Podcasts about best musical theater album

A Louisiana patient is critically ill with severe respiratory symptoms from H5N1 bird flu, marking the 61st U.S. human case this year. California has declared a state of emergency. CBS News medical contributor Dr. Celine Gounder explains the public health risks.CBS News' Imtiaz Tyab tours a Syrian facility linked to the production of a street drug popular in the Middle East. The operation allegedly funded the exiled dictator's regime, adding to the legacy of pain left behind.Reality TV star Paris Hilton celebrated a legislative victory in Washington as lawmakers approved a bill to regulate youth treatment facilities. Hilton, who says she was abused as a teenager in such a center, has championed this cause for years.Today marks the last chance for guaranteed delivery with USPS Priority Mail, while FedEx and UPS two-day shipping cutoffs are Friday. Next-day shipping remains an option until Monday. Kris Van Cleave reports from Anchorage, Alaska.Sixteen-time Grammy winner Alicia Keys celebrates her Broadway musical "Hell's Kitchen" earning a Grammy nomination for Best Musical Theater Album. In an exclusive interview, she revisits her alma mater to honor the teacher who inspired her and surprises students.For 90 years, the Apollo Theater has shaped American culture, launching icons like James Brown and Aretha Franklin. This year, it became the first institution honored by the Kennedy Center, cementing its legacy as a hub of innovation.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Emily Bear captivated the world with her piano talent at just six years old. Now, at 23, she's already a Grammy and Emmy-winning composer, producer, arranger, pianist, and singer-songwriter. Recently, she became the youngest person to score a feature film and is currently working on Moana 2. In 2022, Emily won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album for The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical, which she co-wrote with Abigail Barlow live on social media. The album soared to #1 on the U.S. iTunes pop charts within 1.5 hours of its release and reached the top 5 albums worldwide. This year, she toured as the pianist for Beyoncé's Renaissance tour. Today, Emily shares: The surprising moment her talent was discovered—and why she shies away from the “child prodigy” label. Leaving home at 16 to chase her dreams in LA: the challenges, the courage, and the adventure. How a life-changing meeting led to Quincy Jones becoming her mentor. The journey to becoming Beyoncé's pianist on the Renaissance Tour—and the one terrifying moment she'll never forget. An unexpected lesson from Beyoncé that reshaped her approach to music and performance. The story behind The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical, and why winning a Grammy was the last thing she expected. The struggle to be taken seriously as a young musician—and why that respect mattered to her. Why she aims to move people to tears with her music. Creating her own path when gigs weren't coming—and her advice for others who want to do the same. Breaking barriers as a woman composer—and why she proudly performs with colorful nail polish and heels! Book Rec: Outliers by Malcom Gladwell

It is a privilege to welcome Emmy, Grammy, and Tony-nominated recording artist and actress N'Kenge to The Jake's Take with Jacob Elyachar Podcast.  The New York Times praised her as “a classically trained diva that can stretch from Broadway to Pop, Soul and Opera.” N'Kenge trained at the Julliard School and the Manhattan School of Music, has five octave vocal range and can sing in 11 different languages. She made her Broadway debut in Sondheim on Sondheim. She slayed the game on Broadway, originating the role of Mary Wells in Motown: The Musical, which garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Musical Theater Album. Motown founder Berry Gordy described N'Kenge as “the most versatile artist I know.” The New York Post called her performance of Mary Wells “Electrifying.” N'Kenge was also a cast member on Broadway in the revival of the Tony Award-nominated and Olivier Award-winning musical Caroline, Or Change. She portrayed “The Moon,” her first aerial role. The show ran from October 27, 2021, to January 9, 2022, at the legendary Studio 54.As a vocal soloist, N'Kenge performed at world-renowned venues, including Carnegie Hall, the Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall, and Madison Square Garden. She headlined pop and opera concerts with the Cincinnati Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, and the Seattle Symphony. She also sang for many Presidents and foreign dignitaries, including former US Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.Currently, N'Kenge is immersed in a variety of projects. She is spearheading the Broadway-bound DANDRIDGE, a production that pays tribute to the life and legacy of Dorothy Dandridge. Additionally, she has created and written Forever Summer – a Tribute to Donna Summer. On top of that, she is in the process of developing a new TV musical series called BLACK BUTTERFLY, a project she co-wrote with award-winning writer Mary McCallum and TV producer Gina Goff.  In this edition of The Jake's Take with Jacob Elyachar Podcast, N'Kenge spoke about being mentored by Berry Gordy and receiving high praise from the late Aretha Franklin. She also talked about bringing DANDRIDGE to life.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/jake-s-take-with-jacob-elyachar--4112003/support.

Aedín Gormley meets the award-winning songwriting duo Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman in New York. With a string of acclaimed hits including the Tony winning musical Hairspray and more recently Some Like It Hot, which just last month took home the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, the duo have had the careers most songwriters dream of.

Hadestown is coming to The Stranahan Theatre, and Stage Door had a chance to talk to The King of Shadows, portrayed by Matthew Patrick Quinn The American Theatre Guild is thrilled to present HADESTOWN, the winner of eight 2019 Tony Awards® including Best New Musical and the 2020 Grammy® Award for Best Musical Theater Album. This production is part of the 23–24 BROADWAY IN TOLEDO SERIES and will take the Stranahan Theater stage February 20–25, 2024. “Scorching! Stunning! Both unmistakably timely and irresistibly entertaining.” Catey Sullivan, Chicago Sun-Times Tickets to HADESTOWN are available for purchase at BroadwayInToledo.com and StranahanTheater.com. Group ticket savings for 10+ are available by contacting Groups@ATGuild.org. PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE: February 20, 2024 7:30 p.m. February 21, 2024 7:30 p.m. February 22, 2024 7:30 p.m. February 23, 2024 8:00 p.m. February 24, 2024 2:00 & 8:00 p.m. February 25, 2024 1:00 & 6:30 p.m. Become a fan of Broadway by following us on social media: • Facebook: @BroadwayInToledo • Instagram: @bwaytoledo

Grammy Award-winning producer Billy Jay Stein joins us to talk about being nominated again for Best Musical Theater Album at this year's Grammys, how he became a professional musician, and the greatest song he's ever heard in his entire life, "Tom Sawyer" by Rush.   Plus, Katherine and Scott go deep on Grammy and Oscar nominations!   Find out more about Billy at strangecranium.com and listen to the cast album of Shucked wherever you listen to albums.   @gr8songpod on twitter, instagram, and tiktok @ScottInterrante on instagram @Katherinethegr8 on instagram Theme music: "Kratos In Love" by Skylar Spence Mixing Assistance by Michael Isabella Podcast Art designed by Roger Feeley-Lussier   We're now on YouTube! Like And Subscribe, as they say, @gr8songpod  

Emmy and Grammy Award-winning actor Michael Park sits down for a one-on-one interview in The Locher Room. Michael is well-known to daytime audiences for his role as the lovable detective, Jack Snyder on As the World Turns. Michael won back-to-back Emmy's in 2010 and 2011. Michael recently starred in the Hulu drama series, Saint X and in 2022 appeared as Philip Abshire in the HBO series The Time Traveler's Wife. He also played reporter Tom Holloway in the third season of the uber popular Netflix series Stranger Things in 2019.Michael is no stranger to the stage and made his Broadway debut in Smokey Joe's Café back in 1995. Other Broadway shows include the revival How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, starring Daniel Radcliffe and John Larroquette in 2011. Michael's most popular Broadway role is Larry Murphy in the original cast of the Tony Award-winning musical, Dear Evan Hanson in 2016. It was this role that earned Michael and the cast the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. Mark your calendar!Don't miss the chance to catch up with this talented actor, singer and the father of three.

In this week's episode of the Black Girl Nerds podcast, we welcome actor Celia Rose Gooding, star of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Celia Rose Gooding made their Broadway debut and rose to prominence for the role of Mary Frances "Frankie" Healy in the rock musical Jagged Little Pill for which they won a 2021 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album and were nominated for a 2020 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical, becoming one of the youngest nominees in the category at age 20. Gooding plays the role of Nyota Uhura in the Paramount+ original series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Host: Ryanne Edited by: Jamie Broadnax Music by: Sammus

