FRONTRUNNERS (By Gross) 1. Wicked ($1,803,846) 2. The Book of Mormon ($1,705,114) 3. The Lion King ($1,570,787) 4. Kinky Boots ($1,431,140) 5. Motown The Musical ($1,197,720) UNDERDOGS (By Capacity) 5. All The Way (71.67%) ** 4. The Phantom of the Opera (71.37%) 3. Jersey Boys (66.15%) 2. Machinal (64.70%) 1. Bronx Bombers (62.57%) UNDERDOGS (By Gross) 5. Rock of Ages ($369,131) 4. Outside Mullingar ($362,896) 3. The Bridges of Madison County ($348,594)* 2. Machinal ($216,017) 1. Bronx Bombers ($177,559) Broadway audiences made Beautiful: The Carole King Musical their Valentine this week, as it set a new box office record at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre, despite the blizzard conditions on the Great White Way. Over at the Belasco Theatre, those two plays in rep, Twelfth Night and Richard III, took their final Main Stem bow, breaking the house box office record for the seventh time. Meanwhile, Wicked took the top spot from The Book of Mormon, with The Lion King coming in third.  Here’s a look at who was on top—and who was not—for the week ending February 16: View Comments FRONTRUNNERS (By Capacity) 1.The Book of Mormon (102.63%) 2.Twelfth Night/Richard III (102.13%) 3.The Lion King (97.82%) 4. Wicked (95.43%) 5. Outside Mullingar (94.54%) *Number based on 8 preview performances **Number based on 8 preview performances read more

The “hippest trip in America” could become the hippest trip on the Great White Way! Broadway producer Matthew Weaver (Rock of Ages) has acquired the stage rights to Soul Train, the groundbreaking musical variety TV show. Weaver is in talks with film and theater names to join the creative team. Further details will be announced in due course. View Comments “We are putting together a top notch team of artists to ensure Soul Train is the hippest trip on Broadway,” Weaver said in a statement. “We want to thrill the audiences who loved the TV show and introduce the incredible music and style of Soul Train to a new generation.” Soul Train, created by the late Don Cornelius, is the longest running first-run, nationally syndicated music program in TV history. The show featured performances by R&B, pop, soul, hip hop, funk, jazz, disco and gospel artists and highlighted a diverse cast of dancers. It was reported in 2012 that Soul Train Holdings LLC, owned by NBA legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson, had been trying to mount the TV franchise on Broadway. Weaver bought the theatrical rights from the company. read more

What’s your best advice for this year’s nominees? BILLY: Enjoy the ride! It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience. STEPHANIE: This year’s nominees certainly don’t need my advice on award ceremonies. Have you seen the list of Leading Ladies in a Musical this year? They’re old pros, each and everyone of them. SHALITA: Hey, last year was a blast for me because I had never been nominated, and it was my first time on Broadway. So, I really didn’t have anything to lose. Just have fun! LAURA: Breathe, show up and try to enjoy it. It will be crazy and demanding, but exciting and so very special. What do you wish you had brought to the Tony ceremony? BILLY: I wish I could have brought my mother as my date. Unfortunately, she’s in a wheelchair and I knew I wouldn’t be able to focus on attending to her needs. STEPHANIE: I wish I had brought a larger evening bag to stuff a few hard candies and a small deodorant. (It’s pretty hot and sweaty on the red carpet, and not in a good way!) SHALITA: A fan! It was sooooo hot! LAURA: A granola bar or some fruit snacks or something for all that stress and adrenaline…and not eating from 2PM to 11PM. What did you bring to the ceremony that was invaluable? BILLY: My support system. My angels, my sister, my mentor/patron Suzi Dietz and my manager of 23 years, Bill Butler. STEPHANIE: I brought my husband, Sebastian, and his calm and care were invaluable to me amongst the excitement and chaos. SHALITA: Beef jerky—smartest thing I did that night! LAURA: My clutch literally was too small to carry anything I didn’t NEED. Congrats to all of the 2014 Tony nominees! Has it sunk in yet? Has your phone stopped ringing for even one second? Are you still in your jammies? That’s OK. It’s never too early to get some good advice from people who went through the circus of awards season last year. Here’s some helpful hints from Billy Porter, Stephanie J. Block, Shalita Grant and Laura Osnes.  What should one do right before his or her name is called? BILLY: BREATHE! STEPHANIE: Right before your name/category is announced ask your date to quickly check your face, teeth, etc…making sure all are clean and free of schmutz! SHALITA: Smile. LAURA: Lip gloss check, of course. A Tony nominee should always… BILLY: Honor the moment and write a speech. You have a one in five chance. Don’t get up there lookin’ like Boo Boo The Clown! STEPHANIE: Always think of every member of your cast, crew, creative and producing team while going through the whole awards season. We’re only there because of what was created together. Also, have a lot of flattering dresses (or suits) readily available. SHALITA: Bring powder to interviews. LAURA: Remember to be grateful during Tony season. View Comments A Tony nominee should never… BILLY: NOT prepare a speech. STEPHANIE: Speak about shows they have yet to see. You will be caught in the fib. Whoops! SHALITA: Be unprepared. LAURA: Publicly show the exhaustion and sickness you are undoubtedly going through during Tony season. What’s the question you were asked the most during Tony season? BILLY: “Who is styling you?” I styled myself. STEPHANIE: I was asked how it felt to “finally be a TONY nominee.” I grew to love the usage of the word “finally”—It somehow felt like a badge of honor. SHALITA: “How does it feel?” LAURA: “Where were you/how did you find out you were nominated?” read more

