Later, McDonald sat down to talk about the highly-anticipated new musical Shuffle Along, and explained the historical significance of the show (it broke many barriers including being first to feature jazz in musicals, feature black actors, and even have black audience members in the orchestra seats). She also talked about what it’s like learning choreography from tap phenomenon  Savion Glover (she swears she’ll have it together by the first preview).

As a bonus, The Tonight Show blessed us with another clip where McDonald recalls some of her tales from backstage while doing Porgy and Bess and 110 In The Shade, which includes dog poop and ladybug tattoos.

Check out the videos below and if you haven’t already, get your Shuffle Along tickets here. Previews start at The Music Box on March 15th, and officially opens April 28th. Trust us, it’s a show you definitely don’t want to miss.

The post Audra McDonald Sings Yahoo! Answers On Jimmy Fallon + Talks Shuffle Along Broadway appeared first on Broadway Black.

You’ll see some familiar faces in this musical comedy sketch. Rodney Hicks, best known for his roles in the original companies of RENT & Scottsboro Boys, takes on the role of a commentator. He throws a little shade at Beyonce but we’ll let him live. Also, Krystal Joy Brown, known as the last Diana Ross on Broadway in Motown: The Musical, is seen here as a moderator for the Super Bowl discussion. Watch the video below!

CAST:
Rodney Hicks as Commentator 1
Scott Richard Foster as Commentator 2
Krystal Joy Brown as Moderator

CREW:
Written by David Ingber
Producer: Todd Pellegrino & Pete Iannucilli & New Wave Entertainment
Director: Evan Kaufman
Music Composition: Brian Usifer

The post Rodney Hicks & Krystal Joy Brown Spit Fire In The Super Bowl Mixtape appeared first on Broadway Black.

Leakes took to the stage on the set of the popular daytime talk show The View, with Tony Award winner Whoopi Goldberg & Raven-Symone (who is black, even if she doesn’t want to labled as such, & made her Broadway debut in Sister Act! a few years ago). The interview was a little awkward with the co-hosts taking small insulting jabs at NeNe’s personal home life. However, nothing was more awkward than when Nene started singing. The claps and the praise seemed sincere but we couldn’t help but to feel a certain bit of tension listening. You can also tell Nene was a little nervous. Watch the clip below.

Now, Nene is a self proclaimed Shade Queen and she felt that shade and later tweeted this after her appearance on the show:

She has since deleted the tweet but glad that Nene handled herself with class & dignity in response to the snide remarks & vibe from the hosts. Great job on those acting skills, Nene. Bring that to Broadway.

Now, tell us, what do you think of Nene Leakes’ singing voice? 

The post Nene Leakes Showcases Her Singing Voice on The View appeared first on Broadway Black.

Bootycandy follows the life of “Sutter” through childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Built as a vignette that clips memories from church, bars, and his family home, the story is tied together by equal parts hilarity and truth. I can guarantee you won’t be bored.. and you will be sitting at the edge of your seat, scene after scene. Matter of fact, I don’t think there’s a word to describe the unpredictability of O’Hara’s work. One minute you’re laughing and the next minute you’re in awe as the plot has taken a new turn for what feels like the fifth time.

My first O’Hara show was Barbecue, which was recently at The Public Theatre. What I learned then was that deliberate undertones and themes shine through after the laughter has faded. Much like Barbecue, Bootycandy explores real issues. On top of giving insight into the double minority life of being Black and gay, it satirizes the plight of a Black playwright, it highlights church life and religion in the context of Black America, and it does so in a refreshingly, in-your-face manner. 

Come to laugh. But most importantly, come ready to leave the theater thinking. Bootycandy is directed by Ovation Award-winner Michael Matthews and Michael A. Shepperd. The cast includes Cooper Daniels, Julanne Hill, Anton Peeples, Michael A. Shepperd and Travina Springer. Previews started October 23; the show officially opened October 29th and will play through December 20th.

The post Bootycandy Premieres In LA At Celebration Theatre appeared first on Broadway Black.

However, this time things ended just a little bit differently. President Obama took to the stage and gave a quite comical speech to top off the special performance. The president gave a crowd of over 1,300 people more than a few laughs last night in a theatre that is home to a musical about the “Founding Father,” Alexander Hamilton. Fitting, right? Watch the entire speech below.

The show, which tells its story mostly to a hip hop score, has received rave reviews. Hamilton debuted off-Broadway at The Public Theater in January. It started Broadway previews July 13 and opened on August 6 at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. In addition to President Obama, other political figures have attended the performance, including former President Bill Clinton, former Senator Hillary Clinton, and former Vice President Dick Cheney. First lady Michelle Obama has seen the hit musical three times now.

We also got a couple of clips from behind the stage before the President began his speech thanks to Leslie Odom Jr., who stars in the revolutionary musical as “Aaron Burr.”

