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Eden Espinosa as Pastor Maria Thomas and Zachary Quinto as Dr. Oliver Wolf in ‘Brilliant Minds’ episode 13 (Photo by: Rafy/NBC)

NBC’s Brilliant Minds’ first season ends with episode 13, “The Man Who Can’t See Faces.” Episode 13 begins with the doctors getting ready for work. Oliver (Zachary Quinto) and Josh (Teddy Sears) make breakfast together, and Josh surprises Oliver with an invitation to a black-tie gala. Oliver isn’t enthusiastic about a formal event but accepts since Josh is receiving an award.

Josh admits he’s falling for Oliver. Oliver smiles but doesn’t reply.

Oliver’s dad, Noah (Mandy Patinkin), is still hanging out at Muriel’s place and insists he’s taking his meds and “in a good place.” Muriel (Donna Murphy) wonders what they’ll tell Oliver, concerned this news will disrupt his happiness. She’d prefer Noah just leave rather than take Oliver’s happiness away from him.

To be part of the upcoming screen adaptation of Wicked film is a dream come true for Cynthia Erivo, but the path to achieving this was not smooth sailing. The Tony Award winner plays the iconic Elphaba Thropp in Jon M. Chu’s Wicked, a role she said was too elusive for Black women.

Credits: Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande in Wicked / Universal Pictures

The character of Elphaba has been portrayed by different actresses on Broadway and West End, and there’s only one Black woman – Alexia Khadime – to play the role full-time in any production of Wicked before Erivo.

Cynthia Erivo Almost Lost Hope Winning the Role of Wicked’s Elphaba

In an emotional interview with The New York Times, British singer Cynthia Erivo confessed she did not believe the upcoming Wicked film production would cast her for the role because she’s Black. She thought that her kind...

Lupita Nyong’o gets into character while walking the carpet at the opening night of Teeth at New World Stages on Thursday (October 31) in New York City.

The 41-year-old Tony-nominated MCU actress dressed another character from Marvel – X-Men’s Storm – for the new musical’s Off-Broadway opening.

“*Employees must wash hands* — Marvel Management,” Lupita captioned a video of her in costume on Instagram. “...

Exclusive: Eden Espinosa, the 2024 Tony Award nominee for her starring role as the title character of the musical Lempicka, has signed with Stewart Talent.

Espinosa played Tamara De Lempicka, the acclaimed 20th Century artist of influential Art Deco paintings. She had been with the project since its development stagings at Williamstown Theatre Festival and La Jolla Playhouse.

The actor will next be in the NBC series Brilliant Minds.

Espinosa is one of Broadway’s top musical theater actors, noted for her performances as Elphaba in Wicked and Maureen Johnson in the closing Broadway company of Rent. She’s been involved in the development of new works including her performance as the title character of the musical Brooklyn, which premiered in 2003 at the New Denver Civic Theater and moved to Broadway in 2004.

Most recently, she starred in Michael John Lachuisa’s The Gardens of Anuncia last year at the Mitzi E.

On Sunday, the 77th annual Tony Awards were held, hosted by Broadway and film actress Ariana DeBose at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. The ceremony saw wins for Sarah Paulson, Jonathan Groff and Daniel Radcliffe. Several notable faces took the stage as presenters, including Angelina Jolie, Brooke Shields, Nick Jonas and even former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

This year’s nominations raised some skeptical responses over the omission of the fan-favorite revival of The Wiz and Appropriate‘s nomination for costume design. The ceremony was also deemed “dull” by many viewers citing numerous on-stage speech fumbles and a lack of stage presence from presenters and award winners.

Regardless, fans were excited to see their favorite faces take home their wins. Stereophonic and Alicia Keys‘ musical Hell’s Kitchen swept the categories with 13 nominations. Paulson returned to the stage after 13 years and snagged a win,...

The Tony Awards are being handed out Sunday night.

Ariana DeBose is hosting the live broadcast from the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York. The ceremony airs live from 8-11 p.m. Et/5-8 p.m. Pt on June 16 on CBS and streams on Paramount+ in the U.S. (See the red carpet photos.)

Among the noteworthy winners so far are Daniel Radcliffe and Jeremy Strong, who both took home their first Tonys, and Dede Ayite, who became the first Black woman to win a Tony for best costume design of a play.

Set to perform at the ceremony are the casts of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, Hell’s Kitchen, Illinoise, Merrily We Roll Along, Stereophonic, Suffs, The Outsiders, The Who’s Tommy and Water for Elephants.

Presenters will include Utkarsh Ambudkar, Nate Burleson, Cynthia Erivo, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Josh Gad,...

Tony Awards nominations were announced on Tuesday, April 30 by Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Renée Elise Goldsberry. While the nominations for the 77th annual Tony Awards were determined by approximately 60 theatre professionals, winners were decided by hundreds of members of the Broadway community.

A whopping 36 shows were eligible for consideration by the nominating committee. On the play side, there were 10 original works and five revivals in the running for nominations. Over on the musical side, 15 new tuners were in contention for bids as were six musical revivals. The cutoff date for eligibility was Thursday, April 25.

