A fourth and all-black Broadway revival of Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof will open March 7 at the Broadhurst Theatre, it was announced on Tuesday. Directed by Debbie Allen (Fame, fame!), this staging features James Earl Jones and Phylicia Rashad as Big Daddy and Big Mama, Terrence Howard as their son, Brick, and Anika Noni Rose (Dreamgirls) as Brick's "in need of an itch scratching" wife, Maggie. Previews begin Feb. 12.
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It was results night and we all had to sit and wait five days to find out our final four. I tuned in a bit late and caught the opening number already in progress; it looked to me like zombies in the jungle. I just knew it was choreographed by Wade. The poor audience getting the fake fog blown into them; that fog is so not nice to be on the receiving end of. It is also not the best thing for the lungs when you are trying to dance.There was also an update on Cedric, who has been hanging with Debbie and has gotten a full ride to the Debbie Allen Dance Academy. It's great to hear that Debbie kept her word and was not just blowing smoke.We were treated to solos by the top six dancers before the results were announced. I liked Sabra's number; she picked a song from Fosse. I was actually surprised by Lacey’s solo; I expected her to do another pole dance or striptease, but she actually danced. I was pretty indifferent about Lauren’s routine.Cat’s comments about Lacey forgett...
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We are in the homestretch — the final show is a week from tomorrow.Tonight’s judges were Debbie Allen, Mary Murphy and Nigel Lythgoe. Each dancer danced two different routines in two different styles with the same partner, plus a solo.Pasha and LaceyThe first routine was hip-hop and was choreographed by Dave Scott to "In the Morning" by Junior Boys. When they were describing the number, the first thought that popped into my mind was Mannequin, a movie from 1987. This was a fantastic way to open the show, and the best number of the night as far as I am concerned. Did you see how Pasha looked like a geek?The second routine was a smooth waltz choreographed by Hunter Johnson to "A Daisy in December" by Mick McAuley and Winfred Horan. This looked like a very classic dance, in very classic outfits (black and white). It reminded me of something I’ve seen in the movies.Danny and LaurenThe first routine was in the contemporary style and was choreographed by Mia Michaels to "...
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An all-black revival of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is still headed for the Great White Way, despite a number of setbacks. When behind-the-scenes catfighting prompted the departure of some key players a few weeks back, the show looked like it had run out of lives. But the New York Post's Page Six now reports that first-time producer Stephen Byrd has lined up a new director, Fame's Debbie Allen, and is in talks with the likes of Dreamgirl Anika Noni Rose, Oscar-winner Louis Gossett Jr. and Tony-winner Phylicia Rashad (Allen's real-life sis) to star. Byrd is also hoping to snag hip-hop hunk LL Cool J for the pivotal role of Brick, a character who spends much of the play solely in pajama bottoms. (I am buying my tickets now.) Although Cat has yet to book a theater or opening date, the Tony Awards have: the kudofest will be broadcast live from Radio City Music Hall (and watched by tragically few) on Sunday, June 10, on CBS. — Reporting by Raven Snook
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Billy Crystal tells the Los Angeles Times that as recently as just before Christmas, Academy Awards producer Gil Cates was lobbying him to again host the March 5 kudos-cast. Crystal, though, will have just completed the L.A. run of his one-man stage show, 700 Sundays, and as such, "I didn't want to go from that into a meeting where I'm saying, 'Give me Brokeback Mountain jokes,'" he says. "It seemed so not what I wanted to do." The Daily Show's Jon Stewart will emcee the evening instead. Me, I'm just waiting for Debbie Allen's Brokeback interpretive dance.
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