Lola Tung, best known for her role as Belly in Amazon Prime’s The Summer I Turned Pretty, will make her Broadway debut next month in a Hadestown limited engagement.
Tung will take over the role of Eurydice from Solea Pfeiffer on February 9 (Pfeiffer’s final performance is February 4). Tung’s limited engagement will run through March 17. She’ll star alongside Grammy winner Ani Difranco, who takes over the role of Persephone from Betty Who beginning February 9 through June 30.
“I saw Hadestown in February of 2020 and immediately fell in love with the show,” Tung said in a statement. “I’d had dreams of being on Broadway since I performed in my middle school musicals, and after seeing Hadestown I instantly added it to the little list of dream shows in my mind.”
The casting was announced today by producers Mara Isaacs, Dale Franzen, Hunter Arnold, and Tom Kirdahy. The role...
Tung will take over the role of Eurydice from Solea Pfeiffer on February 9 (Pfeiffer’s final performance is February 4). Tung’s limited engagement will run through March 17. She’ll star alongside Grammy winner Ani Difranco, who takes over the role of Persephone from Betty Who beginning February 9 through June 30.
“I saw Hadestown in February of 2020 and immediately fell in love with the show,” Tung said in a statement. “I’d had dreams of being on Broadway since I performed in my middle school musicals, and after seeing Hadestown I instantly added it to the little list of dream shows in my mind.”
The casting was announced today by producers Mara Isaacs, Dale Franzen, Hunter Arnold, and Tom Kirdahy. The role...
- 1/9/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Singer-songwriter Ani Difranco will make her Broadway debut as ‘Persephone’ in the hit musical Hadestown, performing the role she originated on the 2010 studio-concept album by composer Anaïs Mitchell.
Difranco will begin performances at the Walter Kerr Theatre on February 9, 2024. The announcement was made today by producers Mara Isaacs, Dale Franzen, Hunter Arnold, and Tom Kirdahy.
Difranco’s history with Hadestown began when she invited Mitchell to release the original studio album of Hadestown on Difranco’s label Righteous Babe Records. Difranco originated the role of ‘Persephone’ on the album, leaving what the producers’ announcement today described as “an indelible imprint on the character as the show evolved over the course of several years.”
“I could not be more thrilled to be joining the cast of Hadestown,” Difranco said in a statement. “It’s like I get to rewind to my New York youth and follow the road not taken.”
Said Mitchell,...
Difranco will begin performances at the Walter Kerr Theatre on February 9, 2024. The announcement was made today by producers Mara Isaacs, Dale Franzen, Hunter Arnold, and Tom Kirdahy.
Difranco’s history with Hadestown began when she invited Mitchell to release the original studio album of Hadestown on Difranco’s label Righteous Babe Records. Difranco originated the role of ‘Persephone’ on the album, leaving what the producers’ announcement today described as “an indelible imprint on the character as the show evolved over the course of several years.”
“I could not be more thrilled to be joining the cast of Hadestown,” Difranco said in a statement. “It’s like I get to rewind to my New York youth and follow the road not taken.”
Said Mitchell,...
- 11/21/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
The musical stage adaptation of Almost Famous will play its final Broadway performance on Jan. 8, the production announced Monday.
The musical, an adaptation of Cameron Crowe’s 2000 film, began previews at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre on Oct. 3 and opened on Nov. 3.
This is the latest Broadway show to announce its closure, following Kpop, which closed on Dec. 11, two weeks after opening, and Ain’t No Mo, which received a closing notice, but is now extended through Dec. 23 after the production and celebrities backers rallied around the show.
The closing notices come as tourism remains down in New York and as Broadway shows grapple with higher running costs and changing audience behavior. Almost Famous also received mixed to poor reviews, with The Hollywood Reporter‘s David Rooney highlighting its “infectious energy” while asking “Did it need to become a stage musical? Debatable.” Grosses have been fairly average,...
The musical stage adaptation of Almost Famous will play its final Broadway performance on Jan. 8, the production announced Monday.
The musical, an adaptation of Cameron Crowe’s 2000 film, began previews at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre on Oct. 3 and opened on Nov. 3.
This is the latest Broadway show to announce its closure, following Kpop, which closed on Dec. 11, two weeks after opening, and Ain’t No Mo, which received a closing notice, but is now extended through Dec. 23 after the production and celebrities backers rallied around the show.
The closing notices come as tourism remains down in New York and as Broadway shows grapple with higher running costs and changing audience behavior. Almost Famous also received mixed to poor reviews, with The Hollywood Reporter‘s David Rooney highlighting its “infectious energy” while asking “Did it need to become a stage musical? Debatable.” Grosses have been fairly average,...
- 12/20/2022
- by Caitlin Huston
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Almost Famous, the stage musical adaptation of the 2000 Cameron Crowe film, will play its final performance on Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023, the latest casualty of a crowded Broadway scene and a New York tourist season still reeling from Covid.
The musical, which opened to middling reviews Nov. 3 at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, will have played 30 preview performances and 77 performances when it closes. According to the most recent box office figures, Almost Famous was playing to houses about 74 full.
“Almost Famous, like the music it celebrates, will endure,” producers said in a joint statement. “We look forward to the release of the cast recording on March 17, and to the many productions in communities across the country and world, for years to come.”
The closing was announced by producers Lia Vollack and Michael Cassel.
Almost Famous features music and co-lyrics by Tom Kitt, direction byJeremy Herrin, and choreography by Sarah O’Gleby. The production stars Chris Wood,...
The musical, which opened to middling reviews Nov. 3 at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, will have played 30 preview performances and 77 performances when it closes. According to the most recent box office figures, Almost Famous was playing to houses about 74 full.
“Almost Famous, like the music it celebrates, will endure,” producers said in a joint statement. “We look forward to the release of the cast recording on March 17, and to the many productions in communities across the country and world, for years to come.”
The closing was announced by producers Lia Vollack and Michael Cassel.
Almost Famous features music and co-lyrics by Tom Kitt, direction byJeremy Herrin, and choreography by Sarah O’Gleby. The production stars Chris Wood,...
- 12/19/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Amid a stacked fall season on Broadway, “Kimberly Akimbo” has emerged as an early Best Musical frontrunner for next spring’s Tony Awards. The new show from Jeanine Tesori and David Lindsay-Abaire oozes heart and charm, and earned unanimous critical praise when it opened on November 10. If star Victoria Clark can leverage the musical’s success into a Tony win in June, she will join an elite group of Tony-winning women.
Clark portrays the titular Kimberly, a young girl from New Jersey about to celebrate her 16th birthday. Only Kimberly isn’t quite so young on the outside. She has an incredibly rare disorder, similar to progeria, which causes her body to age at four times the normal rate. The average lifespan for folks with her disease is 16, giving Kimberly an acute awareness of her own mortality and a desire to experience all the joys and wonders of life in whatever time she has left.
Clark portrays the titular Kimberly, a young girl from New Jersey about to celebrate her 16th birthday. Only Kimberly isn’t quite so young on the outside. She has an incredibly rare disorder, similar to progeria, which causes her body to age at four times the normal rate. The average lifespan for folks with her disease is 16, giving Kimberly an acute awareness of her own mortality and a desire to experience all the joys and wonders of life in whatever time she has left.
- 11/21/2022
- by Sam Eckmann
- Gold Derby
There's plenty of buzz around "Almost Famous: The Musical." As a Broadway screen-to-stage adaptation of Cameron Crowe's 2000 acclaimed autobiographical "Almost Famous," the production was dripping with promises. After a 2019 premiere at the San Diego Old Globe Theatre, the musical finally moved its way to the Broadway stage. With a book based on Crowe's Oscar-winning screenplay, some light revisions (like cutting out a non-consensual kiss), and a talented cast, what could go wrong? Sadly, not a lot goes right. Adding original songs by Tom Kitt ("The Visitor"), Crowe's book remains mostly intact yet the staging struggles to translate the charm for distinctive theatre sensibilities.
