#Heather Gershonowitz

[eddie-redmayne-italian-blog]

SPECIAL FEATURESEddie Redmayne First Played the Cabaret's Emcee in School, Now He's Doing It on Broadway

The actor is newly Tony nominated for his nihilistic take on the iconic character.

BY TALAURA HARMS MAY 10, 2024

Eddie Redmayne is gathering tips. As the Tony and Oscar-winning actor was opening a Broadway musical this season, he was also trying to figure out the best ways to navigate New York City for the six months that he’ll be in the show. His wife and two young children have joined him from London. They’re currently looking for ways to spend summer in the city. And speaking of summer, Redmayne is concerned about keeping his voice in good working order in a city with more air conditioning than he’s accustomed to having.

“I’m accumulating a little handbook of ‘The Survivor’s Guide to Broadway,” Redmayne laughs. “I’m a passionate lover of New York, so any excuse to come here…I’m thrilled.”

The excuse—and it’s a pretty good one—is Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, which opened April 21 at the August Wilson Theatre. Redmayne reprises his role as The Emcee in the revival of the classic John Kander, Fred Ebb, and Joe Masteroff musical. Rebecca Fracknell directs the production, a West End transfer that won seven 2022 Olivier Awards, including one for Redmayne’s performance. The production has been a hit in the London, where it is currently still running.

Redmayne is the only member of the West End cast, though, to transfer to Broadway with the production. He’s joined at the August Wilson by Gayle Rankin as Sally Bowles, Ato Blankson-Wood as Clifford Bradshaw, Bebe Neuwirth as Fraulein Schneider, and Steven Skybell as Herr Schultz. And both Rankin and Redmayne have been Tony nominated for their performances; the show picked up nine nominations total, including Best Revival of a Musical.

“It’s been such a unique experience because it’s been starting anew and fresh whilst at the same time, having this character sitting in my stomach and ruminating for three years now. And my journey, of the relationship with the character, has been one that stems from, oh gosh, almost 30 years now from when I first played it when I was a schoolboy,” says Redmayne. “There is great joy that comes from that—from each time getting to re-mine the character and re-look at it in a different context and with a different inspiration.”

When Playbill spoke with Redmayne, the company was still in rehearsals for the Broadway mounting. As part of his continuing exploration of the Emcee, the actor had just revisited one of his favorite New York museums, the Neue Galerie of German and Austrian art on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. 

“I was looking at some of the Schiele paintings there and reminding myself of how, when I first started looking into the idea of The Emcee, just having portfolios of Schiele prints everywhere. That was one of the ways in. It was a lovely moment to reconnect and reinspire in the museum.” It is easy to spot the influence of the Austrian Expressionist painter Egon Schiele in the angles of Redmayne’s body as he looks over a shoulder, crooks an arm, or snarls a bit, daring an audience to come a little closer.

The original source material for Cabaret is the 1939 Christopher Isherwood novel Goodbye to Berlin. It was inspired by his own life during the Weimar Republic when the freedom of the Jazz Age was clashing with the rise of Nazism and fascism. The Emcee, though, is not a character in the novel, nor in the play adaption I Am a Camera. He was created solely for Cabaret and does not exist in any of the scenes outside of the Kit Kat Club. The lack of story for The Emcee has allowed Redmayne to create a character almost entirely from scratch.

“He exists almost in abstraction for me. The character is almost like a Greek chorus. He’s sort of the Shakespearean fool. The court jester who then becomes the king,” says Redmayne. “He can assimilate and accumulate people from every walk of life and community, and can seemingly either celebrate or exploit that. As the world is becoming more homogenized and fascism is kicking in, he can shape-shift his way out of it, and he’s going to be just fine. He has the privilege of that. There’s a nihilism, ultimately, to my take on The Emcee that felt important. He’s not the victim. He's the perpetrator.”

Cabaret first premiered on Broadway in 1966 and this production is the musical’s fourth revival. Except for the 1970s (when it was adapted for film starring Liza Minnelli), it has been on Broadway at some point in every decade since that first run. “There’s always been this relevance culturally, and that’s terrifying, because it basically sings as a warning to our incapacity to learn from our mistakes,” says Redmayne. “It’s about what happens when humanity is consumed by hate. And the idea of the creation of the other and the exploitation of the other to instill fear.”

