General Hospital fans are one of the most loyal people on the planet. Being with the show that has been on air for more than 60 years is a thing to be actually proud of, because as we all know, soap operas can sometimes be very tough to handle.
As usual, no rules apply to the soap operas as they live by their own rules. A dead character can come back alive after 100 episodes, just as the long-lost twin brother can appear on screen when you least expect anything like that.
Another thing about soap operas is that the cast of a show is huge, and when the writers keep introducing new characters when the old ones are just hanging there with no stories, it really annoys the fans.
So they just wish that half of the cast would be cut and the rest of the characters would be given proper storylines.
As usual, no rules apply to the soap operas as they live by their own rules. A dead character can come back alive after 100 episodes, just as the long-lost twin brother can appear on screen when you least expect anything like that.
Another thing about soap operas is that the cast of a show is huge, and when the writers keep introducing new characters when the old ones are just hanging there with no stories, it really annoys the fans.
So they just wish that half of the cast would be cut and the rest of the characters would be given proper storylines.
- 5/11/2024
- by info@startefacts.com (Rachel Bailey)
- STartefacts.com
Fumi Nikaido could be one of several “Shōgun” stars who go on to earn Emmy nominations for their career-best work in the FX series.
Adapted from James Clavell‘s 1975 historical book of the same name, Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks’ limited series follows multiple factions all vying for control over the five Regents in Japan at the end of the 16th century. Meanwhile, a British sailor (Cosmo Jarvis) begins a brand new life after becoming shipwrecked in Japan and entering the service of Hiroyuki Sanada‘s Lord Yoshii Toranaga.
Jarvis and Sanada are both competing for lead actor nominations and so, too, is Anna Sawai. Nikaido, meanwhile, is one of several supporting players who are looking for an Emmy citation for their work on the show. Nikaido plays Ochiba no Kata, a consort of the Japanese leader Taikō (Taikō’s death is the incident that triggers the five Regents power...
Adapted from James Clavell‘s 1975 historical book of the same name, Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks’ limited series follows multiple factions all vying for control over the five Regents in Japan at the end of the 16th century. Meanwhile, a British sailor (Cosmo Jarvis) begins a brand new life after becoming shipwrecked in Japan and entering the service of Hiroyuki Sanada‘s Lord Yoshii Toranaga.
Jarvis and Sanada are both competing for lead actor nominations and so, too, is Anna Sawai. Nikaido, meanwhile, is one of several supporting players who are looking for an Emmy citation for their work on the show. Nikaido plays Ochiba no Kata, a consort of the Japanese leader Taikō (Taikō’s death is the incident that triggers the five Regents power...
- 4/26/2024
- by Jacob Sarkisian
- Gold Derby
Fan favorite actress Melissa Reeves is back filming at Days of our Lives for scenes that will air in November. Reeves, who joined the soap as Jennifer Horton in 1985 and last appeared as the character in 2021, will celebrate Thanksgiving in Salem and take part in the on-air memorial to late actor Bill Hayes (ex-Doug Williams), who passed away in January. “I heard about Bill, which was just devastating for all of us,” Reeves recalls. “I was like, ‘I wonder if they’re going to do tribute shows.’ Matt [Ashford, Jack Deveraux] and I always keep in touch and Matt said, ‘Would you ever think about going back?’ And I said, ‘Matt, I think about Days all the time.’ Days of our Lives was where I grew up and spent my life, really, from 18 until now. So it always has a place in my heart and it always will for me and for my family.
- 4/10/2024
- TV Insider
Countless Christian dramas are being aired on television and Ott spaces that discuss in detail faith and its impact on human decisions. Faith has a huge role to play in families and friendships if they find themself at any crossroads. The Baxters is one such show by Amazon MGM Studios that focuses on a family that are devout Christians and is going through many obstacles. They chose to turn to each other, the church, and faith to seek answers to their problems. The show was released on Prime Video on March 28, 2024.
The Baxters is a ten-episode show with a run time of twenty-two minutes to forty minutes, covering the drama that unfolds in the Baxter family. Kari Baxter, who is an interior decorator by profession, caught her husband of six years, Tim Jacobs, having an affair with his student on campus. Tim Jacobs is a professor at a local university...
The Baxters is a ten-episode show with a run time of twenty-two minutes to forty minutes, covering the drama that unfolds in the Baxter family. Kari Baxter, who is an interior decorator by profession, caught her husband of six years, Tim Jacobs, having an affair with his student on campus. Tim Jacobs is a professor at a local university...
- 3/28/2024
- by Smriti Kannan
- Film Fugitives
Exclusive: Happy Face has rounded out its series regular cast, adding Khiyla Aynne (Circuit Breakers) and Benjamin Mackey (The Morning Show) alongside Annaleigh Ashford, Dennis Quaid, James Wolk and Tamera Tomakili. David Harewood (Homeland) also joins the upcoming Paramount+ drama series in a recurring role. The series hails from creator and executive producer Jennifer Cacicio and executive producers Robert and Michelle King. Filming began this week in Vancouver. See Ashford’s Instagram announcement below.
Happy Face is inspired by the true-life story of Melissa Moore; the Happy Face podcast from iHeartPodcasts and Moore; and the autobiography Shattered Silence, written by Moore with M. Bridget Cook.