“Well, I'm first generation post Civil Rights movement. I came out in 1985, right in the middle of the AIDS crisis. And we went straight to the front lines to fight for our lives. It was Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS and The Actor's Fund that taught an entire generation how to activate. I was always activated, I have no other choice, I don't know anything else.” - Billy Porter Billy Porter. Need I say anything else? An icon, mother, a trailblazer, an Emmy, Tony, and Grammy winner… and here's what we talk about in this incredible episode: Incredible and inspiring stories of rejection in auditions Facing racism in the industry Saying ‘No' and seeing what that did to his career Creating Lola in Kinky Boots Not working for 12 years and coming back Prepping for his new tour The Black Mona Lisa Tour: Volume One This episode is chock full of deeply personal insight, first hand stories, unabashed truth regarding the industry and Billy's life. It doesn't matter if you are an artist or not – this conversation is full of life lessons that will just make you an overall better human.  Billy Porter is a Grammy, Emmy, and Tony Award winner. Porter began his music career in 1997 with the release of his self-titled (aka Untitled) debut album which spawned the Top 10 "Bubbling Under" single, "Show Me," and the monster ballad, "Love Is On The Way," which also appeared at the pivotal moment in the film, "First Wives Club." He went on to release "At the Corner of Broadway + Soul" (2005), "Billy's Back on Broadway" (2014), and "The Soul of Richard Rodgers" (2017) featuring Pentatonix, India.Arie, Leslie Odom Jr. and Cynthia Erivo, among others. Porter scored his first #1 with "Love Yourself" in 2019 on the US Dance Club Songs Chart. He followed that up with his 2020 reimagining of the legendary Buffalo Springfield anthem, "For What It's Worth," and a fierce collab with The Shapeshifters on "Finally Ready." 2021 saw Porter covering Juliet Roberts club classic "Caught in The Middle" for Red Hot + Free, which supports underserved communities afflicted with HIV/AIDS. He was also enlisted by multiplatinum international superstar Jessie J for "I Want Love." And he delivered a magical turn on Earth, Wind, and Fire's iconic "Shining Star" as Fab G, the Fairy Godmuva, in the 2021 remake of "Cinderella." Porter is a veteran of the theater (Miss Saigon, Angels in America, Grease), and a two time Tony(r) winner, including "Best Leading Actor in a Musical" for Kinky Boots in 2013 and "Best Musical" as a producer for A Strange Loop in 2022. He has also received a GRAMMY(r) for the Kinky Boots Official Soundtrack in the category of "Best Musical Theater Album" in 2014. Porter took home the EMMY(r) Award for "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series" in 2019 for his work as Pray Tell on Pose, making history as being the first openly gay man to do so. Time Magazine named him one of the "100 Most Influential People" of 2020. Billy released his highly anticipated memoir, "Unprotected," in October 2021. His directorial film debut, "Anything's Possible," dropped Summer 2022 to much acclaim. Now, Billy kicks off his next chapter in music, his first love, with new single “Baby Was A Dancer” arriving March 24th. @thebillyporter “Lin Manuel Miranda changed everything for me and I'm ten years older than him. The internet cracked open a space for the young people to understand their worth. I did not understand my worth early on – I did not understand that the stories could and should come from me. Who could tell the Black, Queer stories better than me? The audacity to understand that and know that and then step into the fullness of it. And that's what I spent my 30's trying to do!” - Billy Porter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Broadway Actor Brandon Victor Dixon (Hamilton, The Color Purple, Jesus Christ Superstar) discusses being part of the world premiere recording of MacGyver The Musical in this interview with Adam Rothenberg, host of the entertainment website Call Me Adam. Based upon the 80s TV Show MacGyver, MacGyver The Musical's cast recording will be released on January 27, 2023 on Broadway Records. In this interview we discuss: The backstory to how Brandon got involved with the recording of MacGyver The Musical How Brandon prepared for this role How Brandon "MacGyvered" his way back onto various Broadway stages The boundaries Brandon puts up when he is in a show or working on a project We wrap things up with some Rapid Fire Questions More on Brandon Victor Dixon: Brandon Victor Dixon is an American actor, singer and theatrical producer. As a musical theatre actor, he is known for Tony Award-nominated Broadway performances as Harpo in the 2005 musical The Color Purple and Eubie Blake in Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed (2016). He originated both roles, as well as the leading role of Berry Gordy Jr. in Motown: The Musical (2013) on Broadway, which earned a nomination for a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. In 2016, Dixon assumed the role of Aaron Burr in the Broadway company of Hamilton. Off-Broadway as well as in London's West End, Dixon played the role of Hayward Patterson in The Scottsboro Boys and was nominated for a 2014 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical. As a producer, Dixon's credits include Broadway revivals of Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Of Mice and Men (2014); the former won the 2014 Tony Award and the Drama Desk Award for best revival of a musical. In 2018, Dixon portrayed Judas Iscariot in NBC's live concert version of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar, for which he received a Primetime Emmy nomination for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. Like What You Hear? For more Call Me Adam interviews visit: https://callmeadam.com Follow me @callmeadamnyc on Facebook & Instagram Special Thanks: Theme Song by Bobby Cronin Podcast Logo by Liam O'Donnell Edited by Adam Rothenberg Outro Music Underscore by CueTique P.S. This interview was originally presented as a video interview. Watch it on Call Me Adam's YouTube Page Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Driven to inspire other people with art, Brandon Victor Dixon has been sharing his talent with the world for decades now. And this month, the actor slash theatrical producer is part of the much-anticipated world premiere of the award-winning "MacGyver: The Musical's" album which will be released on January 27th. Apart from theatre, Brandon is also doing advocacy work. He talks about the We Are Foundation which he created, and how he uses it to bridge gaps between art and us as communities. He brings up a good point on human behavior, what makes it for some people to be kind, and how art can be a gateway to understanding and helping them. In choosing a role or a piece, he considers the tools that can make his role and the exchange between him and the audience the most effective. He adds that the pieces choose him and come into his life at a time when he needs them the most. When he was just starting, Brandon had to pause his graduation to go on a national tour, come back, finish school, and then originate a role on Broadway for which he got a Tony nomination. He recalls his audition process for the role of Simba, why he thinks he shouldn't have been cast, and how he overcame his doubts and the challenges he encountered as it was happening. As one of the stars in the world premiere album of “MacGyver: The Musical”, Brandon talks about his character, doing comedy, and how his process usually adapts to the show his doing. Brandon reflects on his role as Haywood Patterson in “The Scottsboro Boys”, why he considers it his favorite role, and how it ultimately goes back to his advocacy: to change and help people with the power of art. Brandon Victor Dixon is an actor, singer, advocate, and theatrical producer known for his Tony Award-nominated Broadway performances as Harpo in the 2005 musical "The Color Purple" and Eubie Blake in "Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed". Apart from originating both roles, he also originated the leading role of Berry Gordy Jr. in Broadway's "Motown: The Musical", which earned a nomination for a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. In 2016, Brandon assumed the role of Aaron Burr in the Broadway company of "Hamilton". He also played the role of Hayward Patterson in "The Scottsboro Boys" both Off-Broadway and in London's West End, and was nominated for a 2014 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical. As a producer, his credits include Broadway revivals of "Hedwig and the Angry Inch which won the 2014 Tony Award and the Drama Desk Award for best revival of a musical, and "Of Mice and Men". In 2018, he played Judas in NBC's live concert version of Andrew Lloyd Weber and Tim Rice's rock opera, "Jesus Christ Superstar" where he received a Primetime Emmy nomination for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. His other stage credits include "Chicago", "The Lion King", "The Color Purple", "Rent", and "Shuffle Along" among others. His tv credits include "Power", "She's Gotta Have It", "Modern Love", and "The Best Man: The Final Chapters". Brandon is part of the much-anticipated album of the award-winning "MacGyver: The Musical'" which will be released on January 27th, 2023. Connect with Brandon: Instagram: @brandonvdixon Twitter: @brandonvdixon Website: www.brandonvictordixon.com Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast TikTok: @thetheatrepodcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at feedback@thetheatrepodcast.com. I want to know what you think. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brandon is an American actor, singer and theatrical producer. As a musical theatre actor, he is known for Tony Award-nominated Broadway performances as Harpo in the 2005 musical The Color Purple and Eubie Blake in Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed (2016). He originated both roles, as well as the leading role of Berry Gordy Jr. in Motown: The Musical (2013) on Broadway, which earned a nomination for a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. In 2016, Dixon assumed the role of Aaron Burr in the Broadway company of Hamilton. Off-Broadway as well as in London's West End, Dixon played the role of Hayward Patterson in The Scottsboro Boys and was nominated for a 2014 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical. As a producer, Dixon's credits include Broadway revivals of Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Of Mice and Men (2014); the former won the 2014 Tony Award and the Drama Desk Award for best revival of a musical. In 2018, Dixon portrayed Judas Iscariot in NBC's live concert version of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar, for which he received a Primetime Emmy nomination for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. His latest endeavor is performing on the new World Premiere Recording of MacGyver the Musical on Broadway Records

In this episode, Jose speaks to Rona Siddiqui, the Music Director of A Strange Loop. A composer first, as she tells Jose, Siddiqui talks about what it was like to interpret Michael R. Jackson's award-winning music and the elements she played with in both the Off-Broadway and Broadway cast recordings. Siddiqui also speaks about the importance of honesty in storytelling and who she's looking forward to meeting at the Grammys, where the album is nominated for Best Musical Theater Album. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

- Dave Madden has a Pop Rock/Yacht-Rock side project called Mr. Linen, with Andre Cantave and David Messier. Their album, Stay Cool, includes 9 original songs. Find out more and purchase one of a kind merch items at https://mrlinenmusic.com/.- Dave's song pairing for this episode: “Virtual Insanity” by Jamiroquai- Grace's song pairing for this episode: “Take the Power Back” by Rage Against the Machine.- Dave's featured song is “Space Kung Fu” by Mr. Linen.- Download the sheet music and mp3 for "O Landru: A Festival Hymn of the Body" by Dave Madden here. Corrections:"Return of the Archons" was written by Boris Sobelman, but based on a story by Gene Roddenberry.The Western town was built on a backlot in Culver City, California. The set was called "Town of Atlanta" and included an 1800s era city street, town square, and residential area. It was originally built for Gone With the Wind in 1939. It remained there for 20 years and was used for various projects before being dismantled.Celia Rose Gooding plays Cadet Uhura on the new Star Trek series, Strange New Worlds. Gooding is not only a TV actress but also an award-winning Broadway star. She played Mary Frances "Frankie" Healy in the rock musical Jagged Little Pill, which won a Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album. Gooding was also nominated for the 2020 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical at the age of 20, which made her one of the youngest nominees in that categoryNichelle Nichols started singing and dancing in her native Chicago. She toured the world as a singer in the Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton bands. Her first LP, Down to Earth, was released in 1967, piggybacking off the success of Star Trek. In 1991, she released Out of This World. She sings in two Original Series episodes, "Charlie X," and "The Conscience of the King."

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://thecitylife.org/2022/11/16/a-strange-loop-original-broadway-cast-recording-nominated-for-the-2023-grammy-award-for-best-musical-theater-album/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/citylifeorg/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/citylifeorg/support