Growing up with a supportive but overbearing mother (Anika Larsen) in 1973 suburban San Diego, 15-year-old William Miller (Casey Likes) obsesses over rock albums left behind by his rebellious sister (Emily Schultheis). An emerging writer, William scores paid writing assignments, including one from Rolling Stone, to profile the rock band scene.
Growing up with a supportive but overbearing mother (Anika Larsen) in 1973 suburban San Diego, 15-year-old William Miller (Casey Likes) obsesses over rock albums left behind by his rebellious sister (Emily Schultheis). An emerging writer, William scores paid writing assignments, including one from Rolling Stone, to profile the rock band scene.
- 11/18/2022
- by Caroline Cao
- Slash Film
Exclusive: Darren Criss, Lena Hall, Ramin Karimloo and Solea Pfeiffer will perform a one-night-only benefit concert of the 1986 Benny Andersson-Björn Ulvaeus-Tim Rice musical Chess next month at a Broadway theater to benefit The Entertainment Community Fund (formerly The Actors Fund).
The concert, which will be held at the the Broadhurst Theatre on on Monday, December 12 at 7:30 pm Et, was announced by the Entertainment Community Fund today. The benefit will be presented in association with Tom Hulce and Ira Pittelman whose award-winning Broadway credits include Ain’t Too Proud, Green Day’s American Idiot and Spring Awakening.
Criss will perform the role of “Freddie Trumper”, Hall will be “Florence Vassey”, Karimloo will portray “Anatoly Sergievsky” and Pfeiffer will be “Svetlana Sergievsky”.
Ramin Karimloo and Solea Pfeiffer (Getty Images)
Additional casting will be announced at a later date.
“We’re thrilled to help bring this new iteration...
The concert, which will be held at the the Broadhurst Theatre on on Monday, December 12 at 7:30 pm Et, was announced by the Entertainment Community Fund today. The benefit will be presented in association with Tom Hulce and Ira Pittelman whose award-winning Broadway credits include Ain’t Too Proud, Green Day’s American Idiot and Spring Awakening.
Criss will perform the role of “Freddie Trumper”, Hall will be “Florence Vassey”, Karimloo will portray “Anatoly Sergievsky” and Pfeiffer will be “Svetlana Sergievsky”.
Ramin Karimloo and Solea Pfeiffer (Getty Images)
Additional casting will be announced at a later date.
“We’re thrilled to help bring this new iteration...
- 11/18/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Two of the fall Broadway season’s buzzy new musicals – A Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Musical and Some Like It Hot – began previews last week, both doing solid business in their first, partial weeks.
A Beautiful Noise pulled in an impressive 845,074 for five performances, filling 88 of seats at the Broadhurst with an average ticket price of 166. The show opens December 4.
Over at the Shubert Theatre, Some Like It Hot, the musical adaptation of the 1959 classic film comedy, took in 539,593 for 6 performances, filling 82 of seats at the venue with a 76 average ticket. Opening night is Dec. 11.
In all, Broadway’s 32 shows grossed in 29,813,739, a boost of 9 from the previous week. Attendance was up about 8 to 246,013.
Some other recent arrivals include & Juliet, in previews at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre and grossing a hefty 779,402 for seven previews, with attendance at 98 of capacity. Kimberly Akimbo, the acclaimed Off Broadway musical making its Broadway debut,...
A Beautiful Noise pulled in an impressive 845,074 for five performances, filling 88 of seats at the Broadhurst with an average ticket price of 166. The show opens December 4.
Over at the Shubert Theatre, Some Like It Hot, the musical adaptation of the 1959 classic film comedy, took in 539,593 for 6 performances, filling 82 of seats at the venue with a 76 average ticket. Opening night is Dec. 11.
In all, Broadway’s 32 shows grossed in 29,813,739, a boost of 9 from the previous week. Attendance was up about 8 to 246,013.
Some other recent arrivals include & Juliet, in previews at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre and grossing a hefty 779,402 for seven previews, with attendance at 98 of capacity. Kimberly Akimbo, the acclaimed Off Broadway musical making its Broadway debut,...
- 11/8/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Being a passionate rock fan in the 1970s was a vocation requiring time and devotion. Go ahead, roll your eyes and groan “Ok boomer,” but there was no internet to call up performance clips, no music streaming services, no dedicated music video channels. There were listening stations in record stores, where crowds converged the day an anticipated new album was released; there was the radio, transmitting a jolt of excitement whenever a favorite song came on; and if you were lucky, there were concert tour stops in or near your hometown.
Friends’ record collections were gifts to be shared, like mini lending libraries. Weekly showcases for chart hits like American Bandstand or Soul Train in the U.S., Top of the Pops in the U.K. or Countdown in Australia were appointment television for teenage music fanatics.
Fandom without today’s fingertip access was a more diligent pursuit,...
Being a passionate rock fan in the 1970s was a vocation requiring time and devotion. Go ahead, roll your eyes and groan “Ok boomer,” but there was no internet to call up performance clips, no music streaming services, no dedicated music video channels. There were listening stations in record stores, where crowds converged the day an anticipated new album was released; there was the radio, transmitting a jolt of excitement whenever a favorite song came on; and if you were lucky, there were concert tour stops in or near your hometown.
Friends’ record collections were gifts to be shared, like mini lending libraries. Weekly showcases for chart hits like American Bandstand or Soul Train in the U.S., Top of the Pops in the U.K. or Countdown in Australia were appointment television for teenage music fanatics.
Fandom without today’s fingertip access was a more diligent pursuit,...
- 11/4/2022
- by David Rooney
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A new renaissance in hairstyling and makeup for Black actors appears to be on the horizon, thanks to the work of female artisans on a trio of recent period films: “The Woman King,” “Till” and “A Jazzman’s Blues.”
Braiding, twists and locs were a staple for characters in Gina Prince-Bythewood’s “The Woman King,” set in 1823 in the African kingdom of Dahomey, now known as Benin. Hair department head Louisa Anthony researched and collaborated with locals in South Africa to secure a stellar team on the movie, which stars Viola Davis.
Although a historian and a research specialist were on set, there was very little available photography from the period, so the makeup team relied mostly on sketches. “Google search was quite helpful in going back to discover hundreds of years of African hairstyling and braiding for us to attempt to blend today and yesterday into one creative look that...
Braiding, twists and locs were a staple for characters in Gina Prince-Bythewood’s “The Woman King,” set in 1823 in the African kingdom of Dahomey, now known as Benin. Hair department head Louisa Anthony researched and collaborated with locals in South Africa to secure a stellar team on the movie, which stars Viola Davis.
Although a historian and a research specialist were on set, there was very little available photography from the period, so the makeup team relied mostly on sketches. “Google search was quite helpful in going back to discover hundreds of years of African hairstyling and braiding for us to attempt to blend today and yesterday into one creative look that...
- 10/29/2022
- by Carla Renata
- Variety Film + TV
“It didn’t feel like a modern movie, but it didn’t feel like a nostalgia trip, either,” says writer-director Cameron Crowe, reflecting on his classic autobiographical film Almost Famous. “I wanted the musical to have a similar elixir to it.” After five years of work with some pandemic-induced delays, rapturously received previews, and a well-reviewed first run in San Diego, Almost Famous: The Musical opens on Broadway November 3 – with original songs co-written by Crowe and Tom Kitt (Next to Normal, Jagged Little Pill, American Idiot), and directed by Jeremy Herrin,...
- 10/29/2022
- by Brian Hiatt
- Rollingstone.com
Click here to read the full article.
Solea Pfeiffer was on the phone with Don Cheadle about a possible appearance on his Showtime series Black Monday when another call came in. She ignored it. The 27-year-old actress didn’t end up working with Cheadle, but she did land a lead role in A Jazzman’s Blues, a period drama directed by Tyler Perry, who happened to be the unidentified caller.
