Jesse L Martin, Fredi Walker-Browne, and Kristen Lee, all original cast members, will now join Idina Menzel, Anthony Rapp, Adam Pascal, Daphne Rubin-Vega, and Wilson Jermaine Heredia during the event on March 2nd which will also include original composition from Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, creators of Dear Evan Hansen.

Additionally, more than 130 RENT cast alums will be featured in the virtual celebration including Broadway Black’s own Amber Iman, Jordan Fisher, Josh Grisetti, Brennin Hunt, Amy Spanger, Taylor Trensch, and Mike Wartella, and many more!

The official announcement was made on January 25th, 2021, exactly 25 years after the Off-Broadway premiere in 1996. On this same day, the theatre community mourned the loss of the show’s writer Jonathan Larson who died from an aortic dissection the morning of RENT’s first preview.

The gala will be on March 2nd at 8 PM EST and tickets are $25 and are now avaliable! Visit HERE for more information!

 

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Citing dangerous overcrowding and inclement weather, the powers that be have decided to make some improvements to the potentially treacherous lottery event before reintroducing it in the spring.

“We love seeing so many fans show up to participate in the Ham4Ham lottery and show,” Hamilton producer, Jeffrey Seller, said in a statement. “But we need to figure out how to safely accommodate our fans without blocking traffic on West 46th Street.”

Shortly after it began its run at The Public Theater, Hamilton has offered the drawing to fans who can’t afford or even access the $150+ tickets to the currently sold out run. The stage phenomenon garners, at minimum, 500 entrants per drawing: excited fans who, line, crowd and essentially dominate the slim street accessing the Richard Rodgers Theater.

An innovation made popular in 1996 by the cult-classic Rent, lottery, student rush, general rush and “standing room only” has become the poor man’s guide to Broadway.

Hamilton is just one of many Broadway productions offering an affordable digital lottery for what has become quite an expensive medium.  Kinky Boots made the switch this summer and after 18 years on top of the Broadway ticket want list, The Lion King announced in November that they would be offering an online lottery.  Introduced just in time for the holiday season, the lottery would make tickets for the musical, which generally average around $130, accessible to theatergoers at a reasonable price.

UPDATE:  As of 11 AM on Jan. 5, Hamilton has broken the internet!  Since opening the digital lottery at 9:30 AM, BroadwayDirect, the website that hosts multiple Broadway show lotteries, has read a “Service Unavailable” message.  Twitter is all abuzz, including Lin Manuel Miranda who has assured Hamilfans, while he excels at many things, IT is not one of them.  Hopefully the site will be up soon…cause we’re trying to get tickets too!

The post Hamilton Lottery Goes Digital in the New Year appeared first on Broadway Black.

The crooner will offer soulful renditions of holiday favorites with the help of her Rent co-stars Amber Iman (The Soul Doctor) and Marcus Paul James (Motown, The Wiz).

Listen to Hall’s wonderfully imaginative version of Germono Toussaint’s arrangement of “Seasons of Love” at last year’s concert below.

A native of Arlington, Virginia, Hall grew up in the church and went on to perform in high school and direct the gospel choir for her alma mater, University of Virginia.  Before being featured on the national tour and Broadway production of the cult-favorite, Rent, Hall replaced Jennifer Hudson on Disney Cruise Line’s production of Hercules.  Since then, Hall has branched out as a solo artist, serving as the lead vocalist for The Grateful Dead’s Mickey Hart Band, a back-up singer for Mariah Carey at her Beacon Theater Christmas residency and launching her debut album “River Train.”

 Rachel Swan of the East Bay Express says that the title track (River Train) “sounds like an old spiritual”, and that “Hall sings in a style that recalls protest singers of the Sixties and Seventies: liquid, chillingly pure, full of vibrato without being ostentatious.”

“Season of Love Concert: Crystal Monee Hall & Friends” will take place on Saturday, December 12th at 9 p.m.  Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 day of show.  Note there is a one drink minimum and the show is 21+.

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