Dolly PartonDolly's "Change It" video to Debut #1 on CMT Pure Country!
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August 28th, 2009
A big thank you to all of the Big Wigs, Dollyites and Twitter followers who have been persistently voting. Thanks to you, Dolly's "Change It" video will debut at #1 tonight on CMT Pure Country's 12-Pack Countdown at 9 PM ET/PT!
Dolly Parton "Live From London" Performance to Appear on Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon!
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August 27th, 2009
A video clip of Dolly, "Live From London" will play on the 44th Annual MDA Telethon this Labor Day weekend! This wonderful program raises millions of dollars each year to help with MDA research, services and education programs.
Be sure and check www.mda.org for local stations and start times.
75th Anniversary of Great Smokey Mountains National Park
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August 27th, 2009
On September 2nd, Dolly will be on hand as Ambassador for the Great Smokey Mountains National Park 75th Anniversay rededication. She will join Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen and North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue along with several others in celebrating 75 years of this National Park.
Vote for "Change It" on CMT Pure!
August 24th, 2009
Hi Dolly Fans!
Show your support for Dolly and her new video, "Change It," by voting for it on the CMT Pure 12 Pack. You can head here to vote!
September 3, 2009
Dolly Parton
Playbill News: Punching Out: 9 to 5 Will Close Sept. 6; Tour Will Launch in Nashville
Playbill News: Punching Out: 9 to 5 Will Close Sept. 6; Tour Will Launch in NashvillePunching Out: 9 to 5 Will Close Sept. 6; Tour Will Launch in NashvilleBy Kenneth Jones
29 Jul 2009
9 to 5 stars Megan Hilty, Allison Janney and Stephanie J. Block photo by Joan Marcus The marquee value of both songwriter Dolly Parton and the hit title 9 to 5 was not enough to keep the new musical version of the popular 1980 movie alive on Broadway. The musical will close Sept. 6.
Producer Robert Greenblatt told his cast the bad news before the matinee on July 29. The financial loss for Greenblatt and his partners doesn't keep them from thinking 9 to 5: The Musical has legs: a national tour is in the works, to launch the week of Sept. 20, 2010, at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville.
By close, the Broadway run of 9 to 5 will have played 148 performances and 24 previews.
"I couldn't have asked for a better experience on my first Broadway show," stated Dolly Parton. "I've had the privilege of working with an amazing group of people who have become like family to me. I can't wait for this show to hit the road so people across the country can see why I'm so proud of everyone involved. And I'm so pleased that we'll be opening the tour in Nashville. Great things happen in Nashville."
The critics weren't all that interested in the production at the Marquis Theatre, but fans of the picture that starred Parton, Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda howled to their favorite lines from the script and tapped their feet to the expanded title number, which serves as the opening sequence, choreographed by In the Heights Tony Award winner Andy Blankenbuehler (who was Tony-nommed for his work here).
Joe Mantello (Wicked) directed the show, which features a libretto by Broadway newcomer Patricia Resnick (who created the film story and co-wrote the screenplay).It is thought that a return of Irving Berlin's White Christmas will be the next tenant at the Marquis, for a run between November and January. That seasonal show played the Marquis in 2008. No official announcement has been made.
In the roles created by Parton, Tomlin and Fonda, the Broadway trio of secretaries included Megan Hilty, Allison Janney and Stephanie J. Block. Their work is preserved on a cast album released by Dolly Records in July 28.
9 to 5: The Musical opened April 30. Judy (Block), Doralee (Hilty) and Violet (Janney) — three office workers who are "just a step on the bossman's ladder," according to the title tune — came to life on Broadway on April 7, the first day of previews. The troupers had a fall 2008 tryout world-premiere run at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles.
The stage score includes six new Parton songs written especially for the show. 9 to 5 marks the songwriting Broadway debut of the seven-time Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and musician.
9 to 5 was nominated for 2009 Tony Awards in the following categories: Best Original Score Written for the Theatre (Dolly Parton), Best Actress in a Musical (Janney), Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Kudisch), Best Choreography (Blankenbuehler).
Allison Janney won the 2009 Drama Desk Award as Outstanding Actress in a Musical for her work in the show.
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As in the film, the heroines of the piece prey on chauvinist boss Franklin Hart (here played by Tony Award nominee Marc Kudisch), but their worlds and passions are now more fully realized with songs, new mates and fresh scenes. There's also a video screen upstage to create atmosphere and settings ("imaging" is by Peter Nigrini & Peggy Eisenhauer).
Like the film, the musical is set around 1980.
Of the Broadway process, Parton admitted, "I was kinda scared of it…I thought, 'This is a whole different world to me. I hear these people can just eat you up alive.' And I thought, 'Well, I'm not one to be eaten alive without kickin' and a-fightin'!'"
Musical direction and vocal arrangements are by Stephen Oremus (Wicked, All Shook Up).
