Posts Categorized: Stars

The Follies Take on the Love Boat & Streisand with I’m The Greatest Star

Posted by & filed under , , .

I wasn’t actually alive yet when the Love Boat was on tv, but it was one of those shows that always had a million guest stars on it. On one episode they decided to have their own mini battle of the Divas by bringing on Carol Channing, Ann Miller, Ethel Merman and Della Reese. Not only were all of these fabulous Follies stars excited to be on the ship, but when they started coming on one by one, the drama began. I love how each of them thought that the other women would be back up for them, and then comes in Ethel Merman.

Instead of the classy, stuck up or fun and happy entrances, she comes in belting out a tune and just lets everyone else know that they are there to support her. That is one of the reasons I love Ethel Merman. She can belt out a tune, say something rude and still have everyone love her. Her personality is amazing in that even when she says something rude, she can actually make it a joke and have everyone laughing. That is one of the things that made her famous. She had a huge personality that everyone loved and just like Carol Channing whose voice wasn’t a normal broadway sound, they can both pull it off with their ability to stand out. But what happens when you have all four of these amazing women on one stage? You give them a song from a show all about the Follies that lets them compete. There is also only one song that could be perfect for it. “I’m the greatest star” from “Funny Girl”. The only thing missing was Barbara Streisand coming out as another surprise guest and taking over the entire show.

This clip is an awesome clip to just make you laugh if you love the Follies and these ladies. If you were never a fan or didn’t like them, then you probably won’t like it. However, if you love Carol, Ann, Della or Ethel, you’ll love this clip and definitely want to share this post on Facebook and Twitter with your friends. Please also feel free to leave a comment below.

One of those Holy Sh*T, OMG Performances – Audra McDonald

Posted by & filed under , , .

There are certain performers that people have a hard time taking their eyes off of.  It isn’t about having a presence, it’s about facial expressions, movements and most importantly, a voice.  Audra McDonald is one of those people.  The problem is combining her with two other just as amazing performers (Marin Mazzie and Judy Kuhn), but don’t have her ability to to create emotions from their faces as well, and when you get three voices and an actress like Audra McDonald on a stage together belting out some of the most loved showtunes during a tribute to Andrew Lloyd Webber, you get a holy sh*t and OMG that was an amazing performance.   Even though performances like these don’t happen at the Tony awards, that is probably the only awards show (including the Grammy awards) that could pull off this much vocal talent on one stage.

The Grammy awards may have a ton of great singers, but to get people that can belt and create blended voices (not harmonies) and take three gorgeous songs and turn them into one can only be done by Broadway.  That’s what makes the Tony’s so amazing.  That’s why broadway charity events are also incredible.  Instead of just listening to a cast perform a song from their show, you get things like Avenue Jew, The cast of Spring Awakening Auditioning for Grease and even things like when Bravo featured the Best of Broadway and brought us incredible performances from a ton of amazing talent from Broadway.  I’ll post a few of those videos later this week.  I don’t think that was for charity though, I think it was just for Bravo to bring a ton of talent onto their Network and make a ton of money.  The music and performances were incredible and they really did an amazing job.

If you ever get a chance to go to a broadway fundraiser or charity event or even a tribute to a composer or broadway legend with a ton of performances, go.  You’ll get to see so much talent performing things you’ve never heard of or even performing together on insane songs that are from shows that haven’t run or been on stage in decades which is why these are amazing events.  These are songs and showtunes you listen to, but will probably never have another chance to hear or see on stage again if you don’t go.  If you are planning a trip to NYC and haven’t figured out when you want to go, try to schedule it around one of these events.  You’ll absolutely be happy you did and you can still get to see the shows you wanted on different days.  Audra’s performance singing “Love Changes Everything” is amazing and the other two performers Marin Mazzie and Judy Kuhn did an incredible job with their songs.  Please feel free to leave a comment below if you like or didn’t like the performance and also feel free to share this post on Facebook and Twitter by using the buttons at the top of the post.

Phantom of the Opera Turns 25 – BroadwayReviewed’s 1,000th Like & More!

Posted by & filed under , , .

Tomorrow is a huge day for both Broadway and BroadwayReviewed.com.  Tomorrow the Phantom of the Opera turns 25 years old.  I remember seeing it when I was younger and being amazed.  On our way to Hebrew School my sisters would always make my mom play it on the car tape player and all of us would sing along and love the music.  It’s scary that the show has made it for 25 years and is still going strong with Hugh as the lead role.  Unfortunately the cast has changed so many times, the scenes and special effects in the Phantom of the Opera have changed, but the music is still one of the best scores ever.