In the series, jumping off from Moore’s true-life story, Happy Face (Quaid) is an incarcerated serial killer who also is Melissa’s (Ashford) once-beloved father. After decades of no contact, he finally finds a way to force himself back into his daughter’s life.
Happy Face is inspired by the true-life story of Melissa Moore; the Happy Face podcast from iHeartPodcasts and Moore; and the autobiography Shattered Silence, written by Moore with M. Bridget Cook.
In the series, jumping off from Moore’s true-life story, Happy Face (Quaid) is an incarcerated serial killer who also is Melissa’s (Ashford) once-beloved father. After decades of no contact, he finally finds a way to force himself back into his daughter’s life.
- 3/20/2024
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Happy Face is rounding out its series regular cast, adding Tamera Tomakili (Winning Time) alongside Annaleigh Ashford, Dennis Quaid and James Wolk to Paramount+’s upcoming drama series. The series hails from creator and executive producer Jennifer Cacicio and executive producers Robert and Michelle King.
Happy Face is inspired by the true-life story of Melissa Moore; the Happy Face podcast from iHeartPodcasts and Moore; and the autobiography Shattered Silence, written by Moore with M. Bridget Cook.
In the series, jumping off from Moore’s true-life story. Happy Face (Quaid) is an incarcerated serial killer who also is Melissa’s (Ashford) once-beloved father. After decades of no contact, he finally finds a way to force himself back into his daughter’s life. In a race against the clock, Melissa must find out if an innocent man is going to be put to death for a crime her father committed. Throughout,...
Happy Face is inspired by the true-life story of Melissa Moore; the Happy Face podcast from iHeartPodcasts and Moore; and the autobiography Shattered Silence, written by Moore with M. Bridget Cook.
In the series, jumping off from Moore’s true-life story. Happy Face (Quaid) is an incarcerated serial killer who also is Melissa’s (Ashford) once-beloved father. After decades of no contact, he finally finds a way to force himself back into his daughter’s life. In a race against the clock, Melissa must find out if an innocent man is going to be put to death for a crime her father committed. Throughout,...
- 3/14/2024
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
As expected, Broadway’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street will end its run this spring when stars Aaron Tveit and Sutton Foster conclude their limited 12-week engagements on May 5.
Tveit and Foster have been playing the roles of Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett, respectively, since last month, having replaced original stars Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford. While box office figures since the new leads took over remain strong, average attendance has slipped from the previous sell-out numbers to around 90% of capacity in most recent weeks.
According to a show spokesperson, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street was originally intended to conclude its run in January 2024 following the departures of Groban and Ashford, but extended through May 5 with the castings of the popular Tveit and Foster, who began performances Friday February 9.
In addition to Tveit and Foster, the replacement cast also includes Heartstopper actor Joe Locke, who...
Tveit and Foster have been playing the roles of Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett, respectively, since last month, having replaced original stars Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford. While box office figures since the new leads took over remain strong, average attendance has slipped from the previous sell-out numbers to around 90% of capacity in most recent weeks.
According to a show spokesperson, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street was originally intended to conclude its run in January 2024 following the departures of Groban and Ashford, but extended through May 5 with the castings of the popular Tveit and Foster, who began performances Friday February 9.
In addition to Tveit and Foster, the replacement cast also includes Heartstopper actor Joe Locke, who...
- 3/12/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
The Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street will conclude its run this spring.
The production, which is currently starring Aaron Tveit (Moulin Rouge!, Fox’s Grease: Live) as Sweeney Todd and Sutton Foster (Younger, The Music Man) as Mrs. Lovett, will close on May 5, as the two leads end their 12-week run in the show.
The musical, directed by Thomas Kail, began performances at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on Feb. 26, 2023, and opened on March 26, with Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford in the starring roles. The production was originally meant to end in January 2024, at the end of their run, according to a spokesperson for the production, but was extended with the casting of Tveit and Foster.
The revival of Stephen Sondheim musical has done well at the box office, particularly with Groban and Ashford in the lead roles, when it often brought in close to $2 million per week,...
The production, which is currently starring Aaron Tveit (Moulin Rouge!, Fox’s Grease: Live) as Sweeney Todd and Sutton Foster (Younger, The Music Man) as Mrs. Lovett, will close on May 5, as the two leads end their 12-week run in the show.
The musical, directed by Thomas Kail, began performances at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on Feb. 26, 2023, and opened on March 26, with Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford in the starring roles. The production was originally meant to end in January 2024, at the end of their run, according to a spokesperson for the production, but was extended with the casting of Tveit and Foster.
The revival of Stephen Sondheim musical has done well at the box office, particularly with Groban and Ashford in the lead roles, when it often brought in close to $2 million per week,...
- 3/12/2024
- by Caitlin Huston
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: James Wolk (Ordinary Joe) has been tapped as a lead opposite Annaleigh Ashford and Dennis Quaid in Paramount+ upcoming drama series Happy Face. Quaid will play the titular role of the real-life serial killer notoriously called “Happy Face” because of the smiley faces he drew on evidence where he bragged about his crimes. Ashford stars as his daughter, Melissa.
Happy Face is inspired by the true-life story of Melissa Moore; the Happy Face podcast from iHeartPodcasts and Moore; and the autobiography Shattered Silence, written by Moore with M. Bridget Cook.
