments


August: Osage County set to be released November 8.

Theater news for the week of May 4-10, 2013

Each week, we’re going to keep you up-to-speed with the latest Broadway news and stories. Check back every Friday to see what you missed this week and to catch a glimpse of what’s going on at PlayhouseSquare this weekend. Enjoy!

Happening on Broadway …

Neil Patrick Harris to host the Tony Awards
Actor Neil Patrick Harris is slated to host the 2013 Tony Awards on June 9 – this will be Harris’ fourth time hosting the show. “It’ll be more impressive than ever – if my math is correct, it will be 267 times bigger than last year,” Harris said in a statement. “Oh wait. No. That can’t … hold on … carry the one … I’m awful at math. But rest assured, the show will rock.” (broadway.comRead more.

August: Osage County big screen debut slated for later this yer
Tracy Lett’s August: Osage County, which won numerous Tony Awards in 2008, will be released on the big screen later this year. Starring Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Ewan McGregor, Same Shepard and more, the movie is set to be released November 8. Check out the first movie trailer here. (broadway.comRead more.

Les Miserables Composers to Be Honored by the Recording Academy
The Recording Academy Honors, which annually present the Grammy Awards, have announced that Les Miserables composers Alain Boublil, Herbert Kretzmer and Claude-Michel Schonberg will be among the honorees at this year’s ceremony on June 25. (broadway.com) Read more.

Upcoming Events at PlayhouseSquare

Rich Girl – Cleveland Play House
Guys and Dolls – KeyBank Broadway Series, Great Lakes Theater
Becoming Liv Ullmann –Cleveland Play House
Architects of Air: Exxopolis
Grug -  International Children’s Festival
The Girl Who Forgot to Sing Badly – International Children’s Festival
ZooZoo – International Children’s Festival
The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer – International Children’s Festival
Margie and Mike – Cleveland Play House
Informed Consent – Cleveland Play House
Aziz Ansari: Buried Alive Tour

Share your thoughts on this week’s news below, or talk to us on Facebook or Twitter!

This week’s theater news…

Published May 3rd, 2013 by | No Comments


Rocky heading to Broadway in 2014.

Theater news for the week of April 27 – May 3, 2013

Each week, we’re going to keep you up-to-speed with the latest Broadway news and stories. Check back every Friday to see what you missed this week and to catch a glimpse of what’s going on at PlayhouseSquare this weekend. Enjoy!

Happening on Broadway …

Kinky Boots and Matilda top the 2013 Tony Awards
The 2013 Tony Award nominations were announced on April 30 – Kinky Boots leads the pack with 13 nominations and Matilda is close behind with 12 nominations. Pippin, Cinderella and Golden Boy also have several nominations. The 2013 Tony Awards will be announced live on June 9. For a full list of nominations, click the ‘Read more’ link. (broadway.comRead more.

Rocky heading to Broadway in 2014
Rocky, the musical version of Slyvester Stallone’s blockbuster movie, is heading to Broadway in 2014, with preview performances in February, and opening officially in March at the Winter Garden Theatre. The musical, directed by Alex Timbers (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Peter and the Starcatcher), features an original score by the Tony-winning songwriting team of Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens ( Ragtime, Once on This Island, Anastasia) and a book by Tony winner Thomas Meehan (The Producers, Hairspray, Annie) (broadway.comRead more.

Johnny Depp in talks to join Meryl Streep for movie adaptation of Into the Woods
Johnny Depp is in talks to star as Baker in Rob Marshall’s film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s musical Into the Woods. Meryl Streep is already slated for the role of the Witch. A reimagining of beloved fairy tales, Into the Woods centers on the Baker and his wife, who make a deal with an evil witch (Streep) in order to have children. Their odyssey into the woods brings the couple face-to-face with Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, Jack and his magical beans. The musical also explores what happens after these fairytale characters get their “happily ever after.” (broadway.com) Read more.

