#august Wilson theatre

[addictedtoeddie]

New video ft. cast interviews and footage from rehearsals and the show - Cabaret on CBS Sunday morning.

[eddie-redmayne-italian-blog]

My gifs from new trailer of Cabaret!!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club (@kitkatclubnyc)

[bespokeredmayne]

Live from the Kit Kat Club NYC

Eddie Redmayne with part of his Cabaret Broadway troupe at their last day in the rehearsal studio before moving into the theater Saturday. [My edit. 📸 Left: From IG @gabifrederique (Frenchie), Right: From @corinnemunsch (swing/understudy for Fraulein Kost)]

[henry-the-queer-artist]

cabaret be charging 700$ per ticket.

now I LOVE Eddie Redmayne mk, in fact I'm listening to ABC Cafe/ Red & Black as we speak, but that price seems a bit excessive

[killingfrankie]

it being performed at the august wilson is such a full circle moment. i know auli’i wasn’t in mg on bway but it’s just the tie to mg the musical that i was like, “wow, that’s pretty cool :)”

I bought tickets to Cabaret😭😭

[dingus0401]

ok yall I just saw the Cabaret revival. I think the American critics are stupid because holy shit that was amazing!!!

the overall experience of going into the club was mind blowing. I felt like I was in some Indiana Jones movie. the prologue performers were incredible and the atmosphere was unmatched.

the show was very cool. how they redid the stage was actually insane.

my only problem was with the show itself. i’ve never seen it before and had no idea what it was abt prior. i thought it was an interesting concept and idea, but the story had no real grit and i didn’t feel like i cared enough about the characters. that doesn’t really matter with the revival tho.

THE PERFORMANCES OMFG. eddie redmayne was absolutely insane wtf😭like i still hope that groff gets the tony but holy shit eddie redmayne. (he also said les miserables when introducing a french dancer which made my les miz heart happy hehe) gayle rankin was incredible!!!!!!! she absolutely nailed the big songs like Maybe This Time and the final one i forgot what it’s called💀she really embodied Sally and made her my favorite character. I hope she wins the Tonyyy.

overall, if u can, i’d recommend going. not even just for the show, mainly for the whole experience and atmosphere which are honestly once in a lifetime.

[eddieredmayneargentinablog]

New photo! Here's Eddie with part of the cast of Cabaret at the August Wilson Theater, in NYC, today!

#Repost Cabaret Cast Actor Paige Smallwood on Instagram: "Move-in day was a success"

[msdsweets-blog]

Celebrating Black History Month

Greetings,

Just want to add my first Sims 4 CC creation to tumblr. Forgot to do this earlier.

Enjoy Black History Month and beyond with Black Theatre Posters celebrating the August Wilson Century Cycle chronicling 100 years of the African-American experience beginning in 1900 through 2000. There are ten plays representing each decade.

August Wilson (1945 - 2005) remains one of the most prolific African-American playwrights and artists whose plays have appeared on Broadway, garnering numerous awards, starring such noted actors as Phylicia Rashad, Denzel Washington, Mary Alice, Keith David, Tonya Pinkins, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Leslie Uggams, Samuel L. Jackson, Courtney B. Vance, Angela Basset, Harry Lennix, Ruben Santiago Hudson, Whoopi Goldberg, Charles "Roc" Dutton, S. Epatha Merkerson, Lou Myers, Lawrence Fishburn and Viola Davis, just to name a few.     

August Wilson is the first and only African-American artists to have a Broadway theatre re-named in his honor.  The Virginia theatre was renamed the August Wilson Theatre shortly after his passing.  

What line or scene do you remember from your favorite August Wilson play?   Feel free to share them here.   (Having seen almost all of the B'way runs, I must say that Phylicia Rashad's performance as Aunt Ester in Gem of the Ocean sticks out strongest for me.) 

Life has been wild for me since my initial upload January 2023.  Looking forward to regular uploads this year and in the future.  Enjoy.  Also note, my content will ALWAYS BE FREE!!

Just Keep Simmin', Simmin', Simmin'!!!

[do-you-know-this-play]

[the-real-awidferd]

Next Emcee drawing is looking fire already

!!!Do Not Repost Without Credit!!!

Awidferd Art 2024

[steaminghotmessofcringe]

there's something so incredibly tragic about how gabriel was the person who fully supported troy in spite of his actions from early on in the play and fully believed him to be a good person. all while gabriel was also the person troy felt he betrayed and exploited and hence felt so intensely guilt about. his younger brother that he failed to protect and care for still thinks hes the best older brother he could ever have.