In the series, jumping off from Moore’s true-life story. Happy Face (Quaid) is an incarcerated serial killer who also is Melissa’s (Ashford) once-beloved father. After decades of no contact, he finally finds a way to force himself back into his daughter’s life. In a race against the clock, Melissa must find out if an innocent man...
Happy Face is inspired by the true-life story of Melissa Moore; the Happy Face podcast from iHeartPodcasts and Moore; and the autobiography Shattered Silence, written by Moore with M. Bridget Cook.
In the series, jumping off from Moore’s true-life story. Happy Face (Quaid) is an incarcerated serial killer who also is Melissa’s (Ashford) once-beloved father. After decades of no contact, he finally finds a way to force himself back into his daughter’s life. In a race against the clock, Melissa must find out if an innocent man...
- 3/8/2024
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Happy Face has cast its killer. Dennis Quaid is joining Annaleigh Ashford on the Paramount+ project, which was ordered to series back in November 2021. It has been delayed for various reasons.
The new series is inspired by the Happy Face podcast and the book Shattered Silence by Melissa Jesperson-Moore with M. Bridget Cook. The eight-episode first season will revolve around Melissa (Ashford), who discovers her father (Quaid) is a serial killer.
Paramount+ revealed more about the series in a press release.
Paramount+ today announced that Emmy Award and two-time Golden Globe-nominated actor Dennis Quaid will star in the new original drama series Happy Face. Quaid will play the titular role of the real-life serial killer notoriously called “Happy Face” because of the smiley faces...
The new series is inspired by the Happy Face podcast and the book Shattered Silence by Melissa Jesperson-Moore with M. Bridget Cook. The eight-episode first season will revolve around Melissa (Ashford), who discovers her father (Quaid) is a serial killer.
Paramount+ revealed more about the series in a press release.
Paramount+ today announced that Emmy Award and two-time Golden Globe-nominated actor Dennis Quaid will star in the new original drama series Happy Face. Quaid will play the titular role of the real-life serial killer notoriously called “Happy Face” because of the smiley faces...
- 2/20/2024
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
Dennis Quaid (Photo credit: Derrek Kupish / Provided by Paramount+)
Dennis Quaid (Lawmen: Bass Reeves) is slipping into the world of a serial killer who used a smiley face as his calling card for Paramount+’s Happy Face. Emmy nominee Quaid will star as the Happy Face Killer in the streamer’s new drama, inspired by the killer’s daughter Melissa Moore’s autobiography, Shattered Silence, and her Happy Face podcast.
Emmy nominee Annaleigh Ashford (Welcome to Chippendales) was previously announced to play Melissa. Filming is expected to get underway this spring, with Paramount+ targeting a 2025 premiere for the eight-episode season.
“Happy Face for Paramount+ jumps off from Moore’s true-life story. Happy Face (Quaid) is an incarcerated serial killer who also is Melissa’s (Ashford) once-beloved father. After decades of no contact, he finally finds a way to force himself back into his daughter’s life,” reads Paramount+’s synopsis.
Dennis Quaid (Lawmen: Bass Reeves) is slipping into the world of a serial killer who used a smiley face as his calling card for Paramount+’s Happy Face. Emmy nominee Quaid will star as the Happy Face Killer in the streamer’s new drama, inspired by the killer’s daughter Melissa Moore’s autobiography, Shattered Silence, and her Happy Face podcast.
Emmy nominee Annaleigh Ashford (Welcome to Chippendales) was previously announced to play Melissa. Filming is expected to get underway this spring, with Paramount+ targeting a 2025 premiere for the eight-episode season.
“Happy Face for Paramount+ jumps off from Moore’s true-life story. Happy Face (Quaid) is an incarcerated serial killer who also is Melissa’s (Ashford) once-beloved father. After decades of no contact, he finally finds a way to force himself back into his daughter’s life,” reads Paramount+’s synopsis.
- 2/16/2024
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
Last month, it was announced that Melissa Moore’s autobiography Shattered Silence, which previously inspired the podcast Happy Face, is getting a Paramount+ streaming series adaptation that’s also titled Happy Face. Annaleigh Ashford – whose credits include B Positive, American Crime Story, and Masters of Sex – had already signed on to star in the series at that time, and now The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that Dennis Quaid, whose long lists of credits includes the likes of The Day After Tomorrow, Innerspace, Frequency, and Jaws 3D, will be playing a serial killer on the show.
Happy Face will see Ashford taking on the role of Melissa, who at age 15, discovered that her beloved father was the prolific serial killer known as “Happy Face.” As an adult, she has changed her name and guarded her secret while her father has been serving life in prison. Melissa is drawn back into her...
Happy Face will see Ashford taking on the role of Melissa, who at age 15, discovered that her beloved father was the prolific serial killer known as “Happy Face.” As an adult, she has changed her name and guarded her secret while her father has been serving life in prison. Melissa is drawn back into her...
- 2/16/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Dennis Quaid, seen above channeling his inner Randy Quaid in Deon Taylor’s The Intruder, will play a madman once more in the upcoming Paramount+ series “Happy Face.”
Variety reports this morning that Quaid will play the real-life serial killer known as “Happy Face” in the upcoming series, which also stars Annaleigh Ashford (“American Crime Story”).
The website details, “The series is inspired by the podcast of the same name from iHeartMedia and Melissa Moore, the book “Shattered Silence” written by Moore with M. Bridget Cook, and Moore’s true-life story.”