Upcoming Events at PlayhouseSquare

Rich Girl – Cleveland Play House
Guys and Dolls – KeyBank Broadway Series, Great Lakes Theater
Lucky Plush – DANCECleveland and Cleveland Play House
Love Story: The Musical
Q&A with Jordan Harrison – Cleveland Play House
Marjorie Prime by Jordan Harrison, 2013 Roe Green Award Winner – Cleveland Play House
MorrisonDance: 15th Anniversary Season Performance
Jillian Michaels
Spanish Harlem Orchestra -  Tri-C JazzFest
Becoming Liv Ullmann –Cleveland Play House
The O’Jays
Architects of Air: Exxopolis
Grug -  International Children’s Festival
The Girl Who Forgot to Sing Badly – International Children’s Festival
ZooZoo – International Children’s Festival
The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer – International Children’s Festival
Margie and Mike – Cleveland Play House
Informed Consent – Cleveland Play House

Share your thoughts on this week’s news below, or talk to us on Facebook or Twitter!

ZooZoo’s Animals Come to Life

Published April 29th, 2013 by | No Comments

ZooZoo_Imago8_(c)FritzLiedtke

Imago Theatre’s ZooZoo, the last show of the 2012-2013 Children’s Theater Series and part of the 2013 International Children’s Festival, presents a series of short vignettes of animals in relatable situations, using only music and the actions of fully costumed and masked performers to tell the stories. For ZooZoo, the costumes actually come first in the creative process—the show’s co-creators Jerry Mouawad and Carol Triffle continually dream up and build new animal costumes and then bring them to the performers so that a plot can potentially build around the masks.

The pair has many costumes and masks that have never made it into the show. To earn a spot in ZooZoo, the vignettes must have a “telling moment” that makes them relatable to the audience. The pair can tell in rehearsals if the costume and premise has what it takes to be a successful addition to ZooZoo or other Imago productions.

LavabaticImago’s blog featured a post explaining this process, citing the acrobatic larva vignette as an example. While there are fantastic, massive costumes created at Imago all the time—even a 25-foot-long caterpillar—it can happen that a costume much simpler in comparison becomes the best choice. The staff knew within three hours of beginning rehearsals with the larva costume that the larvabatic vignette had great potential and would be added to the show. In other cases, defining how a costume and its character could potentially join the show can take up to a year.

No matter how simple the costume may appear, developing the look is a time-consuming process. The larva costume took Imago Theatre six months to create. Cats joined the existing cast of anteaters, frogs and other creatures in ZooZoo at the end of last year, and the cat costumes also required a considerable amount of time to perfect. The show’s creators explained to The Oregonian that the cat’s features proved to be especially difficult to recreate in sculpted form, and the mask required several tries with different image sources, including Triffle posing her cats as models.

Because we see animals like cats and dogs so frequently and have such strong mental images of them, Mouawad said they are much more difficult to recreate as a costume than animals that we see less frequently. Luckily for viewers, Triffle’s efforts eventually yielded a product she was happy with, and she said the initial public response to the costumes suggested audiences were happy with them, too.

To create the most authentic interpretations of the animals’ motions with the masks and costumes, the actors must makefrogs some unusual adjustments while performing. Take the frogs for example: The actors’ faces are actually facing down when the frog masks are on. What appear to be the eyes would actually be the top of the actor’s head, which helps the actors’ shoulders and posture appear more frog-like as they move on stage. Because the actors cannot see with these masks, they rely on floor markings and sounds to move about the stage and must genuinely imagine that they can see to bring the mask to life.

This week’s theater news…

Published April 26th, 2013 by | No Comments

Guys and Dolls is slated for a movie makeover.

Theater news for the week of April 20-26, 2013

Each week, we’re going to keep you up-to-speed with the latest Broadway news and stories. Check back every Friday to see what you missed this week and to catch a glimpse of what’s going on at PlayhouseSquare this weekend. Enjoy!

Happening on Broadway …

Guys and Dolls slated for a movie makeover
Guys and Dolls is heading back to the big screen with 20th Century Fox at the helm. No word yet on a screenwriter or director, but Fox hopes to see Channing Tatum (Magic Mike) and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (500 Days of Summer) star as Sky Masterson and Nathan Detroit.  Guys and Dolls comes to PlayhouseSquare May 1 – June 30, 2013. (broadway.comRead more.

Just announced – The Glass Menagerie is transferring to Broadway
John Tiffany’s acclaimed revival of Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie will transfer to Broadway this September for a 17-week run. The revival stars Cherry Jones, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Zachary Quinto and Brin J. Smith.  (broadway.comRead more.