[toiletpotato]

Read some of August Wilson's Pittsburgh Cycle (Century Cycle)

For a long time, the August Wilson Theatre used to be the only theatre on Broadway named after a Black person. Currently, only three out of forty-one theatres on Broadway are named after Black people, two of which were renamed in 2022 (The James Earl Jones Theatre and the Lena Horne Theatre respectively). The August Wilson Theatre was only renamed in 2005, just under two decades ago.

August Wilson was a very notable Black American playwright. One of his most notable series of works continues to be his Century Cycle (sometimes known as the Pittsburgh Cycle). It is a series of plays that focuses on the Black community in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (for nine plays) and Chicago, Illinois (for one of them) over the course of a century. Two of the works you may have heard of are Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and Fences as they have received film adaptations.

(Interestingly, James Earl Jones was in the original Broadway cast of Fences. His performance as Troy Maxson is absolutely masterful. You can watch a clip here.)

One of the better ways to experience plays is through watching them live or recorded. However, many plays are published so that they can be read as well! (In order to perform them, rights must be acquired).

These are contemporary plays, so the language is easier to understand than older plays that one might encounter in an English class. I have listed them in chronological order of when they were written. In parentheses, I have listed the year written and the year set.

If you click on a title, it will take you to a PDF.

Jitney (1982/1970s)

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (1984/1920s)

Fences (1985/1950s)

Joe Turner's Come and Gone (1986/1910s)

The Piano Lesson (1987/1930s)

Two Trains Running (1990/1960s)

Seven Guitars (1995/1940s)

King Hedley II (1999/1980s)

Gem of the Ocean (2003/1900s)

Radio Golf (2005/1990s)

I'm still trying to find PDFs for Seven Guitars, King Hedley II, and Gem of the Ocean. If anyone happens to have PDFs on hand I would really appreciate it if you could add them!!

I will leave you all with some quotes that Mr. Wilson told the Paris Review (interview here), that he and Rob Penny "founded the Black Horizons Theater in Pittsburgh with the idea of using the theater to politicize the community or, as we said in those days, to raise the consciousness of the people." (emphasis mine). He also told them that he thinks that "my plays offer (White Americans) a different way to look at Black Americans. For instance, in Fences they see a garbageman, a person they don't really look at, although they see a garbageman every day. By looking at Troy's life, White people find out that the content of this Black garbageman's life is affected by the same things – love, honor, beauty, betrayal, duty. Recognizing that these things are as much part of his life as theirs can affect how they think about and deal with Black people in their lives." (emphasis mine).

Thank you for taking the time to read this post, have a theatrical time of day!

[eddie-redmayne-italian-blog]

Les Miserables and The Fantastic Beasts Reunion in one night!!

Jean Valjean met Marius Pontmercy as Newton Scamander met Leta Lestrange!!

How many of you would have liked to be there?

So this happened tuesday night after the Cabaret show!!

Photographer Jenny Anderson

Source

[bespokeredmayne]

Report: Eddie Redmayne’s lengthy commitment to Cabaret on Broadway — and its whopping budget

A exclusive report today from Philip Boroff and his Broadway Journal says Eddie Redmayne is committing to an expensive New York production of Cabaret for six months. ‘CABARET’ IS COSTLIEST BROADWAY REVIVAL

by Philip Boroff 

EXCLUSIVE: Investing in Cabaret  at the August Wilson Theatre this spring might seem like a safe bet, after the success of the Kander & Ebb classic in London and earlier productions in New York.

That's until you see the price tag: $24.25 million, a record for a Broadway revival.

Broadway Journal reviewed a preliminary budget and recoupment chart for the transfer from the West End, which is being presented by the multinational theater operator and producer Ambassador Theatre Group and U.K.-based Underbelly, which creates shows and festivals. Tony and Oscar-winner Eddie Redmayne will reprise his role as Kit Kat Club emcee on Broadway. 

Revivals of musicals by John Kander and Fred Ebb have been golden on Broadway, particularly the concert version of Chicago, now in its 27th year; and two Roundabout Theatre Co. engagements of Cabaret. This production, which follows several new musicals into the financial stratosphere, needs to be a smash to repay investors. 

Cabaret‘s largest line item is its $9.4 million physical production. That includes millions from investors to transform the August Wilson into a Weimar-era nightclub, designed by Tom Scutt, where the show will be performed for an audience of about 1050. (There’s also a pre-show with actors and musicians interacting with the audience.) Another $1.5 million is allocated for a “refurbishment reserve,” presumably for cost overruns. A production spokesman declined to comment for this story.

For the 2021 premiere, Ambassador Theatre Group paid most of the expense of renovating London’s Playhouse Theatre (where the show’s performed in the round), someone familiar with the production said. As is standard in the industry, backers benefit from the sale of tickets but don’t share in revenue from drinks or food.