Here’s the official plot synopsis for the show: “Happy Face (Quaid) is an incarcerated serial killer who also is Melissa’s (Ashford) once-beloved father. After decades of no contact, he finally finds a way to force himself back into his daughter’s life. In a race against the clock, Melissa must find out if an innocent man is...
Variety reports this morning that Quaid will play the real-life serial killer known as “Happy Face” in the upcoming series, which also stars Annaleigh Ashford (“American Crime Story”).
The website details, “The series is inspired by the podcast of the same name from iHeartMedia and Melissa Moore, the book “Shattered Silence” written by Moore with M. Bridget Cook, and Moore’s true-life story.”
Here’s the official plot synopsis for the show: “Happy Face (Quaid) is an incarcerated serial killer who also is Melissa’s (Ashford) once-beloved father. After decades of no contact, he finally finds a way to force himself back into his daughter’s life. In a race against the clock, Melissa must find out if an innocent man is...
- 2/16/2024
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Paramount+’s drama Happy Face has found its title star.
Dennis Quaid will star with Annaleigh Ashford in the series and will play very much against type in the role of a notorious serial killer nicknamed “Happy Face” because he drew smiley faces on evidence in boasting about his crimes. The series, from executive producers Robert and Michelle King (Evil, The Good Fight) and showrunner Jennifer Cacicio, is based on the real-life story of Melissa Moore, the daughter of the killer; the true-crime podcast Happy Face, from iHeartPodcasts and Moore; and Moore’s autobiography Shattered Silence, written with M. Bridget Cook.
The show will use Moore’s story as a jumping-off point to tell a story of how Melissa (Ashford) is drawn back into her father’s world after decades of not having contact with him. Happy Face (Quaid), in prison for his crimes, finds a way to force himself...
Dennis Quaid will star with Annaleigh Ashford in the series and will play very much against type in the role of a notorious serial killer nicknamed “Happy Face” because he drew smiley faces on evidence in boasting about his crimes. The series, from executive producers Robert and Michelle King (Evil, The Good Fight) and showrunner Jennifer Cacicio, is based on the real-life story of Melissa Moore, the daughter of the killer; the true-crime podcast Happy Face, from iHeartPodcasts and Moore; and Moore’s autobiography Shattered Silence, written with M. Bridget Cook.
The show will use Moore’s story as a jumping-off point to tell a story of how Melissa (Ashford) is drawn back into her father’s world after decades of not having contact with him. Happy Face (Quaid), in prison for his crimes, finds a way to force himself...
- 2/16/2024
- by Rick Porter
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Dennis Quaid has signed on for a leading role in the upcoming Paramount+ series “Happy Face,” Variety has learned.
Quaid will appear alongside previously announced star Annaleigh Ashford. The series is inspired by the podcast of the same name from iHeartMedia and Melissa Moore, the book “Shattered Silence” written by Moore with M. Bridget Cook, and Moore’s true-life story.
In real life, Moore discovered at 15 that her father was the serial killer known as “Happy Face,” due to the smiley faces he drew on evidence where he bragged about his crimes. As an adult, she has changed her name and guarded her secret while her father has been serving life in prison.
The official description for the series states that it jumps off from Moore’s real life story. “Happy Face (Quaid) is an incarcerated serial killer who also is Melissa’s (Ashford) once-beloved father,” the description reads. “After decades of no contact,...
Quaid will appear alongside previously announced star Annaleigh Ashford. The series is inspired by the podcast of the same name from iHeartMedia and Melissa Moore, the book “Shattered Silence” written by Moore with M. Bridget Cook, and Moore’s true-life story.
In real life, Moore discovered at 15 that her father was the serial killer known as “Happy Face,” due to the smiley faces he drew on evidence where he bragged about his crimes. As an adult, she has changed her name and guarded her secret while her father has been serving life in prison.
The official description for the series states that it jumps off from Moore’s real life story. “Happy Face (Quaid) is an incarcerated serial killer who also is Melissa’s (Ashford) once-beloved father,” the description reads. “After decades of no contact,...
- 2/16/2024
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
Dennis Quaid is set to star opposite Annaleigh Ashford in Paramount+ upcoming drama series Happy Face. Quaid will play the titular role of the real-life serial killer notoriously called “Happy Face” because of the smiley faces he drew on evidence where he bragged about his crimes. Ashford stars as his daughter, Melissa.
Happy Face is inspired by the true-life story of Melissa Moore; the Happy Face podcast from iHeartPodcasts and Moore; and the autobiography Shattered Silence, written by Moore with M. Bridget Cook.
In the series, jumping off from Moore’s true-life story. Happy Face (Quaid) is an incarcerated serial killer who also is Melissa’s (Ashford) once-beloved father. After decades of no contact, he finally finds a way to force himself back into his daughter’s life. In a race against the clock, Melissa must find out if an innocent man is going to be put to death for a crime her father committed.
Happy Face is inspired by the true-life story of Melissa Moore; the Happy Face podcast from iHeartPodcasts and Moore; and the autobiography Shattered Silence, written by Moore with M. Bridget Cook.
In the series, jumping off from Moore’s true-life story. Happy Face (Quaid) is an incarcerated serial killer who also is Melissa’s (Ashford) once-beloved father. After decades of no contact, he finally finds a way to force himself back into his daughter’s life. In a race against the clock, Melissa must find out if an innocent man is going to be put to death for a crime her father committed.
