What's in the News!?
Jamael Westman, Taylor Iman Jones, Rory O'Malley, More Will Star in Los Angeles Run of Hamilton
Jamael Westman, who was Olivier-nominated for his performance as Alexander Hamilton in the London production of Hamilton, will reprise his work in the Los Angeles staging of Lin-Manuel Miranda's Pulitzer Prize-winning musical.
He will be joined by Nicholas Christopher as Aaron Burr, Rubén J. Carbajal as John Laurens/Philip Hamilton, Joanna A. Jones as Eliza Hamilton, Taylor Iman Jones as Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds, Carvens Lissaint as George Washington, Simon Longnight as Marquis De Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson, Rory O'Malley as King George, Sabrina Sloan as Angelica Schuyler, and Wallace Smith as Hercules Mulligan/James Madison.
Beth Leavel & Taylor Iman Jones to Headline World Premiere Devil Wears Prada Musical
The upcoming musical adaptation of The Devil Wears Prada has found its stars. Beth Leavel and Taylor Iman Jones will take on the roles of Miranda Priestly and Andy Sachs, respectively, in the musical's previously announced world premiere staging, which has shifted its run dates to July 13 through August 15, 2021 at Chicago's CIBC Theatre.
Review: Double, Double, Burger and Trouble in ‘Scotland, PA’
"Yet this is also a show that under Price’s clean direction gets so much right. For one thing, unlike its characters, it understands its own ambition, avoiding overplaying and over-amplification. It is admirably well sung and acted by the spirited cast, especially the smoky-voiced Jones as Pat and Alysha Umphress as the stoner who spouts both prophecy and melisma. It moves without undue fuss on Anna Louizos’s simple revolving set."
The Stars Align: 19 Broadway People to Watch in 2019!
Though her current Broadway show HEAD OVER HEELS closes at the end of the week, Jones has quickly made a name for herself in the theatre community since making her Broadway debut in 2017's GROUNDHOG DAY. A regular at 54 Below and The Green Room 42, Jones has proven to be an incredibly talented rising star, and we're excited to see what she does next.
The Unforgettable Theater Moments of 2018
“We Got the Beat” opened the show with the requisite bang, and “Vacation” had its spot, too, but the real surprise in the underrated Go-Go’s jukebox musical “Head Over Heels” were two deep cuts: “Vision of Nowness” and, especially, “Automatic Rainy Day” — the latter powerbombed into my cranium in a duet by Bonnie Milligan and Taylor Iman Jones. SCOTT HELLER
The actor, starring as Mopsa in the Go-Go’s musical, shares her experience creating a new musical, training for Broadway, and making the theatre more inclusive.
Introduce Yourself(ie): 10 Questions with Head Over Heels Star Taylor Iman Jones
Taylor Iman Jones gives a breakout performance as Mopsa, the faithful and fierce AF lady in waiting, in Broadway's fun new Go-Go's musical Head Over Heels. The Cali native made her B'way debut understudying the lead in the short-lived Groundhog Day musical, she toured the country as the Extraordinary Girl in American Idiot, and now she's stopping the show with the hit song "Vacation".
The Broadway-bound production of the new musical featuring the songs of the all-female rock band The Go-Go’s began previews April 10 at the Curran Theatre. The pre-Broadway engagement will officially opened April 18 for a limited run through May 6.
The Michael Mayer-helmed production will arrive on Broadway June 23 at the Hudson Theatre, where it will open July 26.
Tickets available at https://sfcurran.com/shows/head-over-heels/
Go-Go's Musical Head Over Heels to Play Broadway's Hudson Theatre; Casting Announced
We got the beat! Head Over Heels, the new musical featuring the iconic songs of The Go-Go's, has found its Broadway home. The previously announced musical will play the Hudson Theatre, with previews slated to begin on June 23 and an opening set for July 26. The production will first play an out-of-town engagement at San Francisco's Curran theater from April 10 through May 6. The principal cast will feature Rachel York (Disaster!), Jeremy Kushnier (Cirque Du Soleil Paramour), Alexandra Socha (Spring Awakening), Taylor Iman Jones (Groundhog Day), newcomer Bonnie Milligan and RuPaul’s Drag Race's Peppermint, who will be the first trans-woman actress to create a principal role on the Great White Way.
Andy Karl Will Headline Groundhog Day Cast Reunion as NYC Benefit
Andy Karl, who earned a Tony nomination as the lead in Groundhog Day: The Musical, will headline a reunion concert of cast members from the Tim Minchin show, February 2 (Groundhog Day, naturally) in New York City. Part of the proceeds will benefit the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
Cast Members of American Idiot to Celebrate Music of Green Day at NYC Reunion
Music of the rock group Green Day will be celebrated January 22 in a New York City reunion of cast members from the Broadway and touring companies of the band’s 2010 musical American Idiot at Feinstein’s/54 Below.