Parton told Playbill.com in a summer 2008 interview, "I was more than happy to adjust and adapt to anything they needed me to change. I didn't take that as an insult as a writer. I thought, 'Well, this is what they do — they should know.' And I certainly can change it, I can write on my feet, y'know. They were impressed 'cause I'd never done [this] before. I was kinda proud of myself, 'cause I didn't know that I could do it at all."
Parton has said that 9 to 5 is a theatre score, not a country music score — despite the fact that Parton recorded and released one country-flavored song from the show, "Backwoods Barbie," a number for Doralee.
Here's the 9 to 5 plot in a nutshell: "When pushed to their boiling point by their boss, Franklin Hart, Jr. (Kudisch), Violet Newstead (Janney), the super efficient office manager, Judy Bernly (Block), a frazzled divorcee, and the sexy executive secretary Doralee Rhodes (Megan Hilty) turn the tables on him. The trio hatches a plan to get even with the sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical, bigot, and that plan quickly spins wildly and hilariously out of control."
The production features scenic design by two-time Tony Award winner Scott Pask, costume design by five-time Tony Award winner William Ivey Long, lighting design by Tony Award winners Jules Fisher and Kenneth Posner and sound design by John H. Shivers. Oremus also shares credit (with Alex Lacamoire) for additional orchestrations and incidental music arrangements. Orchestrations are by Bruce Coughlin. Lacamoire wrote the dance music arrangements. Hair design is by Paul Huntley and Edward J. Wilson. Production supervisor is William Joseph Barnes.
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9 to 5: The Musical stars four-time Emmy Award winner and Tony Award nominee Janney ("The West Wing," Present Laughter), Block (The Pirate Queen, Wicked) as Judy and Hilty (Wicked) as Doralee, plus two-time Tony Award nominee Kudisch (Bells Are Ringing, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) as Franklin Hart Jr., the chauvinist boss women loved to hate 30 years ago in the movie comedy.
The 30-member opening-night cast featured Kathy Fitzgerald (as evil office supervisor Roz), Andy Karl (as accounting employee Joe, a possible love interest for Violet), Ioana Alfonso, Timothy George Anderson, Jennifer Balagna, Justin Bohon, Paul Castree, Daniel Cooney, Jeremy Davis, Gaelen Gilliland, Autumn Guzzardi, Ann Harada, Neil Haskell, Lisa Howard, Van Hughes, Michael X. Martin, Michael Mindlin, Karen Murphy, Mark Myars (dance captain), Justin Patterson, Jessica Lea Patty, Charlie Pollock, Tory Ross, Wayne Schroder, Maia Nkenge Wilson and Brandi Wooten.
9 To 5: The Musical is produced by Robert Greenblatt, Green State Productions, Richard Levi, John McColgan/Moya Doherty/Edgar Dobie, James L. Nederlander/Terry Allen Kramer, Independent Presenters Network, JAM Theatricals, Bud Martin, Michael Watt, The Weinstein Co/Sonia Friedman/Dede Harris, Norton Herrick/Matthew C Blank/Joan Stein, Center Theatre Group, Toni Dowgiallo and GFOUR Productions.
The Marriott Marquis is located at 1535 Broadway between 45th and 46th Streets.
The playing schedule for 9 to 5 is as follows: Tuesday at 7 PM; Wednesday through Saturday at 8 PM; Sunday at 3 PM; with matinees on Wednesday and Saturday at 2 PM.
Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.com (212) 307-4100 or at the Marriott Marquis Theater Box Office and range from $126.50 to $66.50.
For more information visit www.9to5themusical.com.
Megan Hilty and Marc Kudisch in 9 to 5. photo by Joan Marcus
Allison Janney, Stephanie J. Block and Megan Hilty (left to right) from the Broadway Musical 9 to 5 perform at Broadway in Bryant Park
A Working Lunch : OurTownNYA Working Lunch
July 22, 2009
Allison Janney, Stephanie J. Block and Megan Hilty (left to right) from the Broadway Musical 9 to 5 perform at Broadway in Bryant Park. The free lunchtime concert series runs every Thursday through Aug. 13. Photo by Andrew Schwartz
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WANT TO SEE GAY MEN REENACT ROCK 'N' ROLL HISTORY: 'Good Rockin' Tonight', MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET To Open On Broadway Spring 2010
'Good Rockin' Tonight', MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET To Open On Broadway Spring 2010
MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET, the new musical inspired by the famed 1956 recording session that brought together four of the most legendary figures in the history of rock 'n' roll - Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley - will open on Broadway in the Spring of 2010 in a theatre to be announced.
Directed by Eric Schaeffer, with a book by Colin Escott (WORK IT, COLIN--SAY HELLO TO JERRY LEE IN HELL FOR ME) and Floyd Mutrux, MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET is produced by Relevant Theatricals, John Cossette Productions, Northern Lights Inc., Broadway Across America, and James L. Nederlander. Casting for Broadway to be announced.
MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET recently received 3 nominations for Jeff Awards, including Best Production of a Musical (Large) and Best Ensemble.
On December 4, 1956, an auspicious twist of fate brought Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley together. The place was Sun Records' storefront studio in Memphis. The man who made it happen was Sam Phillips, the "Father of Rock 'n' Roll," who discovered them all. The four legends-to-be united for the only time in their careers for an impromptu recording that has come to be known as one of the greatest rock jam sessions of all time.
Featuring a treasure trove of the greatest rock 'n' roll, gospel, R&B and country hits from these music legends, including "Blue Suede Shoes," "Fever," "Sixteen Tons," "Who Do You Love?," "Great Balls of Fire," "Riders in the Sky," "I Walk the Line," "Folsom Prison Blues" and "Whole Lotta' Shakin' Goin' On," MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET captures the infectious spirit, freewheeling excitement and thrilling sounds of a singular moment when four of the music industry's most extraordinary talents, all in their creative prime, came together for one of the most memorable nights in music history.
For information about the Chicago production of MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET, visit www.milliondollarquartetlive.com.
Eric Schaeffer (Director) is the acclaimed co-founder and artistic director of the Signature Theatre in Arlington, VA, where his work has been honored with the 2009 Tony Award for Regional Theatre Excellence as well as numerous Helen Hayes Awards including Outstanding Direction. He directed Putting it Together and Glory Days on Broadway, the first national tour of big, The Musical, and the West End debut of The Witches of Eastwick. He also served as artistic director for the Kennedy Center's Sondheim Celebration.
Floyd Mutrux (Co-bookwriter) has written, directed or produced numerous films, including the classic biopic of early rock 'n' roll American Hot Wax, Dick Tracy and Mulholland Falls.
Colin Escott (Co-bookwriter) is a noted music historian and the author of numerous books including Good Rockin' Tonight - Sun Records and the Birth of Rock 'n' Roll. Escott was awarded a Grammy for producing The Complete Hank Williams, and was nominated for a Grammy for producing B.B. King - King of the Blues.
Musical Director Chuck Mead, with multiple hit records, has stood at the forefront of the alternative country music explosion as founder and lead of BR549, the three-time Grammy Award nominated country band.
Relevant Theatricals (Producer) is a commercial Production Company headed by Gigi Pritzker and Ted Rawlins, dedicated to developing new work for the stage. Current projects include: F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, which premiered at the Guthrie Theatre and is on course to open in London next year; Snapshots, a new musical with book by David Stern and music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz; and a new musical version of Dennis The Menace. Relevant's sister company, Odd Lot Entertainment, develops and produces outstanding new film properties. Current Productions include the feature "Rabbit Hole," based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by David Lindsay-Abaire, starring Nicole Kidman and Dianne Wiest, and directed by John Cameron Mitchell. Relevant Theatricals is proud to be part of the producing team that developed MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET.
John Cossette's (Producer) more than 30-year career in the entertainment and music industry has earned him a respected reputation as an innovative and creative producer of large scale television shows and events. With John Cossette Productions, Cossette has produced the Grammy Awards for the past 17 years and is the Consulting Producer on the Latin Grammy Awards. Cossette also produces five annual event specials for BET, including The BET Awards, which have become the premier event in Urban Music. Cossette has spearheaded a variety of corporate marketing events. At the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Cossette produced a series of 20 concerts for AT&T, which were attended by more than 2.5 million people. Cossette helped launch the American Express Blue Card with "Central Park In Blue with Sheryl Crow & Friends" featuring Eric Clapton, Keith Richards and The Dixie Chicks, among others. Among his numerous additional producing credits, Cossette is heavily involved in a number of charitable events. The winner of two NAACP Image Awards, Cossette has produced benefits for the House Ear Institute, The Concern Foundation for Cancer Research, MusicCares, The NARAS Foundation and the Society of Singers. He also helps to underwrite the E.J. Jackson Foundation to feed the homeless in South Central L.A., helping to feed over 15,000 people on Thanksgiving.
Broadway Across America (Producer) is owned and operated by British theatre producer John Gore (CEO) and entertainment industry veteran Thomas B. McGrath (Chairman). Broadway Across America presents first-class touring Broadway musicals and plays, family productions and other live events throughout a network of 43 North American cities. Broadway Across America is also dedicated to the development and production of new and diverse live theatre for productions on Broadway, across America and throughout the world. Broadway Across America most recently produced the Broadway productions of Hair, West Side Story and Irving Berlin's White Christmas. Upcoming productions include Minsky's, Promises, Promises, MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET and the West End production of Breakfast at Tiffany's. Touring productions include Nickelodeon's Storytime Adventures featuring Dora the Explorer, and Dreamgirls. For more information or to purchase tickets through an authorized agent go to BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com.
Photo by Paul Natkin