- 2/16/2024
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
The Happy Face television series is finally moving forward. Paramount+ ordered the series in November 2021 and it's heading into production later this year with Annaleigh Ashford (B Positive) as the star.
Inspired by the Happy Face podcast and the book Shattered Silence written by Melissa Jesperson-Moore with M. Bridget Cook, the series will revolve around Melissa (Ashford) who discovers her father is a serial killer. Jennifer Cacicio (Your Honor) and Robert and Michelle King are behind the series.
Read More…...
Inspired by the Happy Face podcast and the book Shattered Silence written by Melissa Jesperson-Moore with M. Bridget Cook, the series will revolve around Melissa (Ashford) who discovers her father is a serial killer. Jennifer Cacicio (Your Honor) and Robert and Michelle King are behind the series.
Read More…...
- 1/9/2024
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
Paramount+ today announced that Emmy-nominated and Tony Award-winning actress Annaleigh Ashford will star in the new original drama series Happy Face. Michael Showalter has been tapped to direct the first episode. The eight-episode first season will begin production this year and premiere exclusively on Paramount+ in 2025. Happy Face is executive produced by Jennifer Cacicio – who also serves as showrunner – and Robert and Michelle King, Liz Glotzer, Melissa Moore, Conal Byrne, Will Pearson, Michael Showalter and Jordana Mollick. Ashford will play the lead role of Melissa in the series, which is inspired ... Read more...
- 1/9/2024
- by Thomas Miller
- Seat42F
As she nears the end of her run in Broadway’s Sweeney Todd, Annaleigh Ashford has nabbed another bloody good gig.
The B Positive star will lead Happy Face, a Paramount+ drama about the daughter of a convicted serial killer. The series is based on the true story of Melissa Moore, who was 15 when she learned her father was a murderer known as “Happy Face.” Moore chronicled her story in the autobiography Shattered Silence and iHeartPodcasts’ Happy Face podcast.
More from TVLineHow to Watch the 2024 Golden Globes Livestream OnlineGet Paramount+ 7-Day Free Trial - Binge The Curse, Frasier, Fellow Travelers,...
The B Positive star will lead Happy Face, a Paramount+ drama about the daughter of a convicted serial killer. The series is based on the true story of Melissa Moore, who was 15 when she learned her father was a murderer known as “Happy Face.” Moore chronicled her story in the autobiography Shattered Silence and iHeartPodcasts’ Happy Face podcast.
More from TVLineHow to Watch the 2024 Golden Globes Livestream OnlineGet Paramount+ 7-Day Free Trial - Binge The Curse, Frasier, Fellow Travelers,...
- 1/8/2024
- by Kimberly Roots
- TVLine.com
Melissa Moore’s autobiography Shattered Silence inspired the podcast Happy Face, and now the podcast is getting a Paramount+ streaming series adaptation! Annaleigh Ashford – whose credits include B Positive, American Crime Story, and Masters of Sex – has signed on to star in the series, with Michael Showalter on board to direct the first episode.
I mainly know Showalter from an actor in projects like The State and Wet Hot American Summer, but his TV directing credits include episodes of Search Party, Love, Grace and Frankie, In the Dark, The Shrink Next Door, The Dropout, and I Love That for You. He has also directed the feature films Spoiler Alert, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, The Lovebirds, The Big Sick; Hello, My Name Is Doris; and The Baxter.
Happy Face will see Ashford taking on the role of Melissa, who at age 15, discovered that her beloved father was the prolific serial killer known as “Happy Face.
I mainly know Showalter from an actor in projects like The State and Wet Hot American Summer, but his TV directing credits include episodes of Search Party, Love, Grace and Frankie, In the Dark, The Shrink Next Door, The Dropout, and I Love That for You. He has also directed the feature films Spoiler Alert, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, The Lovebirds, The Big Sick; Hello, My Name Is Doris; and The Baxter.
Happy Face will see Ashford taking on the role of Melissa, who at age 15, discovered that her beloved father was the prolific serial killer known as “Happy Face.
- 1/8/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Perhaps no single theatrical image sums up Broadway’s 2023 more effectively than Jessica Chastain’s Nora leaving her dreary, unfulfilled doll house life to exit directly into the unlimited possibilities of an honest-to-god New York City street.
Unless maybe it’s that huge tree that sprouts up smack dab in the middle of an abandoned Southern plantation home after the Appropriate cast has left the stage, a gut-punch reminder that the sins of a nation’s past don’t just wither away because we don’t want to see them.
Or maybe it was Leslie Odom Jr. delivering that eulogy-coda in Purlie Victorious, blessing his “Africanic brothers” — and the audience — with the words “Now may the Constitution of the United States go with you; the Declaration of Independence stand by you; the Bill of Rights protect you; and the State Commission Against Discrimination keep the eyes of the law upon you,...
Unless maybe it’s that huge tree that sprouts up smack dab in the middle of an abandoned Southern plantation home after the Appropriate cast has left the stage, a gut-punch reminder that the sins of a nation’s past don’t just wither away because we don’t want to see them.
Or maybe it was Leslie Odom Jr. delivering that eulogy-coda in Purlie Victorious, blessing his “Africanic brothers” — and the audience — with the words “Now may the Constitution of the United States go with you; the Declaration of Independence stand by you; the Bill of Rights protect you; and the State Commission Against Discrimination keep the eyes of the law upon you,...