The Tony Awards are set for June 16 at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and will be hosted for the third year in a row by Oscar winner Ariana DeBose. The earlier “Tony Awards: Act One” ceremony will be hosted by Julianne Hough and Utkarsh Ambudkar; Skylar Astin will host...

After an extraordinary season boasting 36 productions of musicals, plays, and revivals, Broadway will toast its nominees and crown new winners at the upcoming 77th annual Tony Awards. If predicting the winners seems overwhelming with so many terrific contenders to choose between – especially one of the most competitive Best Musical races in recent memory – check out our official odds below for all 26 categories with our projected winners highlighted in gold.

These official odds for the Tonys are derived from the predictions from our Experts who write about theatre year-round, our in-house team of Editors, the Top 24 Users who did the best predicting last year’s ceremony, the All-Star Top 24 who have the highest scores when you combine predictions from the last two years, and all our Users who make up the largest and often savviest bloc of predictors.

Watch 37 exclusive interviews with Tony Award nominees from acting, directing, crafts categories and...

The Drama League Awards unveiled their slate of winners at an in-person ceremony on Friday, May 17. The event was hosted by Frank Dilella at the Ziegfeld Ballroom, where attendees toasted the best of Broadway and Off-Bradway.

The biggest winner of the day was Sarah Paulson, who claimed the coveted Distinguished Performance Award for her fiery role in “Appropriate.” That play, by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, also took home the League’s trophy for Best Revival of a Play.

See 2024 Dorian Theater Awards nominations announced: LGBTQ journalists champion ‘Merrily We Roll Along,’ ‘Stereophonic,’ ‘Oh, Mary!‘

The Distinguished Performance Award is unique in that a performer may only win the award once in their career. After prevailing, they are never eligible again. The category is also a massive catch-all race that includes actors of all genders, roles of all sizes, and both Broadway and Off-Broadway productions. This year, 54 thespians were included as nominees.

Winning...

Galeca: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics unveiled nominations for their 2nd annual Dorian Theater Awards on Monday, March 13. Galeca’s 39-member theater wing decided this season’s crop of nominees, which honor the best of Broadway and Off-Broadway.

The nominations list is dominated by the current revival of “Merrily We Roll Along” and new play “Stereophonic.” Both productions netted six nominations a piece. In the case of “Merrily,” that tally includes bids for its Tony-nominated trio of stars: Jonathan Groff, Lindsay Mendez, and Daniel Radcliffe. “Stereophonic” managed one better with four members of its cast nominated in the same featured performance category: Will Brill, Eli Gelb, Tom Pecinka, and Sarah Pidgeon. The individual acting races at the Dorian Awards are gender neutral.

The Best Broadway Musical category features Tony Award nominees “Hell’s Kitchen,” “Illinoise,” “The Outsiders,” and “Suffs,” along with the closed David Byrne tuner “Here Lies Love” and soon-to-be closing “Lempicka.

Winners of the 2024 Lucille Lortel Awards, honoring outstanding achievements in Off-Broadway theater, were announced on Sunday, May 5, in a ceremony at NYU Skirball. The show was hosted by Rosalind Chao, Jen Colella, Michael Esper, 2024 Tony nominee Eden Espinosa (“Lempicka”), 2024 Tony nominee Nikki M. James (“Suffs”) and Bd Wong. The Lucille Lortel Awards are produced by the Off-Broadway League and Lucille Lortel Theatre, with additional support provided by Tdf.

It was a banner evening for Ars Nova. Not only did the theater company receive an honorary award for Best Body of Work, their show “(pray)” was also the top winner of the night. This co-production with National Black Theatre took home three trophies including Best Musical, Best Director for NicHi douglas and Best Ensemble.

Four other productions earned multiple awards, with “Buena Vista Social Club,” “The Comeuppance,” “Stereophonic,” and “Wet Brain” each claiming two prizes.

“Stereophonic” is a frontrunner for Best...

All of Broadway’s biggest stars were in attendance at the 2024 Tony Awards Meet the Nominees Press Event to kick off the theatre awards season!

Major Hollywood celebs like Rachel McAdams, Eddie Redmayne, Gayle Rankin, Alicia Keys, Daniel Radcliffe, and more were at the event on Thursday afternoon (May 2) at Sofitel New York in New York City.

Just days earlier, all of these stars earned Tony nominations for their work in the 2023-2024 Broadway season.

The 77th Annual Tony Awards will air live on CBS on Sunday, June 16 and it’s taking place at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts for the first time.

Make sure to check out the full list of nominations, led by Alicia‘s musical Hell’s Kitchen and the hit play Stereophonic, both with 13 nods each.

Head inside for photos of all the nominees in attendance…

Keep scrolling to see a selection of the nominees on the red carpet…...

Lempicka, the much-anticipated but cooly received musical directed by Hadestown‘s Rachel Chavkin, will play its final performance on Sunday, May 19, producers announced tonight, just a month after opening.

In a statement, producers Seaview and Jenny Niederhoffer said: “We are so proud of our production and the family of artists and artisans who’ve shaped it. Few knew better than Tamara de Lempicka that art isn’t easy but always worth the effort.”