Star Files Just when you thought that James Franco was done showing some skin, he’s at it again. At least this time, it’s for a great cause. The Of Mice and Men star made a surprise appearance at Broadway Bares: Rock Hard! on June 22. “I do topless selfies,” Franco reminded us. WE REMEMBER. Broadway.com favorite Lesli Margherita and newly crowned RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Bianca Del Rio then got him to face the wall for a body cavity search. And that’s when the magic happens. Or something. Take a look at the clip below and congratulations to all involved—the annual event raised $1,386,105 this year for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. James Franco View Comments Lesli Margherita read more

Show Closed This production ended its run on May 3, 2015 Star Files Hamilton (Off-Broadway) Related Shows View Comments The much-buzzed about Hamilton, created by and starring Tony winner Lin-Manuel Miranda, opens at The Public Theater on February 17. Miranda plays the titular role in the new musical alongside Christopher Jackson as George Washington, Leslie Odom Jr. as Aaron Burr and Brian d’Arcy James as King George. Directed by Thomas Kail, the off-Broadway show will play through May 3. Next stop the Great White Way?Hamilton, with book, music, and lyrics by Miranda, is inspired by the book Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow. The new musical follows the scrappy young immigrant who forever changed America, from bastard orphan to Washington’s right hand man, rebel to war hero, loving husband caught in the country’s first sex scandal to Treasury head who made an untrusting world believe in the American economy. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Eliza Hamilton and lifelong Hamilton friend and foe, Aaron Burr, all make appearances in the tuner about America’s fiery past.The cast also includes Phillipa Soo as Eliza Hamilton, Anthony Ramos as John Laurens/Phillip Hamilton, Daveed Diggs as Marquis De Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson and Renée Elise Goldsberry as Angelica Schuyler, along with Carleigh Bettiol, Ariana DeBose, Sydney James Harcourt, Sasha Hutchings, Thayne Jasperson, Stephanie Klemons, Jon Rua, Seth Stewart, Betsy Struxness, Ephraim Sykes, Andrew Chappelle, Alysha Deslorieux, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Javier Muñoz, Okieriete Onaodowan and Voltaire Wade-Greene.d’Arcy James will bow out of the production on March 1 for Broadway’s Something Rotten. No official announcement has been made regarding his replacement. Lin-Manuel Miranda read more

Sugar, butter and flour for everyone! The new Broadway musical Waitress, directed by Tony winner Diane Paulus and featuring a score by Grammy nominee Sara Bareilles, will launch a national tour next year. The tour will kick off at Cleveland’s Playhouse Square on October 17, 2017. Casting and further engagements will be announced at a later date.The show made history as the first Broadway musical to feature an all-female creative team; in addition to Bareilles and Paulus, on board are book writer Jessie Nelson and choreographer Lorin Latarro.Based on the 2007 film by the late Adrienne Shelly, Waitress follows Jenna, a small town waitress stuck in a loveless marriage. As a nearby baking contest approaches (and a new doctor comes to town), she’s torn between her commitments and—thanks to her pie-making expertise—a chance at freedom.The Broadway production opened officially at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on April 24. The current cast features Tony winner Jessie Mueller as Jenna, Drew Gehling as Dr. Pomatter, Kimiko Glenn as Dawn, Keala Settle as Becky, Nick Cordero as Earl, Christopher Fitzgerald as Ogie, Dakin Matthews as Joe and Eric Anderson as Carl. Keala Settle, Jessie Mueller & Kimiko Glenn in ‘Waitress'(Photo: Joan Marcus) Related Shows Waitress Sara Bareilles View Comments Star Files Show Closed This production ended its run on Jan. 5, 2020 read more