www.iconsandoutlaws.com    Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton was born June 22, 1953, in Brooklyn, New York City, right here in the U.S., to Catholic parents, Fred and Catrine. Her mother was from Sicily. She has two siblings, a younger brother Fred (nicknamed Butch), and an older sister, Ellen. Her parents divorced when she was five.   Her earliest childhood days were spent in Brooklyn, but when she was about four years old, the family moved to Ozone Park, Queens, where she lived in a railroad-style apartment through her teenage years. Growing up, Lauper felt like an outcast. She grew up listening to such artists as The Beatles and Judy Garland. Then, at only 12 years old, she began writing songs and playing an acoustic guitar that she got from her sister.   Cyndi was primarily raised by her mother, who worked as a waitress to support the family. Mom loved the arts and frequently took Cyndi and her siblings to Manhattan to see Shakespeare plays or visit art museums. However, Cyndi did not do particularly well in school. She was reportedly kicked out of several parochial schools in her youth. Raised in the Roman Catholic faith, Cyndi Lauper recounted in Boze Hadleigh's "Inside the Hollywood Closet" the time a nun attacked her after catching a nine-year-old Lauper scratching a friend's back: "A nun ran in, ripped me off her back, threw me against the lockers, beat the s**t out of me, and called me a lesbian."   As many kids do, she expressed herself with various hair colors and eccentric clothing. She took a friend's advice to spell her name as "Cyndi" rather than "Cindy." Unfortunately, her" unusual" sense of style led to classmates bullying her and even throwing stones at her.   Lauper went to Richmond Hill High School, where she was expelled but later earned her GED. In her book, Cyndi revealed that after her stepfather threatened to sexually assault her and her sister and then secretly watched her take a bath, she left home for good. Cyndi left Home at 17 to escape her creepy ass stepfather, intending to study art. Her journey took her to Canada, where she spent two weeks in the woods with her dog Sparkle, trying to find herself. She eventually traveled to Vermont, taking art classes at Johnson State College and supporting herself by working odd jobs. Money was sparse, so she waitressed, served as an office assistant, and even sang in a Japanese restaurant for a time. At one point, her boyfriend at the time hunted and shot a squirrel, which she cooked up and ate. Lauper also faced an unplanned pregnancy, which she wanted, but her boyfriend did not. So, Lauper terminated the pregnancy.   "Nobody wants to run in and do that," She later told HuffPost. "It's just that I didn't want to have a kid that I love come into the world and not be able to share the kid with a dad." During this period, Cyndi got around by hitchhiking. Unfortunately, she put herself into close quarters with some potentially crappy individuals, such as the man who gave her a ride and forced her to perform a sexual act on him. "I just wanted to be able to live through it, get to the other side of it." On another occasion, she was assaulted by a bandmate and two accomplices.   Sometimes, it all understandably got too overwhelming for Lauper. "A lot of times I couldn't take it anymore, so I just lay in bed all the time," Lauper wrote. "When I really couldn't deal with anything, I used to get the shakes, just complete anxiety attacks." In 2019, Lauper gave the commencement address at Northern Vermont University-Johnson, the academic institution that now includes Johnson State. At this event, NVU awarded her the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters.   In the early 1970s, Cyndi performed as a vocalist with several different cover bands. One of those bands, Doc West, covered disco songs and Janis Joplin. A later band, Flyer, was active in the New York metropolitan area, singing songs by bands including Bad Company, Jefferson Airplane, and Logan's favorite, Led Zeppelin. Although She was performing on stage and loving that part, she was not happy singing covers. One night, while singing a cover of Kiki Dee's "I've Got the Music in Me" in 1974, her voice gave out. But it came back shortly after, and Lauper continued to sing in cover bands and a Janis Joplin tribute act. Then, in 1977, Cyndi's pipes said no more. Her voice disappeared again, and doctors discovered that she'd suffered a collapsed vocal cord.   Recommended by her temporary replacement in the Joplin cover band, Lauper sought the help of vocal coach Katie Agresta. She helped heal Cyndi and provided her with the tools and techniques to prevent it from happening again. Agresta also helped her realize that she was singing the wrong music entirely, discovering that she was more suited to pop, not hard rock. As Lauper wrote in her memoir, "[I realized] what I was aching for — to sing my own songs, in my own voice, in my own style, that I made up myself." In 1978, Lauper met saxophone player John Turi through her manager Ted Rosenblatt. Turi and Lauper formed a band named Blue Angel, Combining a New Wave look with a '60s throwback sound, and recorded a demo tape of original music. Steve Massarsky, manager of The Allman Brothers Band, heard the tape and liked Lauper's voice. He bought Blue Angel's contract for $5,000 and became their manager. "The playing was bad. There was something interesting about the singer's voice, but that was all," he later told Rolling Stone. Massarky set up a few major label showcases, but they all thought the same thing; the band wasn't great, but the singer was something special. Lauper received recording offers as a solo artist but held out, wanting the band to be included in any deal she made. She even turned down the chance to record a song by herself for the soundtrack to the MeatLoaf movie Roadie, produced by legendary disco song crafter Giorgio Moroder, the founder of the former Musicland Studios in Munich, Germany. Blue Angel was eventually signed by Polydor Records and released a self-titled album on the label in 1980. Lauper hated the artwork, saying it made her look like Big Bird. Still, Rolling Stone magazine later included it as one of the 100 best new wave album covers (2003). Despite critical acclaim, the album sold poorly ("It went lead," as Lauper later joked), and the band broke up. The members of Blue Angel had a falling-out with Massarsky and fired him as their manager. He later filed an $80,000 suit against them, which forced Cyndi into bankruptcy. She then temporarily lost her voice due to an inverted cyst in her vocal cord.   After Blue Angel broke up, Cyndi worked in retail stores, waitressing at IHOP (which she quit after being demoted to the hostess when the manager sexually harassed her), and singing in local clubs. Her most frequent gigs were at El Sombrero, which sounds like they have amazing chimichangas. Music critics who saw Her perform with Blue Angel believed she had star potential due to her four-octave singing range, which was not an easy feat. Then, in 1981, while singing in a local New York bar, Cyndi met David Wolff. He took over as her manager and had her sign a recording contract with Portrait Records, a subsidiary of Epic Records. On October 14, 1983, Cyndi released her first solo album,"  She's So Unusual." The album became a worldwide hit, peaking at No. 4 in the U.S. and reaching the top five in eight other countries. She became extremely popular with teenagers and critics, partly due to her hybrid punk image, which was crafted by stylist Patrick Lucas.   Lauper co-wrote four songs on She's So Unusual, including the hits "Time After Time" and "She Bop." On the songs she did not write, Lauper sometimes changed the lyrics. Such is the case with "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," originally written and recorded by Robert Hazard, which you can find on YouTube, and it's pretty awesome. She found the original lyrics misogynistic, so she rewrote the song as an anthem for young women.    The album includes five cover songs, including The Brains' new wave track "Money Changes Everything" (No. 27 on the Billboard Hot 100) and Prince's "When You Were Mine." The album made Cyndi Lauper the first female artist to have four consecutive Billboard Hot 100 top five hits from one album. The L.P. has stayed in the Top 200 charts for over 65 weeks and sold 16 million copies worldwide.   Cyndi won Best New Artist at the 1985 Grammy Awards. She's So Unusual also received nominations for Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance (for "Girls Just Want to Have Fun"), and Song of the Year (for "Time After Time"). She wore almost a pound of necklaces at her award ceremony. It also won the Grammy for Best Album Package, which went to the art director, Janet Perr.   The video for "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" won the inaugural award for Best Female Video at the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards, making Cyndi an MTV staple. The video featured professional wrestling manager "Captain" Lou Albano as Lauper's father and her real-life mother, Catrine, as her mother, and also featured her attorney, her manager, her brother Butch, and her dog Sparkle. She was a huge wrestling fan. In 1984–85, Cyndi appeared on the covers of Rolling Stone magazine, Time, and Newsweek. In addition, she appeared twice on the cover of People and was named a Ms. magazine Woman of the Year in 1985.   In 1985, she participated in "USA for Africa's" famine-relief fund-raising single "We Are the World," which has sold more than 20 million copies since then.   At the Grammys in 1985, She appeared with another professional wrestler, a Mr. Terry" Hulk" Hogan, who played her "bodyguard." "'The Grammy means a lot to me,' said Cyndi (in the arms of Hulk Hogan) after winning Best New Artist, 'Because I never thought I would amount to anything. I always wanted to make art.'" She would later make many appearances as herself in a number of the World Wrestling Federation's "Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection" events and played Wendi Richter's manager in the very first WrestleMania event. Dave Wolff, Lauper's boyfriend and manager at the time, was a wrestling fan as a boy and helped set up the rock and wrestling connection.   In 1985, Cyndi released the single "The Goonies' R' Good Enough," from the soundtrack to the movie The Goonies and an accompanying video that featured several wrestling stars. The song reached number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.   She then received two nominations at the 1986 Grammy Awards: Best Female Rock Vocal Performance for "What a Thrill" and Best Long Form Music Video for Cyndi Lauper in Paris.   Cyndi released her second album, "True Colors," in 1986. It entered the Billboard 200 at No. 42 and has sold roughly 7 million copies.   In 1986, She appeared on the Billy Joel album The Bridge, with a song called "Code of Silence." She is credited with having written the lyrics with Joel, and she sings a duet with him. In the same year, Cyndi also sang the theme song for Pee-wee's Playhouse, credited as "Ellen Shaw." In 1987, David Wolff produced a concert film called Cyndi Lauper in Paris. The concert was broadcast on HBO.   Cyndi made her film debut in August 1988 in the comedy Vibes, alongside a nobody named Jeff Goldblum, Peter Falk, and Julian Sands. She played a psychic in search of a city of gold in South America. To prepare for the role, Cyndi took a few finger-waving and hair-setting classes at the Robert Fiancé School of Beauty in New York and studied with a few Manhattan psychics. The film flopped and was poorly received by critics but would later be considered a cult classic.   Cyndi then contributed a track called "Hole in My Heart (All the Way to China)" for the Vibes soundtrack, but the song was not included. Instead, a high-energy, comic action/adventure romp through a Chinese laundry video for the song was released. The song reached No. 54 on the U.S. charts, but did way better in Australia, reaching No. 8. Cyndi's third album, A Night to Remember, was released in 1989. The album had one hit, the No. 6 single "I Drove All Night," originally recorded by Roy Orbison, three years before his death on December 6, 1988. Cyndi received a Grammy nomination for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance at the 1990 Grammy Awards for That track. Still, overall, album sales for the album were down. A side note; The music video for the song "My First Night Without You" was one of the first to be closed-captioned for the hearing impaired. That record sold around 1.3 million copies.   Due to her friendship with a familiar name here at Icons and Outlaws, Yoko Ono, Cyndi was a part of the May 1990 John Lennon tribute concert in Liverpool. She performed the Beatles song "Hey Bulldog" and the John Lennon song "Working Class Hero." She was also involved in Sean Lennon's project, "The Peace Choir, "performing a new version of John Lennon's "Give Peace a Chance."   Shortly after, the album was met with a dismal response, and she split with her boyfriend and manager, David Wolff. Cyndi lived alone in a New York hotel, emotionally drained and considering suicide. "I had come so far but felt like I had failed," she wrote in Cyndi Lauper: A Memoir (via Bullyville). "I would go to the studio, and then sit in my dark room and drink vodka. I had to spend most of my time alone. I was grieving. I thought the sadness would never go away." Indirectly, it was Cyndi's best-known song that encouraged her to try to crawl out of her low place: "The only thing that always ­prevented me from suicide is that I never wanted a headline to read, 'Girl who wanted to have fun just didn't.'" On November 24, 1991, Cyndi married actor David Thornton, who's been in home alone 3, John Q with Denzel, and that god-awful tear-jerker, the Notebook.   Cyndi's fourth album, "Hat Full of Stars," was released in June 1993 and was met with critical acclaim but failed commercially, unsupported by her label. The album tackled topics like homophobia, spousal abuse, racism, and abortion, sold fewer than 120,000 copies in the United States and peaked at No. 112 on the Billboard charts. The album's song "Sally's Pigeons" video features the then-unknown Julia Stiles playing a young Cyndi. You may remember Julia from ten things I hate about you, alongside a young Heath Ledger.   