- 12/29/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Jenner Furst, the Peabody-winning Emmy nominated director and exec producer of numerous hot button documentaries, has teamed with Arnold Rifkin and former Cj Entertainment exec Justin Lee to form Incite. Rifkin is the Hollywood vet who ran Wma for years and was producing partner with Bruce Willis after that, and who will move Incite into scripted fare next year.
Incite’s aim is to finance and produce premium non-fiction fare, and they have started out with a bang. Furst just sat with George Santos, the former Queens pol who became only the sixth person in history to be expelled from US Congress. Santos has left a trail of lies and fabrications that started being exposed before he became the first openly LGBTQ+ person to be voted in on the Republican ticket.
When Deadline spoke to Furst on Thursday, he was tired after completing 8 hours worth of interviews with Santos...
Incite’s aim is to finance and produce premium non-fiction fare, and they have started out with a bang. Furst just sat with George Santos, the former Queens pol who became only the sixth person in history to be expelled from US Congress. Santos has left a trail of lies and fabrications that started being exposed before he became the first openly LGBTQ+ person to be voted in on the Republican ticket.
When Deadline spoke to Furst on Thursday, he was tired after completing 8 hours worth of interviews with Santos...
- 12/22/2023
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Aaron Tveit and Sutton Foster will take over the roles of Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett, respectively, in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street on Broadway.
The two Tony Award winners take over the roles from Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford, who will play their final performance on Jan. 14. Tveit and Foster will start performances on Feb. 9 and play their final performance on May 5.
Tveit comes to the role after winning a Tony Award for his performance in Moulin Rouge! The Musical and appearing on Broadway in Catch Me If You Can, Next to Normal, Wicked and Hairspray. On screen, Tveit has appeared in Apple TV’s Schmigadoon, Grease: Live, Graceland, Les Miserables and more.
Foster is a two-time Tony Award winner for her roles in Thoroughly Modern Millie and Anything Goes and has been nominated for seven Tony Awards, including her most recent Broadway role starring in...
The two Tony Award winners take over the roles from Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford, who will play their final performance on Jan. 14. Tveit and Foster will start performances on Feb. 9 and play their final performance on May 5.
Tveit comes to the role after winning a Tony Award for his performance in Moulin Rouge! The Musical and appearing on Broadway in Catch Me If You Can, Next to Normal, Wicked and Hairspray. On screen, Tveit has appeared in Apple TV’s Schmigadoon, Grease: Live, Graceland, Les Miserables and more.
Foster is a two-time Tony Award winner for her roles in Thoroughly Modern Millie and Anything Goes and has been nominated for seven Tony Awards, including her most recent Broadway role starring in...
- 10/31/2023
- by Caitlin Huston
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Update: Gaten Matarazzo, the Stranger Things star who has received raves from critics and audiences alike with his performance as the lovable apprentice Toby in the Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd, has joined cast mates Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford in setting a final performance date.
Matarazzo will play his final show on November 5. A replacement has not been announced announced.
As previously announced, Groban and Ashford will continue in the show through Sunday January 14, 2024. All three of the actors have been with the musical since it began previews at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on Feb. 26.
Matarazzo’s departure date was announced on the Sweeney Todd Instagram past.
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Prevous, Oct. 19: Broadway’s Sweeney Todd stars Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford will play their final performances in the Stephen Sondheim revival on Sunday January 14, 2024, concluding their 46-week run...
Matarazzo will play his final show on November 5. A replacement has not been announced announced.
As previously announced, Groban and Ashford will continue in the show through Sunday January 14, 2024. All three of the actors have been with the musical since it began previews at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on Feb. 26.
Matarazzo’s departure date was announced on the Sweeney Todd Instagram past.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Sweeney Todd Broadway (@sweeneytoddbway)
Prevous, Oct. 19: Broadway’s Sweeney Todd stars Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford will play their final performances in the Stephen Sondheim revival on Sunday January 14, 2024, concluding their 46-week run...
- 10/24/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
“Cat Person,” the latest film from director Susanna Fogel, tells the story of a young woman (“Coda” breakout Emilia Jones) who engages in a relationship with an older man (Nicholas Braun) that might be dangerous. It’s story of the sticky dynamics between men and women in relationships is drawing commonalities to Netflix’s recent feature, Chloe Domont’s “Fair Play.”
But Fogel isn’t worried about the comparisons that risk overshadowing her film. In fact, she welcomes the connection as an opportunity to have a long overdue conversation about marginalized storytellers.
“We’re overdue to have these stories,” she told TheWrap. “We’re overdue to have many of them.”
As the director explained, there are several films about male/female power dynamics helmed by male directors or stories centered on men.
“No one movie is judged for having to speak for all men,” she said. “There’s this desire...
But Fogel isn’t worried about the comparisons that risk overshadowing her film. In fact, she welcomes the connection as an opportunity to have a long overdue conversation about marginalized storytellers.
“We’re overdue to have these stories,” she told TheWrap. “We’re overdue to have many of them.”
As the director explained, there are several films about male/female power dynamics helmed by male directors or stories centered on men.
“No one movie is judged for having to speak for all men,” she said. “There’s this desire...
- 10/9/2023
- by Kristen Lopez
- The Wrap
Cat Person was previously reviewed at Sundance 2023.