Adam Pascal(Photo: Bruce Glikas) View Comments Adam Pascal is about to learn just how sexy but hard it is to be the Bard. The Tony nominee and Broadway.com Audience Choice Award winner will take over the role of Will Shakespeare in Something Rotten!’s final weeks on the Great White Way. He steps in for Eric Sciotto, the former understudy who is scheduled to play the role through November 6. The musical comedy is slated to close on January 1, 2017.Pascal admits that he doesn’t have much previous character research to draw on. “I’m not nearly as educated enough to know much about Shakespeare, so he might be rolling over in his grave,” he told Broadway.com. “I read a number of his plays in high school, but I always had a hard time getting past the language. But maybe I’ll get a chance to get a better understanding of him now.”Channeling the Bard—knowledge of his folio or not—and making him sexy is a new challenge for Pascal, but it’s one he welcomes. “I always try to push myself in directions that are unexpected for audiences to see me do,” he says. “This is just another left turn for me.”Pascal can find elements of Something Rotten! and the new role in his musical theater past: There’s the musical comedy element seen in his last Broadway stint in Disaster!, a rock-star edge similar to his Tony-nominated turn in Rent and Memphis, and the smarm and cockiness of Chicago’s Billy Flynn or Aida’s Radames.Speaking of, erm, cockiness, how does Pascal feel about a certain signature Something Rotten! costume piece? “Everyone keeps talking about this codpiece! As they say in comedy, bigger is better. The bigger the codpiece, the better, as far as I’m concerned.”The codpiece-clad Pascal will join a cast at the St. James Theatre that currently includes Rob McClure and Josh Grisetti as Nick and Nigel Bottom, Leslie Kritzer as Bea, Brad Oscar as Nostradamus, Gerry Vichi as Shylock, Catherine Brunell as Portia and Andre Ward as Minstrel. Something Rotten! Show Closed This production ended its run on Jan. 1, 2017 Star Files Related Shows Adam Pascal read more

View Comments Related Shows Mark Ballas in ‘Jersey Boys'(Photo: Joan Marcus) Star Files from $59.00 Soon, you won’t be able to take your eyes off of this vlog. Jersey Boys’ newest star Mark Ballas is Broadway.com’s next video blogger. Grab your red blazer and some comfortable shoes, because Walk Like a Man begins next week.The vlog will kick off as Ballas rehearses for his Broadway debut as Frankie Valli and capture backstage life as Jersey Boys approaches its final performance in January. Expect appearances and hijinks from his fellow Seasons: Nicolas Dromard, Drew Seeley, Matt Bogart and his Frankie counterpart Mauricio Pérez.Ballas received an Emmy nomination in 2011 for his work on Dancing with the Stars, where he’s a two-time winner and nine-time finalist. He has appeared on the U.K. stage in Buddy—The Buddy Holly Story, Copacabana, Jesus Christ Superstar and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.Walk Like a Man will work its way back to you beginning October 18 (the day of his first performance) and run every Tuesday for eight weeks. Jersey Boys Mark Ballas read more

Six Degrees of Separation View Comments Show Closed This production ended its run on June 18, 2017 Tickets are now available for the Broadway return of John Guare’s Six Degrees of Separation. The revival, starring Allison Janney, John Benjamin Hickey and Corey Hawkins, will begin performances on April 5, 2017 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, where it is set to open officially on April 25 and run through July 16.The play, inspired by a true story, tell the story of Ouisa and Flan Kittredge (Janney and Hickey), a wealthy New York couple who take in Paul (Hawkins), a young man who cons them into believing he’s a friend of their son at Harvard and the son of Sidney Poitier. After they discover his lies, Ouisa and Flan piece together his true identity and their connection to him, as well as the similar encounters their upper class friends have had with Paul.Guare’s drama-comedy premiered off-Broadway in 1990 and transferred to the Great White Way later that year. Stockard Channing, who received a Tony nomination for her performance as Ouisa, reprised her role for the film adaptation, earning an Oscar nod.Additional casting for the Trip Cullman-helmed production will be announced at a later date. Star Files Related Shows Allison Janney & John Benjamin Hickey(Photos courtesy of Boneau/Bryan-Brown) Allison Janney read more

What a roster! Signature Theatre has announced four award-winning playwrights to join its residency programs. Obie Award winner Dave Malloy, whose Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 is playing at the Imperial Theatre, will join Signature’s Residency Five program, which guarantees playwrights three premieres over five years; he will be the first musical theater writer to have a residency at Signature. Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage, whose Sweat is set to bow on Broadway on March 4, will serve as the Residency One Playwright during the 2018-19 Season.In addition, Between Riverside and Crazy Pulitzer Prize winner Stephen Adly Guirgis will join Signature as the Residency One Playwright in the 2017-18 Season. Residency One, Signature’s core one-year Playwright-in-Residence program, is an intensive exploration of a single writer’s body of work. Skeleton Crew scribe and Kennedy Prize for Drama Award-winner Dominique Morisseau will also join Signature’s Residency Five program.Both Malloy and Morisseau will join current Residency Five playwrights Annie Baker, Martha Clarke, Will Eno, Katori Hall, Quiara Alegría Hudes, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Kenneth Lonergan and Regina Taylor.Titles, dates and creative teams will be announced at a later date. Dave Malloy & Lynn Nottage(Photo: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images & Bruce Glikas) View Comments read more