Arguably, the musical’s draw has always also been as much about how it presents that message as the relevance of the message itself. The Kit Kat Club is seedy and seductive. It feels naughty…like you’re getting away with something you shouldn’t. And this new production pushes that element far beyond the footlights of a stage. Club, scenic, and costume designer Tom Scutt has reformed the August Wilson Theatre, creating spaces in the house and in the bar for a Prologue company to perform. Audiences are encouraged to arrive early to take in the music and dance cabaret acts prior to Cabaret.

Redmayne is reminded again of his museum visit: “When I was at the Neue Galerie, there was an exhibition on [Gustav] Klimt. This idea that this group of artists in Austria at the time, and then in Germany, were trying to create this world which was all-consuming. It wasn’t just the painting, it was also the specific space in the gallery…you were not just looking at the painting but the entire experience around it. I feel like that is, perhaps, the dream of what we’re trying to do. Once you leave the sidewalk and cross the threshold [into the theatre], you’re being taken on a journey that’s all encompassing.”

Boris Aronson’s original set design for the 1966 production of Cabaret featured a large mirror above the stage, tilted toward the audience so that they could see themselves reflected at both the beginning and end of the musical. Scutt has created a fully in-the-round stage at the Wilson. 

So while the audience is watching the action on stage, they will also be seeing other audience members’ reaction to the story. “There’s complicity in that,” says Redmayne. “We’re all there laughing and engaging in an evening of entertainment, but also seeing ourselves in some of the elements—the joyful qualities of humanity and the scarier qualities, too.”

Photographer : Heather Gershonowitz

https://playbill.com/article/eddie-redmayne-first-played-the-cabarets-emcee-in-school-now-hes-doing-it-on-broadw

[artemispickle]

Photographer: Heather Gershonowitz

[derekklenadaily]

playbill: we’re still not over it. Check out more photos from this year’s @elsiefest via the link in our bio.

📸 @heathergershonowitz

[jgroffdaily]

A Broadway Star Gets Married on Her Day Off

Lindsay Mendez, nominated for a Tony in “Merrily We Roll Along,” married actor J. Alex Brinson in a Monday ceremony officiated by castmate Jonathan Groff. Daniel Radcliffe was their ring bearer.

On Broadway, with most shows shuttered, Monday is typically the day actors and crews rest and recharge.

Or, if you’re Lindsay Michelle Mendez and John Alex Brinson, it’s the day you get married.

Ms. Mendez currently stars as Mary Flynn in the musical “Merrily We Roll Along,” so the wedding was planned not just around her schedule, but that of the officiant and ring bearer’s, too — Ms. Mendez’s castmates Jonathan Groff and Daniel Radcliffe.

Ms. Mendez said her castmates Mr. Groff, who was previously ordained by the Universal Life Church, and Mr. Radcliffe had played an important role in her relationship journey with Mr. Brinson. “They’ve become our really, really close friends in real life,” she said. “It just felt appropriate for Jon to marry us and for Dan to be our ring bearer.”

Several Times a Minister Mr. Groff has officiated other weddings, including the nuptials of his former “Hamilton” castmate Phillipa Soo and the actor Steven Pasquale.

Mr. Groff, ordained by the Universal Life Church, is a seasoned officiant who has presided over several other weddings. Credit: Heather Gershonowitz

[d-criss-news]

[UHQ] Darren Criss, Telly Leung, Darren Criss, Max Adler, Curt Mega JC Chasez, Andrew Barth Feldman, Helen J Shen, Augie Bello, Chord Overstreet, Rachel Zegler, Lizzy McAlpine, Joy Woods, Jordan Fisher, Noel Carey and Julia Mattison at the 7th Annual Elsie Fest held at The Rooftop at Pier 17 on September 8, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Heather Gershonowitz) | Source

[mthguy]

On February 9, 2024, Aaron Tveit and Sutton Foster open on Broadway in Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street. (Photos by Heather Gershonowitz).

[pureanonofficial]

"The Phantom of the Opera" performed by Annaleigh Ashford (as the Phantom) and Josh Groban (as Christine Daae) in Miscast 2023. Photos by Heather Gershonowitz.

