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The cast of the Broadway hit Putting it Together. From left are Bronson Pinchot, Carol Burnett, John Barrowman, Ruthie Henshall and George Hearn.
Billy Suter
THE Cinema Nouveau chain has treated fans to filmed opera, ballet and drama – now it’s time for some razzle-dazzle as a season of four acclaimed Broadway musicals, shot live in high-definition, will soon be on the big screen locally.
The first in the Direct From Broadway series, as it is known, is scheduled to be presented at Cinema Nouveau at Gateway on January 5 and 7 at 8pm and at 2.30pm on January 8.
It is Memphis, Broadway’s 2010 Tony Award-winner for Best Musical, which has been captured live in performance at the famous Shubert Theatre in New York City.
The show is loosely based on Memphis disc jockey Dewey Phillips, one of the first white DJs to play black music in the 1950s.
“Bursting off the stage with explosive dancing, irresistible songs and a thrilling tale of fame and forbidden love, this fine musical is filled with laughter, soaring emotion and roof-raising rock ’n’ roll,” says a spokesman.
The film features the original Broadway production and was shot in January using multiple, high-definition cameras and 96 tracks of sound recording.
According to Wikipedia, the movie is assembled from footage shot at five performances, and includes a 20-minute behind-the-scenes look at how the show was captured for the big screen.
Scheduled for Cinema Nouveau at 8pm on February 2 and 4 and 2.30pm on February 5, is Smokey Joe’s Café, a well-received 2000 film of the Broadway production of the musical revue showcasing 39 pop standards, including rock ’n’ roll and RB songs, written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.
The original Broadway cast recording won a Grammy Award in 1996 and the musical received seven Tony Award nominations.
Staged in revue format with no unifying theme, the show’s 39 songs are presented by the cast in various combinations, with no dialogue.
The film features the show’s final Broadway cast at the Virginia Theatre in New York City, headed by Ken Ard, Adrian Bailey, Matt Bogart, Brenda Braxton and Deb Lyons.
Cast members of Memphis, which will open the four-film festival of Broadway musicals, filmed in high definition, which is to be screened at uMhlangas Cinema Nouveau. On the right |is the poster for Jekyll and Hyde: The Musical, starring |David Hasselhoff.
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David Hasselhoff fills the title roles in Jekyll and Hyde: The Musical, to be screened at Cinema Nouveau at 8pm on February 23 and 25 and 2.30pm on February 26.
Also in the cast are Coleen Sexton as Lucy Harris, Andrea Rivette as Emma Carew and Barrie Ingham as Sir Danvers Carew.
The show, featuring music by Frankhorn Wildhorn and lyrics and book by Leslie Bricusse, was the longest-running in the history of Broadway’s Plymouth Theatre, with more than 500 performances.
The Moody Blues, Liza Minnelli and Johnny Mathis have recorded songs from the musical.
Completing Cinema Nouveau’s inaugural line-up of Broadway hits is Putting It Together, which will be screened at 8pm on April 5 and 7 and 2.30pm on April 8.
This hit by award-winning composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim is a humorous, poignant and sophisticated musical “review” of material taken from a number of his original musicals.
Interweaving the emotions and relationships of guests attending a Manhattan cocktail party, Putting It Together includes numbers from the shows Anyone Can Whistle, Follies and Sweeney Todd.
The film features the ace 2001 Broadway production, starring Carol Burnett, George Hearn, Ruthie Henshall, John Barrowman and Bronson Pinchot.