Romeo and Juliet revival slated for late summer
Tony winner Chuck Cooper and Brent Carver will join Orlando Bloom and Condola Rashad in David Leveaux’s Broadway revival of Romeo and Juliet. This is the first Broadway staging of the play in 36 years and will “honor Shakespeare’s written verse while moving the shows setting to contemporary time in which the warring Montague and Capulet families are of different ethnicities.” (broadway.com) Read more.

Upcoming Events at PlayhouseSquare

Flanagan’s Wake
Miss Julie – Cleveland State University Dept of Theatre & Dance
Rich Girl – Cleveland Play House
Perhaps, Pericles
Michael Feinstein – Tri-C JazzFest
Bill Frisell’s Beautiful Dreamers – Tri-C JazzFest
Joe Lovano: Us Five – Tri-C JazzFest
Natalie Cole – Tri-C JazzFest
Erik Larson – William N. Skirball Writers Center Stage Series
Guys and Dolls – KeyBank Broadway Series, Great Lakes Theater
Partners Dine Around: Little Italy – PlayhouseSquare Partners
Lucky Plush – DANCECleveland and Cleveland Play House
Love Story: The Musical

Share your thoughts on this week’s news below, or talk to us on Facebook or Twitter!

Behind the Scenes: Guys and Dolls Costume Sneak Peak

Published April 24th, 2013 by | No Comments

Last week we took a field trip to get a sneak peak at what was happening behind the scenes for our co-production (with Great Lakes Theater) of Guys and Dolls. Little did we know that Great Lakes Theater had a Costume Shop where all of the costumes for the show (and for every Great Lakes Theater production) are created…inside of the Hanna Building! Their staff of cutters, stitchers, drapers, and crafts artisans will realize the vision of Guys and Dolls’ Costume Designer Jennifer Caprio, create mock-ups, perform fittings, and finalize one-of-a-kind stage ready costumes…right here in downtown Cleveland at PlayhouseSquare. Check out some photos of the costumes that they were working on when we visited!

Guys and Dolls' costumes await actor fittings on an unsuspecting costume rack.

Guys and Dolls’ costumes await actor fittings on an unsuspecting costume rack.

 

 

The costume renderings for Guys and Dolls, created by Costume Designer Jennifer Caprio, are pinned up throughout the Great Lakes Theater Costume Shop as a reference for the artisans that are creating the clothing.

 The costume renderings for Guys and Dolls, created by Costume Designer Jennifer Caprio, are pinned up throughout the Great Lakes Theater Costume Shop as a reference for the artisans that are creating the clothing.

This week’s theater news…

Published April 19th, 2013 by | No Comments


Flashdance turned 30 this week!

Theater news for the week of April 13-19, 2013

Each week, we’re going to keep you up-to-speed with the latest Broadway news and stories. Check back every Friday to see what you missed this week and to catch a glimpse of what’s going on at PlayhouseSquare this weekend. Enjoy!

Happening on Broadway …

Tony nominee Phillip Boykin joins national tour of Porgy and Bess
Tony Award nominee Phillip Boykin will reprise his role as the villainous Crown in the national tour of Porgy and Bess. Boykin received a Tony nomination for his performance in Porgy and Bess, which also marked his Broadway debut. The tour will launch this fall and is scheduled to make stops in 14 cities. Porgy and Bess comes to PlayhouseSquare February 4 – February 16, 2014. (broadway.comRead more.

Happy birthday, Flashdance!
April 15 marked the 30th anniversary of the release of the movie version of Flashdance . Starring Jennifer Beals as Alex Ownes, the film was highly successful and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Flashdance…What a Feeling.” The film also received Oscar nominations for Best Cinematography and Best Film Editing. Flashdance comes to PlayhouseSquare April 1-13, 2014. (broadway.comRead more.

Sutton Foster & Jesse Tyler Feruson to announce Tony nominations
Sutton Foster (Anything Goes, Thoroughly Modern Millie) and Jesse Tyler Ferguson( The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Modern Family) are set to announce the 2013 Tony award nominees on April 30. The 2013 Tony Awards will be presented at Radio City Musica Hall and broadcast live on CBS on June 9. (broadway.com) Read more.