In 1993, Cyndi returned to acting, playing Michael J. Fox's ditzy secretary in the movie Life with Mikey. She also won an Emmy Award for her role as Marianne Lugasso in the hugely popular sitcom Mad About You with Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt. On November 19, 1997, Cyndi gave birth to her son, Declyn Wallace Lauper Thornton, who is now a trap rapper. Her fifth album," Sisters of Avalon," was released in Japan in 1996 and worldwide in 1997. Just like "Hat Full of Stars," some songs on "Sisters of Avalon" addressed dark themes. The song "Ballad of Cleo and Joe" addressed the complications of a drag queen's double life. The song "Say a Prayer" was written for a friend who had died from AIDS. "Unhook the Stars" was used in the movie of the same name. Again without support from her label, the release failed in America, spending a week on the Billboard album chart at No. 188. This album also received much critical praise, including People magazine, which declared it "'90s nourishment for body and soul. Lauper sets a scene, makes us care, gives us hope." Let's just say it… her label sucks!   On January 17, 1999, Cyndi appeared as an animated version of herself in The Simpsons episode "Wild Barts Can't Be Broken." She sang the National Anthem to the "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" melody. That same year, she opened for Cher's Do You Believe? Tour alongside Wild Orchid. Yeah, that group with a young Fergie. Cyndi also appeared in the films "Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle" and The "Opportunists." In addition, she contributed to the soundtrack of the 2000 animated film, Rugrats in Paris: The Movie, performing the song "I Want a Mom That Will Last Forever." On October 12, 2000, Cyndi took part in the television show Women in Rock, Girls with Guitars performing with Ann Wilson of Heart and with the girl group Destiny's Child and the queen B herself!. A CD of the songs performed was released exclusively to Sears stores from September 30 to October 31, 2001, and was marketed as a fundraiser for breast cancer.   In 2002, Sony issued a best-of CD, The Essential Cyndi Lauper. Cyndi also released a cover album with Sony/Epic Records entitled At Last (formerly Naked City), which was released in 2003. At Last received one nomination at the 2005 Grammy Awards: Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) for "Unchained Melody." The effort was also a commercial hit, selling 4.5 million records.    In April 2004, Cyndi performed during the VH1's benefit concert, "Divas Live" 2004, alongside Ashanti, Gladys Knight, Jessica Simpson, Joss Stone, and Patti LaBelle. This event supported the Save the Music Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring instrumental music education in America's public schools and raising awareness about the importance of music as part of each child's complete education. She made appearances on Showtime's hit show "Queer as Folk" in 2005, directed a commercial for the Totally 80s edition of the board game Trivial Pursuit in 2006, served as a judge on the 6th Annual Independent Music Awards, and made her Broadway debut in the Tony-nominated "The Threepenny Opera" playing "Jenny." In addition, she performed with Shaggy, Scott Weiland of Velvet Revolver/Stone Temple Pilots, Pat Monahan of Train, Ani DiFranco, and The Hooters in the VH1 Classics special Decades Rock Live. In 2006, she sang "Message To Michael" with Dionne Warwick and "Beecharmer" with Nellie McKay on McKay's Pretty Little Head album.   On October 16, 2006, Cyndi was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame. In 2007, she served as a guest performer on the song "Lady in Pink" on an episode of the Nick Jr. show, The Backyardigans. Cyndi's sixth studio album, "Bring Ya to the Brink," was released in the United States on May 27, 2008. Regarded as one of her best works when it was released, the Songwriters Hall of Fame has regarded the album track 'High and Mighty' as one of her essential songs. The album would be Cyndi's last release to date of original material, in addition to being her last for Epic Records, her label since her 1983 debut solo album. The album debuted at #41 on the Billboard 200, with 12,000 copies sold. Other projects for 2008 included the True Colors Tour and a Christmas duet with Swedish band The Hives, entitled "A Christmas Duel." The song was released as a CD single and a 7" vinyl in Sweden. Lauper also performed on "Girls Night Out," headlining it with Rosie O'Donnell in the U.S.   On November 17, 2009, Cyndi performed with Wyclef Jean in a collaboration called "Slumdog Millionaire," on The Late Show with David Letterman. In January 2010, Mattel released a Cyndi Lauper Barbie doll as part of their "Ladies of the 80s" series.   In March 2010, Cyndi appeared on NBC's The Celebrity Apprentice with the then-future president, Donald Trump, coming in sixth place.   Cyndi's 7th studio album, Memphis Blues, was released on June 22, 2010, and debuted on the Billboard Blues Albums chart at No. 1 and at No. 26 on the Billboard Top 200. The album remained No. 1 on the Blues Albums chart for 14 consecutive weeks; Memphis Blues was nominated for Best Traditional Blues Album at the 2011 Grammy Awards. According to the Brazilian daily newspaper O Globo, the album had sold 600,000 copies worldwide by November 2010. In addition, Cyndi set out on her most extensive tour ever, the Memphis Blues Tour, which had more than 140 shows, to support the album.   Cyndi made international news in March 2011 for an impromptu performance of "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" while waiting for a delayed flight at Aeroparque Jorge Newbery in Buenos Aires. A video was later posted on YouTube.   In November 2011, she released two Christmas singles exclusive to iTunes. The first release was a Blues-inspired cover of Elvis Presley's classic "Blue Christmas," and the second was a new version of "Home for the holidays," a duet with Norah Jones. In June 2012, Lauper made her first appearance for WWE in 27 years to promote WWE Raw's 1000th episode to memorialize "Captain" Lou Albano.   In September 2012, Cyndi performed at fashion designer Betsey Johnson's 40-year Retrospective Fashion show. She also released a New York Times best-selling memoir, "Cyndi Lauper A Memoir," which detailed her struggle with child abuse and depression.   Cyndi then composed music and lyrics for the Broadway musical Kinky Boots, with Harvey Fierstein writing the book. The musical was based on the 2006 independent film Kinky Boots. The musical tells the story of Charlie Price. Having inherited a shoe factory from his father, Charlie forms an unlikely partnership with cabaret performer and drag queen Lola to produce a line of high-heeled boots and save the business. It opened in Chicago in October 2012 and on Broadway at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre on April 4, 2013. She won Best Score for Kinky Boots in May at the 63rd annual Outer Critics Circle Awards. The musical led the 2013 Tony Awards, with 13 nominations and six wins, including Best Musical and Best Actor. In addition, she won the award for Best Original Score. Cyndi was the first woman to win solo in this category. After a six-year run and 2,507 regular shows, Kinky Boots ended its Broadway run on April 7, 2019. It is the 25th-longest-running Broadway musical in history. It grossed $297 million on Broadway.    In the summer of 2013, celebrating the 30th anniversary of her debut album "She's So Unusual," Cyndi embarked on an international tour covering America and Australia. The show consisted of a mix of fan favorites and the entirety of the She's So Unusual record.  She stated:"  It's been such an amazing year for me. When I realized it's also the anniversary of the album that started my solo career, I knew it was the perfect time to thank my fans for sticking with me through it all. I'm so excited to perform She's So Unusual from beginning to end, song by song and I can't wait to see everyone!" The tourtour grossed over $1 million   She was a guest on 36 dates of Cher's Dressed to Kill tour, starting April 23, 2014. In addition, a new album was confirmed by her in a website interview.   Cyndi hosted the Grammy Pre-Telecast at the Nokia Theatre, L.A., on January 26,  later accepting a Grammy for Kinky Boots (for Best Musical Theater Album).   On April 1 (March 1 in Europe), Cyndi released the 30th Anniversary edition of She's So Unusual through Epic Records. It featured a remastered version of the original album plus three new remixes. The Deluxe Edition featured bonus tracks such as demos, a live recording, and a 3D cut-out of the bedroom featured in the 'Girls Just Want to Have Fun' music video with a reusable sticker set.   On September 17, 2014, Cyndi sang on the finale of America's Got Talent. Then, on September 25, as part of the Today Show's "Shine a Light" series, she re-recorded "True Colors" in a mashup with Sara Bareilles' "Brave" to raise awareness and money for children battling cancer. By October, the project had raised over $300,000.   The Songwriters Hall of Fame added Cyndi to its nomination list in October 2014. Also, her fourth consecutive 'Home for the Holidays' benefit concert for homeless gay youth was announced in October. Acts included 50 Cent and Laverne Cox, with 100% of the net proceeds going to True Colors United. In July 2015, She announced a project with producer Seymour Stein. She later told Rolling Stone it was a country album co-produced by Tony Brown.   On September 15, 2015, Kinky Boots opened at the Adelphi Theatre in London's West End.   In January 2016, Cyndi announced she would release a new album on May 6, 2016. This record was made up of her interpretations of early country classics entitled "Detour." The announcement was supported by a release of her version of Harlan Howard's "Heartaches by the Number" and a performance on Skyville Live with Kelsea Ballerini and Ingrid Michaelson. Then, on February 17, 2016, she released her version of Wanda Jackson's "Funnel of Love."   In February 2016, Cyndi was nominated for an Olivier Award for contributing to the U.K. production of the play "Kinky Boots" along with Stephen Oremus, the man in charge of the arrangements. In January 2017, this production's album was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.   In May 2016, she was featured on "Swipe to the Right" from Electronica 2: The Heart of Noise by French producer Jean-Michel Jarre. This second album of the Electronica project is based on collaborations with artists like Tangerine Dream, Moby, Pet Shop Boys, and more.   In October 2016, her son Dex Lauper was the opening act for her in Scottsdale, Arizona, and Las Vegas, Nevada, for her dates on her Detour Tour.   In January 2017, Cyndi was featured on Austin City Limits' 42nd season, performing some classic bangers alongside some of her country tunes from the "Detour." album. The episode aired on PBS.   In March 2018, it was announced that Cyndi and co- "Time After Time" songwriter Rob Hyman would compose the score for the musical version of the 1988 film "Working Girl." Ya know the movie that starred Melanie Griffith and Sigourney Weaver. She teamed up with Hyman because she wanted "the music to sound like the 80s". The musical would be staged by Tony Award winner Christopher Ashley. A developmental production premiere of the musical is planned for the 2021/2022 season.   For Grandin Road, Cyndi exclusively designed her own Christmas collection, 'Cyndi Lauper Loves Christmas', available from September 2018. "I've always loved Christmas. It reminds me to find some happiness in the little things," she said.   Her annual Home For The Holidays concert at the Beacon Theatre in New York was held on December 8, 2018.   Cyndi guest starred, playing a lawyer in an episode of the reboot of the television series Magnum P.I.. The episode, titled "Sudden Death", aired on October 22, 2018.   On November 15, 2018, iBillboard announced that Cyndi would receive the Icon Award at the Billboard's 13th annual Women in Music Event on December 6 in New York City. According to Billboard's editorial director, Jason Lipshutz, "The entire world recognizes the power of Cyndi Lauper's pop music, and just as crucially, she has used her undeniable talent to soar beyond music, create positive change in modern society and become a true icon."    The song "Together" was featured in the Canadian computer-animated film Race time, released in January 2019. Originally written and performed in French by Dumas, Cyndi performed the English translation in the English version of the film initially titled La Course des tuques.   On June 26, 2019, she performed at the opening ceremony of Stonewall 50 – WorldPride NYC 2019. Backed by the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Cyndi played two concerts on July 12 and 13, 2019, at the iconic Hollywood Bowl.   In September 2019, it was announced that Cyndi would star alongside Jane Lynch in the new Netflix comedy series described as "kind of The Golden Girls for today." However, as of March 2021, there have been no updates on this project. On April 23, 2020, Cyndi participated in an online fundraising concert to raise money for LGBTQ nightlife workers who struggled financially because of the coronavirus pandemic. Her finale was her performing "True Colors." The show was initiated by the Stonewall Inn Gives Back nonprofit organization of the historic Greenwich Village gay bar.    In November 2020, She dueted with former top ten "American Idol" finalist Casey Abrams on a cover version of the song 'Eve of Destruction.   In November last year, Shea Diamond featured Cyndi as a guest vocalist on the track 'Blame it on Christmas.' An official video was released in December.   She then performed at this year's MusiCares Person of the Year Tribute Show, honoring folk icon Joni Mitchell on April 1.   It was announced in May this year that Alison Ellwood will direct a career retrospective documentary about Cyndi. The project is already in production but does not yet have a release date. "Let The Canary Sing" will be the title of this career-spanning documentary produced by Sony Music Entertainment.   Still killing it after all these years!   "Shes So Unusual" ranked No. 487 on Rolling Stone's list of 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2003. In addition, the album ranked No. 41 on Rolling Stone's Women Who Rock: The 50 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2012.   "Time After Time" has been covered by over a hundred artists and was ranked at No. 22 on Rolling Stone's 100 Best Songs of the Past 25 Years and at No. 19 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 80s.   "She Bop," the third single from She's So Unusual, is the first and only top ten song to directly mention a gay porn magazine. An ode to masturbation, it was included in the PMRC's "Filthy Fifteen" list, which led to the parental advisory sticker appearing on recordings thought to be unsuitable for young listeners. Rolling Stone ranked it the 36th best song of 1984, praising its unusual playfulness regarding sexuality.   "True Colors" is now considered a gay anthem, after which True Colors United, which advocates for runaway and homeless LGBT youth, is so “colorfully” named.   Info used from: Nickiswift.com Wikipedia.com