The musical received three Tony nominations on Tuesday, including two for the performances of Eden Espinosa (Leading Actress in a Musical) and Amber Iman (Featured Actress in a Musical). A third nom went to Riccardo Hernández and Peter Nigrini for their scenic design. The hoped-for nomination for Best Musical didn’t happen.

Lempicka chronicles the life of the 20th century painter Tamara de Lempicka, played by Espinosa. Iman portrayed the artist’s muse and lover Rafaela.

Related:...

The new musical Lempicka announced that it will play its final performance on May 19, about one month after it opened on Broadway.

The musical, about the life of artist Tamara de Lempicka, is the first to announce closing after the Tony nominations were announced Tuesday. The two leads in the musical, Eden Espinosa and Amber Iman, received nominations, and the musical also got a nod for set design, but the show was not nominated in the critical category of best musical.

“We are so proud of our production and the family of artists and artisans who’ve shaped it. Few knew better than Tamara de Lempicka that art isn’t easy but always worth the effort,” producers Seaview and Jenny Niederhoffer said in a statement.

The production itself, which features a book by Carson Kreitzer and Matt Gould; Music by Gould; Lyrics by Kreitzer; and direction by Rachel Chavkin, received...

Just days after the Tony Awards nominations were announced, the first casualty of the Broadway season has been revealed.

The new musical Lempicka will sadly close later this month, marking a short run for the polarizing show that has drawn both raves and pans from critics.

Lempicka is a new musical about the true story of renowned artist Tamara de Lempicka. Spanning decades of political and personal turmoil and told through a thrilling, pop-infused score, Lempicka boldly explores the contradictions of a world in crisis, a woman ahead of her era, and an artist whose time has finally come.

Stars Eden Espinosa and Amber Iman, who both earned Tony nominations for their performances, have discussed the mixed reviews their show has received.

Keep reading to find out more…

The musical will play its final Broadway performance on Sunday, May 19.

In a statement, the producers said, “We are so proud of...

Welcome to Tony Talk, a weekly column in which Gold Derby contributing theater editors David Buchanan and Sam Eckmann discuss the Tony Awards race. In the hours after the announcement of the nominees for the 77th annual awards, we reflect on the omissions that stung the most, the long-shot picks we were most proud of predicting and discuss the early state of the Best Musical race.

Sam Eckmann: David, I have spent the morning pouring over the 2024 Tony nominations and switching between delight and disbelief when I look at the surprises and omissions in this lineup. It’s safe to say that this was by far the most packed and competitive season we have covered together, so while I didn’t get a perfect score with my predictions, I was more than happy with my performance. While there is much to cheer in these nominations, I can’t help but feel sad for many people.

Lempicka has proven to be one of the most polarizing shows of the Broadway season with some people loving it and others not so much.

The PR and marketing team for the musical has even embraced the mixed reviews, creating an ad that displayed wildly different reactions from two New York Times critics.

Now, the show’s stars Eden Espinosa and Amber Iman are sharing their thoughts on the mixed response. Both of them just earned Tony Award nominations for their work in the musical!

Keep reading to find out more…

“It’s been a while since a show has taken the risks and the big swings our show has,” Eden told Variety‘s Stagecraft podcast.

“The show is so epic. There’s so much information. It’s brand new. And because of that, it’s going to stir different things in different people. That is the kind of art...

A musical inspired by the life of Alicia Keys and a play that loosely draws on the story of Fleetwood Mac — Hell’s Kitchen and Stereophonic, respectively — cleaned up at the 2024 Tony Awards nominations. Both received 13 nominations, more than any other show this year.

Hell’s Kitchen was nominated for Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical (for Kristoffer Diaz), Best Direction (Michael Greif), and Best Choreography (Camille A. Brown), while its stars Maleah Joi Moon, Shoshana Bean, and Kecia Lewis all picked up acting nods. But despite its impressive haul,...

Daniel Radcliffe’s post-“Harry Potter” career has long been dominated by his theater work, both in New York and London. On April 30, he finally scored his first Tony nomination, for his role in the musical “Merrily We Roll Along.”

Radcliffe’s buzzy stage work began in 2007 with a run in “Equus” on both sides of the pond. He powered a delightful, blockbuster revival of “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” in 2011 (Grammy nomination), and since then, he has chosen an eclectic mix of projects, work where his name alone can often get challenging — or even just serious — work funded. Think the occasionally dense “The Cripple of Inishmaan,” the provocative “Privacy,” or the genre-bending experiment “The Lifespan of a Fact.” He’s long been an asset to the NY stage scene, and this morning’s recognition long-deserved.

Radcliffe landed another perfect part playing Charley Kringas in the buzzy...

Broadway fans: the 2024 Tony Award nominations are finally here!

Each year, the Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre (aka the Tonys), celebrates the best on Broadway. The nominations were announced by two past Tony winners: Take Me Out‘s Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Hamilton‘s Renée Elise Goldsberry.

This year, the Tonys will be held on June 16, 2024 with host Ariana DeBose returning to host for a third time. Just Jared will be live updating throughout the entire event, so stick with us that night!