[sillyname30]

people and grantgust: Grant Gustin’s time in Broadway’s “Water for Elephants” will be gone in a flash. But before the actor departs the hit musical adaptation of Sara Gruen’s beloved novel, he’s looking back on his favorite memories from his run. Alongside an exclusive collection of photos, Gustin opens up exclusively with PEOPLE about his experience in the award-winning musical—with which he made his Broadway debut—at the link in our bio. | 📷: Heather Gershonowitz for Playbill, Courtesy of Water for Elephants on Broadway; Jenny Anderson, Courtesy of Water for Elephants on Broadway (3); Grant Gustin/Instagram, Courtesy of Water for Elephants on Broadway

[eddieredmayneargentinablog]

"Tony Nominees 2024"

📷 Credit: Heather Gershonowitz Photography.

[writemarcus]

Victoria Detres and Helen Park with Marcus Scott

R.I.S.E.’s launch event. Photo: Heather Gershonowitz.

During the 2018-2019 Broadway season, 100 percent of general managers and 94 percent of producers identified as white, according to a 2021 report from the Asian American Performers Action Coalition. These numbers were reflected in onstage representation as well, with actors who identified as white being cast in 80 percent of the lead roles in musicals and 90 percent of the lead roles in plays.

Since then, there’s been a reckoning with “We See You, White American Theater” disrupting the status quo, promoting over one hundred theater organizations nationwide to respond with action to demands for better BIPOC representation, visibility, and leadership. Several collectives popped up, most notably Black Theatre United, which negotiated “A New Deal for Broadway” between Broadway shows and their touring productions in 2021. However, one might argue that these institutions, while transformative, are primarily concerned with the optics onstage, whilst larger issues loom behind the scenes. In order to incite incremental change, it will have to take those with clout, capital, and connections that operate sub rosa and in the spotlight. Enter Lin-Manuel Miranda.

On June 8, numerous theater artists and industry insiders gathered on the rooftop of the Civilian, a 27-story luxury boutique hotel in Hell’s Kitchen on the edge of the Theater District, for a special announcement: Maestra Music and the Miranda Family Fund partnered to establish RISE (Representation, Inclusion, & Support for Employment) Theatre, with the aspiration of generating more equitable hiring exercises within the theater community by centralizing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access (DEIA) tactics and resources through a network of partners. This came to be when the Hamilton creator approached Georgia Stitt, the illustrious composer and music director who developed Maestra, to discuss launching the RISE Theatre Directory, a free national digital almanac created to promote visibility and hiring of underrepresented artists, backstage crews, and other vital theater employees.

The Brooklyn Rail spoke over Zoom with Victoria Detres (the project coordinator at RISE) and Helen Park (a member of its community of advocates and a Tony Award nominee for her KPOP score) to discuss its service, mosaic of diverse supporters, and subsequent sea change they hope to witness in the years to come.

Marcus Scott (Rail): What was the spark for RISE and how did you get involved?

Victoria Detres: I’ll start with the logistics of it all. So, Maestra Music is a not-for-profit that supports female and non-binary musicians working in musical theater. They had a program formerly called Get To Work. It was designed to share the statistics about where our industry is with hiring practices, and it was formed as a reaction to the pandemic, where everyone recognized where we were failing, and we had a larger movement.

So, we started sharing the resources. It was cultivated with community partners who were also working in various lanes of equitable progress, wanting to move the needle forward. That was happening in 2020, and they were moving the needle forward with the small programming they were doing for Get To Work; it was 2021 when Georgia and Lin-Manuel, oddly enough, ran into each other at a pumpkin patch in upstate New York. Lin had previous conversations with Ava DuVernay because he had given some funding for the ARRAY Crew, which is designated for BIPOC representation in film and television. He was working with Ava to create the same ideal database directory for theater. They recognized that film and television are very different from theater, so they wanted to part ways amicably recognizing that they didn’t have the insight or the knowledge about the theatrical industry that would serve creating the directory.

At the same time, that’s when Lin had run into Georgia. He knew about Georgia’s work at Maestra, and she mentioned the Get to Work program, and the partnership felt like a natural next step. The partnership began officially in 2022. I came on in 2023. There was some formulating about what the program would be. They recognized that Maestra didn’t have the infrastructure to do the entire push of the RISE Theatre Directory on their own, and they needed to hire additional help. That’s where I came in, along with my colleague Adam Hyndman. I came on in January to start the program when they mentioned, “Oh, yeah, we’re launching in June of this year.” I said, “OK, great. Happy to do that!” Adam came on in February, and it was all systems go, ready for the launch, figuring out what RISE Theatre would be.