A Jazzman’s Blues marks Pfeiffer’s first feature film after being lauded for her stage performances in the original national tour of Hamilton and Gustavo Dudamel’s West Side Story production at the Hollywood Bowl. In October, she stars as Penny Lane in the Broadway premiere of Almost Famous.
Perry’s film, set in the 1940s American South, tells the tragic tale of a young woman who is forced by her mother to pass as white and leave behind the Black man she loves.
Solea Pfeiffer was on the phone with Don Cheadle about a possible appearance on his Showtime series Black Monday when another call came in. She ignored it. The 27-year-old actress didn’t end up working with Cheadle, but she did land a lead role in A Jazzman’s Blues, a period drama directed by Tyler Perry, who happened to be the unidentified caller.
A Jazzman’s Blues marks Pfeiffer’s first feature film after being lauded for her stage performances in the original national tour of Hamilton and Gustavo Dudamel’s West Side Story production at the Hollywood Bowl. In October, she stars as Penny Lane in the Broadway premiere of Almost Famous.
Perry’s film, set in the 1940s American South, tells the tragic tale of a young woman who is forced by her mother to pass as white and leave behind the Black man she loves.
- 9/17/2022
- by Pamela McClintock
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A new Broadway season has started, and there are currently seven productions of musicals set to open this fall. Could we be seeing any of them contend at next year’s Tony Awards? Below is an overview of the plot of each musical as well as the awards history of its author, cast, creative team, and the opening and (where applicable) closing dates.
“Almost Famous” (previews begin October 3; opens November 3)
In this stage musical adaptation of Cameron Crowe’s 2000 Academy Award-winning film, William Miller is an idealistic 15-year-old aspiring music journalist. When Rolling Stone magazine hires him to go on the road with an up-and-coming band, he is thrust into the rock-and-roll circus, where his love of music, his longing for friendship, and his integrity as a writer collide.
This musical has a book written by Crowe, who also co-wrote the score with Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Tom Kitt.
“Almost Famous” (previews begin October 3; opens November 3)
In this stage musical adaptation of Cameron Crowe’s 2000 Academy Award-winning film, William Miller is an idealistic 15-year-old aspiring music journalist. When Rolling Stone magazine hires him to go on the road with an up-and-coming band, he is thrust into the rock-and-roll circus, where his love of music, his longing for friendship, and his integrity as a writer collide.
This musical has a book written by Crowe, who also co-wrote the score with Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Tom Kitt.
- 9/14/2022
- by Jeffrey Kare
- Gold Derby
The mix of musical genres in the title of this Toronto Film Festival Gala Presentation reflects the wildly uneven tone of this rare drama from Tyler Perry Studios, a lush romantic musical telling the story of a Southern lynching with echoes of the murder of Emmett Till in Mississippi 1955. An imminent bow on Netflix is probably the best strategy for it; Perry may have his following, but it’s hard to imagine a crossover audience for A Jazzman’s Blues.
The setting is the city of Hopewell in Georgia, 1987, and an old Black lady is listening to a TV interview with a local politician, who’s talking down competition from an African American candidate by invoking the now-familiar GOP taking point of inverse racism. “I’ve had just about enough of you, mister white man,” she tells the screen and sets off to his office. Once there, she refuses to leave,...
The setting is the city of Hopewell in Georgia, 1987, and an old Black lady is listening to a TV interview with a local politician, who’s talking down competition from an African American candidate by invoking the now-familiar GOP taking point of inverse racism. “I’ve had just about enough of you, mister white man,” she tells the screen and sets off to his office. Once there, she refuses to leave,...
- 9/13/2022
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
Tyler Perry’s 23rd film, “A Jazzman’s Blues,” is a major departure for the seasoned director known for comedies and farces that are sometimes extremely broad. For “A Jazzman’s Blue,” the prolific filmmaker does a 180 into drama and romance. The story is set in Jim Crowe’s South and revolves around a forbidden love story about two star-crossed lovers.. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, prior to which the director and stars, Solea Pfeiffer and Joshua Boone, sat down for an interview to discuss themes like colorism as a cousin of racism and how the experience of making the film changed them.
Continue reading ‘A Jazzman’s Blues’: Tyler Perry Talks Departing From Comedy For His New Drama About Forbidden Love at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘A Jazzman’s Blues’: Tyler Perry Talks Departing From Comedy For His New Drama About Forbidden Love at The Playlist.
- 9/13/2022
- by Kathia Woods
- The Playlist
Penny Lane’s Moroccan dream gets the full song treatment in the latest offering from the upcoming Almost Famous musical.
The tender tune is led by Solea Pfeiffer, who plays Penny in the upcoming adaptation, with a few contribution from Casey Likes, who plays William Miller. Over acoustic guitar and dreamy piano, Pfeiffer shares her desire to leave everything behind and venture to Morocco with William by her side: “Why be stuck when there’s motion/Gotta move before it’s too late/So fly yourself cross the ocean/And turn your good into great,...
The tender tune is led by Solea Pfeiffer, who plays Penny in the upcoming adaptation, with a few contribution from Casey Likes, who plays William Miller. Over acoustic guitar and dreamy piano, Pfeiffer shares her desire to leave everything behind and venture to Morocco with William by her side: “Why be stuck when there’s motion/Gotta move before it’s too late/So fly yourself cross the ocean/And turn your good into great,...
- 9/13/2022
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
Writer-director Tyler Perry has been living with the screenplay for “A Jazzman’s Blues” for 27 years, longer than it takes most kids to grow up and move out of the house. Inspired by a chance meeting between Perry and playwright August Wilson in 1995, You can’t keep a good melodrama down.
A glowingly lensed Jim Crow-era drama, “Jazzman’s” not unlike “Green Book” or “The Help” — absent the pandering to white audiences’ anxiety about being (to paraphrase a meme) the baddies in this situation. There is one sympathetic white character, Holocaust survivor Ira (Ryan Eggold); his German accent is as exaggerated as the rest of the cast’s Southern drawls. But while the same folks who liked “Green Book” will likely enjoy “A Jazzman’s Blues,” Perry puts Black life in rural Georgia in the 1930s and ‘40s at the center of his story — no white intermediaries required.
We open on a modest clapboard home in Hopewell,...
A glowingly lensed Jim Crow-era drama, “Jazzman’s” not unlike “Green Book” or “The Help” — absent the pandering to white audiences’ anxiety about being (to paraphrase a meme) the baddies in this situation. There is one sympathetic white character, Holocaust survivor Ira (Ryan Eggold); his German accent is as exaggerated as the rest of the cast’s Southern drawls. But while the same folks who liked “Green Book” will likely enjoy “A Jazzman’s Blues,” Perry puts Black life in rural Georgia in the 1930s and ‘40s at the center of his story — no white intermediaries required.
We open on a modest clapboard home in Hopewell,...
- 9/13/2022
- by Katie Rife
- Indiewire
Tyler Perry on ‘A Jazzman’s Blues,’ a Film 27 Years in the Making, Inspired by His Childhood (Video)
“A Jazzman’s Blues” was a movie adventure 27 years in the making for Tyler Perry, who wrote the screenplay in 1995, the first ever for the prodigious writer-director-actor-magnate. After the project stalled in the mid-2000s, cameras finally started rolling last year in Savannah, Georgia. And in 2022, the sprawling, music-filled Southern Gothic romance of Perry’s dreams was born.
Perry gathered much of his cast, including Amirah Vann, Solea Pfeiffer, Ryan Eggold, Austin Scott, Milauna Jackson, Lana Young and lead Joshua Boone to sit down with Executive Editor, Awards, Steve Pond at TheWrap and Shutterstock’s Interview and Portrait Studio at the Toronto Film Festival.
“A Jazzman’s Blues” tells the story of Bayou (Boone) and Leanne (Pfeiffer), who get caught up in the tempest of jazz, secrets, family abuse, and institutional racism. “I was 26 or 27 with great ambition and a lot of time,” Perry said. “Growing up in rural Louisiana, I know these people very well,...