Binge watching a show you love is enjoyable, but not always productive. But artists Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear turned their binge into a Grammy nomination.They were inspired by Season 1 of Netflix's series Bridgerton, and used that inspiration to write a full musical theater album. They didn't intend to write a full album, but as they workshopped the songs on social media, fans everywhere watched as Barlow & Bear wrote the songs live — offering followers a front row seat to the music making process. This weekend at the 64th annual Grammy Awards, Emily Bear and Abigail Barlow will be in the audience waiting to hear if their album, The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical, wins in the category of Best Musical Theater Album.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

The Broadway hit Hadestown won 8 Tony Awards including Best Musical and Best Original Score AND a Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album. The show is headed to Philly for the first time ever on its inaugural North American tour and will be at the Academy of Music on the Kimmel Cultural Campus from Wednesday, February 9th – Sunday, February 20th. Kristen speaks with Bex Odorisio who stars in the show, about growing up in Ardmore, the tour so far, the mythology behind Hadestown, the costumes, the music, and lots more.   Purchase tickets at KimmelCulturalCampus.org.  Follow Bex on Instagram @benditlikebexy and check out her website: https://www.bexodorisio.com/.

Leslie Odom Jr. is a singer, songwriter, broadway star, actor, and author. He best known for his portrayal of Aaron Burr in the musical Hamilton, which earned him a 2016 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical and a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album in the same year. Odom Jr.'s self-titled debut album charted at #1 on the Billboard Jazz chart and #147 on the Billboard 200. In 2017, he re-released Simply Christmas as a deluxe edition with new arrangements and new songs. The holiday album hit #1 on iTunes and Billboard Jazz Charts. For his performance as singer Sam Cooke in One Night in Miami... (2020), Odom earned Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, Critics' Choice Movie Award, and Golden Globe Awards nominations for Best Supporting Actor. He was also nominated for an Oscar and Golden Globe for writing the film's original song "Speak Now," for which he won Best Song at the 2021 Critics' Choice Awards. You can catch Leslie in his role as Harold McBrayer in the The Sopranos prequel film The Many Saints of Newark!In March 2018, Odom Jr. added the title of author to his resume with the release of his book – Failing Up: How to Take Risks, Aim Higher and Never Stop Learning. Failing Up is about unlocking your true potential and making your dreams come true even when it seems impossible.@leslieodomjrhttps://www.instagram.com/leslieodomjr/?hl=enhttp://www.leslieodomjr.com/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie_Odom_Jr.https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1502434/@thecareermusician@nomadsplace

Leslie Odom Jr. is a singer, songwriter, broadway star, actor, and author. He best known for his portrayal of Aaron Burr in the musical Hamilton, which earned him a 2016 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical and a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album in the same year. Odom Jr.'s self-titled debut album charted at #1 on the Billboard Jazz chart and #147 on the Billboard 200. In 2017, he re-released Simply Christmas as a deluxe edition with new arrangements and new songs. The holiday album hit #1 on iTunes and Billboard Jazz Charts. For his performance as singer Sam Cooke in One Night in Miami... (2020), Odom earned Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, Critics' Choice Movie Award, and Golden Globe Awards nominations for Best Supporting Actor. He was also nominated for an Oscar and Golden Globe for writing the film's original song "Speak Now," for which he won Best Song at the 2021 Critics' Choice Awards. You can catch Leslie in his role as Harold McBrayer in the The Sopranos prequel film The Many Saints of Newark! In March 2018, Odom Jr. added the title of author to his resume with the release of his book – Failing Up: How to Take Risks, Aim Higher and Never Stop Learning. Failing Up is about unlocking your true potential and making your dreams come true even when it seems impossible. @leslieodomjr https://www.instagram.com/leslieodomjr/?hl=en http://www.leslieodomjr.com/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie_Odom_Jr. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1502434/ @thecareermusician @nomadsplace

A Broadway titan is gone but not forgotten. Broadway News Second Stage Theater is partnering with Assemble Stream to offer simulcasts of its current Broadway production of Lynn Nottage's play, CLYDE'S, for the final two weeks of its run. Those dates are January 4 – 16, 2022. Girl from the North Country was the only Broadway musical nominated for a 2022 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. Chicken & Biscuits, Is This A Room and Dana H. close on Broadway. American composer, Stephen Sondheim has died at the age of 91 on November 26, 2021. Casting Ciara Renée has stepped into the role of Jenna in the return Broadway engagement of Waitress, succeeding Jennifer Nettles. Joshua Henry will take over the role of Dr. Pomatter in Waitress on Broadway, and current cast member Tyrone Davis, Jr. will take over the role of Ogie this week. Follow @BwayPodNetwork on Twitter. Find co-hosts on Twitter at @AyannaPrescod, @CLewisReviews, and @TheMartinAcuna. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SIMRadio is proud to welcome Mia Moravis ((Tony® nominee, three-time Emmy® nominee), and talented Co-Producer of Broadway's Jagged Little Pill (Grammy® winning Best Musical Theater Album). We'll chat about the musical Session Girls, along with some of her upcoming projects and other fun tidbits you don't want to miss!  We kick off season two with a bang! Join us for Mixing It with Nicki Kris on July 12th, 2021 8:00PM ET/5:00PM PT. Connect with Mia Moravis on Instagram and Twitter. Connect with Nicki Kris on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram Connect with #SIM on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram Thanks to our Podcast partner “Ruth and Emilia” Mixing It theme music, ‘October Sky', by Nicki Kris #SistersInMusic - Together We Are Stronger    

Gina Yashere is a stand-up comedian, actress, and voice artist from London. She has appeared on Live At the Apollo, Last Comic Standing (where she made the final ten!), The Tonight Show, and Crashing. Gina is the British correspondent on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah and has voiced numerous characters such as Keisha from Bromwell High and Gravelle in Early Man. She has three stand-up specials out, including Skinny B*tch on Showtime and most recently was in The Standups on Netflix.Yashere appears in a supporting role on the 2019 Chuck Lorre CBS sitcom, Bob Hearts Abishola, which Lorre created with Yashere.  Her memoir "Cack Handed" is out now in the U.S. and available for pre-order in the UK. David Alan Grier Countless theater, television, film and comedic endeavors have pushed David Alan Grier's career to remarkable heights and his ability to excel across all mediums and contexts is a testament to his inherent sense of comic timing and creative drive. The three-time Tony and GRAMMY Award nominee was trained in Shakespeare at Yale where he received an MFA from the Yale School of Drama. Grier has enjoyed many accolades and awards throughout his career, not the least of which was his inclusion on Comedy Central's list of the “100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time.” On the big screen, David Alan Grier was recently seen starring in PEEPLES, produced by Tyler Perry, opposite Kerry Washington and Craig Robinson. Grier made his film debut in STREAMERS (1983), directed by Robert Altman for which he won the Golden Lion for Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival. He also appeared in the Wayans Brothers' spoof movie DANCE FLICK (2009). Grier's television work is highlighted by a turn as principal cast member on the Emmy Award winning In Living Color (1990–1994) where he helped to create some of the show's most memorable characters, DAG (2000–2001) and Life with Bonnie (2003) which earned an Image and Golden Satellite nomination. David created, wrote and executive produced a show for Comedy Central called Chocolate News (2008). Last fall, David starred in THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM, a Hallmark Channel adaptation of Paul Curtis' 1996 Newbery Award-winning novel by the same name. Grier recently wrapped shooting a starring role as ‘Principal Carl Gaines' in a new series for CBS, Bad Teacher. Grier began his professional career on Broadway as Jackie Robinson in The First, for which he earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical and won the Theatre World Award (1981). He then joined the cast of Dreamgirls before going on to star opposite Denzel Washington in A Soldier's Play, for which both actors reprised their roles in the film adaptation, A SOLDIER'S STORY (1984). In 2009/2010 Grier starred in David Mamet's acclaimed play RACE opposite James Spader and Kerry Washington at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Broadway for which he received his second Tony Award nomination. Grier received the third Tony Award nomination of his career in 2012 for his performance in the "stand-out role of the rakish, drug-dealing Sporting Life" (NY Times) in The Gershwin's Porgy & Bess. Grier received his first GRAMMY nomination when the cast recording of The Gershwin's Porgy & Bess received a 2013 GRAMMY Award nomination for Best Musical Theater Album. Since then, his most notable screen credits include "Baadasssss!," "The Woodsman," "Crank Yankers," "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz," "Bewitched," "Dance Flick," "Astro Boy," "Bones," "Peeples," "The Watsons Go to Birmingham," "Bad Teacher," "Comedy Bang! Bang!," "The Carmichael Show," "A Series of Unfortunate Events," and "Queen Sugar," among many others. Grier has also delved into the world of live televised musicals, starring as the Cowardly Lion in NBC's "The Wiz Live!" in 2015 and appearing as Santa Claus in Fox's "A Christmas Story Live!" in 2017. He returned to Broadway for Roundabout Theatre Company, once again revisiting the Pulitzer Prize-winning A Soldier's Play, to star as Sergeant Vernon C. Waters in its Broadway premiere at the American Airlines Theatre from December 27, 2019 through March 15, 2020. He also stars in the film Coffee & Kareem which is now available on Netflix. And in 2021 he reunites with Jamie Fox in “Dad Stop Embarassing Me” on Netflix Always hosted by Marina Franklin - One Hour Comedy Special: Single Black Female ( Amazon Prime, CW Network), Hysterical at FX on Hulu,  Trainwreck, Louie Season V, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, HBO's Crashing, and The Breaks with Michelle Wolf.