Broadway Stars Come Out for Third Annual Broadway Supports LIHSA Fundraise
The stars came out for Nassau BOCES Long Island High School for the Arts (LIHSA) at the school's third "Broadway Supports LIHSA" fundraising event. The gala production featured Broadway stars who donated their time for a spectacular one-night only event to help raise money toward and awareness of LIHSA. The much-anticipated annual fundraiser for Long Island's only public high school for the visual and performing arts (LIHSA) has become a premier event for the greater theater community.
"The early months of spring in New York always bring a rush of new Broadway musicals, and each year we kick off the season with a peek at some of the sexiest dancers, singers and actors that Broadway has to offer. Here is our seventh annual roundup of 20 talented and men and women who will be heating up stages in the months ahead."
See Who Has Joined the Cast of Broadway Musical Groundhog Day
"Joining the previously announced Andy Karl and Barret Doss will be Rebecca Faulkenberry (Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark, Rock of Ages), John Sanders (Matilda, Peter and the Starcatcher), Andrew Call (Found, American Idiot), Raymond J. Lee (Honeymoon in Vegas, Anything Goes), Heather Ayers (Young Frankenstein, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever), Kevin Bernard (Billy Elliot, Curtains), Gerard Canonico (Spring Awakening, American Idiot), Rheaume Crenshaw (Amazing Grace, Alternating Currents), Michael Fatica (She Loves Me, Newsies), Katy Geraghty (Shrek, A Christmas Carol regionally), Camden Gonzales (Matilda The Musical Toronto/national tour), Jordan Grubb (Mary Poppins national tour), Taylor Iman Jones (American Idiot national tour)..."
"Key revisions reportedly included a new opening scene and heightening the role of the armless chanteuse Rae — who isn’t actually missing any limbs at first (a great deal of the playful visual magic resides in the costumes of Katherine O’Neill). As performed by the magnetic, bright-toned and high-kicking Taylor Iman Jones, it’s hard to imagine the story would work half so well without a dynamic Rae to balance the testosterone overload of Merrigan’s handsome, short-tempered, none-too-bright Big Joe."
"Jones has a smile to brighten any stage and easily fills the role of Mary with charm and poise."
"... the best thing about American Idiot: The Musical is that there are strong female characters in this show and they shine among this cast. The most impressive of them is Taylor Jones as Extraordinary Girl: Tunny’s love interest. Her powerful voice is reminiscent of Christina Sajous, who originated the part on Broadway. Her voice is so powerful it’s as if she doesn’t need a microphone on stage"
"The entire ensemble consists of triple threats with uncanny harmonic abilities, killer belts, and dancing chops. Taylor Iman Jones as Rae performs especially improbable feats of vocal gymnastics, while Ian Merrigan anchors the show with his touching performance as the insecure and clueless Big Joe."
"Next we have Taylor Iman Jones, who portrays Lizzie’s friend and innocent lover, Alice. Miss Jones has perhaps the hardest challenge in the show because her character’s naivety could easily be over shadowed by the bold personalities of the other three ladies—this however is not the case. Jones brings sweetness to a show that could easily be a nonstop train of fright, and her subtle moments with Lizzie bring humanity to the murderess."
"Anita (Taylor Iman Jones) runs the gamut from comedic highs when she first jokes with Maria early in Act 1, to raging fury, both in trying to convince Maria to give up on Tony and “find one of her own kind” and when she’s brutalized by the Jets when she comes to deliver an earnest message to Tony."
"Taylor Iman Jones plays Bernardo's girlfriend, Anita, and she is a powerhouse actress with good pipes."
"Brendan Quirk as Tony, Samantha Cardenas as Maria and Taylor Iman Jones as Anita all turn in extraordinary performances. Their solo work is wonderful." "...The magic really starts to happen in the duets. Jones is a force to be reckoned with on stage, and when she joins her match, the enormously talented Cardenas, for the heart-wrenching “A Boy Like That/I Have a Love,” the electricity just flows between them. No acting here. This is the real deal. Downright transcendent."
"As Lexi, the young Taylor Jones brings a fresh and engaging approach to her troubled character. She shows an uncanny ability of quickly alternating between denial of anything being wrong and being paralyzed with fear something huge is wrong, between self-absorption and desperate need for human contact, and between appearing totally normal and clearly being deeply disturbed."
“...Speaking of eye popping, although it may be unfair to single out individuals, Taylor Jones dressed in a body fitting gold sequined mini skirted dress is a knockout as her graceful ( cross out “graceful” and substitute seductive) body movements spotlighted on the second level platform for “Don Juan” is a knockout. "
◄
1/1
►