Head inside to see the full list of Tony Award nominations…

Scroll down for the full list of Tony Award nominees…

Best Musical

Hell’s Kitchen

Illinoise

The Outsiders

Suffs

Water for Elephants

Best Play

Jaja’s African Hair Braiding

Mary Jane

Mother Play

Prayer for the French Republic

Stereophonic

Best Revival of a Play

Appropriate

An Enemy of the People

Purlie Victorious: A...

The 2024 Tony Awards nominations were announced on Tuesday, May 2 by Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Renée Elise Goldsberry. The reveal of the roster of contenders was carried on the Tonys YouTube channel. While the nominations for the 77th annual Tony Awards were determined by a few dozen theater professionals, winners will be decided by upwards of 800 members of the Broadway community.

Three dozen shows were eligible for consideration by the nominating committee. On the play side, there are 10 original works and five revivals in the running. Over on the musical side, 15 new tuners were in contention as were six musical revivals. The cutoff date for eligibility was April 27.

The Tony Awards are set for June 16 at Lincoln Center and will be hosted for the third year in a row by Oscar winner Ariana DeBose.

The 2024 Tony Awards nominations list below includes all 26 competitive categories.

Musicals

Best Musical

Hell’s Kitchen

Illinoise...

Close races and sharp elbows are likely when the 2024 Tony Award nominations are announced Tuesday morning. With so many shows opening during the onslaught of the past two weeks, nominators might still be clearing their minds — and maybe taking a moment to eat and breathe — as they ponder and re-ponder the 36 productions that opened on Broadway between April 28, 2023, and April 25, 2024.

Some of the nominations are no-brainers: The much-praised and hugely popular Merrily We Roll Along is a sure bet for all concerned, but what about more polarizing fare? Cabaret, Here Lies Love, Water for Elephants, I’m looking at you.

A selection of categories will be read live on CBS Mornings at 8:30 am Et, and a full livestream of the announcements will follow at 9 a.m. Et on the official Tony Awards YouTube page.

Related: 2024-25 Awards Season Calendar – Dates For Oscars, Tonys, Guilds, BAFTAs, Spirits & More

Here, then,...

A new musical, a musical revival and a new play with music will dominate the 2024 Tony Awards nominations, according to our official odds in 17 of the 26 categories. The latest revival of the classic John Kander and Fred Ebb musical “Cabaret,” fresh off a smash run on the West End, and the new musical “Hell’s Kitchen” that is loosely based on the life of Alicia Keys and her music will both net at least seven nominations. New works “Days of Wine and Roses,” “Here Lies Love” and “Suffs” and the starry revival of Stephen Sondheim‘s notorious flop “Merrily We Roll Along” will also earn substantial nominations tallies.

Playwright David Adjmi‘s “Stereophonic” will lead this year’s crop of plays and play revivals with at least five nominations. Right behind are five other works – two new shows and three revivals – that will all tie at least four nominations apiece,...

The 2023-2024 Broadway season that kicked off last June with the opening of “Grey House” featured 36 productions of new and revived musicals and plays. This staggeringly crowded year – especially this spring with its 19 openings in March and April alone – means that the nominations for the 77th Tony Awards will likely be as unpredictable as ever, so review our official racetrack odds in the top 17 of 26 categories. The nominations will be announced on the morning of April 30 by Tony winners Jesse Tyler Ferguson (“Take Me Out”) and Renée Elise Goldsberry (“Hamilton”).

These official odds for the 77th Tonys are derived from the predictions of our Experts, Editors, Top 24 Users, All-Star Top 24 and all our Users, who make up the largest and often savviest bloc of predictors.

Below, see our 2024 Tony Awards predictions in 17 of the 26 categories. Make or edit your predictions before the nominations are unveiled on April 30.

Musicals

Best Musical...

“This crazy whirlwind of a season has finally come to an end,” declares Sam Eckmann as we kick off our final Tony Awards nominations predictions slugfest of 2024. We begin our conversation with the musical categories and the ever-challenging race for Best Musical. Sam and I both feel “pretty secure” about the top three shows – “Suffs,” “Illinoise” and “Hell’s Kitchen” – and we surprisingly concur on the final two slots, predicting “Here Lies Love” and “The Outsiders.” There are so many potential nominees in contention, though, that we cite our alternate picks as I opt for “Days of Wine and Roses” as my number six, and Sam goes with “The Notebook.” Watch our full Tony Awards video slugfest above.

You can also watch both of us giving our wishlist picks, pleading to Tony nomination voters to choose some people who might be under the radar. Watch that video here.

Sam and...

A very busy Broadway held its own last week, with 36 productions pulling in a combined $34,650,614, a good 10% increase over last year at this time.

About 92% of all available seats were occupied, with total attendance of 299,107 about 15% greater year-over-year.

No fewer than five shows opening during the week ending April 21, with an additional six in previews. Nearly all of them, with one exception, were at 90% of capacity or more.

The Wiz opened at the Marquis on April 17, grossing a hefty $1,481,592 and filling 99% of seats; Suffs opened April 18 at the Music Box, filling 93% of seats and grossing $555,012; Stereophonic opened April 19, selling out at the Golden, grossing $335,737; Hell’s Kitchen opened April 20, 98% capacity at the Shubert, grossing $776,634; Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club filled all seats for six shows at the August Wilson, though several heavily comped press performances and two “duel opening” comped performances saw receipts fall significantly from the previous week,...