Episode 494 Jason Alexander is a First Class Father and actor known for portraying George Costanza on Seinfeld. Jason was nominated for seven consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards for his performance as George Costanza. Jason is a prominent actor on stage as well, appearing in several Broadway musicals, including Jerome Robbins' Broadway in 1989, for which he won the Tony Award as Best Leading Actor in a Musical and a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. He has starred in movies such as Pretty Woman & Shallow Hal. He is the author of the best selling children's book Dad Are You The Tooth Fairy? In this Episode, Jason Alexander shares his Fatherhood journey which includes two sons. He discusses the balance between being a new dad while becoming a famous actor. He describes the inspiration for his children's book Dad Are You The Tooth Fairy. He gives great tips for parents of aspiring actors. He talks about his legacy as a dad. He offers some great advice for new or about to be Dads and more! Subscribe to First Class Fatherhood and watch on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCD6cjYptutjJWYlM0Kk6cQ?sub_confirmation=1 SPONSORS: SeatGeek - https://seatgeek.com Promo Code: FirstClass Save: $20 off tickets MY PILLOW - https://www.mypillow.com Promo Code: Fatherhood Save Up To 66% Off 1-800-875-0219 More Ways To Listen - https://linktr.ee/alec_lace First Class Fatherhood Merch - https://shop.spreadshirt.com/first-class-fatherhood-/we+are+not+babysitters-A5d09ea872051763ad613ec8e?productType=812&sellable=3017x1aBoNI8jJe83pw5-812-7&appearance=1 Follow me on instagram - https://instagram.com/alec_lace?igshid=ebfecg0yvbap For information about becoming a Sponsor of First Class Fatherhood please hit me with an email: FirstClassFatherhood@gmail.com --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alec-lace/support

Grammy award-winning producer Vivek J. Tiwary is an acclaimed producer of musical entertainment from Tony Award-winning Broadway shows to groundbreaking immersive experiences, a Grammy Award-winning record producer, a #1 New York Times bestselling author, and a media financier/investor. He is the founder of Tiwary Entertainment Group. Vivek's graphic novel The Fifth Beatle won numerous literary awards, including the Will Eisner Comic Industry Award and two Harvey Awards. It's a Lambda Literary Finalist for Best LGBT Graphic Novel and has been added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Library and Archives. Vivek secured unprecedented access to Beatles music for its TV adaptation, for which Vivek is a writer + Executive Producer. Vivek is currently the lead producer of Broadway hit Jagged Little Pill (based on Alanis Morissette's classic album), nominated for 15 Tony Awards, including Best Musical—second only to Hamilton (16) for the most ever—and the best-reviewed show of the season. Vivek also won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album for producing the Jagged Little Pill cast recording. Past Broadway productions Vivek has either been a financier or Producer on including such groundbreaking work as Green Day's American Idiot, A Raisin In The Sun, The Addams Family, A Little Night Music, and both of Mel Brooks' musicals The Producers and Young Frankenstein. Combined, these productions have won 25 Tony Awards and 59 Tony nominations. Vivek is also a pioneering producer in the world of site-specific, tech-based, and immersive theatre. He consulted on the creation and development of The Walking Dead Escape and The Walking Dead Experience. He served on the Board of Directors for New York's seminal GAle GAtes, considered the founders of immersive theatre. He also produced experiential shows and installations for boundary-pushing companies such as The Wooster Group, Fischerspooner, and the São Paulo Art Biennial. Before founding TEG and online music education/empowerment company StarPolish, Vivek held several major labels music industry positions and has worked with artists covering the entire musical spectrum from Bruce Springsteen to Britney Spears. Among many charitable pursuits, Vivek is the Co-Founder of Musicians On Call, a nonprofit organization that uses music and entertainment to complement the healing process. Vivek is a magna cum laude graduate of both the Wharton School of Business and the University of Pennsylvania's College of Arts and Sciences and a cum laude graduate of the Collegiate School in New York City. He also holds a filmmaking certificate from The New York Film Academy and is an acting student of Susan Batson/Black Nexxus Acting Studio. www.musiciansoncall.org www.tiwaryent.com The Business Side of Music ™ © 2021 Beyond the Music Co-Produced and Hosted (by the guy who has a face for podcasting):  Bob Bender Co-Producer, Creator, and Technical Advisor (the man behind the curtain):  Tom Sabella Director of Video and Continuity (the brains of the entire operation): Deborah Halle Audio/Video Editor Mark Sabella Midnight Express Studio  Olian, NY Marketing and Social Media: Kaitlin Fritts Executive Assistant to Bob and Tom (the one who keeps us on track and our schedules straight) Tammy Kowalski All Around Problem Solver: Connie Ribas Recorded at: The Bunker in Franklin, TN (except during the Covid 19 pandemic, then it's pretty much done VIA Skype or over the phone, with the exception for those fearless enough to come to Bob Bender's living room… and there are a few). Mixed and Mastered at Music Dog Studios in Nashville, TN Production Sound Design: Keith Stark Voice Over and Promo: Lisa Fuson Website: Sponsorship information   Interview submission      

A Scott Thompson Show podcast! Jagged Little Pill, the musical inspired by the Alanis Morissette album of the same name, just took home Best Musical Theater Album! The show's producer, Vivek J. Tiwary, joined Scott to talk about musical theatre before, during and after the pandemic. Guest: Vivek J. Tiwary, Grammy winning producer of Jagged Little Pill If you like what you hear, check out the newest podcast of the Scott Thompson Show and subscribe to the podcast wherever you find your favourite shows! https://curiouscast.ca/podcast/189/the-scott-thompson-show/   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Vivek J. Tiwary is an acclaimed producer of narrative entertainment from Tony Award-winning Broadway shows to groundbreaking immersive experiences, a media financier/investor, a #1 New York Times bestselling author, and a Grammy-nominated producer. He is the founder of Tiwary Entertainment Group.Vivek’s graphic novel The Fifth Beatle won numerous literary awards including the Will Eisner Comic Industry Award and two Harvey Awards. It’s a Lambda Literary Finalist for Best LGBT Graphic Novel and has been added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Library and Archives. Vivek secured unprecedented access to Beatles music for its TV adaptation, for which Vivek is a writer + Executive Producer.Vivek is currently the lead producer of Broadway hit Jagged Little Pill (based on Alanis Morissette’s classic album), nominated for 15 Tony Awards including Best Musical—second only to Hamilton (16) for the most ever—and the best-reviewed show of the season. Past Broadway productions Vivek has either been a financier or Producer on including such groundbreaking work as Green Day’s American Idiot, A Raisin In The Sun, The Addams Family, A Little Night Music, and both of Mel Brooks’ musicals The Producers and Young Frankenstein. Combined, these productions have won 25 Tony Awards and 59 Tony nominations.Vivek is also a pioneering producer in the world of site-specific, tech-based, and immersive theatre. He consulted on the creation and development of The Walking Dead Escape and The Walking Dead Experience. He served on the Board of Directors for New York’s seminal GAle GAtes—considered to be the founders of immersive theatre. He also produced experiential shows and installations for boundary-pushing companies such as The Wooster Group, Fischerspooner, and the São Paulo Art Biennial.Prior to founding TEG and online music education/empowerment company StarPolish, Vivek held a number of major label music-industry positions and has worked with artists covering the entire musical spectrum from Bruce Springsteen to Britney Spears. Hear our conversation with Vivek, his journey, his struggle, his aspirations, and his very very warm heart.

Episode SummaryIn this episode of The Tight Rope, Dr. Cornel West and Professor Tricia Rose connect with Tony award winning actor and rapper Daveed Diggs to dive into his career, upbringing, influences, and playing the “fool.” They wrangle with the nuances of hip hop past and present, colorblind ideologies in theater, and the healing power of Black creativity. Get ready for the twists and turns in this episode of The Tight Rope! Cornel WestDr. Cornel West is Professor of the Practice of Public Philosophy at Harvard University. A prominent democratic intellectual, social critic, and political activist, West also serves as Professor Emeritus at Princeton University. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard in three years and obtained his M.A. and Ph.D. in Philosophy at Princeton. West has authored 20 books and edited 13. Most known for Race Matters and Democracy Matters, and his memoir, Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud, West appears frequently on the Bill Maher Show, CNN, C-Span, and Democracy Now. West has appeared in over 25 documentaries and films, including Examined Life, and is the creator of three spoken word albums including Never Forget. West brings his focus on the role of race, gender, and class in American society to The Tight Rope podcast.  Tricia RoseProfessor Tricia Rose is Director of the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America at Brown University. She also holds the Chancellor’s Professorship of Africana Studies and serves as the Associate Dean of the Faculty for Special Initiatives. A graduate of Yale (B.A.) and Brown University (Ph.D), Rose authored Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America (1994), Longing to Tell: Black Women Talk about Sexuality and Intimacy (2003), and The Hip Hop Wars: What We Talk About When We Talk About Hip Hop and Why It Matters (2008). She also sits on the Boards of the Nathan Cummings Foundation, Color of Change, and Black Girls Rock, Inc. Focusing on issues relating to race in America, mass media, structural inequality, popular culture, gender and sexuality and art and social justice, Rose engages widely in scholarly and popular audience settings, and now also on The Tight Rope podcast.   Daveed DiggsDaveed Diggs, Oakland native, is a rapper, actor, singer, songwriter, and producer. He graduated from Brown University (B.A.), and after his Tony and Grammy Award winning performance as Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s widely-acclaimed Broadway production of Hamilton (Best Featured Actor in a Musical (2016) and Best Musical Theater Album (2016)), Brown University conferred Daveed an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts. As a member of experimental hip hop group, clipping., Daveed has released multiple albums including their third full-length record, There Existed an Addiction to Blood (2019). He continues acting with roles in Black-ish (2016-2018), Wonder (2017), Velvet Buzzsaw (2019), and Snowpiercer (2020). Daveed wrote, produced, and starred in Blindspotting (2018), a performance that earned him a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead.  Insight from this episode:Strategies for collective healing to massive collective trauma. Details on Daveed’s recent and upcoming creative projects, including reflections on growing up in Oakland and filming Blindspotting. Behind-the-scenes look into how Daveed picks roles and his Black-Jewish heritage. Reflections on diversity in the theater and its audiences. Strategies on exposing children to new music to generate curiosity.  Quotes from the show: “How do you step into the unknown in such a way that you bring the best of the past with you? You bring all the love and all the joy and all the memories that’s gone into the shaping of who you are.” –Dr. Cornel West The Tight Rope Episode #5“The vicious legacy of white supremacy has been one in which it has tried to convince Black people that we are less moral, less beautiful, less intelligent, and ought therefore feel intimidated and never have anything really safe and never have a home. So we had to create home in our language, we had to create home in our music, we had to create home in our relationships that are always dynamic. It’s a way of being fortified that is dynamic.” –Dr. Cornel West The Tight Rope Episode #5“We’re going to have to get highly creative because Black folk without hugging… somehow we’re going to come up with creative, virtual, abstract ways. We got to have some way of affirming, enabling, and ennobling each other.” –Dr. Cornel West The Tight Rope Episode #5“I’ve been making art for as long as I’ve been alive… The work hasn’t changed that much honestly, which I’m grateful for. Just more people watch me do it now.” – Daveed Diggs The Tight Rope Episode #5On Hamilton: “Its success is directly based on the fact that it was brown and black bodies portraying the founders of our country-- and also that the music was great... The buy in from America that I felt while I was working in Hamilton was a particularly hopeful version of it… It really is a product of the Obama era.” –Daveed Diggs The Tight Rope Episode #5On Hamilton’s “colorblind” casting: “If you don’t make sure to contextualize some of the things in it, there are some dangerous assumptions there. It is about the building of a financial system, [but] it doesn’t contextualize it as one that is fundamentally racist. The revolutionary act is having black and brown bodies portray that moment in history. And that makes a statement that we should and we deserve to be able to participate in it, and in fact, it was built on our bodies. But you gotta make sure to really put that at the front of it, in a way that honestly [Hamilton] was always scared to.” –Daveed Diggs The Tight Rope Episode #5On Hamilton’s delayed public support of Black Lives Matter: “So what does that say? That a show built on black and brown bodies about giving black and brown bodies a sense of ownership over a financial system that was built on black and brown bodies refused to publicly support black and brown bodies.” –Daveed Diggs The Tight Rope Episode #5On Hamilton’s delayed public support of Black Lives Matter: “That’s just a matter of moral courage versus cash making.” –Dr. Cornel West The Tight Rope Episode #5“You have to view art in the context of the moment you’re viewing it in, especially theater. Theater takes place in a time and a place. So if you’re going to revive a play, you should have a reason for reviving that play now. What are you saying now that either speaks to the original motive for it or that reframes it in a different way?” –Daveed Diggs The Tight Rope Episode #5“The thing that has always worried me about Hamilton [is] a colorblind ideology that drives people’s enthusiasm for what is going on. That is to say, on the one hand, everyone gets to be black and brown, but on the other hand, “I don’t see color! Thomas Jefferson can be black, or can be played for a black person because I don’t see color in the first place” But you’re celebrating it because you see color, because you know there’s a racial hierarchy and you know this illusion of colorblindness creates racial privilege. But then you’re going to tell me you don’t see it at the same time.” –Tricia Rose The Tight Rope Episode #5“For me, it’s not color blind; it’s color specific… Turning Thomas Jefferson into this comic, foppish, uber privileged character, there’s an element of cakewalk in there. This is like being able to imitate the slavemaster in front of the slavemaster.” –Daveed Diggs The Tight Rope Episode #5“In a Broadway audience, there's like four Black people in the audience every night. We can see them. I can see who they are. And we are having a different experience than the rest of the audience is having all in the same space… The nuance of this conversation doesn’t come through on a large scale until you also diversify the audience in a better way than Broadway has managed to do… Are we really interested in Broadway anymore? Or do other spaces do this better?” –Daveed Diggs The Tight Rope Episode #5“I love playing a fool, but I like the fool to have context for their decisions. I like there to be a choice being made.” –Daveed Diggs The Tight Rope Episode #5“When you’re less known, you choose things and you happen to become known for them. Then at a certain point, the fact that you are choosing something becomes an event. At that point, I feel like I have to be a lot more careful about what it says that I choose [a role].” –Daveed Diggs The Tight Rope Episode #5On the cultural differences he experienced at Brown University: “I could not for the life of me understand why every Black person I saw wanted to shake my hand… because I had never categorized my Blackness as being part of an endangered species.” –Daveed Diggs The Tight Rope Episode #5“The thing I appreciate most about Judaism is that analysis and argument are baked into the religion. Talmudic scholarship is really about just arguing about what the Torah is about.” –Daveed Diggs The Tight Rope Episode #5On his role as an actor: “I’m responsible for this character’s portion of the story. It’s all about the story. If the story doesn’t come across, every piece of it failed... We all have to work together to make sure that the story comes across in all its nuances and it can raise all the questions it’s trying to raise.” –Daveed Diggs The Tight Rope Episode #5“August Wilson used to say, “When Black people perform, they authorize an alternative reality.” To be able to be in the water and not wet, to be on the mothership away from a white supremacist world that is putting you down but you’re still preserving your sanity by, not being stupid, but being foolish in the most profound sense of what it is to be a holy fool.” –Dr. Cornel West The Tight Rope Episode #5On the Hyphy Movement: “You’ve been calling me dumb for so long, I’m going to go out and show you how beautiful dumb is and show you what exactly dumb looks like. We’re going to act the fool in this incredibly profound way... We would all hop out of the car at a stoplight and just hold up traffic and party in the middle of the street. And it’s this performance of despite everything I have been through, that you have put me through, watch my joy. You have to stand on the sidelines cause you’re actually never going to feel it.” –Daveed Diggs The Tight Rope Episode #5“Artists are interpreters of data… cultural data analysis is what we do. So we can see something out there and break that down and take a number or an observed behavior and break that down into something that can be felt.” –Daveed Diggs The Tight Rope Episode #5“When popular culture, to me, is really making its own generational mark, it’s in conversation-- it doesn’t have to be with elders-- but with other musical traditions in a way that respects something bigger than what’s going to be consumed in a short-term way.” –Tricia Rose The Tight Rope Episode #5  Stay Connected:Cornel WestWebsite: http://www.cornelwest.comTwitter: @CornelWestFacebook: Dr. Cornel West - HomeInstagram: @BrotherCornelWest Linktree: Cornel West  Tricia RoseWebsite: http://www.triciarose.com/LinkedIn: Tricia RoseTwitter: @ProfTriciaRoseFacebook: Tricia RoseInstagram: @ProfTriciaRoseYoutube: Professor Tricia Rose  Daveed DiggsWebsite: Deveed DiggsTwitter: @DaveedDiggsFacebook Fan Page: @daveeddiggs Instagram: @daveeddiggsPlaybill: Daveed DiggsIMDb: Daveed DiggsApple Music: Daveed Diggs clipping. Website: clppng.com Twitter: @clppngFacebook: @clppngYoutube: clppngSoundcloud: clipping.Bandcamp: clppng.bandcamp.comApple Music: clipping.  The Tight RopeWebsite: www.thetightropepodcast.comInstagram: @thetightropepodTwitter: @thetightropepodFacebook: The Tight Rope Pod This episode was produced and managed by Spkerbox Media in collaboration with Podcast Laundry.