Upcoming Events at PlayhouseSquare

Flanagan’s Wake
War Horse – KeyBank Broadway Series
Miss Julie – Cleveland State University Dept of Theatre & Dance
Rich Girl – Cleveland Play House
Aaron Neville & Dr. John – Tri-C JazzFest
Perhaps, Pericles
Robert Glasper Experiment – Tri-C JazzFest
Kenny Garrett – Tri-C JazzFest
Smooth Jazz All-Stars – Tri-C JazzFest
Fair on the Square – Community Engagement and Education Dept. at PlayhouseSquare
Stuart McLean & The Vinyl Cafe
Downbeat Invitational: Jazz Academy – Tri-C JazzFest
Downbeat Invitational: Dominick Farinacci -  Tri-C JazzFest
Downbeat Invitational: Anat Cohen-  Tri-C JazzFest
Theresa Caputo
Lionel Loueke Trio – Tri-C JazzFest
Boney James
Michael Feinstein

Share your thoughts on this week’s news below, or talk to us on Facebook or Twitter!

This week’s theater news…

Published April 12th, 2013 by | No Comments


Andrew Lloyd Webber developing stage adaptation of School of Rock.

Theater news for the week of April 6 – 12, 2013

Each week, we’re going to keep you up-to-speed with the latest Broadway news and stories. Check back every Friday to see what you missed this week and to catch a glimpse of what’s going on at PlayhouseSquare this weekend. Enjoy!

Happening on Broadway …

Once set creator Bob Crowley gives behind the scenes look
Once set creator and six-time Tony award winner Bob Crowley recently gave broadway.com a behind the scenes interview on the set designs he’s done (Disney’s Mary Poppins, Aida and Tarzan just to name a few) and a look at what inspired him to create the set of  Once, coming to PlayhouseSquare November 12-24. (broadway.com) Read more.

Andrew Lloyd Webber developing stage adaptation of School of Rock
Andrew Lloyd Webber reportedly developing a stage adaptation of the 2003 Jack Black comedy School of Rock, the composer revealed in an interview on CBC Radio. Webber divulged, “Another thing that I’ve just got the rights to that I am very excited about…is that movie School of Rock. So, I will go from Stephen Ward, which is really going to be sort of a chamber musical, to a musical about kids playing the guitar!”  (broadway.comRead more.

American Idol’s Crystal Bowersox to play Patsy Cline on Broadway
American Idol runner-up Crystal Bowersox (season 9) will star as Patsy Cline in the upcoming Broadway musical about Cline called Always…Patsy Cline. Always…Patsy Cline is based on a true story about the friendship between Patsy and her most devoted fan, Louise Seger. The musical includes 27 of Cline’s hits including “Crazy,” “I Fall to Pieces” and “Walking After Midnight.”  Annette O’Toole will star opposite Bowersox as Seger. (broadway.comRead more.

HBO developing Nora Ephron documentary Everything is Copy
The late Nora Ephron, famous for When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle , You’ve Got Mail  and Lucky Guy, which is currently on Broadway, will be the subject of an upcoming HBO documentary. Ephron’s son, Jacob Bernstein will co-produce and direct the documentary.  (broadway.com) Read more.

Upcoming Events at PlayhouseSquare

Flanagan’s Wake
Good People – Cleveland Play House
Much Ado About Nothing – Great Lakes Theater
Perhaps, Pericles
War Horse – KeyBank Broadway Series
Keyshia Cole
Cleveland School of Dance: Simply Timeless
Reading Club – Cleveland Play House
Vitamix presents Dr. Joel Fuhrman
Miss Julie – Cleveland State University Dept. of Theatre & Dance
Rich Girl – Cleveland Play House

Share your thoughts on this week’s news below, or talk to us on Facebook or Twitter!

WAR HORSE – The Magic Behind Joey

Published April 9th, 2013 by | No Comments

joey

WAR HORSE, the play about teenaged Albert and his search for his beloved horse Joey through the charred landscape of World War I. Whether you have read the book, seen the movie, or haven’t had a chance to experience this truly remarkable story, the live theater production offers a unique experience to the audience.