It wasn’t RISE at that time. It was Get to Work. We had a hot five months of just working to make it happen. And then that’s where Helen comes in with our launch aiming for June. We really wanted to be intentional about the partnerships that we were building and how we actually got the community involved. We wanted to reach out to industry changemakers; cultural leaders who are doing the work in the industry to really get the name out there, but also cultivate partnerships so that we can highlight the good work that’s being done and amplify artists who are doing everything they can to move the needle forward.

Rail: The acronym of RISE stands for Representation, Inclusion, and Support for Employment. What does RISE mean to you in this moment?

Detres: We have this adage of “a rising tide lifts all boats,” and I think in our industry specifically, we are stuck in a scarcity mindset. When you’re seated at the table, you can’t open the door for someone else, and we kind of wanna challenge that. Or, at least, I wanna challenge that with the work that I do. Doing this work, elevating and cultivating community in more intentional ways is only gonna benefit the greater community. But I think we are stuck in a place where we are so at odds and we worry. I feel like the word “equity” doesn’t actually have a good rep because people don’t understand it. Equity means to create an equal playing field for everyone involved, and that’s not the current state of our world, in our industry. And by creating an equitable platform, everyone’s gonna benefit in the long term. For me, it’s really about moving from a place of abundance. RISE is abundance; it’s the abundance mindset. It’s cultivating community for long-term standards. That means everyone is represented at the table.

Rail: Between 2021 and 2023, Broadway saw a major boost in diversity. However, virtually all of those shows shuttered within months or closed early. What are some of the problems or issues that need addressing? Because we’re going into very uncertain times, as indicated by the various layoffs, cutbacks and cancellations by national and regional theaters across the country. How can RISE and organizations like it answer the call?

Helen Park: What I love about RISE in particular is the feeling of action, the emphasis on the action. I think right now it’s hard to see the culmination of this movement that started during the pandemic, like with Black Lives Matter… this reckoning of Broadway. Broadway is actually like “the Great White Way,” you know? I think it’s a problem to just look at it as “Oh, it’s such an easy fix! Let’s just do a play written for the Black community! Let’s do K-pop, let’s do a Korean show!” But then in order to actually execute it and pull out the best capabilities to really make meaningful actual change that does represent the culture accurately, I think there’s a lot of different reasons why these shows in the past season didn’t succeed or run for as long as they maybe deserved. One of those reasons I think is that the people who have always been in this field, who have always done things the way things are done, are doing the same thing over and over again. Then when they’re met with something that’s not familiar territory (in terms of the story or the source material or the cultural background of said project), there is difficulty and they need help. It’s not also just about replacing who’s always been there. It’s not just like giving up space to have someone else to take over, you know?

Rail: You mentioned a reckoning.… In the midst of a global quarantine, there was a cultural and societal reckoning, particularly in the arts and media landscapes where advocates, activists and artivists came out of the wilderness to shine a light on many of the problems facing those who were not cisgender heteronormative white men. Right? In that time, we saw various movements take place, such as #MeToo and We See You White American Theatre and during that time various organizations either generated a listserv or directory. One that comes to mind is “Underrepresented Theater Critics.” How is this one different?

Detres: We have to, first of all, acknowledge the platform that we are on. That I can’t go about saying we are on an elevated platform because of the associations we have. There are so many Excel spreadsheets that I have used in my lifetime that are about BIPOC designers, Black directors, but only because I was in the community did I know those existed. And when I would speak to people I worked with in spheres—when I spoke to white people in spheres—they didn’t know about these. But I think that’s the disconnect with the communities that exist in the industry and I’m really excited about the potential of actually being the connective tissue for our industry. So much of the time we talk about “our voice is power.” Communication is power. How can RISE be the connective tissue for all of these systems to exist? We want to be clear that we don’t wanna override any work that has been created before. We’re not trying to steamroll. But we’re actually trying to recognize what has come before us and understand that this is a natural evolution, that we can ride on this wave of amplification and visibility to become a centralized source, so that we can fight that narrative. Like, we don’t exist. Okay, well then, here’s an easy digestible way to find us. It really is capitalizing on this situation now and understanding that this is a natural evolution of years of work in our community and how we can continue moving the needle forward by understanding that our history cannot be erased, but we can actually evolve from the history that we’ve had.

Park: Right now, we are at a critical time where people acknowledge the need for better representation and more authentic storytelling. It can only enrich our community and this medium of theater. I think everybody’s sort of onboard with the theoretical, you know? Like, “Of course, inclusivity!” But I’m really hopeful that through this very specific directory we will see gradual change.