Perry gathered much of his cast, including Amirah Vann, Solea Pfeiffer, Ryan Eggold, Austin Scott, Milauna Jackson, Lana Young and lead Joshua Boone to sit down with Executive Editor, Awards, Steve Pond at TheWrap and Shutterstock’s Interview and Portrait Studio at the Toronto Film Festival.
“A Jazzman’s Blues” tells the story of Bayou (Boone) and Leanne (Pfeiffer), who get caught up in the tempest of jazz, secrets, family abuse, and institutional racism. “I was 26 or 27 with great ambition and a lot of time,” Perry said. “Growing up in rural Louisiana, I know these people very well,...
- 9/12/2022
- by Jason Clark
- The Wrap
Click here to read the full article.
With A Jazzman’s Blues, Tyler Perry proves himself to be, more than anything, a reliable auteur of serviceable melodramas. The film, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and will stream on Netflix on September 23, is an exercise in tropes and caricatures, a game of “spot the cliché.” Nearly all the usual suspects of Black and Biblical stereotypes make an appearance here: the tragic mulatto, the mammy, the magical negro, Cain and his brother Abel. They are assembled, like pieces of a familiar puzzle, under Perry’s assured direction and utilitarian screenplay. The result is Hollywood catnip.
The comparisons to existing projects will be inevitable because A Jazzman’s Blues is an amalgamation of what already exists. There are hints of Green Book in its depictions of the South, The Notebook in the romance, Passing, any films about Black musicians trying to make it North,...
With A Jazzman’s Blues, Tyler Perry proves himself to be, more than anything, a reliable auteur of serviceable melodramas. The film, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and will stream on Netflix on September 23, is an exercise in tropes and caricatures, a game of “spot the cliché.” Nearly all the usual suspects of Black and Biblical stereotypes make an appearance here: the tragic mulatto, the mammy, the magical negro, Cain and his brother Abel. They are assembled, like pieces of a familiar puzzle, under Perry’s assured direction and utilitarian screenplay. The result is Hollywood catnip.
The comparisons to existing projects will be inevitable because A Jazzman’s Blues is an amalgamation of what already exists. There are hints of Green Book in its depictions of the South, The Notebook in the romance, Passing, any films about Black musicians trying to make it North,...
- 9/12/2022
- by Lovia Gyarkye
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Click here to read the full article.
Ahead of premiering his latest feature, A Jazzman’s Blues, at the Toronto International Film Festival, Tyler Perry sat down for a wide-ranging conversation about the long road to making the period drama and his hope for diversity in the entertainment industry.
“I am extremely excited for what has happened. The diversity, the choices, the opportunities,” said Perry in conversation with The Hollywood Reporter editorial director Nekesa Mumbi Moody. “But I worry because there is such a push for diversity and push for hiring people of color that I have found, in situations, that there are people [who] can be pushed into seats they are not ready for.”
Perry emphasized the need for training and mentorship in order to create sustainable diversity in Hollywood. “I don’t want to have us as Black people in seats that we weren’t ready for and then have...
Ahead of premiering his latest feature, A Jazzman’s Blues, at the Toronto International Film Festival, Tyler Perry sat down for a wide-ranging conversation about the long road to making the period drama and his hope for diversity in the entertainment industry.
“I am extremely excited for what has happened. The diversity, the choices, the opportunities,” said Perry in conversation with The Hollywood Reporter editorial director Nekesa Mumbi Moody. “But I worry because there is such a push for diversity and push for hiring people of color that I have found, in situations, that there are people [who] can be pushed into seats they are not ready for.”
Perry emphasized the need for training and mentorship in order to create sustainable diversity in Hollywood. “I don’t want to have us as Black people in seats that we weren’t ready for and then have...
- 9/11/2022
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Tyler Perry expressed his excitement over the recent push for diversity in the film and TV business at a Toronto industry keynote on Sunday but added the drive would only succeed if it were accompanied by education, training and time to gain experience.
The director, who has blazed a trail throughout his career in enlarging the space for black stories and talent on the small and big screen, is at Toronto for the world premiere of his new film A Jazzman’s Blues ahead of it release on Netflix on September 23.
A labor of love for Perry that has been 27 years in the making, the drama stars emerging talents Joshua Boone and Solea Pfeiffer as star-crossed lovers in 1940s Louisiana, whose relationship is thwarted by race laws of the time.
It is among a raft of features at TIFF this year driven by black talent and stories including fiction features The Woman King...
The director, who has blazed a trail throughout his career in enlarging the space for black stories and talent on the small and big screen, is at Toronto for the world premiere of his new film A Jazzman’s Blues ahead of it release on Netflix on September 23.
A labor of love for Perry that has been 27 years in the making, the drama stars emerging talents Joshua Boone and Solea Pfeiffer as star-crossed lovers in 1940s Louisiana, whose relationship is thwarted by race laws of the time.
It is among a raft of features at TIFF this year driven by black talent and stories including fiction features The Woman King...
- 9/11/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Tyler Perry’s rise to billionaire status has come with a few unexpected repercussions.
The mogul behind the “Madea” franchise revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that poor reviews impacted casting on his upcoming period piece, “A Jazzman’s Blues,” which he wrote, directed, and produced. Set in the 1940s South, “A Jazzman’s Blues” was penned by Perry 27 years ago, with Lionsgate originally attached to produce the film in 2007.
The film centers on Bayou (Joshua Boone), a young Black jazz singer in Louisiana who rekindles his decades-long romance with his white-passing former girlfriend (Solea Pfeiffer). “A Jazzman’s Blues” premieres at 2022 TIFF before streaming on Netflix September 23.
Yet casting the historical drama proved to be a challenge for Perry, who originally toyed with starring in the lead role before he “aged out.”
“We were talking, they were really excited, and it just fell apart,” Perry said of speaking with up-and-coming actors for the film.
The mogul behind the “Madea” franchise revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that poor reviews impacted casting on his upcoming period piece, “A Jazzman’s Blues,” which he wrote, directed, and produced. Set in the 1940s South, “A Jazzman’s Blues” was penned by Perry 27 years ago, with Lionsgate originally attached to produce the film in 2007.
The film centers on Bayou (Joshua Boone), a young Black jazz singer in Louisiana who rekindles his decades-long romance with his white-passing former girlfriend (Solea Pfeiffer). “A Jazzman’s Blues” premieres at 2022 TIFF before streaming on Netflix September 23.
Yet casting the historical drama proved to be a challenge for Perry, who originally toyed with starring in the lead role before he “aged out.”
“We were talking, they were really excited, and it just fell apart,” Perry said of speaking with up-and-coming actors for the film.
- 9/9/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
The US premiere of Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans” will close out the 2022 AFI Fest, the American Film Institute announced Tuesday.
“The Fabelmans,” which has been touted as Spielberg’s most personal film to date, stars Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, Gabriel Labelle and Judd Hirsch in a story inspired by Spielberg’s own childhood. The film follows the formative years of a young man as he discovers a shattering family secret, causing him to use movies as a means to help him see the truth about others and himself.
The ensemble cast for “The Fabelmans” includes Jeannie Berlin, Julia Butters, Robin Bartlett and Keeley Karsten, with music by John Williams. Janusz Kaminski serves as cinematographer, and the film is edited by Michael Kahn and Sarah Broshar. Production design is helmed by Rick Carter, and the costume design is overseen by Mark Bridges.
“AFI Fest is where magic happens,...
“The Fabelmans,” which has been touted as Spielberg’s most personal film to date, stars Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, Gabriel Labelle and Judd Hirsch in a story inspired by Spielberg’s own childhood. The film follows the formative years of a young man as he discovers a shattering family secret, causing him to use movies as a means to help him see the truth about others and himself.