It only took one look at a painting for Matt Gould to know he wanted to write the musical “Lempicka,” about the titular artist Tamara de Lempicka. “It’s usually a really fast, visceral idea that I get when I see something or hear something where I’m like, I know how to make that a musical,” he explains. Gould set out on a 14-year journey to develop “Lempicka,” creating music and co-writing the book with Carson Kreitzer. “These paintings just had this perfect, beautiful kind of veneer to them,” remembers Gould, “But then you get up close on the people and you see that inside of their eyes. There’s just this life that is just below the surface.” In Gould’s music, it’s what’s below the surface that springs forth. Watch the exclusive video interview.

In the pristine, Art Deco creations of Tamara de Lempicka, Gould...

The nominees for the 2024 Drama League Awards were announced April 22, 2024, by Vanessa Williams and past Drama League winner Bebe Neuwirth. Winners will be announced during the 90th Annual Drama League Awards ceremony at the Ziegfeld Ballroom on Friday, May 17.

These kudos honor both Broadway and Off-Broadway productions and are famous for their catch-all acting category, the Distinguished Performance Award. An actor can only win it once in their career. After they have won, they can never be nominated again. This year, a whopping 54 performers are nominated.

See 2024 Tony Awards eligibility rulings (round 2): ‘Appropriate’ is officially a revival, ‘The Notebook’ actors split up

The expansive production categories mean that many Tony Awards hopefuls heard their name called this morning. Ten Broadway musicals were nominated in the Outstanding Production of a Musical race. Notable omissions include “Back to the Future: The Musical,” “The Great Gatsby” and critical darling “Days of Wine and Roses...

The Tony Awards Administration Committee met for the third time during the 2023-2024 Broadway season on April 19, to discuss eligibility of 8 productions for the 77th Annual Tony Awards in 2024.

They discussed eight productions: “Days of Wine and Roses,” “Doubt,” “The Notebook,” “An Enemy of the People,” “Water for Elephants,” “The Who’s Tommy,” “The Outsiders” and “Lempicka.” The group also met during the winter to discuss late fall and winter openings, but those determinations were not made public until now. Those shows include: “I Need That,” “Harmony,” “Spamalot,” “How to Dance in Ohio,” “Appropriate” and “Prayer for the French Republic.”

The most notable ruling is that “Appropriate” will compete as a revival. The hit play from Branden Jacobs-Jenkins has never been seen on Broadway before this season, but previously enjoyed a successful Off-Broadway run with a different director and cast. Since it is the play’s Broadway debut, Jacobs-Jenkins will appear...

The daring new musical Lempicka, based on the life of the Polish painter Tamara de Lempicka, opened on Broadway’s Longacre Theatre, on Monday night.

Tamara de Lempicka was a pioneering female artist renowned for her Art Deco images of powerful and detached women, making her a celebrity in Paris and later in Los Angeles. While her name may not be widely recognized, her unmistakable aesthetic can be seen in various cultural touchstones, such as the covers of Ayn Rand’s novels and Madonna‘s iconic music videos.

Written by Matt Gould and Carson Kreitzer, the musical focuses on Lempicka’s bisexuality and explores her relationships with two significant loves: her unremarkable husband, Tadeusz Lempicki, and the dynamic Parisian prostitute, Rafaela. While Rafaela’s allure and creative inspiration for Tamara are evident, her devotion to Tadeusz remained a focal point of the show. Despite Tadeusz’s lack of ambition and disdain for her art,...

Lempicka is officially open on Broadway and there was a Wicked reunion on opening night!

Eden Espinosa received support from fellow Wicked alum Shoshana Bean at the opening night performance of her new musical on Sunday (April 14) at the Longacre Theatre in New York City.

For those who don’t know, Eden and Shoshana both got their big breaks as the standby for Elphaba during Idina Menzel‘s run in Wicked on Broadway. Both of them later became full-time Elphaba stars and had long runs in the beloved musical.

Eden is now leading the ambitious new show Lempicka, one of the only fully original musicals of the season. She was joined on the red carpet by co-stars Amber Iman, Beth Leavel, Andrew Samonsky, George Abud, Natalie Joy Johnson, Nathaniel Stampley, and Zoe Glick.

Also in attendance was Andrew‘s wife Kate Reinders, best known for starring in the Disney+ series...

The nominations for the 77th Tony Awards will be announced in less than three weeks, but the lay of the land is ever changing because seven more musicals and musical revivals will open between now and the eligibility cutoff. As these remaining shows have started preview performances, our savvy users have been updating their choices for the most likely nominees in 10 of the 15 musical categories. See below for a breakdown of how our official odds have changed in the top categories since our last predictions center update on March 21, according to the 1,200 readers currently making their picks. Scroll to the bottom of the article for a tally of nominations by show in 10 of the 15 musical categories.

Up

“Cabaret” — This immersive revival of the classic John Kander and Fred Ebb musical has been leading our odds for the most nominations of any musical revival of the year. It has now added...