The New York production is what’s known as a related-party transaction: ATG is both producer and landlord. It recently bought a majority stake in the August Wilson along with Jujamcyn Theaters’ four other Broadway venues.

One of the busiest players on Broadway, ATG and subsidiary Sonia Friedman Productions are producing four of the 16 plays and musicals opening this season through December: The Shark is Broken, Gutenberg! The Musical!, Merrily We Roll Along and Appropriate (with Second Stage Theater). It’s controlled by Providence Equity Partners, a mammoth private equity manager that buys companies with the eventual aim of reselling them at a profit.

Cabaret must thrive to survive, requiring a weekly $1.2 million at the box office to pay its bills. That’s one of the biggest nuts on Broadway, even more than the time-travel spectacle Back to the Future projected in its recoupment chart. Back to the Future‘s home, the Winter Garden Theatre, has about 50 percent more seats than the reconfigured August Wilson, which will lose about 200 seats in the renovation.

Investing may be most appealing for patrons who prioritize backing a prestigious and artful show (and a leading Tony contender) over return on investment. Rebecca Frecknall’s dark revival won seven Olivier Awards last year in London, including for Redmayne. He’s committed to reprising his role for six months, two people familiar with the production said. ATG and Underbelly haven’t disclosed details about the transfer, including casting.

When it opened in London in 2021, Cabaret got flak on social media for its prices, now as much as £375 (equivalent to about $465, which includes a light three-course meal and champagne). Producers have told investors that the show played to 96 percent occupancy through July, with the highest average ticket price in London.

Broadway seats may be costlier. The average ticket at 110 percent capacity of the August Wilson — i.e. with premium pricing — is projected to be $248. That’s approaching Hamilton in its peak years, when it was charging as much as $849 a ticket.

If Cabaret can command that $248 average and sell out — grossing $2.1 million a week — recoupment will take about a year. (Hamilton, which cost half as much as Cabaret and has low running costs, was distributing profits six months after opening night.)

By selling out with an average ticket of $176 — Sweeney Todd  territory — Cabaret‘s recoupment would take closer to two and a half years.  With an average ticket of $158 — $1.3 million a week — recoupment would take four and a half years. (Projections in this story are based on recouping $20.9 million, which excludes Cabaret‘s reserves, deposits and advances; and receiving a $3 million state production tax credit, which can take years to get to investors. If the show dips into reserves during construction or the run, recouping may take longer.)

Musical revivals have gotten ever-pricier to produce, but none has approached Cabaret. For example, Sweeney Todd was capitalized at $14.5 million and appears to be on track to recoup later this fall, after about 33 weeks. Hello, Dolly! was capitalized at $16 million in 2017 (about $20 million today) and earned a small profit; last year’s $16.5 million Funny Girl  recouped and is expected to make a profit.

Shows that required extensive renovations have a mixed record. Most recently, Here Lies Love, the $22 million disco-themed historical drama around the corner from the August Wilson, is struggling at the box office; whereas Harry Potter appears to be enjoying a long life in ATG’s souped-up Lyric Theatre, after producers trimmed the two-part show to one. But it arrived from London at considerable expense. In addition to Harry Potter’s $35.5 million capitalization, ATG, which competed against other landlords for the play, spent tens of millions of dollars clearing out and renovating the Lyric, Michael Paulson reported in the New York Times.

Revivals are typically short-lived, Cabaret as well as Chicago being obvious exceptions. The Roundabout Cabaret revival directed by Sam Mendes and Rob Marshall opened at the Henry Miller’s Theatre in 1998 and ran through 2004. It initially starred Alan Cumming, who stepped in again when the Roundabout revisited the revival in 2014.

Two decades ago, the Roundabout bought its revival’s most recent home, Studio 54. The nonprofit company, with help from the city of New York, paid $22.5 million for the real estate, which looks like a bargain today.

[lottiedoesthings]

Some illustrations of theatre makers done for a uni brief a few months ago

[personal-blog243]

I don’t want to give too much about myself away here but…

there is a musical called “Urinetown” that has some decent social commentary about poverty and policing and things like that, and “1776” had some pretty good commentary about America. Other than that most musicals fall REALLY flat when they try to have a progressive message.

There are plays written by POC playwrights that address themes of racism and class conflict better than the big name musicals you’ve heard of.

Try August Wilson, Lynn Nottage, and Amiri Baraka, and David Henry Hwang

u ever think abt the irony that so many broadway shows are abt poverty and yet…. ppl in poverty can’t see them…..