Interview: CHOREOGRAPHERS ELLENORE SCOTT & AYODELE CASEL GIVE FUNNY GIRL'S SAGA FLAIR, FUN & FINESSE
by Valerie-Jean Miller
- May 28, 2024
VJM: Thank you both for giving of your time to answer my questions. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of two Choreographers being hired for the same Broadway show, not even a revival, that I can think of. How did that come about for both of you?
Ellenore Scott: Funny Girl was my Broadway debut as a choreographer. I was so happy when I got a call from Michael Mayer (the director) asking me to work on this revival with him. He knew I was NOT a tap dancer and was aware of the multiple tap routines in the show and asked if I would be down to share the billing with Ayodele Casel. Ayo is an extraordinary artist so I was thrilled to be by her side as she made her Broadway debut as well. Michael first met me initially at Head Over Heels on Broadway where I was an associate choreographer to Spencer Liff. In 2019, he asked if I would choreograph the Off-Broadway revival of Little Shop of Horrors and we opened the show October 17th, 2019. I have loved working with Michael and feel as though he keeps his people close and I’m grateful he thought of me for this historic revival.
Ayodele Casel: I met Michael Mayer in 2016 when he directed a New York City Center Encores! show I performed in. Later that fall he invited me to perform that piece in a Broadway for Hillary fundraiser he was also directing. We'd kept in touch over the years and in 2019, after seeing a show I’d premiered at The Joyce Theater, he asked if I would be interested in providing the Tap choreography for a revival he was working on. Like Ellenore shared, Michael wanted to work with us both to deliver the full choreographic vision of the show. I believe it was a very progressive vision on his part and I’m really thankful that I was able to make my Broadway debut with this team.
Review: MJ - THE MUSICAL Moonwalks Into OC's Segerstrom Center
by Michael Quintos
- Mar 23, 2024
An overall resounding triumph despite its insistence on side-stepping some of the more salacious scandals associated with its subject, pop star Michael Jackson—MJ - THE MUSICAL is a genuinely entertaining and nostalgic show that purposely aims to celebrate the creative, if misunderstood genius behind some of the biggest hits in pop music history.
Review: DAVID JACKSON & DAVID WHITE: COTTON CLUB CONFIDENTIAL Salutes Famed Club at 54 Below
by Sharon Ellman
- Feb 19, 2024
Patrons of 54 Below glimpsed a special piece of New York City history with its presentation of DAVID JACKSON & DAVID WHITE: COTTON CLUB CONFIDENTIAL on February 15, 2024. Each a Broadway veteran in their own right, David Jackson and David White brought the famed ambiance of the Cotton Club of the 1920’s and 30’s to life in 21st century midtown Manhattan.
Ephrat Asherie Dance's UNDERSCORED is Coming to USC for Los Angeles Premiere
by Chloe Rabinowitz
- Sep 20, 2023
Join Ephrat Asherie Dance for the Los Angeles premiere of UNDERSCORED, a joyful celebration of New York City's underground dance club scene. Featuring pioneers of waacking, voguing, house, and more, this multi-generational performance at USC's Bovard Auditorium on October 19, 2023, is not to be missed.
Camille A. Brown & Dancers Trilogy Presented At Two Iconic NYC Organizations
by A.A. Cristi
- Aug 3, 2022
The Apollo and The Joyce Theater has announced that they are partnering together to present a cross-town celebration of three dance and theater works, known collectively as The Trilogy, by award-winning choreographer & director Camille A. Brown, October 25 through November 5, 2022.
Academy Museum Announces Details of REGENERATION: BLACK CINEMA 898�"1971
by Marissa Tomeo
- May 4, 2022
The first museum exhibition of its kind, Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898–1971 opens at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on August 21, 2022. It offers the public a chance to learn more about how Black performers and filmmakers have helped define cinema in the United States. The exhibition explores the achievements and challenges of both independent production and the studio system, from cinema’s infancy in the 1890s through the height of the civil rights movement. Regeneration features rarely seen excerpts of films restored by the Academy Film Archive, as well as other narrative films and documentaries; newsreels and home movies; photographs; scripts; drawings; costumes; equipment; posters; and historical materials, such as entrance tickets, note cards, and telegrams; along with augmented reality experiences (AR) designed specifically for the exhibition.
Academy Museum Announces 2022-2023 Exhibitions
by Michael Major
- Mar 21, 2022
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures today announced the first round of exhibition rotations, which are scheduled for the 2022–2023 season. These rotations further the museum’s mission to advance the understanding, celebration, and preservation of cinema through dynamic and diverse exhibitions.
BWW Interview: How Christopher Wheeldon Made MJ Dance
by Chloe Rabinowitz
- Feb 27, 2022
Christopher Wheeldon is one of the most prolific choreographers and outstanding directors in the world today. An OBE and Tony Award-winner for the 2015 Broadway production of An American in Paris (which he also directed), Wheeldon is the director and choreographer of the new musical MJ The Musical, which opened on Broadway February 1.
1 … next »
|
|
