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Fall Broadway PreviewPublished: Wed, 01 Nov 2006 00:59:00 -0500 Hey, all you Broadway fans! If you have been waiting for the time that Broadway will show up in The Cracked Pot, this is it! Here is a little preview of what's going on behind the scenes of some of your favorite shows on Broadway. ----- A Chorus Line, the longest running American musical ever, tells the story of 17 dancers whose dreams are about to come true. They are about to have the opportunity to dance on Broadway. The latest revival of this musical and winner of nine Tony awards--including "Best Musical"--and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama opened at the Schoenfeld Theatre on October 16, 2006. Join in the fun as this beloved musical takes the stage again with a new generation of Chorus Liners. Beauty and the Beast, based on the beloved Disney tale, has enchanted audiences for more than 10 years, and continues to enchant even to this day. Beginning on September 19, 2006, Sarah Uriarte Berry resumed the role of Belle, which she previously played in 1995. The same day that Berry began her run again, Donny Osmond assumed her opposte--the conceited and handsome Gaston--for a limited nine-week engagement. The role of the Beast continues to be played by Steve Blanchard, one of the show's longest-running Beasts. Blanchard joined the Beauty & the Beast cast for the first time in 1995 as the Beast/Gaston standby, but officially resumed the role of the Beast in 2004, where he has remained since. 
Hairspray, the Tony-award-winning smash hit from 2002, continues its run at the Neil Simon Theatre with incredible vigor and joy. Joining the cast for the first time in the role of Amber Von Tussle is pop singer Haylie Duff. Her Broadway premiere run began on July 18, 2006. Returning to the cast of Hairspray after a brief summer stint in the title role of the musical Brooklyn, American Idol 2004 runner-up, Diana DeGarmo, returns to the lovable role of Tracy Turnblad's best friend, Penny Pingleton. Shannon Durig, who took on the role of Tracy Turnblad full-time in 2005, continues her run with no forseeable end at present.
Les Misérables, the legendary musical based on Victor Hugo's novel depicting 19th-century France, returns to the stage for a Broadway revival. With names such as Alexander Gemignani (Sweeney Todd), Norm Lewis (Side Show, Miss Saigon, Dessa Rose, Chicago), Daphne Rubin-Vega (Rent), Gary Beach (The Producers), and Celia Keenan-Bolger (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), it is sure to be a fabulous revival, indeed. Les Mis began performances at the Broadhurst Theatre on October 22, 2006, but officially opens there on November 9, 2006.
Mary Poppins, the beloved Disney movie starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, finally comes to the New York stage! It opens at the New Amsterdam Theatre on November 19, 2006. Ashley Brown (Beauty & the Beast) stars as the "practically perfect in every way" Mary Poppins, who has more then just a pair of shoes in her carpet-bag. Alongside her, in the role of the lovable Bert, Gavin Lee performs. Lee has been with Poppins since it premiered in Bristol in 2004, and won an Oliver Award for his performance as Bert. Mary Poppins is also the first collaboration between Disney--producers of Beauty & the Beast, The Lion King, and Tarzan--and Cameron Mackintosh, the legendary producer of the record-breaking musicals The Phantom of the Opera, Cats, and Les Misérables. This musical will likely be described by only one word: "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!"
Spamalot, the Tony-award-winning Best Musical of 2005, continues to dazzle critics and audiences alike. Based on the most popular of the Monty Python movies, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Spamalot tells the legendary story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table on their quest for the Holy Grail--only, this time, with song. It features "a chorus line of legless knights, men in tights (with legs), killer rabbits and dancing divas." On October 3, 2006 Chris Hoch, who made his Broadway debut as Gaston in Beauty & the Beast, joined the cast of Monty Python's Spamalot as Sir Lancelot. On October 31, 2006, three-time Tony award winner Marin Mazzie (Kiss Me Kate, Ragtime, Passion), and Tony nominee Jonathan Hardy (All Shook Up, Guys & Dolls, Gypsy), joined the cast as the Lady of the Lake (Mazie) and King Arthur (Hardy).