The ensemble cast for “The Fabelmans” includes Jeannie Berlin, Julia Butters, Robin Bartlett and Keeley Karsten, with music by John Williams. Janusz Kaminski serves as cinematographer, and the film is edited by Michael Kahn and Sarah Broshar. Production design is helmed by Rick Carter, and the costume design is overseen by Mark Bridges.
“AFI Fest is where magic happens,...
- 9/6/2022
- by Jazz Tangcay and Carson Burton
- Variety Film + TV
Tyler Perry checking another romantic trope off the list with his take on forbidden love in his upcoming film A Jazzman’s Blues. In the trailer for his forthcoming The Notebook-esque film, the multi-hyphenate uses jazz music born in the deep South to soundtrack a tale of two star-crossed lovers, Bayou (Joshua Boone) and Leanne (Solea Pfeiffer).
Set in the 1940s, the trailer opens with the two sharing a kiss. “That was our first kiss,” says Bayou. “Ain’t nothing felt that good in all my life. You asked me not to tell nobody,...
Set in the 1940s, the trailer opens with the two sharing a kiss. “That was our first kiss,” says Bayou. “Ain’t nothing felt that good in all my life. You asked me not to tell nobody,...
- 8/23/2022
- by Larisha Paul
- Rollingstone.com
"I need you to be happy because we can't be sad together, you hear me?" Netflix has revealed an official trailer for A Jazzman's Blues, the latest dramatic feature written & directed by profilifc filmmaker Tyler Perry. This one is premiering at the 2022 Toronto Film Festival just a few weeks before it arrives on Netflix for streaming. Follows an investigation into an unsolved murder unveiling a story full of forbidden love, deceit and a secret. It's a sweeping, sad, tragic Southern Gothic love story with spectacular song and dance numbers (arranged and produced by multi-Grammy winner & two-time Academy Award nominee Terence Blanchard). Starring Joshua Boone and Solea Pfeiffer as the two lovers, plus Amirah Vann, Austin Scott, Milauna Jemai Jackson, Brent Antonello, Brad Benedict, Kario Marcel, Lana Young, and Ryan Eggold. This is a ravishing first look that might actually get your attention - don't dismiss this just because it's from Perry.
- 8/23/2022
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
No divide will stand in the way of love.
On Tuesday, Netflix debuted the official trailer for Tyler Perry’s epic new romance “A Jazzman’s Blues”, starring Solea Pfeiffer and Joshua Boone.
Read More: Tyler Perry Praises ‘Princess Meghan’ Markle In Birthday Tribute: ‘I’ve Watched You Endure Things’
“A sweeping tale of forbidden love, ‘A Jazzman’s Blues’ unspools 40 years of secrets and lies soundtracked by juke joint blues in the deep South,” the official description reads.
The trailer gives a glimpse at the plot, in which a young Black man falls for a well-off Black woman, whose mother wants her to marry within her class.
Keeping their relationship a secret, the lovers trade messages by paper airplane.
Tyler Perry wrote and directed the film, which also stars Amirah Vann, Austin Scott, Milauna Jemai Jackson, Brent Antonello, Brad Benedict, Kario Marcel, Lana Young, and Ryan Eggold.
Director Tyler Perry...
On Tuesday, Netflix debuted the official trailer for Tyler Perry’s epic new romance “A Jazzman’s Blues”, starring Solea Pfeiffer and Joshua Boone.
Read More: Tyler Perry Praises ‘Princess Meghan’ Markle In Birthday Tribute: ‘I’ve Watched You Endure Things’
“A sweeping tale of forbidden love, ‘A Jazzman’s Blues’ unspools 40 years of secrets and lies soundtracked by juke joint blues in the deep South,” the official description reads.
The trailer gives a glimpse at the plot, in which a young Black man falls for a well-off Black woman, whose mother wants her to marry within her class.
Keeping their relationship a secret, the lovers trade messages by paper airplane.
Tyler Perry wrote and directed the film, which also stars Amirah Vann, Austin Scott, Milauna Jemai Jackson, Brent Antonello, Brad Benedict, Kario Marcel, Lana Young, and Ryan Eggold.
Director Tyler Perry...
- 8/23/2022
- by Corey Atad
- ET Canada
With every note played, two hearts skip the same beat.
The trailer for Tyler Perry’s “A Jazzman’s Blues” sets the stage for the heart-wrenching tale of a 40-year-old forbidden romance between two star-crossed lovers, played by Joshua Boone and Solea Pfeiffer. Oscar-nominated Perry writes, directs, and produces the epic story set in the 1940s deep South.
“I wrote this 27 years ago, and I finally get to show it to the world,” Perry tweeted to share the trailer. “This is my new movie, ‘A Jazzman’s Blues.’ I can’t wait for you to see it on Netflix.”
One of the highly-anticipated fall releases this year, “A Jazzman’s Blues” premieres September 23 on the streamer after debuting at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival.
The ensemble cast also includes Amirah Vann, Austin Scott, Milauna Jemai Jackson, Brent Antonello, Brad Benedict, Kario Marcel, Lana Young, and Ryan Eggold, featuring an original song performed by...
The trailer for Tyler Perry’s “A Jazzman’s Blues” sets the stage for the heart-wrenching tale of a 40-year-old forbidden romance between two star-crossed lovers, played by Joshua Boone and Solea Pfeiffer. Oscar-nominated Perry writes, directs, and produces the epic story set in the 1940s deep South.
“I wrote this 27 years ago, and I finally get to show it to the world,” Perry tweeted to share the trailer. “This is my new movie, ‘A Jazzman’s Blues.’ I can’t wait for you to see it on Netflix.”
One of the highly-anticipated fall releases this year, “A Jazzman’s Blues” premieres September 23 on the streamer after debuting at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival.
The ensemble cast also includes Amirah Vann, Austin Scott, Milauna Jemai Jackson, Brent Antonello, Brad Benedict, Kario Marcel, Lana Young, and Ryan Eggold, featuring an original song performed by...
- 8/23/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
When you think about Tyler Perry films, you wouldn’t be wrong to imagine a broad comedy where the filmmaker also stars as his iconic character Madea. Those are really the films that have cemented Perry’s status as one of the biggest names in Hollywood. But every so often, he mixes things up quite a bit and will work on a feature that ditches all the silliness in favor of something more emotional and dramatic, such as in the new film, “A Jazzman’s Blues.”
Read More: ‘Lou’ Trailer: Allison Janney & Jurnee Smollett Team Up To Rescue An Abducted Child
“A Jazzman’s Blues” tells the story of star-crossed lovers, Bayou (Joshua Boone) and Leanne (Solea Pfeiffer) as they try to do whatever it takes to live a happy life together.
Continue reading ‘A Jazzman’s Blues’ Trailer: Tyler Perry Returns With A Film About Star-Crossed Lovers In The Deep South at The Playlist.
Read More: ‘Lou’ Trailer: Allison Janney & Jurnee Smollett Team Up To Rescue An Abducted Child
“A Jazzman’s Blues” tells the story of star-crossed lovers, Bayou (Joshua Boone) and Leanne (Solea Pfeiffer) as they try to do whatever it takes to live a happy life together.
Continue reading ‘A Jazzman’s Blues’ Trailer: Tyler Perry Returns With A Film About Star-Crossed Lovers In The Deep South at The Playlist.
- 8/23/2022
- by Charles Barfield
- The Playlist
Ahead of the film’s world premiere next month at TIFF, Netflix has released the first trailer for Tyler Perry’s “A Jazzman’s Blues,” the billionaire media mogul’s longtime passion project.
Written, directed and produced by Perry, the period drama tells the tale of forbidden love, starring Joshua Boone and Solea Pfeiffer as Bayou and Leanne, a star-crossed couple navigating the world as young Black people in the deep South during the 1940s and through the decades that follow.
“That was our first kiss. Ain’t nothing felt that good in all my life,” Boone’s Bayou narrates as the trailer opens on the lovers sharing a sweet smooch while sitting in a sun-soaked tree.