Plot: A college student (Emilia Jones) becomes infatuated with an older man (Nicholas Braun) who frequents the theater she works at.
Review: For those not in the know, Cat Person is based on a New Yorker article that went viral a few years ago. It described, in excruciating detail, the relationship between a 20-year-old college girl and a thirty-something man she had a brief relationship with. The film, adapted by writer Michelle Ashford of Masters of Sex and director Susanna Fogel, embellishes the already fictional story with a third-act twist, but do a good job translating the story to film. The result is a fresh, uncomfortable and often legitimately funny take on a provocative subject.
Power dynamics in relationships are discussed now more than they used to be, even compared to when the article was published in 2017. Nowadays, everyone would look askew at...
Plot: A college student (Emilia Jones) becomes infatuated with an older man (Nicholas Braun) who frequents the theater she works at.
Review: For those not in the know, Cat Person is based on a New Yorker article that went viral a few years ago. It described, in excruciating detail, the relationship between a 20-year-old college girl and a thirty-something man she had a brief relationship with. The film, adapted by writer Michelle Ashford of Masters of Sex and director Susanna Fogel, embellishes the already fictional story with a third-act twist, but do a good job translating the story to film. The result is a fresh, uncomfortable and often legitimately funny take on a provocative subject.
Power dynamics in relationships are discussed now more than they used to be, even compared to when the article was published in 2017. Nowadays, everyone would look askew at...
- 10/5/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
Emilia Jones (Coda) and Nicholas Braun (Succession) do not appear to be a match made in heaven in the first trailer for Cat Person.
Set for release Oct. 6 from Rialto Pictures, director Susanna Fogel’s feature premiered in January at the Sundance Film Festival and is adapted from author Kristen Roupenian’s viral New Yorker short story of the same name. Cat Person offers a look at contemporary dating by focusing on college student Margot (Jones), who has a fling with an older man named Robert (Braun) but soon gets suspicious about him.
After Margot expresses regrets about her time spent with Robert — who had previously described himself as a cat person — her friend Taylor (Geraldine Viswanathan) asks if at least his pet felines were cute. “I never saw them,” Margot replies ominously as she begins to doubt how honest he’s been.
Later in the trailer, Margot concludes nonchalantly,...
Set for release Oct. 6 from Rialto Pictures, director Susanna Fogel’s feature premiered in January at the Sundance Film Festival and is adapted from author Kristen Roupenian’s viral New Yorker short story of the same name. Cat Person offers a look at contemporary dating by focusing on college student Margot (Jones), who has a fling with an older man named Robert (Braun) but soon gets suspicious about him.
After Margot expresses regrets about her time spent with Robert — who had previously described himself as a cat person — her friend Taylor (Geraldine Viswanathan) asks if at least his pet felines were cute. “I never saw them,” Margot replies ominously as she begins to doubt how honest he’s been.
Later in the trailer, Margot concludes nonchalantly,...
- 8/24/2023
- by Ryan Gajewski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The highly-anticipated film “Cat Person” purrs into theaters soon courtesy of Rialto Pictures.
“Cat Person,” which was among IndieWire’s most anticipated films out of Sundance, received distribution later than expected, leaving fans waiting for the big screen adaptation of the viral New Yorker short story of the same name.
“Coda” breakout star Emilia Jones plays college sophomore Margot who meets awkward bachelor Robert (Nicholas Braun) while working at a movie theater concession stand. However, Robert may not be as he seems: For one thing, as a self-described cat owner, there are no furry felines to be found in his apartment. Did Robert lie about having cats to seem non-threatening? Is Robert really a villain, or is Margot paranoid thanks to dating horror stories?
Geraldine Viswanathan and Isabella Rossellini also star in the twisty rom-com meets thriller.
Susanna Fogel directs the film based on Kristen Roupenian’s 2017 The New Yorker fictional short story,...
“Cat Person,” which was among IndieWire’s most anticipated films out of Sundance, received distribution later than expected, leaving fans waiting for the big screen adaptation of the viral New Yorker short story of the same name.
“Coda” breakout star Emilia Jones plays college sophomore Margot who meets awkward bachelor Robert (Nicholas Braun) while working at a movie theater concession stand. However, Robert may not be as he seems: For one thing, as a self-described cat owner, there are no furry felines to be found in his apartment. Did Robert lie about having cats to seem non-threatening? Is Robert really a villain, or is Margot paranoid thanks to dating horror stories?
Geraldine Viswanathan and Isabella Rossellini also star in the twisty rom-com meets thriller.
Susanna Fogel directs the film based on Kristen Roupenian’s 2017 The New Yorker fictional short story,...
- 8/24/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
After world premiering to much buzz at Sundance back in January, the darkly comedic dating thriller Cat Person has finally unveiled a first trailer and release date, having been set to open in U.S. theaters via Rialto Pictures beginning October 6th.
An adaptation of Kristen Roupenian’s viral New Yorker short story fully financed by Studiocanal, Cat Person looks at the brief relationship between 20-year-old college sophomore Margot (Coda‘s Emilia Jones) and the somewhat-older Robert (Succession‘s Nicholas Braun) from the perspective of both characters, as a means of commenting on the experience of dating today.
In an appearance alongside her leads at Deadline’s Sundance studio earlier this year, pic’s DGA Award-winning director Susanna Fogel noted that the idea of toggling back and forth between the POVs of her protagonists was compelling, in that it allowed her to explore “miscommunications and the cultural baggage that men and women bring into dating,...