Whenever I see the show I always cry.  I don’t think I’ve made it through without at any of the shows I’ve seen.  I’ve probably seen at least 4 or 5 products and casts and each one has been amazing.  The music is amazing and even before the had LED lights, 3d effects and before Disney brought their insane stage effects, They managed to turn a stage into liquid and have a boat float across a river of floating and moving candles.  The candles rise and fall and they even got the audience to scream with a giant falling chandelier.  The Phantom performs an insane routine without being able to see in a huge mask at a ball and the audience always falls in love with the show.  The Phantom of the Opera is an amazing show and always one of my favorite ones to see or go to, no matter how many hundreds of times I’ve listened to it or seen it.  I can’t believe it’s 25 years old and there was a huge event for it which you can see in the video below.  Christine performs one of the classic songs and is surrounded by 5 different Phantoms.  What’s even more shocking is that Christine is played by Sarah Brightman and she even has Micheal Crawford on stage with her.  When you have a show that is as loved and amazing as the Phantom of the Opera and you get the original cast back together for a performance, it is a once in a lifetime event.

On another note, I just checked the broadwayreviewed.com FanPage on Facebook and we’re about to get our 1,000th fan!  Thank you everyone who reads this blog, comes here and clicks on the links to shop for broadway tickets (both locally and in NYC or in Europe) and supports this blog.  I love writing it and love having you all read and write posts when you want to.  Thank you again for reading and congrats Phantom of the Opera.

purses for the theatre

Where to buy clothes before the Kennedy Center in DC – Second Hand Rose

Posted by & filed under , , .

purses for the theatre

purses for the theatre

On the way to the gym I found this amazing boutique clothing store that carries the most amazing clothes and accessories for the theatre. It’s called upstairs on 7th and is in the lobby of a large law firms building. Ricki’s store upstairs on 7th carries amazing formal wear for women as well as dressy casual wear that is perfect for the theatre, dinners or anywhere you need to be dressed nicely, but want to remain comfortable. Her clothing choices are perfect for going to the theatre like at the Kennedy Center or even just to a piano bar. I love them and there are a few things that makes her store unique.

1. Your outfit will always be unique. Ricki orders everything at Upstairs on 7th 1 time and only 1 of each major size. When the article is gone, it’s gone. It doesn’t matter if it’s her local designers or the impossibly hard ones that she has what seems like exclusive access to, because she will only buy it 1 time in each size, no body will be wearing what you are wearing that night.

clothing for the theatre

clothing for the theatre

2. She carries designer clothing you won’t find anywhere else. Forgot department stores and couture shops, Ricki does the hard work for you and brings you amazing designer clothing that you will not find in other places and you can easily piece together the clothes into a perfect outfit for the night. Imagine walking into your dream closet filled with clothing, accessories and even purses and clutches and having everything be amazing, unique and perfect for you. That is what her store is like.

3. She’s accessible to all of the theatres and the best restaurants in Washington DC. Just go to the address below and you’ll find the perfect place for that last minute outfit where everything fits perfect and you’ll be able to be ready for any meeting, party, or event instantly.

Upstairs on 7th
555 12th St NW, (lobby Metro Center 12th & F streets exit, Washington, DC 20004)
Phone:(301) 351-8308

upstairs on 7th washington dc

upstairs on 7th washington dc

Now that we’ve gone over where to buy clothes for events, here is the perfect song to go with it. The only difference is that nothing at Upstairs on 7th is second hand, but second hand rose would still love to find them. I absolutely love this song and because it’s prepping for the theatre, I wanted to play the version sung live by Barbara Streisand for Second Hand Rose. I hope you all have a great holidays and thank you again for reading.

It’s a White Christmas – A Betty White Christmas

Posted by & filed under , , .

Ok, I love this b*tch more than life itself. She is funny, fabulous and an absolutely amazing performer. Whether she is on TV, in a movie or on Stage, Betty White is amazing and that is why I wanted to do a Betty White post instead of a White Christmas.

Betty has been around, longer than most people, since her career began when she was born in 1922. I’d imagine she was probably just as lively back then as she is now. She’s been everywhere from the Mary Tyler Moore show to starring in the Golden Girls and even had a few stage appearances. The videos below are a few of my favorite Betty White moments, including her performing Hello Dolly which she auditioned for, but didn’t get because it was an all black production, and her last name is white. There are a ton of other fabulous Betty White videos out there like her I’m so Hot one, anything from Saturday Night Live and one of my favorites which I didn’t include where she plays a sweet version of Betty White on a movie set but makes one of the Actors lives hell. When he tries to show people how much of a bitch Betty White is, no one would believe him because, she’s Betty White and who could hate her.

Here are a few of my favorite Betty White moments you might remember or might not. Feel free to leave your own favorite Betty moments in the comments section and I’ll be happy to add it and the video to the post.

Here’s a quick and short one where Betty takes over Zac Effron’s audition for a singing role on the tv show The Voice. Betty works it and Zac has to walk away.

This is a rare Betty White and Bea Arthur performance before the Golden Girls where they were singing at a piano and then performed a number together from 42nd St.

No one can perform like Betty, and no one can work a senior dance a thon like her either. Check her out in this fun clip from the Golden Girls.

If you thought Liza performing Single Ladies in Sex in the City 2 was amazing, check out the Golden Girls performing it without even trying to. This is an awesome video.

One thing that is nice about Betty is that she cares about everyone. That’s why she wants to make certain we are all prepared for the apocalypse. Here is her survival guide for you so you too can survive the apocalypse like Betty White.

The last clip is Betty Performing Hello Dolly for Morgan Freeman.