The cast of the Tony winner for Best Musical, Hadestown, is sharing their underground holiday sound with their cast album “If the Fates Allow (A Hadestown Holiday Album).” Led by the ladies who play The Fates in the musical – Jewelle Blackman, Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer, and Kay Trinidad – the album features other members of the cast including Tony-winner Andre De Shields who lends his jazz and blues notes to the classic “Blue Chrismas.” 

 

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Hamilton: An American Musical alum, Leslie Odom, Jr. reimagines Christmas with his second holiday album, “The Christmas Album.” The Tony- and Grammy-winning crooner sings some holiday classics, as well as introduces new sounds and guest features with songs like “Ma’oz Tzur” featuring wife, Nicolette Robinson, “Winter Song” with Tony winner Cynthia Erivo, and “Little Drummer Boy” with the Mzansi Youth Choir from South Africa. If you liked his first holiday venture “Simply Christmas,” you’re definitely going to enjoy this soon-to-be classic.

 

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“White Christmas” by Grammy-nominated Jawan Jackson (Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations), is what Santa would be blasting in his sleigh as he goes from home to home. His velvety bass notes take us on a journey that tempt our desire to be with our loved ones for Christmas. 

 

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Carly Hughes (Pippin) brings a little fun and a lot of wonder with her Chistmas album “Mistletoe & Carly.” The Broadway leading lady playfully takes on the Eartha Kitt classic “Santa Baby” with an upbeat flair that’s sure to make Rudolph blush. 

 

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Another Tony-winning Hamilton alum, Daveed Diggs, takes Hannukkah and throws some stank on it. His new single “Puppy for Hanukkah” is a dream for every kid wanting a canine companion to call their own. The song takes us through the eight nights of the traditional Jewish holiday with lyrics like, “Night two, what it do, candles get lit. Latkes, sour cream is the best dip…” Check out the music video too! 

Other holiday albums to check out from other Broadway alum:

Fantasia (After Midnight and The Color Purple) – “Christmas After Midnight”

Broadway Inspirational Voices – “Great Joy – A Gospel Christmas” and “Great Joy II: Around the World”

John Legend (Jitney) – “A Legendary Christmas (Deluxe Edition)” 

Download them all today on Apple Music, iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, or Amazon.

The post I’m Dreaming of a Black Christmas…Broadway Edition! appeared first on Broadway Black.

Back in October Broadway Black reported that John Legend and T.I were developing music for the new musical, The Spongebob Musical and now it’s found it’s cast.

The SpongeBob Musical cast will star Ethan Slater as SpongeBob SquarePants, Gavin Lee as Squidward,  Nick Blaemire as Plankton,  Lilli Cooper as Sandy Cheeks, Carlos Lopez as Mr. Krabs,and  Danny Skinner as Patrick. The Spongebob Musical is co-conceived and directed by Tina Landau (Head Of Passes), book by Kyle Jarrow, orchestrations, arrangements & music supervision by Tom Kitt with choreography by Christopher Gattelli.

In addition to Legend and T.I, Grammy Award winning gospel singer Yolanda Adams is attached to have new music for the project as well.

A legendary roster of Grammy Award winners. A visionary director and Tony Award®-winning design team. One of the world’s most beloved and unforgettable characters. Turn them all loose on Broadway and what do you get?

THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL!

Acclaimed Steppenwolf director Tina Landau and the groundbreaking designers behind Fun Home, Hedwig, and Spring Awakening have brilliantly reimagined Bikini Bottom for the Broadway stage, bringing the spirit of SpongeBob to life with humanity, heart, and pure theatricality. With an original score from some of the biggest names in pop and rock, THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL explodes with energy.

Stakes are higher than ever before as SpongeBob and all of Bikini Bottom face the total annihilation of their undersea world. Chaos erupts. Lives hang in the balance. And just when all hope seems lost, a most unexpected hero rises up and takes center stage.Get ready to dive to all-new depths of theatrical innovation at THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL, where the power of optimism really can save the world!

The SpongeBob Musical will begin performances on Tuesday, June 7 at Broadway In Chicago’s Oriental Theatre (24 West Randolph Street, Chicago, IL). This is a limited engagement through Sunday, July 3, 2016. Are ya ready kids?

The post Lilli Cooper And More Set For The Spongebob Musical in Chicago 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.