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Odds & Ends: NBC Plans Broadway Primetime Special This Fall & More

Source: Broadway.com | Posted: August 20 2020 @ 2:06 pm

Here's a quick roundup of stories you might have missed recently.

NBC Planning Broadway Special
The Peacock network is aiming to celebrate theater in a big way this fall. According to Page Six, NBC is planning to air a primetime Broadway special in October with cast members from Broadway shows performing, though New York theater remains shut down in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. Watch this space for more info.

Seth MacFarlane to Release Broadway Songs on New Album
Crooner and comedian Seth MacFarlane will release an album entitled Great Songs from Stage and Screen on August 28 on Republic Records/Verve Records. Billboard reports that the tracklist for the record includes "I Loved You Once In Silence" from Camelot, "Ten Minutes Ago" from Cinderella and more. The Family Guy creator and American Dad! co-creator is no stranger to singing show tunes.

Get a Glimpse at London's Sleepless in Seattle Musical
As previously announced, Jay McGuiness and Kimberley Walsh, the stars who fell in love nightly in the London premiere of Big the Musical, will let sparks fly again in the world premiere musical Sleepless. Based on the 1993 romantic comedy Sleepless in Seattle, …

Watch Ben Platt's Hilarious Parody Ad for His Second Solo Album

Source: Broadway.com | Posted: August 20 2020 @ 1:07 pm

Tony winner Ben Platt recently delivered a hilarious opening monologue as a guest host on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and it was definitely a shoutout to his fellow theater geeks. In addressing the Broadway shutdown and Tony Awards postponement, he revealed that his high school senior yearbook quote was taken from Alice Ripley's 2009 Tony speech. He also shared an "update" on his second solo album as well as an ad for it that is nothing short of epic. Get ready to hear Platt croon about Zoom call stress and the latest dance craze that's sweeping the nation: fetal position! Enjoy the shenanigans in full below.

Watch Now: Ben Platt’s Guest Host Monologue on Jimmy Kimmel Live

Source: BroadwayDirect.com | Posted: August 20 2020 @ 12:40 pm

Ben talks about all the new musicals that are bound to come out of this difficult time, confirmation that singers are in fact super-spreaders of the virus, how we can all help the struggling theatre community right now, and he releases the commercial for his new album “Quaran-Tunes.”

The post Watch Now: Ben Platt’s Guest Host Monologue on Jimmy Kimmel Live appeared first on Broadway Direct.

Watch Jennifer Hudson Deliver a Powerful Performance of 'A Change Is Gonna Come' at the Democratic National Convention

Source: Broadway.com | Posted: August 20 2020 @ 10:14 am

Oscar winner and Broadway alum Jennifer Hudson delivered a powerful performance on August 19 to close out the third night of the Democratic National Convention. She sang Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come" from under the Tiffany Dome at the Harold Washington Cultural Center in her hometown of Chicago. The Respect star's performance immediately followed Democratic candidate Kamala Harris’ historic acceptance speech as the first woman of color to be nominated by a major party for vice president. Watch Hudson's incredible rendition of the song below.

White Leaders At Some U.S. Theaters Are Ceding Their Jobs To People Of Color

Source: ArtsJournal.com | Posted: August 20 2020 @ 10:04 am

“The theaters are mostly small, and it remains unclear how calls for change in the industry will (or won’t) affect life at larger institutions, many of which have been programmatically and financially hobbled by the coronavirus pandemic.” But this year’s calls for equity are starting to have an effect. Says William Carden, outgoing artistic director […]