POTUS @hamiltonmusical Part 1 via @leslieodomjr: Stage left. Rapt. Honored to have POTUS back in our midst. #HamiltonBway #HeGaveUsThePoint

A video posted by BroadwayBlack (@broadwayblack) on Nov 2, 2015 at 7:45pm PST

Below are some of his statements that made us laugh. Watch the video for context!:

“According to them, everything was really good in 2008, when we were going through the worst economic crisis in our lifetimes. This, apparently, was the golden age that I messed up.”

“All 99 of those doctors got together — with Obama — to try to prevent me from having bacon and doughnuts.”

“It’s cray!”

“And then it turns out they can’t handle a bunch of CNBC moderators. If you can’t handle those guys, I don’t think the Chinese and the Russians are going to be too worried about you.”

The fundraiser was held on a Monday, which is typically a night that cast members have off. However, the Democratic National Committee paid the costs for the special Monday night performance. Seats sold for up to $10,000 each which benefitted the Democratic Hope Fund. The Fund raises money to help retire Mr. Obama’s campaign debt.

The post President Barack Obama On Broadway In One Man Show For Democratic Fundraiser appeared first on Broadway Black.

Perhaps that was a bit of foreshadowing of what was to come. It’s absolutely fitting that Brady teamed up with the one and only Wilkie Ferguson, the superbly talented pianist and mastermind behind the wildly popular HipHopMusicals web series. The description of the series on the official Twitter page keeps it short and sweet,

We take your favorite Hip Hop songs and redo them in a way you never imagined!

Ferguson, whom we previously wrote about as a musical theatre composer to watch for, has collaborated with the likes of Broadway performer and American Idol contestant Frenchie Davis and stage, film and television actor Thomas Hobson for his creative reworkings of current Hip Hop chart toppers. 

So just what happens when you put Wayne Brady and Wilkie Ferguson together? A hilariously groovy and soulful rendition of Rihanna’s epic bad girl rant BBHMM.

Ferguson has been getting all kind of buzz for his remixes and we cannot get enough!

Woo! RT @hiphopmusicals: Hiphopmusicals has been praised by USA Today and now Billboard Magazine! #hiphopmusicals http://t.co/eUIKENZT6G

— Thomas Hobson (@TommyHobson) July 16, 2015

The Hip Hop Musical series is certainly worth a subscription and we can’t wait to see what Ferguson comes up with next! With whom would you like to see him collaborate?

The post Wayne Brady & Hip Hop Musicals Bring Us #BBHMM by Rihanna appeared first on Broadway Black.

It takes a real Queen to reduce a King to a quivering mass of shock and adulation. Beyoncé did just that when she approached Groff after the show to inquire about his phenomenally cocky royal walk during the scene where he bids a cheeky adieu to the colonies. Hamilton creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda chronicled the exchange on Twitter.

Groff got embarrassed. But he said I could tell you. Next three tweets.

— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) October 28, 2015

https://twitter.com/Lin_Manuel/status/659355089056976896https://twitter.com/Lin_Manuel/status/659355357521817600

2) Beyonce: When you turned away still facing the audience?
*BEYONCE DEMONSTRATES FLAWLESSLY*
Beyonce: You were your OWN turntable. Love it.

— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) October 28, 2015

3) And then, in Groffsauce's own words
"Then the ground swallowed me up and I died happy."
Thus endeth the meeting of Beyonce & Groffsauce.

— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) October 28, 2015

There is no straight-male equivalent for the ecstasy of Beyonce telling you
"I love your walk."
ESPECIALLY for Groffsauce, walk enthusiast.

— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) October 28, 2015

Bruce Lee: "Can you teach me that cool kick?"
That's the closest I can approximate to what happened to Groffsauce.

— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) October 28, 2015

We can’t even blame Groff for being floored by the compliment. How many people can actually say Beyoncé is stealing your sashay? Checkout a clip of Groff channeling his inner diva as he and fellow Hamilton actors Brian d’Arcy James, and Andrew Rannells lip-synch during Hamilton’s daily “Ham 4 Ham”,  an innovative mini show that gives fans a chance to enter a ‘day of the show’ lottery where winners receive Hamilton tickets for $10 .

They say imitation is the most powerful compliment and the love didn’t begin with Beyonce’s endorsement of Groff’s saucy promenade. Lin-Manuel Miranda had previously cited the other half of the power couple, Hip Hop phenom Jay-Z as one of his influences for the sound and flavor of the genre blending musical. Said Miranda,

In crafting the battles, I listened a lot to the Jay Z–Nas beefs. “Takeover” is such a systematic takedown of Nas; it’s “Here’s how many albums you put out. One of them is good.” It’s so clinical that it’s kind of devastating. And Nas’s response to Jay Z was no less brutal or enthusiastic. I listened to those a lot when it came to the battle raps; taking each other down but in an intelligent way. And there’s a little ode to 8 Mile in the way those scenes are structured.

This is the way good art is built. By the open acknowledgement of the talent of another. Taking a bit of this and a splash of that and reworking it into an updated remixed masterpiece. It speaks volumes when egos can be set aside to simply say, “I am impressed by the work you do.” Congratulations on the compliment to Jonathan Groff. It was well deserved. Now all we need to see is how Beyoncé spins that walk into a slaying saunter that is sure to set the Beyhive abuzz.