Little is known about Rafaela, the model who posed nude for Polish painter Tamara Łempicka, better known as Tamara de Lempicka, in the late 1920s. But whomever she was, Lempicka got a whole lot out of her, creating a series of portraits including one of her most celebrated works, La Belle Rafaela. Rafaela’s significance in the artist’s life is evident from their first encounter in Lempicka, the new biographical Broadway musical: “Is this how it feels when God sends you a muse and you let her walk away?” Tamara (Eden Espinosa) sings upon spying the model (Amber Iman), here imagined as a wily Parisian sex worker.

But though Tamara clings to her muse in more ways that one, embarking on a (fictional) years-long affair, the creators of Lempicka let their own muse walk away. Turns out, the fascinating life of the undervalued painter that inspired them proves a...

Welcome to Tony Talk, a weekly column in which Gold Derby contributing theater editors David Buchanan and Sam Eckmann discuss the Tony Awards race. Following the opening of new musical “The Outsiders” on Broadway on April 11, we rack our brains about what other shows are likely to earn nominations in the top category of Best Musical, including frontrunners “Suffs,” “Illinoise” and others.

Sam Eckmann: Hi David! I can’t believe we are sitting roughly two weeks out from Tony nominations and we still have no idea what the Best Musical race is going to look like. That’s partly due to the insane crunch of new musicals opening at the end of the month: I’ll be squeaking in shows like “The Great Gatsby” and “Illinoise” right before the Tony Awards deadline, just like the nominators. But also partly because there is still no obvious frontrunner (be it a giant...

Exclusive: A week after veteran talent agent Jed Abrahams resigned as Kmr Talent’s SVP and head of the agency’s New York office, he has joined Los Angeles-based management and production company The Rosenzweig Group (aka The Rose Group) as a talent manager. He will open and head an office in New York, making The Rosenzweig Group — founded in 2018 by Marni Rosenzweig — officially bicoastal.

After a brief career as an actor, Abrahams transitioned to talent representation, spending the past two decades as an agent. He started at Henderson/Hogan Agency, Stewart Talent and The Talent House before his 10-year run as SVP and Head of New York at Kmr Talent.

Clients joining Abrahams at The Rosenzweig Group include Broadway actors Eden Espinosa (Lempicka), Tony nominee Robyn Hurder (Chicago), and Kecia Lewis, currently starring in Alicia Keys’ musical Hell’s Kitchen. Also joining Abrahams at Trg is Aaron Serotsky and Jay Wilkison (Younger), a series regular on the upcoming Amazon series Clean Slate.

“After 20 years of agenting, I am thrilled to discover a newfound passion and excitement, as I begin to zoom in and have a more hands-on approach to a small, select list of uniquely talented artists,” Abrahams said. “When presented the opportunity to join forces with Marni Rosenzweig, I was over the moon at the prospect of collaborating with an undeniably seasoned and accomplished manager, leader of such a respected company.”

The Rosenzweig Group clients include Alex Borstein, Sandra Bernhard, Miranda Rae Mayo, Patrick J. Adams and Glynn Turman among others.

“Jed is the perfect fit for our company,” Rosenzweig said. “He is a well-respected, veteran talent agent who will excel as a manager. His work ethic and passion for actors and all creatives is unparalleled and we are excited to welcome his impressive clients to our now bicoastal company.”

Kmr Talent’s March 22 move to suspend its SAG-AFTRA franchise has triggered an exodus of agents who have since joined other companies or opened their own shops.

Warning: This list contains spoilers for Hazbin Hotel season 1.

Lilith's voice in Hazbin Hotel season 2 has not been cast yet, and little is known about the character's personality. Potential actresses to play Lilith include Evan Rachel Wood, Mallory Jansen, and Mara Wilson. Some other potential choices with musical talent are Michelle Dockery, Sophie Carmen-Jones, Idina Menzel, and Eden Espinosa.

Lilith is expected to play a major role in the next season of Hazbin Hotel, and has yet to be cast. In Vivienne Medrano's unique vision of the afterlife, Lilith is the Queen of Hell, the ex-wife of Lucifer Morningstar (Jeremy Jordan), and the mother of Princess Charlie (Erika Henningsen). While Hazbin Hotel season 1 primarily follows Charlie in her mission to redeem Hell's Sinners at her Hazbin Hotel, the season finale reveals that Lilith herself has been residing in Heaven. Why she is there and what her grand plan...

Broadway’s first salvo of spring newcomers was more than holding its own last week, with recent arrivals drawing strong audiences.

Two shows had their opening nights during the week ending March 24, with An Enemy of the People, starring Jeremy Strong, Michael Imperioli and Victoria Pedretti, playing to standing room only crowds at Circle in the Square. Receipts were at a hefty $898,353, with attendance at 103% of seating capacity.

Also opening was Water For Elephants, the new musical starring Grant Gustin at the Imperial, with receipts down $23,144 from the previous week, due in no small part to press and opening night comps. The show grossed $875,269. Attendance for the three previews and five regular performances was 86% of capacity.