The dramatic scenes that follow show the trials and tribulations that test the couple’s love as their families and other outside forces try to force them apart. In spite of the odds stacked...
Written, directed and produced by Perry, the period drama tells the tale of forbidden love, starring Joshua Boone and Solea Pfeiffer as Bayou and Leanne, a star-crossed couple navigating the world as young Black people in the deep South during the 1940s and through the decades that follow.
“That was our first kiss. Ain’t nothing felt that good in all my life,” Boone’s Bayou narrates as the trailer opens on the lovers sharing a sweet smooch while sitting in a sun-soaked tree.
The dramatic scenes that follow show the trials and tribulations that test the couple’s love as their families and other outside forces try to force them apart. In spite of the odds stacked...
- 8/23/2022
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
Almost Famous is so beloved that even its deleted scenes are widely known — from Frances McDormand cringing to “Stairway to Heaven” to the radio station scene with Kyle Gass. Now, lines from the intimate ice cube scene with Penny Lane and Russell Hammond are being used in a duet for the upcoming Broadway adaptation of Cameron Crowe’s film.
The scene that didn’t make it into the movie takes place after Stillwater lead a group singalong of Thunderclap Newman’s “Something in the Air,” while Anna Paquin’s Polexia...
The scene that didn’t make it into the movie takes place after Stillwater lead a group singalong of Thunderclap Newman’s “Something in the Air,” while Anna Paquin’s Polexia...
- 8/19/2022
- by Angie Martoccio
- Rollingstone.com
I sat in the green room waiting for actor and director Tyler Perry to arrive backstage at the Martha’s Vineyard Performing Arts Center for the Colors of Conversation event during the Martha’s Vineyard African-American Film Festival. Before he hit the stage for the panel, there was only a short window to interview him about his new project, A Jazzman’s Blues, a script he had written in the 1990s.
Many know him from the Medea movies, which some think has limited his cinematic scope in terms of what he can do, but Perry is out to prove the naysayers wrong. “Filming this was very much like, ‘I know something you don’t know,” he said. “For my whole career, people would say that Madea is all I can do. Now, 26 years later, I have The Jazzman’s Blues.”
It’s an idea that he couldn’t shake. Imagine...
Many know him from the Medea movies, which some think has limited his cinematic scope in terms of what he can do, but Perry is out to prove the naysayers wrong. “Filming this was very much like, ‘I know something you don’t know,” he said. “For my whole career, people would say that Madea is all I can do. Now, 26 years later, I have The Jazzman’s Blues.”
It’s an idea that he couldn’t shake. Imagine...
- 8/7/2022
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Almost Famous, the stage musical based on Cameron Crowe’s 2000 film, will begin previews at Broadway’s Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre on October 3, ahead of a November 3 opening night.
The new dates fall a few weeks after those originally announced last month before Almost Famous had landed the venue. The Jacobs currently houses the musical revival of Company, which recently posted a July 31 closing notice.
‘Almost Famous’ Musical Announces Cast
The Broadway cast will be headed by Chris Wood, Anika Larsen, Solea Pfeiffer, Drew Gehling, Rob Colletti and Casey Likes.
Directed by Jeremy Herrin, with choreography by Sarah O’Gleby, the musical includes a book and lyrics by Crowe, with original music and lyrics by Tom Kitt.
Set in 1973, Almost Famous follows 15-year-old William Miller (Likes), an aspiring music journalist hired by Rolling Stone magazine to go on the road with an up-and-coming band. The official synopsis: “William is thrust into the rock ‘n’ roll circus,...
The new dates fall a few weeks after those originally announced last month before Almost Famous had landed the venue. The Jacobs currently houses the musical revival of Company, which recently posted a July 31 closing notice.
‘Almost Famous’ Musical Announces Cast
The Broadway cast will be headed by Chris Wood, Anika Larsen, Solea Pfeiffer, Drew Gehling, Rob Colletti and Casey Likes.
Directed by Jeremy Herrin, with choreography by Sarah O’Gleby, the musical includes a book and lyrics by Crowe, with original music and lyrics by Tom Kitt.
Set in 1973, Almost Famous follows 15-year-old William Miller (Likes), an aspiring music journalist hired by Rolling Stone magazine to go on the road with an up-and-coming band. The official synopsis: “William is thrust into the rock ‘n’ roll circus,...
- 7/7/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
It’s been four years since Cameron Crowe first teased an Almost Famous musical when he dropped a 20-second video of composer Tom Kitt playing piano, while William Miller’s signature yellow post-its displayed clues on the wall. Now, Crowe is officially bringing his beloved film to Broadway, slated to open at Manhattan’s Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre on Nov. 3.
Crowe first announced the adaptation in the fall of 2018, and it opened the following year in his hometown of San Diego, California (Joni Mitchell made a rare appearance at the...
Crowe first announced the adaptation in the fall of 2018, and it opened the following year in his hometown of San Diego, California (Joni Mitchell made a rare appearance at the...
- 7/7/2022
- by Angie Martoccio
- Rollingstone.com
“Almost Famous” is almost ready for Broadway. The specific New York theater has yet to be announced, but opening dates for the musical adaptation of the Cameron Crowe film were revealed by the Shubert Organization on Thursday, with previews set to begin Sept. 13 and an official opening night of Oct. 11.
If not for the pandemic, “Almost Famous” almost surely would have been opening a year or two earlier, as it was considered very much ready for prime time during a rapturously received preliminary engagement at San Diego’s Old Globe Theater in 2019. Los Angeles Times critic Charles McNulty wrote then that the seemingly hitch-free show was “destined to conquer Broadway.”
Jeremy Herrin, a stalwart of the British theater, directs, as he did with the Old Globe’s successful production, with a score featuring music by Tom Kitt. Kitt and Crowe collaborated on the lyrics, and Crowe wrote the musical’s book,...
If not for the pandemic, “Almost Famous” almost surely would have been opening a year or two earlier, as it was considered very much ready for prime time during a rapturously received preliminary engagement at San Diego’s Old Globe Theater in 2019. Los Angeles Times critic Charles McNulty wrote then that the seemingly hitch-free show was “destined to conquer Broadway.”
Jeremy Herrin, a stalwart of the British theater, directs, as he did with the Old Globe’s successful production, with a score featuring music by Tom Kitt. Kitt and Crowe collaborated on the lyrics, and Crowe wrote the musical’s book,...
- 6/2/2022
- by Chris Willman
- Variety Film + TV
The stage musical adaptation of Cameron Crowe’s 2000 film Almost Famous will will begin Broadway previews on Tuesday, September 13, with an official opening on Tuesday, October 11, and a cast featuring Chris Wood, Anika Larsen, Solea Pfeiffer, Drew Gehling and Casey Likes.
The venue will be a Shubert theater to be announced.
“Broadway fans and rock fans have so much in common,” said Crowe, who wrote the musical’s book and lyrics (with original music and lyrics by Tom Kitt). “We obsess over the music, we pore over every possible recording we find, and we treasure those moments when an artist stands on a stage, opens their heart in that most personal way, and creates real magic. Suddenly everything seems possible.
“Almost Famous,” he continued, “has always been about the power of that connection: hearing a piece of music for the first time, looking into a person’s eyes and feeling the electricity,...
The venue will be a Shubert theater to be announced.
“Broadway fans and rock fans have so much in common,” said Crowe, who wrote the musical’s book and lyrics (with original music and lyrics by Tom Kitt). “We obsess over the music, we pore over every possible recording we find, and we treasure those moments when an artist stands on a stage, opens their heart in that most personal way, and creates real magic. Suddenly everything seems possible.
“Almost Famous,” he continued, “has always been about the power of that connection: hearing a piece of music for the first time, looking into a person’s eyes and feeling the electricity,...