The magnificent horse Joey comes to life thanks to the work from South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company. Handspring’s Adrian Kohler and Basil Jones took home the Special Tony Award for their creations, which includes the star of the show Joey. Here are some of the highlights that show how fantastic their work is.

- Joey stands at approximately 8 feet tall and weights a total of 85 pounds.

- He is made up of a lightweight frame shaped from cane and wax twine with an aluminum spine that is strong enough to hold the weight of a rider.

- When a rider is on the puppet frame, they are actually balancing between two puppeteers that are inside of the framework. Because of this delicate balancing act, scenes where soldiers are riding horses are limited to seven minutes during the show.

- Three different puppeteers are used to make Joey come to life, one placed at the head, heart, and hind of the puppet.

- Joey is the final product of a collaboration of previous puppet ideas that have evolved since 1992.

untitled

 

See how Joey comes to life- click on the above photo, which shows the responsibilities of each puppeteer, how specific parts of Joey work, and information about the evolution of creating life-like animal puppets.

DID YOU KNOW… you can see WAR HORSE for just $10? There are still Smart Seats available for many of the performances during the two week run from April 9th through the 21st. We are extremely excited to welcome War Horse to Cleveland, and even if you have seen the movie, there is no comparison to seeing this production live.

Related articles:

The Plain Dealer – War Horse Comes to PlayhouseSquare

News Herald – Powered by Puppetry, ‘War Horse’ gallops to Cleveland’s PlayhouseSquare

The Akron Beacon Journal – Cleveland Actor Comes Home with War Horse

This week’s theater news…

Published April 5th, 2013 by | No Comments


Alicia Hall Moran and Nathaniel Stampley to headline Porgy and Bess National Tour

Theater news for the week of March 29 –April 5, 2013

Each week, we’re going to keep you up-to-speed with the latest Broadway news and stories. Check back every Friday to see what you missed this week and to catch a glimpse of what’s going on at PlayhouseSquare this weekend. Enjoy!

Happening on Broadway …

Kinky Boots opens on Broadway
Kinky Boots, starring Billy Porter and Stark Sands officially opened at the Al Hirschfield Theatre on April 4. The musical features music and lyrics by Grammy winner Cyndi Lauper, a book by Tony winner Harvey Fierstein and direction and choreography by Tony winner Jerry Mitchell.  Kinky Boots is based on the 2005 film and inspired by a true story. (broadway.comRead more.

Alicia Hall Moran and Nathaniel Stampley to headline Porgy and Bess National Tour
Alicia Hall Moran (Porgy and Bess, The Motown Project) and Nathaniel Stampley (Porgy and Bess, The Color Purple, The Lion King) will headline the national tour of Porgy and Bess.  The tour is scheduled to kick off this fall and will include at stop at PlayhouseSquare February 4-16, 2014. The production won Tony Awards for Best Revivial of a Musical and Best Actress for leading leady Audra McDonald.  (broadway.comRead more.

Cameron Mackintosh reveals details on Miss Saigon and My Fair Lady movies
Producer Cameron Mackintosh is currently working on film adaptations of Miss Saigon and My Fair Lady – although movie release dates and casting for both projects has yet to be revealed, Mackintosh confirms that both are in the works. Mackintosh also recently revealed that he would love to do a film version of Oliver!  (broadway.com) Read more.

Upcoming Events at PlayhouseSquare

Flanagan’s Wake
Good People – Cleveland Play House
Much Ado About Nothing – Great Lakes Theater
Perhaps, Pericles
Celtic Woman
Kathy Griffin
Esperanza Spalding
War Horse – KeyBank Broadway Series
Partners Bowl-a-Rama at Mahall’s – PlayhouseSquare Partners
Rita Dove – William N. Skirball Writer’s Center Stage Series

Share your thoughts on this week’s news below, or talk to us on Facebook or Twitter!

About Us

A not-for-profit performing arts center that presents and produces a wide variety of performing arts, advances arts education and creates a destination that is a superior location for entertainment business and residential living, thereby strengthening the economic vitality of the region.

Authors

PlayhouseSquare Photos

IMG_5550 IMG_5472 OM Installation- 4 Jump029milner

View More PlayhouseSquare on

PlayhouseSquare Videos

View More PlayhouseSquare on