George Wallace By the age of six, George Wallace knew he wanted to be a comedian. He always enjoyed making people laugh, but he also knew the importance of an education. He attended the University of Akron, Ohio and upon graduating with degrees in Transportation, Marketing/Advertising, plus advance studies in Radio and Television from Columbia School of Broadcasting. Literally, a rags-to-riches story, Wallace went from selling rags to VP of Advertising. Still, his dream of being a comedian had a strong hold on him. Within a week of leaving the advertising field, he began to perform stand-up comedy and was offered a job writing for “The Redd Foxx Show.” Wallace is currently pursuing dual coursework at University of Phoenix and DeVry. With his writing and stand-up experience, Wallace began landing television appearances. Wallace was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2013 Soul Train/Centric Comedy All-Star Awards; and won Best Stand Up Comedian at the prestigious American Comedy Awards after four consecutive nominations. As a veteran radio personality, he has also made appearances on “The Steve Harvey Morning Show” and is a charter member of “The Tom Joyner Morning Show.” In 2004 Wallace appeared as the headlining star of his own show at The Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas for a 30 day run. Sin City showed its admiration by extending Wallace’s contract indefinitely and nicknaming him “The New Mr. Vegas.” Unlike any other comedy show in Las Vegas, Wallace gave away a number of prizes every night including CDs, DVDs, diamond necklaces, dinner at prestigious restaurants, gourmet chocolates, tropical cruises and even a new car. He celebrated his 10th Anniversary headlining at the Flamingo in March 2014, announced he was closing the show to head back out on the road.  Wallace regularly performs in comedy clubs across the country and is an ambassador for the United States government, performing at military bases all over the world. His first book, LAFF IT OFF (Chaite Press) was published in 2014. A tome of life wisdom, humor and insight from a lifetime of observation, the book is in its third printing.  Wallace’s most recognized material is his “I Be Thinkin’” lines and jokes about everything from conversational thoughts to political aspirations. Each show he engages members of the audience in comical banter. If provoked, he might even throw out a few of his signature “Yo Mama” jokes. He shows his gratitude to the audience by signing autographs and taking photos after every show. Audience members never know what will happen at the George Wallace show. Wallace is an evolving comedian, which is why his show is different every night. He’s always thinkin’. Fans can now get a taste of what Wallace be thinkin’ on Twitter @MrGeorgeWallace. David Alan Grier -Countless theater, television, film and comedic endeavors have pushed David Alan Grier's career to remarkable heights and his ability to excel across all mediums and contexts is a testament to his inherent sense of comic timing and creative drive. The three-time Tony and GRAMMY Award nominee was trained in Shakespeare at Yale where he received an MFA from the Yale School of Drama. Grier has enjoyed many accolades and awards throughout his career, not the least of which was his inclusion on Comedy Central's list of the “100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time.”  On the big screen, David Alan Grier was recently seen starring in PEEPLES, produced by Tyler Perry, opposite Kerry Washington and Craig Robinson. Grier made his film debut in STREAMERS (1983), directed by Robert Altman for which he won the Golden Lion for Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival. He also appeared in the Wayans Brothers' spoof movie DANCE FLICK (2009).  Grier's television work is highlighted by a turn as principal cast member on the Emmy Award winning In Living Color (1990–1994) where he helped to create some of the show's most memorable characters, DAG (2000–2001) and Life with Bonnie (2003) which earned an Image and Golden Satellite nomination. David created, wrote and executive produced a show for Comedy Central called Chocolate News (2008). Last fall, David starred in THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM, a Hallmark Channel adaptation of Paul Curtis' 1996 Newbery Award-winning novel by the same name. Grier recently wrapped shooting a starring role as ‘Principal Carl Gaines' in a new series for CBS, Bad Teacher.  Grier began his professional career on Broadway as Jackie Robinson in The First, for which he earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical and won the Theatre World Award (1981). He then joined the cast of Dreamgirls before going on to star opposite Denzel Washington in A Soldier's Play, for which both actors reprised their roles in the film adaptation, A SOLDIER'S STORY (1984). In 2009/2010 Grier starred in David Mamet's acclaimed play RACE opposite James Spader and Kerry Washington at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Broadway for which he received his second Tony Award nomination. Grier received the third Tony Award nomination of his career in 2012 for his performance in the "stand-out role of the rakish, drug-dealing Sporting Life" (NY Times) in The Gershwin's Porgy & Bess. Grier received his first GRAMMY nomination when the cast recording of The Gershwin's Porgy & Bess received a 2013 GRAMMY Award nomination for Best Musical Theater Album.  Since then, his most notable screen credits include "Baadasssss!," "The Woodsman," "Crank Yankers," "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz," "Bewitched," "Dance Flick," "Astro Boy," "Bones," "Peeples," "The Watsons Go to Birmingham," "Bad Teacher," "Comedy Bang! Bang!," "The Carmichael Show," "A Series of Unfortunate Events," and "Queen Sugar," among many others. Grier has also delved into the world of live televised musicals, starring as the Cowardly Lion in NBC's "The Wiz Live!" in 2015 and appearing as Santa Claus in Fox's "A Christmas Story Live!" in 2017. He returned to Broadway for Roundabout Theatre Company, once again revisiting the Pulitzer Prize-winning A Soldier's Play, to star as Sergeant Vernon C. Waters in its Broadway premiere at the American Airlines Theatre from December 27, 2019 through March 15, 2020. He also stars in the film Coffee & Kareem which is now available on Netflix. Gina Yashere -Gina was born & raised in London UK, of Nigerian parents, and previously worked as an elevator engineer for Otis. Gina has been a stand up and TV star in the UK for numerous years now, with appearances on iconic TV shows such as Live At The Apollo & Mock The Week, as well as creating & performing the hugely popular comedic characters, Tanya & Mrs. Omokerede on The Lenny Henry Show. She broke onto the American comedy scene with her appearances on Last Comic Standing (NBC), where she made it to the final 10, and then never went home! Gina went on to be named one of the top 10 rising talents in the Hollywood Reporter. She is also known in the US for being the only British comedian to ever appear on the iconic Def Comedy Jam, as well as for her hilarious appearances on The Tonight Show (NBC) & Crashing on HBO. Gina self produced 3 separate 1 hour Stand Up Specials, Skinny B*tch, Laughing To America, & Ticking Boxes, two of which are currently streaming on Netflix. Gina's 4th stand up special is also streaming on Netflix, as part of The Stand Ups, season 2, and is  garnering rave reviews on the network. She is also regularly featured on Comedy Central as the British Correspondent on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. Gina is also an in demand voice artist. She has voiced characters in various animations, including Keisha in the British cult hit, Bromwell High, & Gravelle in the latest movie from the makers of Wallace & Gromit & Chicken Run, Early Man! She can be currently heard playing a starfish called Gareth, on the Children's ITV show, The Rubbish World of Dave Spud. (UK) Gina has performed for audiences not just in Europe, the US & Australia, but she is in fact, a highly sought after comedian in Asia, making numerous sold out appearances in Singapore, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia & Hong Kong. It’s a wonder she found the time to pick up her 4th award in a row for “Best Comedian” at the recent Black Entertainment & Comedy Awards (UK). Gina has performed numerous times at the prestigious Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal and Toronto. Feature films appearances have included Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Mr. in Between, and she has also appeared on the West-End stage in The Vagina Monologues. Gina currently resides in Los Angeles where she is producing, writing and acting on the new sitcom Bob hearts Abishola, which she co-created with Chuck Lorre, & is currently airing on CBS.   Always hosted by Marina Franklin - One Hour Comedy Special: Single Black Female ( Amazon Prime), Trainwreck, Louie Season V, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, HBO's Crashing, and The Breaks with Michelle Wolf