- 6/2/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Jen Namoff, whose 15-year career has included casting, artist representation, talent management and production in both New York and Los Angeles, is launching Namoff & Company, a bi-coastal, full-service talent management and production company representing clients across television, film, music, and theater with a client roster that includes Tituss Burgess, Tammy Blanchard, Katrina Lenk and others.
Joining Namoff in the new venture, which was announced today, are John Bautista as Director of Operations/Talent Manager and Doug Middlebrook as Creative Director/Producer.
In a statement describing the new company’s mission statement, the three principals sid, “We are inspired by artists who push boundaries, guiding them to reach their creative potential in every arena. We are committed to telling stories that are relevant, inclusive, and forward-thinking.”
In addition to Burgess, Blanchard and Lenk, Namoff & Company’s current roster of clients includes Gabrielle Carrubba, Julia Mattison, Nkeki Obi-Melekwe, Solea Pfeiffer, Ben Ahlers,...
Joining Namoff in the new venture, which was announced today, are John Bautista as Director of Operations/Talent Manager and Doug Middlebrook as Creative Director/Producer.
In a statement describing the new company’s mission statement, the three principals sid, “We are inspired by artists who push boundaries, guiding them to reach their creative potential in every arena. We are committed to telling stories that are relevant, inclusive, and forward-thinking.”
In addition to Burgess, Blanchard and Lenk, Namoff & Company’s current roster of clients includes Gabrielle Carrubba, Julia Mattison, Nkeki Obi-Melekwe, Solea Pfeiffer, Ben Ahlers,...
- 1/11/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Glenn Close and the Bring Change 2 Mind (BC2M) Board of Directors hosted “Revels & Revelations 9,” a special celebration, which raised $1 million in support of teen mental health on Thursday, December 2, 2021 at City Winery in New York City.
Glenn Close And Bring Change To Mind'S 9th Annual Revels & Revelations
The live, in-person event, sponsored by Citi, raised funds for BC2M’s National High School Programs and PSA Campaigns fighting the stigma surrounding mental illness.
BC2M honored Emmy Award-winners Dan & Eugene Levy with the Fifth Annual Robin Williams Legacy of Laughter Award. The Award was presented by Zak Williams and Zelda Williams, and recognizes and thanks entertainers who spread laughter and awareness thru acts of kindness, charity and revelatory honesty that makes people feel heard, seen and less alone, and thru many ways, make the world a brighter, more open and caring place.
Glenn Close presented actor, mental health...
Glenn Close And Bring Change To Mind'S 9th Annual Revels & Revelations
The live, in-person event, sponsored by Citi, raised funds for BC2M’s National High School Programs and PSA Campaigns fighting the stigma surrounding mental illness.
BC2M honored Emmy Award-winners Dan & Eugene Levy with the Fifth Annual Robin Williams Legacy of Laughter Award. The Award was presented by Zak Williams and Zelda Williams, and recognizes and thanks entertainers who spread laughter and awareness thru acts of kindness, charity and revelatory honesty that makes people feel heard, seen and less alone, and thru many ways, make the world a brighter, more open and caring place.
Glenn Close presented actor, mental health...
- 12/8/2021
- Look to the Stars
Up-and-coming leading lady of stage and screen Solea Pfeiffer is making her NYC solo concert debut in 'An Evening with Solea Pfeiffer.' Pfeiffer, who in recent years has received massive acclaim portraying iconic roles in Hamilton LA, the Broadway-bound Almost Famous The Old Globe, The Light in the Piazza Lyric Opera of Chicago, Songs for a New World, and Evita New York City Center, is bringing her powerhouse vocals and gift of storytelling to create an enchanting musical experience for her audience.
- 11/5/2021
- by Bruce Glikas
- BroadwayWorld.com
Madea is back. Tyler Perry is taking his iconic femme senior character who has grossed over $1 billion at the box office to Netflix with a 12th movie, A Madea Homecoming. A 2022 drop date is planned.
Perry will direct and write with Will Areu and Mark Swinton producing. EPs are Perry and Michelle Sneed.
No plot details yet. Perry reportedly said that Madea would be making her final appearance in the 2019 Lionsgate feature A Madea Family Funeral, which made $75M at the global box office. That’s obviously not the case.
A Madea Homecoming continues Perry’s work with Netflix following last year’s release of A Fall From Grace which was watched by 39M households in its first month. He is also writing, directing and producing A Jazzman’s Blues for Netflix. That pic stars Joshua Boone and Solea Pfeiffer, and unravels 40 years of secrets and lies in a tale of...
Perry will direct and write with Will Areu and Mark Swinton producing. EPs are Perry and Michelle Sneed.
No plot details yet. Perry reportedly said that Madea would be making her final appearance in the 2019 Lionsgate feature A Madea Family Funeral, which made $75M at the global box office. That’s obviously not the case.
A Madea Homecoming continues Perry’s work with Netflix following last year’s release of A Fall From Grace which was watched by 39M households in its first month. He is also writing, directing and producing A Jazzman’s Blues for Netflix. That pic stars Joshua Boone and Solea Pfeiffer, and unravels 40 years of secrets and lies in a tale of...
- 6/8/2021
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Say Hallelujer, Madea fans! Tyler Perry is bringing back his most beloved character for an all-new adventure on Netflix.
Perry will write, direct and star in the film, donning Madea’s dress, wig and devil-may-care attitude one more time. Perry retired Mabel “Madea” Simmons in 2020 with the sold-out “Madea’s Farewell Tour” (which was also filmed for BET plus), while the character’s final film appearance came in 2019’s “A Madea Family Funeral,” where Perry ostensibly closed the casket on the character.
Perry has been quietly developing the project since last fall.
“I was done with Madea, completely done with it,” Perry told Variety, when he was honored as 2020’s Showman of the Year. “But as I’ve been looking at the state of the world — and I finished a tour in January, just before the pandemic started to break in the country — and the amount of joy and laughter...
Perry will write, direct and star in the film, donning Madea’s dress, wig and devil-may-care attitude one more time. Perry retired Mabel “Madea” Simmons in 2020 with the sold-out “Madea’s Farewell Tour” (which was also filmed for BET plus), while the character’s final film appearance came in 2019’s “A Madea Family Funeral,” where Perry ostensibly closed the casket on the character.
Perry has been quietly developing the project since last fall.
“I was done with Madea, completely done with it,” Perry told Variety, when he was honored as 2020’s Showman of the Year. “But as I’ve been looking at the state of the world — and I finished a tour in January, just before the pandemic started to break in the country — and the amount of joy and laughter...
- 6/8/2021
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
Tyler Perry’s Madea is back! Perry is bringing his beloved character back to life, and this time, they’re heading to Netflix.
Perry will write, direct and star in “A Madea Homecoming,” which will be the ninth “Madea” film and the 12th time he will have portrayed the iconic old lady on screen. The news comes after Perry had said in 2018 that he intended to kill off Madea once and for all and end the franchise with 2019’s “A Madea Family Funeral.”
“It’s time for me to kill that old bitch. I’m tired,” he told Sirius Xm at the time. “I just don’t want to be her age playing her.”
The films have been box office boons for Lionsgate for over a decade, and all of Perry’s films, including the “Madea” series, have collectively made over $1 billion at the domestic box office — so this is a big get for Netflix.
Perry will write, direct and star in “A Madea Homecoming,” which will be the ninth “Madea” film and the 12th time he will have portrayed the iconic old lady on screen. The news comes after Perry had said in 2018 that he intended to kill off Madea once and for all and end the franchise with 2019’s “A Madea Family Funeral.”
“It’s time for me to kill that old bitch. I’m tired,” he told Sirius Xm at the time. “I just don’t want to be her age playing her.”
The films have been box office boons for Lionsgate for over a decade, and all of Perry’s films, including the “Madea” series, have collectively made over $1 billion at the domestic box office — so this is a big get for Netflix.
- 6/8/2021
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Tyler Perry is rounding out the cast of his new Netflix film A Jazzman’s Blues.