BONUS: The Queen recently let her powers show towards an assistant during a red carpet walk. It was so smooth and direct you probably don’t even notice her telling her to “stop it!”. The assistant was making more of a fuss over Beyonce’e clothes than she was! Also, it makes us so happy to hear the photographer in the back use the proper terminology when referring to her. For she is a Queen.

The post Beyoncé Plans to Steal & #Werk Groff’s Hamilton Walk appeared first on Broadway Black.

'The SpongeBob Musical' is heading to Broadway with music from @JohnLegend and @Tip. http://t.co/lS3DYmTghz pic.twitter.com/d5HmBYCjMs

— Complex (@Complex) August 31, 2015

One fan had an excellent suggestion for who else might make a great addition.

https://twitter.com/LindsayyAnn22/status/641050759241564161

According to a news release, the show’s producer, Nickelodeon says,

The end is near. Only one sponge can save the day. But he’s going to need help from some of the greatest songwriters in rock and pop music history. The SpongeBob Musical is a rousing tale of a simple sea sponge who faces the unfathomable. It’s a celebration of unbridled hope, unexpected heroes, and pure theatrical invention.

While casting hasn’t been announced yet, we can only imagine the talent that would sign on to bring these crabby patty-loving characters to the stage. The production is slated to be directed by Tina Landau with Pulitzer winner Tom Kitt serving as musical supervisor. According to the enthused Landau,

I was drawn to this project not only for its wild theatrical possibility, but also because I felt SpongeBob, at its core, is a layered and hilarious ensemble comedy. SpongeBob himself is of course its center and beating heart–the eternal innocent in a sea of cynics. He’s also the classic underdog hero, and so our production sets him on a hero’s journey with real stakes, all the while retaining the show’s trippy humor and irreverence. We’re taking our leads from the TV show but this is an original story, with an original design approach, and original songs written just for the occasion by an amazing array of songwriters. We will present the world of Bikini Bottom and its characters in a whole new way that can only be achieved in the live medium of the theatre. We’re bringing the show’s fabled characters to life through actors—not prosthetics or costumes that hide them—and we’re deploying some unconventional stage craft that will prove that anything can happen in Bikini Bottom.

The show will first premiere in Chicago at the Oriental Theatre in the summer of 2016 prior to a New York opening during the 2016-17 Broadway season.

The post John Legend and T.I. Drop Tracks for SpongeBob The Musical appeared first on Broadway Black.

Billy Mitchell has created a long-standing adult version of this pastime, as Clue meets Mad Libs with Broadway’s finest serving up an interactive improvisational comedy show – all in the name of fundraising for charitable organizations. Villain: DeBlanks, a Time Out NY Critic’s Pick, returns with an all-Black cast for a special performance benefiting Broadway Barks.

The monthly no-show-is-ever-the-same event will be 9pm Thursday, Sept. 3, at The Triad. The audience will help the cast determine just how villainous the life of the dead Phillip DeBlanks was in the uncensored and unrehearsed murder mystery.

The repeat cast – which we reported recently appeared in the interactive installment at 54 Below – features: Tony nominee Brenda Braxton (Smokey Joe’s Café, Chicago); Angela Robinson (OWN Network’s “The Haves and the Have Nots,” The Color Purple), Trent Armand Kendall (Bat-Boy, Five Guys Named Moe – West End); Kingsley Leggs (Sister Act, The Color Purple); and Bernard Dotson (Finian’s Rainbow, Chicago). New to the lineup is Tony winner LaChanze (If/Then, The Color Purple).

Attendees will laugh their __________ off (insert plural noun).

Presented in association with La Vie Productions/R. Erin Craig, Villian: DeBlanks will benefit Broadway Barks. Founded in 1988 by Mary Tyler Moore and Bernadette Peters, Broadway Barks will sponsor a dog and cat adoption event featuring pets from New York City animal shelters and adoption agencies.

The Triad, the original home to three of the 20 longest running Off-Broadway shows, is located at 158 W. 72nd Street (between Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues) in New York. Tickets ($25) and information are available at triadnyc.com or by calling 1-888-596-1027.

The post Angela Robinson, LaChanze, & Brenda Braxton Headline Villain: DeBlanks Comedy Benefit appeared first on Broadway Black.

Hip Hop Musicals has also taken Silento’s “Watch Me Whip” and Fetty Wap’s “Trap Queen” and transformed these songs into barely recognizable stage-worthy productions. All three are absolutely must sees.

Ferguson is no stranger to the stage; he’s been in Motown: The Musical, Porgy and Bess, and Wonderland. The other singers in the video are equally talented. Morgan James appeared in The Addams Family alongside Nathan Lane; had leading roles in Wonderland, Godspell (Turn Back, O Man), and Motown: The Musical as Teena Marie; and recently signed with Epic Records. Nicholas Christopher has been seen in Rent, Motown: The Musical, The Tempest, and most recently, Whorl Inside a Loop.

Watch the video and then let us know in the comments what you think!

The post Chris Brown: The Musical Parody From Hip Hop Musicals appeared first on Broadway Black.