Detres: I think what’s lacking overall is support. All of these shows that closed early because producers broadcast to this audience once and then never invited them back for a different show. The audiences at KPOP showed up because they were excited about this; because they were actually welcomed for the first time. What happens when we start doing that with every show? We gotta stop that model that’s, like, “You’re only welcome to go see a show that fits your personality and your identity.” How many white shows have I seen in my lifetime that I don’t resonate with but I was excited because it was on Broadway and I wanted to go see it and be part of that?! How do we create systems to support people of color when they aren’t given leadership roles, when they’re set up to fail? That’s what I’m really excited about. I think we just don’t talk about what support looks like and how to create structures of support for new things that we’re bringing in.

Contributor

Marcus Scott

Marcus Scott is a New York City-based playwright, musical writer, opera librettist, and journalist. He has contributed to Time Out New York, American Theatre Magazine, Architectural Digest, The Brooklyn Rail, Elle, Essence, Out, Uptown, Trace, Hello Beautiful, Madame Noire and Playbill, among other publications. Follow Marcus on Instagram.

[eddie-redmayne-italian-blog]

New Photos of all Tony Awards Nominees!!

TONY AWARDS

Photos: Meet the 2024 Tony Awards Nominees

The nominees let their personalities shine at the annual Tony Awards Meet the Nominees press junket.

BY PLAYBILL STAFF MAY 10, 2024

Here they are boys! Here they are world! 

The 2024 Tony nominees filled the Sofitel Hotel with glamour and excitement during the annual Tony Awards Meet the Nominees press junket May 2. See these Broadway stars shine in their first appearance to the media after being dubbed a nominee in these exclusive portraits taken by Playbill's Heather Gershnowitz. 

Winners will announced at the 77th Annual Tony Award on June 16 at Lincoln Center's David H. Koch Theater, starting with The Tony Awards: Act One. The show can be found on streaming for free on Pluto TV. Details are to be announced.

The 77th Annual Tony Awards will follow Act One at 8 PM ET, broadcasting live on CBS (check local listings) and streaming live (for premium-level subscribers) via Paramount+. All Paramount+ subscribers will have on demand access to the broadcast beginning June 17. Stage and screen star Ariana DeBose will be back for her third consecutive year hosting.

All photo nominees here :

Photographer Heather Gershonowitz

[citylifeorg]

Melissa Etheridge To Make an Appearance as a Presenter at Curtain Up! Live from Broadway Finale Concert Live in Times Square and To Be Aired Live on WABC-TV on Sunday, September 10th

Credit: Heather Gershonowitz for Playbill INCLUDING THE COMPLETE LINE UP FOR CURTAIN UP BROADWAY FESTIVAL ¡Viva! Broadway® Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration on Saturday, September 9th at 5:00 PM Performers Announced for all Curtain Up Broadway Festival Events: Broadway Sing-AlongsDueling Pianos Presented by PrudentialCurtain Up After Dark ConcertsA morning dance warm up with Ailey…

[derekklenadaily]

derek_klena: @elsiefest was the best. @lizzymcalpine what a light and talent you are. Come do Broadway yeah?? 🔥🤷🏻‍♂️ 📸: @jennyandersonphoto @laurel_hinton @heathergershonowitz

[datshitrandom]

See Darren Criss, Laurence Fishburne, and Sam Rockwell Take Broadway Opening Bows in American Buffalo | Playbill

[callmedotseurat]

Dynamic Trio Bernadette Peters, Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster at Broadway Barks in Shubert Alley. (July 2022)

(Photo: Heather Gershonowitz/ Playbill)

[d-criss-news]

See the Stars on the Red Carpet of the 75th Annual Tony Awards

The stars were dressed to the nines last night for the 75th Annual Tony Awards! The two-part, four-hour award ceremony, celebrating the 2021-2022 Broadway season, was presented June 12 at New York City's Radio City Music Hall.

The first act was hosted by Emmy winners Darren Criss and Julianne Hough, who kicked off the evening at with an hour of exclusive content streaming live on Paramount+. The American Buffalo star hit the red grey carpet with his wife, Mia Swier. The two recently welcomed their first child.

[UHQ] Darren Criss and Mia Swier attend the 75th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall on June 12, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Heather Gershonowitz)