Tarzan, based on Disney's award-winning animated film, swung on to Broadway at the Richard Rogers Theatre on May 10, 2006. This musical brings to life the well-known story of Tarzan, a man raised by apes, and shows what happens when Tarzan meets a human (Jane Porter) for the first time. As the story unfolds, events threaten to pull them apart, and both of their lives are changed forever. Josh Strickland, a former American Idol finalist, makes his Broadway debut in the title role of Tarzan. Alongside him is the lovely Jenn Gambatese (Hairspray, Footloose, All Shook Up) in the role Tarzan's love interest, Jane Porter. The cast includes other well-known stars such as Shuler Hensley (Les Misérables, Oklahoma!) as Kerchak, and Merle Dandridge (Jesus Christ Superstar, Aida, Rent) as Kala. The remarkable team of artists includes six-time Grammy Award winner Phil Collins, two-time Tony award winner Bob Crowley, and Tony award winner David Henry Hwang. They have brought the story of Tarzan to life with music, dancing apes, an inflatable set, and more. Come join Tarzan on his journey to learn about the "strangers like [him]." The Apple Tree returns to Broadway for the first time in 40 years. Kristin Chenoweth, who won a Tony award for her role as Sally Brown in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, returns to Broadway to star two years after she originated the role of Glinda in the Tony-award-winning musical Wicked. The Apple Tree is comprised of three one-act musicals based on Mark Twain's The Diary of Adam and Eve, Frank R. Stockton's The Lady or the Tiger?, and Jules Feiffer's Passionella. Chenoweth stars as Eve, Princess Barbara, and Ella. Alongside her in the roles of Adam, Sanjar, and Flip is Tony award nominee Brian d'Arcy (Sweet Smell of Success, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels). The revival will only be on stage for a short time. It opens on December 14, 2006 at Studio 54 and closes on March 11, 2007. 
The Phantom of the Opera, the longest-running show in New York, continues its run at the Majestic Theatre. Howard McGillin, Broadway's longest-running Phantom, who has performed the role over 1,200 times, continues strong. McGillin was part of the cast on January 9, 2006 when Phantom surpassed another Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, Cats, as the longest-running show on Broadway. In July 2005, Rebecca Pitcher took over the role of Christine Daae, the lovely, young opera singer. Michael Shawn Lewis took over the role of Christine's childhood friend and love interest, Raoul, in April 2005. Almost 20 years after it opened on Broadway, Phantom continues to dazzle and delight fans of all ages. Let the music take you back to the Paris Opera House where "the Phantom of the Opera is there inside your mind."
The Wedding Singer, is a brand-new musical based on the 1998 movie starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore as a singer and a waitress engaged to be married to the wrong people. The Wedding Singer opened at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre on April 27, 2006. Constantine Maroulis, the well-known finalist from American Idol season 4, joined the cast of The Wedding Singer on September 7, 2006 for a limited 8-week engagement which will end on November 5, 2006. The Wedding Singer continues to star Stephen Lynch as Robbie Hart, the wedding singer, and Laura Benanti as Julia, the waitress. The Wedding Singer tells the story of Robbie Hart--New Jersey's number-one wedding singer and the life of every party until his own fiancee strands him at the altar. Bitter and broken, Robbie begins to make every wedding as disastrous as his own until a warm-hearted waitress named Julia intervenes. The only problem is that Julia's about to be--you guessed it--married! Can Robbie pull off the performance of the decade and win the girl of his dreams? Can The Wedding Singer's sparkling new score do for the '80s what Hairspray did for the '60s? Wait and see as you join the sights and sounds of the 80's in this fun-loving new musical!
Wicked, the untold story of the witches of Oz--which came to life through the combined efforts of Stephen Schwartz, Winnie Goldman, and Joe Mantello--continues a strong run at the Gershwin Theatre located on West 51st street in downtown New York City. On October 10, 2006, well-known Saturday Night Live actress Ana Gasteyer began a special 13-week limited engagement run as the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba. Gasteyer previously played this role in the Chicago production for which she received a Jefferson award nomination. She replaced Eden Espinosa, the original understudy for the part of Elphaba, in the role. In January 2007, Sebastian Arcelus, who played Fiyero in the National Tour production of Wicked, will replace Derrick Williams in the role of Fiyero on Broadway.
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