Amirah Vann, Austin Scott, Milauna Jackson, Brent Antonello, Brad Benedict, Kario Marcel, Lana Young and Ryan Eggold have boarded the movie. They join previously announced castmembers Joshua Boone and Solea Pfeiffer.
Written and directed by Perry, A Jazzman’s Blues unravels forty years of secrets and lies in a tale of forbidden love and family drama soundtracked by juke joint blues in the deep South. Perry penned the screenplay 26 years ago, the first one he’d ever written.
A Jazzman’s Blues began shooting this week ...
Amirah Vann, Austin Scott, Milauna Jackson, Brent Antonello, Brad Benedict, Kario Marcel, Lana Young and Ryan Eggold have boarded the movie. They join previously announced castmembers Joshua Boone and Solea Pfeiffer.
Written and directed by Perry, A Jazzman’s Blues unravels forty years of secrets and lies in a tale of forbidden love and family drama soundtracked by juke joint blues in the deep South. Perry penned the screenplay 26 years ago, the first one he’d ever written.
A Jazzman’s Blues began shooting this week ...
Tyler Perry is rounding out the cast of his new Netflix film A Jazzman’s Blues.
Amirah Vann, Austin Scott, Milauna Jackson, Brent Antonello, Brad Benedict, Kario Marcel, Lana Young and Ryan Eggold have boarded the movie. They join previously announced castmembers Joshua Boone and Solea Pfeiffer.
Written and directed by Perry, A Jazzman’s Blues unravels forty years of secrets and lies in a tale of forbidden love and family drama soundtracked by juke joint blues in the deep South. Perry penned the screenplay 26 years ago, the first one he’d ever written.
A Jazzman’s Blues began shooting this week ...
Amirah Vann, Austin Scott, Milauna Jackson, Brent Antonello, Brad Benedict, Kario Marcel, Lana Young and Ryan Eggold have boarded the movie. They join previously announced castmembers Joshua Boone and Solea Pfeiffer.
Written and directed by Perry, A Jazzman’s Blues unravels forty years of secrets and lies in a tale of forbidden love and family drama soundtracked by juke joint blues in the deep South. Perry penned the screenplay 26 years ago, the first one he’d ever written.
A Jazzman’s Blues began shooting this week ...
Broadway Records recently announced the release of In Pieces, a new musical by Joey Contreras. This energetic and emotional 10-track highlights album features a robust lineup of talent from popular artists, including David Archuleta, Andrew Barth Feldman, George Salazar, Solea Pfeiffer, Ben Fankhauser, Natalie Weiss, Ashley De La Rosa, Leslie Hiatt, and Emily Kristen Morris. Showcasing their unique and powerful voices, along with their flair for storytelling, In Pieces brings the musicals candid themes of our human existence to light.
- 4/16/2021
- by Courtney Savoia
- BroadwayWorld.com
Tyler Perry has found the stars for his passion project “A Jazzman’s Blues,” casting Joshua Boone and Solea Pfeiffer in the lead roles for the film, which Perry wrote 26 years ago.
“I have waited a quarter of a century to tell this story and now is the perfect time and Netflix is the perfect partner,” Perry said in a statement announcing the film.
Perry will write, direct and produce the pic, which is set from 1937 to 1987. “A Jazzman’s Blues” follows an investigation into an unsolved murder that unveils a story full of forbidden love, deceit and a secret that has been held for 40 years. Michelle Sneed, Tyler Perry Studios’ president of production, will executive produce the project.
The movie, which has been a passion project for Perry since he wrote the script in 1995, will primarily shoot at Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta and debut on Netflix this year.
“I have waited a quarter of a century to tell this story and now is the perfect time and Netflix is the perfect partner,” Perry said in a statement announcing the film.
Perry will write, direct and produce the pic, which is set from 1937 to 1987. “A Jazzman’s Blues” follows an investigation into an unsolved murder that unveils a story full of forbidden love, deceit and a secret that has been held for 40 years. Michelle Sneed, Tyler Perry Studios’ president of production, will executive produce the project.
The movie, which has been a passion project for Perry since he wrote the script in 1995, will primarily shoot at Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta and debut on Netflix this year.
- 3/23/2021
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: After teaming with Netflix on his most recent film A Fall From Grace, Tyler Perry is making his return to the streamer for his next film and has found his two leads in the process. Sources tell Deadline that Perry will direct A Jazzman’s Blues, with Joshua Boone and Solea Pfeiffer on board to star. Perry will also write and produce the pic, with Michelle Sneed executive producing.
The film is a passion project for Perry that he has been trying to make for more than two decades and was the first screenplay he ever wrote — originally penning it 26 years ago. Set from 1937-87, the story follows an investigation into an unsolved murder unveiling a story full of forbidden love, deceit and a secret that has been held for 40 years. The film primarily will shoot at Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta and be released on Netflix this year.
The film is a passion project for Perry that he has been trying to make for more than two decades and was the first screenplay he ever wrote — originally penning it 26 years ago. Set from 1937-87, the story follows an investigation into an unsolved murder unveiling a story full of forbidden love, deceit and a secret that has been held for 40 years. The film primarily will shoot at Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta and be released on Netflix this year.
- 3/23/2021
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
Solea Pfeiffer New York City Center's Evita, West Coast Premiere of Hamilton and Emmy Raver-Lampman Netflix's The Umbrella Academy, Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton star as the Clarke sisters, Mary and Martha, in Signature Theatre's world premiere production of Gun Powder with book and lyrics by Angelica Chri and music by Ross Baum. Check out the new trailer below...
- 2/5/2020
- by Stage Tube
- BroadwayWorld.com
Solea Pfeiffer and Emmy Raver-Lampman are set to star as the Clarke sisters, Mary and Martha, in Signature Theatre's world premiere production of Gun Powder with book and lyrics by Angelica Chri and music by Ross Baum. Gun Powder will run from January 28 a' February 23, 2020 in Signature Theatre's intimate Max Theatre and will be directed by Robert O'Hara Broadway's Slave Play.
- 1/20/2020
- by Stage Tube
- BroadwayWorld.com
Get ready because BroadwayWorld is giving you the chance to win tickets to see Solea Pfeiffer, Renee Fleming, and more in The Light in the Piazza at Chicago's Lyric Opera House The winner will receive two tickets to the production's December 27th performance. The contest will run now through December 22rd, at 1159 Pm Est. Be sure to enter for your chance to win Today...
- 12/19/2019
- by BWW Contests
- BroadwayWorld.com
Chicago – Love is a powerful enough force to transcend any obstacle that you may put in its path. That seems to be the dominant theme of the beloved Tony Award-winning musical “The Light in the Piazza,” which is enjoying a very limited holiday engagement at the Lyric Opera House through December 29th, 2019, Click here for more details and tickets..
Presented by Scenario Two, a new commercial theatrical production company based in London, this sparkling new production of “The Light in the Piazza” is having a bit of a sentimental homecoming. The show had its Midwest premiere at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre in 2004 before transferring to Broadway in 2005, and it now stars the world-renowned soprano Renée Fleming, who is Creative Consultant to Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Play Rating: 5.0/5.0
Margaret Johnson (Renée Fleming), a well heeled and cultured North Carolina wife and mother is traveling throughout Italy with her daughter Clara (Solea Pfeiffer...
Presented by Scenario Two, a new commercial theatrical production company based in London, this sparkling new production of “The Light in the Piazza” is having a bit of a sentimental homecoming. The show had its Midwest premiere at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre in 2004 before transferring to Broadway in 2005, and it now stars the world-renowned soprano Renée Fleming, who is Creative Consultant to Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Play Rating: 5.0/5.0
Margaret Johnson (Renée Fleming), a well heeled and cultured North Carolina wife and mother is traveling throughout Italy with her daughter Clara (Solea Pfeiffer...
- 12/19/2019
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
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