Dear Evan Hansen, I attended the opening night performance of the San Francisco run of your national tour at the Curran Theatre. I’ve heard a lot about your show - the six Tonys (including Best Musical) and the Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album. I’ve seen the songs performed on various television shows and many of my friends own the album. I know this show has touched a nerve with a lot of people and, after seeing it, I understand why. Yet, I left the theatre feeling a bit uncomfortable. Your story of a friendless high school student (played by Ben Levi Ross) with an unspecified behavioral condition who finds himself trapped in a lie of his own creation about a fellow student’s death has a lot to say. It speaks to the lonely, the different, and the heartbroken via some beautiful songs by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, like “You Will Be Found” and “Waving Through a Window”. Your tale of the desperate need for human connections in a technologically oppressive world is filled with terrific performances, especially Jessica Philips as your mother, Jared Kleinman as your “family friend” Jared, and Maggie McKenna as Zoe, the object of your affection. Steven Levenson’s book speaks many truths as well. I have experienced first-hand the phenomenon of what happens at a public school when students are faced with the unexpected death of a classmate; how some latch on to a person they never knew and create a relationship that never existed. Where I find the story less than truthful, however, is in dealing with the issue of your condition and the underlying message of the myth of a “good lie”. What is it that led you to seek therapeutic help? Is your awkwardness a manifestation of that condition? If it is, why is the audience amused by it? Do they find your behavior cute? Funny? Is your pain being played for laughs? Is that why your lying is excused? The more I thought about these things, the more troubled I became. And what of your lie? Is the fact that everyone seems to come out of the situation unscathed, or even better off, a classic case of the ends justifying the means? Is that the message with which the playwright really wants to leave us? We live in perilous times, Evan. Truth is a precious commodity that is in too short supply these days. Let’s not lose sight of that via eye-popping stagecraft and soaring ballads. Sincerely, Me ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ runs through December 30th at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco. Dates and times vary. For more information, go to sfcurran.com

Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton: An American Musical is, simply, a phenomenon.The Broadway production was nominated for a record 16 Tony Awards, and it won 11. The Original Broadway Cast Recording is certified five-times Platinum and won the Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album, and The Hamilton Mixtape debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In honor of these two brilliant actors and their 2017 Tony Award nominations here are interviews with the star of Falsettos and Girls, Andrew Rannells, and the star of Dear Evan Hansen and Pitch Perfect, Ben Platt.  Andrew Rannells -  Andrew Rannells plays Elijah on the hit HBO series, Girls. He is also known for his work as Elder Price in the 2011 Broadway musical The Book of Mormon, which earned him a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical. As a featured soloist on the musical's Original Broadway Cast Recording, he won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. His other Broadway credits include Jersey Boys, Hairspray, and Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Falsettos. He portrayed King George III in Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical Hamilton on Broadway.  Ben Platt -  Ben Platt originated the title role in Dear Evan Hansen to critical acclaim (Obie Award, Outer Critics Circle and Drama League nominations). Platt was the original Elder Cunningham in the Chicago production of The Book of Mormon and reprised the role on Broadway (dir. Trey Parker and Casey Nicholaw). Film: Benji Applebaum in Pitch Perfect and Pitch Perfect 2, Ricki and the Flash (dir. Jonathan Demme), Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk (dir. Ang Lee), Drunk Parents (dir. Fred Wolf). ŒNational Tours: Caroline, or Change (directed by George C. Wolfe). Regional credits include Dear Evan Hansen (Arena Stage), The Black Suits (Barrington Stage Company), The Power of Duff (dir. Peter DuBois/New York Stage and Film), Dead End (dir. Nicholas Martin/Ahmanson Theatre), The Music Man, Mame, Camelot, and The Sound of Music (dir. Gordon Hunt/Hollywood Bowl). 

Andrew Rannells, Television and Broadway star, takes listeners behind the scenes of Girls on HBO, Hamilton on Broadway, and how he got from Omaha to New York City. Andrew Rannells plays Elijah on the hit HBO series, Girls. He is also known for his work as Elder Price in the 2011 Broadway musical The Book of Mormon, which earned him a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical. As a featured soloist on the musical's Original Broadway Cast Recording, he won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. His other Broadway credits include Jersey Boys, Hairspray, and Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Falsettos. He portrayed King George III in Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical Hamilton on Broadway. 

Welcome back! Hamilton: An American Musical tells the story of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton. It was written by Lin-Manuel Miranda who also starred in the title role. It debuted Off-Broadway at the Public Theatre to critical acclaim and transferred to Broadway in August 2015. Since then it was nominated for a record-setting 16 Tony Awards, winning 11, including Best Musical as well as awards for Best Book and Best Score for its creator, Miranda. It was also the recipient of the 2016 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album and the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It’s even made its way into Wake Forest University’s undergraduate admissions application as a short-answer question. You can read the full story about that at news.wfu.edu. Today on Humanities Viewpoints, Jake Ruddiman from the History Department talks with me about the Hamilton phenomenon. We discuss what Hamilton, the musical, gets right, what it leaves out, and what may have captivated Lin Manuel-Miranda’s imagination, inspiring the creation of his version of this “Founding Father without a father.” Jake Ruddiman is an Associate Professor of History at Wake Forest University. His first book, Becoming Men of Some Consequence, presents the experiences of young men in fighting in the Revolutionary War. His next projects explore the Revolution in the southeast.

Hosts Briana Phipps, Drexel Heard, Jacque Borowski, and Alexis Torres discuss the Broadway Musical: Hamilton: An American Musical. Hamilton is a musical about the life of American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, with music, lyrics and book by Lin-Manuel Miranda. The show, inspired by the 2004 biography Alexander Hamilton by historian Ron Chernow, achieved both critical acclaim and box office success. The musical made its Off-Broadway debut at The Public Theater in February 2015, where its engagement was sold out. The show transferred to Broadway in August 2015 at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. On Broadway, it received enthusiastic critical acclaim and unprecedented advance box office sales. Nominated for a record-setting 16 Tony Awards, the production ultimately won 11, including Best Musical, and is also the recipient of the 2016 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album and the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The prior off-Broadway production of Hamilton won the

Diane Paulus is the Terrie and Bradley Bloom Artistic Director of the American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University, and was selected for the 2014 TIME 100, TIME Magazine’s annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. She is an American director of both theater and opera. Paulus was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for her revival of Hair, and won the award in 2013 for her revival of Pippin. In 2015, Paulus directed the new musical Waitress, based on the 2007 film of the same name, written by Adrienne Shelly. The music was written by six-time Grammy Award nominated singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles. The musical was nominated for four Tony Awards and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. Listen in to our chat to hear where her journey to “it” status as a Director began and . . . How her “there are no rules” attitude was the key to her early success . . . in a garden. How she maintains that attitude on Broadway, where there is nothing BUT rules. Where she learned what the “people” thought mattered more than what the critics thought. The most challenging part of being the Artistic Director of a regional theater like ART. How growing up in NYC shaped her style. Keep up with me: @KenDavenportBway www.theproducersperspective.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

'Frozen', a tour of magic and music. On Sunday, Disney's animated movie "Frozen", won this year's Oscar for Best Animated Feature, and the song ‘Let it go' won the award for Best Original Song. The win by the song's writer Robert Lopez gave the musician a rare EGOT (aka Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony). Lopez had previously won a Tony in 2004 for Best Original Score for Avenue Q, two Daytime Emmy Awards in 2008 and 2010 for The Wonder Pets, and a Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album in 2012 for The Book of Mormon. Lopez is only the 12th person in history to achieve such a feat. So let's go back to the ice world and experience the magic of Queen Elsa and her beautiful music. 《Do U Want to Build a Snowman ？》（想去堆雪人吗？）was performed by the queen's younger sister Anna (音：昂娜) in the film. The three different voices highlight Anna's personal growth, as well as the distance between the pair. It's also the main bridge of the story, taking the audience from the film's introduction to its main plotline. 3 years later, Elsa was to have her coronation, which would have brought some slight change to her boring life. Anna was overjoyed at the prospect of meeting someone or 'THE ONE' once the long-closed gate was finally opened. But Elsa's part was not happy at all; her voice was full of nervousness and worry. However, Elsa and Anna eventually meet each other, in the first climax of the story. 《For the First Time in Forever》（生平第一次） Could Anna's door to love also be opened? After being lonely for a long, long time, Anna finally met THE ONE, a handsome prince named Hans. Without any hesitation, the two instantly fell in love with each other. However, the twist is that the merrier the two are together, the uglier the prince becomes. 《Love Is an Open Door》（敞开爱之门）。 OK, here comes the award-winning song ‘Let it go'. As the dazzling castle rises up, we find that the new Elsa is finally coming out. The song ‘Let it go' is so powerful, it enables to feel that all her suffering has blown away, along with Elsa's old cloak. Let the nervousness go, let the anxieties go; in this moment in time, Elsa is just being herself, the Queen of Ice. 《Let It Go》（随它去） 《Reindeers Are Better Than People》（麋鹿比人类更友好）is sung by Kristoff, one of the two supporting male characters.（btw, there is no male lead in this movie） The song is quite short and simple; just like Kristoff; however, a simple ice man who can play guitar should be much more suitable for our adorable Anna. 《In Summer》（在夏天）is sung by Snowman. On the journey of Anna's adventure, it's good to take a short break, but this song really is a bit of a detour from the main storyline. 《Fixer-Upper》（正待修葺的房子）。The stone elf are really noisy, but without this rap song, Anna and Kristoff would not have been able to realize their feelings towards each other. And this song also foreshadows Kristoff's return to Anna, although it is only played to the backdrop of sisters gathering… 《Vuelie》（大地之歌） comes near the end of the story. Elsa found a way to get the summer back. With few lyrics, the song still holds much power, and really eases the nerves of the citizens of Arendelle, as well as the audience. Finally, we have a demo song, which is not used in the movie, but shows that the voices of the song's writers Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez are as good as at of the Broadway singers Thanks for the musicians Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez. You deserve your Oscar awards, and we hope that you can bring us more and more great movie theme songs in the future. And Thanks to Troy on Mtime.com, we hope you enjoy the show.