The Who’s Tommy was in previews at the Nederlander, filling 93% of seats at the venue (the Wednesday matinee was canceled due to an illness in the company) and grossing $822,391. Opening night is this Thursday,...

The spring season on Broadway this year is shaping up to be one of the busiest and most tumultuous in recent memory as 11 new musicals and musical revivals are opening in the last two months of the 2023-2024 Tony Awards season. With so many shows starting previews, officially opening, and even closing, the race to the Tony nominations announcement on April 30 is heating up, which means our users are frequently changing their minds on what shows will have the most success. See below for a breakdown of how our official odds have changed in 10 of the 15 musical categories since our last predictions center update on March 12, according to the 800 users currently making their picks. Scroll to the bottom of the article for a tally of nominations by show in 10 of the 15 musical categories.

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“Hell’s Kitchen” – This semi-autobiographical musical featuring the songs of Alicia Keys had a sluggish start in our predictions center,...

I thought I was safe to boldly pronounce my initial 2024 Tony Awards predictions, but then Sufjan Stevens appeared to stomp all over them. As David Buchanan and I convened to discuss where we thought the musical nominations were headed this season, news broke that Off-Broadway’s dreamy dance show “Illinoise” will transfer to the St. James Theatre just in time to compete at this year’s ceremony. The show, based on Stevens’ seminal album, has thrown our Tony predictions into disarray. Watch our full video slugfest above.

“Illinoise” marks the 15th new musical of the 2023-2024 season. That’s more new tuners than any Broadway season since 1975-1976. Theatergoers this year are indeed spoiled with a glut of new shows, but predicting the coveted Best Musical category has become a titanic task.

See 2024 Tony Awards nominations predictions: Big tallies for musicals ‘Lempicka,’ ‘The Notebook,’ ‘Cabaret’ …

David believes “Illinoise” will be...

Eden Espinosa is back on Broadway!

The beloved entertainer just made her return to the New York stage in the original musical Lempicka, nearly 20 years after she played Elphaba in Wicked.

For those who don’t know, Eden was Idina Menzel‘s standby for Elphaba in the original Broadway cast of Wicked. She left the show to lead the musical Brooklyn and later returned to Wicked as the full-time Elphaba. Her most recent Broadway appearance was as the final Maureen in Rent in 2008, over 15 years ago!

Eden is now originating the title role in Lempicka, a new musical about the true story of renowned artist Tamara de Lempicka.

Keep reading to find out more…

Preview performances for Lempicka began on Tuesday (March 19) ahead of an official opening night on Sunday, April 14. Spanning decades of political and personal turmoil and told through a thrilling, pop-infused score, Lempicka boldly explores the contradictions of a world in crisis,...

In the two weeks since Gold Derby launched the 2024 Tony Awards nominations predictions center, over 600 users have made their preliminary picks for which shows, performers and creatives will land coveted nominations. This season, 20 musicals and musical revivals will compete for only a handful of slots in each category, making this one of the most competitive seasons in recent memory. Scroll to the bottom of the article for a tally of nominations by show in 10 of the 15 musical categories based on our current combined odds.

In the top category of Best Musical, our savvy users predict three shows are out front: “Suffs,” with music and lyrics by Shaina Taub, “The Notebook,” with score by Ingrid Michaelson and “Here Lies Love,” featuring a score by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim. Rounding out our current top five are “Days of Wine and Roses” by Tony-winning composer Adam Guettel and the incoming “Lempicka,” directed by Tony winner Rachel Chavkin.

Lempicka, the Carson Kreitzer-Matt Gould musical about the Polish artist Tamara de Lempicka, will begin performances at Broadway’s Longacre Theatre on Tuesday, March 19, 2024, ahead of an official opening night on Sunday, April 14, producers Seaview and Jenny Niederhoffer announced today.

Directed by Tony Award winner Rachel Chavkin (Hadestown) and featuring by choreography by Raja Feather Kelly, Lempicka will star Eden Espinosa, who originated the title role in critically acclaimed performances at Williamstown Theatre Festival and La Jolla Playhouse.

Lempicka features book, lyrics, and original concept by Kreitzer, and book and music by Gould. Additional casting will be announced in the coming weeks.

“Tamara de Lempicka’s life spanned some of the most consequential eras in modern history,” said Chavkin in a statement, “and her deep and complex story is an ideal subject for exactly the kind of show I love to both see and create: one that is simultaneously intimate and epic.

Netflix’s “Heartstopper” scored four wins on Sunday at the first annual Children’s & Family Emmy Awards, including one of the top prizes, for young teen series. Star Kit Connor also won, for lead performance, while Olivia Colman won for guest performance on the show, and Alice Oseman won for wiriting for a young teen program.

“Kid Cosmic” was the other program receiving multiple Emmys at the ceremony, which took place at the Wilshire Ebell Theater in Los Angeles. The main event emceed by Jack McBrayer, who was also nominated for outstanding host.

Sunday night was the second of two ceremonies for the first-ever Children’s & Family Emmys. Among the key categories: Children’s or Family Viewing Series, Young Teen Series, Preschool Series and Animated Series. Performance categories were also set to be awarded on Sunday night.

LeVar Burton was on hand to receive the lifetime achievement award, as presented by Laurence Fishburne.

Laurence Fishburne, Kyla Pratt (“The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder”) and “Heartstopper” stars William Gao and Joe Locke are among the presenters lined up for the first-ever Children’s & Family Emmys, Variety has learned exclusively.

The awards, overseen by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, will take place over two nights this coming weekend. JoJo Siwa, nominated for outstanding choreography (Peacock’s “Siwa’s Dance Pop Revolution”) hosts the creative arts ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 10, while the main event on Sunday, Dec. 10, will be hosted by Jack McBrayer, who is nominated for outstanding host.

As previously announced, LeVar Burton will receive the lifetime achievement award on Dec. 11, presented by Fishburne. And the all-girl group Xomg Pop! Will perform on Dec. 10. Both nights take place at the Wilshire Ebell Theater in Los Angeles.

Also appearing during the Dec. 11 event is the Debbie Allen Dance Academy, which will perform. Presenters include Indigenous actor Sovereign Bill,...

The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences on Tuesday morning announced the nominations for the inaugural Children’s & Family Emmy Awards, which will be presented on Saturday, Dec. 10 (Creative Arts) and Sunday, Dec. 11 at the Wilshire Ebell Theater in Los Angeles.

Disney+’s The Mysterious Benedict Society and the movie Sneakerella lead the pack with 11 nominations each, followed by HBO Max’s Sesame Street (with 10) and Netflix’s Heartstopper and Sweet Tooth (which netted nine apiece).

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John Stamos has been cast as the voice of Iron Man in Disney Junior’s “Marvel’s Spidey and his Amazing Friends,” while the preschool network has also added Lou Diamond Phillips and Yvette Nicole Brown to the vocal cast of “Firebuds” and Justina Machado, Bobby Moynihan, Eric Bauza and Kari Wahlgren have joined “Pupstruction.”

The announcements were made Friday by Disney Branded Television president Ayo Davis, who revealed a slate of content for Disney Junior over the next two years, including new and original series, shorts, returning franchises and casting news. The announcement was made during the Disney Junior Fun Fest event Friday at Disney California Adventure.

“Disney Junior is already home to some of the most beloved preschool programming, and today, we have unveiled the next slate of content that is sure to entertain preschool kids for years to come,” Davis said. “As with Disney Junior’s current slate,...

Disney Junior is putting a new spin on the classic 1951 film Alice in Wonderland with its upcoming series Alice’s Wonderland Bakery. Premiering Wednesday, February 9, Alice’s Wonderland Bakery follows the granddaughter of Alice (who is also named Alice) along with descendants of many of the film’s other fan-favorite characters. (Credit: Disney Junior) In an exclusive first look at the series, voice stars such as Bobby Moynihan (Tweedle Don’t) and Donald Faison (Harry the March Hare) as well as Jon Secada and Eden Espinosa who voice the King and Queen of Hearts are bringing us behind the scenes with the featurette, above. In this new series, Wonderland is updated with reimagined characters and a Wonderland that highlights diverse cultures and characters as Alice and her friends learn about community through their adventures in the Wonderland Bakery. (Credit: Disney Junior) Home to all sorts of unique families, ranging from the Dodos,...

CampYATC Teacher Megan Hilty says, The only thing I dont like about Yatc, is it wasnt around when I was a teenager Having returned to Yatc numerous times, working professionals like Hilty acting as Summer Camp Master Class teachers is just one of the things that sets this summer camp apart from many others. Hilty is just one of the amazing guest faculty teaching in the 20th Anniversary Season of The Young Actors Theatre Camp. The luckiest campers in the world will also get to learn from Alex Brightman Beetlejuice, Kate Rockwell Mean Girls, Laura Bell Bundy Legally Blonde, Eden Espinosa Wicked, Laurie Metcalf The Conners and many more...

Update, with social media photos Protesters and organizers of today’s March on Broadway are sharing photos of the event, which started at 1 pm Et at Columbus Circle in Manhattan and has proceeded to Times Square and the theater district.

The march, a grassroots event calling for, among other demands, the ouster of Scott Rudin from the Broadway League as well as for greater Broadway representation and inclusion of Bipoc, trans, disabled and other communities, has drawn a crowd estimated by local news radio station 1010 Wins at more than 350 participants. (See the entire list of demands below.)

“Times Square is full again,” tweeted one marcher.

Here is a sampling of Twitter posts shared today during the march:

Times Square is full again. #marchonbroadway #broadwayfightsback pic.twitter.com/PemcjeTsLV

— Laura Heywood BroadwayGirlNYC (@BroadwayGirlNYC) April 22, 2021

“There and thousands a of people with invisible disabilities. They hide them because of fear. … We have the talent.

Composer Alan Menken on Sunday became the 16th person ever to achieve Egot status.

He joins the small group of entertainers who have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award.

At Sunday's Daytime Emmy Awards ceremony (which focused on children's, lifestyle and animated programming), Menken won the award for best original song in a children's, young adult or animated program for Disney Channel's Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure. He composed the song "Waiting in the Wings," sharing the Daytime Emmy with lyricist Glenn Slater. The song was performed in the series by Eden Espinosa ...