An adaptation of Kristen Roupenian’s viral New Yorker short story fully financed by Studiocanal, Cat Person looks at the brief relationship between 20-year-old college sophomore Margot (Coda‘s Emilia Jones) and the somewhat-older Robert (Succession‘s Nicholas Braun) from the perspective of both characters, as a means of commenting on the experience of dating today.
In an appearance alongside her leads at Deadline’s Sundance studio earlier this year, pic’s DGA Award-winning director Susanna Fogel noted that the idea of toggling back and forth between the POVs of her protagonists was compelling, in that it allowed her to explore “miscommunications and the cultural baggage that men and women bring into dating,...
- 8/24/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
“Cat Person,” which launched with a bang at Sundance, will be released in theaters on Oct. 6 through Rialto Pictures.
The wild thriller — which stars Emilia Jones (“Coda”) and Nicholas Braun (“Succession”) as a couple whose signals cross, leading to disturbing interactions — made its world premiere to a huge response at the festival in January.
Susanna Fogel directed the polarizing film, which is based on Kristen Roupenian’s short story of the same name in The New Yorker that went viral following its publication in 2017, becoming the magazine’s most-read piece of fiction ever.
Michelle Ashford wrote the screenplay. In his review for Variety, Peter Debruge called it “wickedly ambiguous Sundance conversation-starter.” Still, some fans of the short story have expressed outrage that the film includes a third act that is not reflected in the source material.
StudioCanal fully financed the film, which is executive produced by Susanna Fogel, Michelle Ashford...
The wild thriller — which stars Emilia Jones (“Coda”) and Nicholas Braun (“Succession”) as a couple whose signals cross, leading to disturbing interactions — made its world premiere to a huge response at the festival in January.
Susanna Fogel directed the polarizing film, which is based on Kristen Roupenian’s short story of the same name in The New Yorker that went viral following its publication in 2017, becoming the magazine’s most-read piece of fiction ever.
Michelle Ashford wrote the screenplay. In his review for Variety, Peter Debruge called it “wickedly ambiguous Sundance conversation-starter.” Still, some fans of the short story have expressed outrage that the film includes a third act that is not reflected in the source material.
StudioCanal fully financed the film, which is executive produced by Susanna Fogel, Michelle Ashford...
- 8/24/2023
- by Tatiana Siegel
- Variety Film + TV
This story about “Welcome to Chippendales” stars Kumail Nanjiani and Annaleigh Ashford first appeared in the Down to the Wire: Drama and Limited Series issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine. All actor interviews in that issue were conducted before the SAG-AFTRA strike began.
All four main cast members of a limited series about the rise and fall of a male strip club mogul were nominated for Emmys, making “Welcome to Chippendales” one of the big shocks of this year’s noms. Kumail Nanjiani and Annaleigh Ashford tell us how they did it.
Kumail Nanjiani Kumail Nanjiani in “Welcome to Chippendales” (Hulu)
Kumail Nanjiani’s lead actor Emmy nomination for Hulu’s “Welcome to Chippendales” took him completely by surprise, much as his first nomination did in 2019 when he was recognized for an episode of Jordan Peele’s “The Twilight Zone” reboot. “That was the first time I played...
All four main cast members of a limited series about the rise and fall of a male strip club mogul were nominated for Emmys, making “Welcome to Chippendales” one of the big shocks of this year’s noms. Kumail Nanjiani and Annaleigh Ashford tell us how they did it.
Kumail Nanjiani Kumail Nanjiani in “Welcome to Chippendales” (Hulu)
Kumail Nanjiani’s lead actor Emmy nomination for Hulu’s “Welcome to Chippendales” took him completely by surprise, much as his first nomination did in 2019 when he was recognized for an episode of Jordan Peele’s “The Twilight Zone” reboot. “That was the first time I played...
- 8/23/2023
- by Missy Schwartz
- The Wrap
Covid seems to be making a return engagement on Broadway, even if in a limited capacity compared to the post-shutdown era of 2021 and 2022. Both Josh Groban and, now, Annaleigh Ashford, the two lead performers in the massive hit Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, have tested positive for Covid and missed performances.
Groban missed performances last weekend and early this week after posting an Instagram video explaining that he began to feel ill during last Wednesday’s show and by Thursday was testing positive for Covid. He missed the weekend performances and will remain out tonight.(In Groban’s absence, Sweeney is being played by understudy Nicholas Christopher, described by Groban as “absolutely extraordinary in the role.”)
Then just yesterday, Ashford, who plays Mrs. Lovett, the duplicitous pie-baking partner in crime to Groban’s murderous barber Sweeney Todd, posted an Instagram message saying she too had come down with the illness.
Groban missed performances last weekend and early this week after posting an Instagram video explaining that he began to feel ill during last Wednesday’s show and by Thursday was testing positive for Covid. He missed the weekend performances and will remain out tonight.(In Groban’s absence, Sweeney is being played by understudy Nicholas Christopher, described by Groban as “absolutely extraordinary in the role.”)
Then just yesterday, Ashford, who plays Mrs. Lovett, the duplicitous pie-baking partner in crime to Groban’s murderous barber Sweeney Todd, posted an Instagram message saying she too had come down with the illness.
- 8/23/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Gold Derby can exclusively reveal the episodes selected by the nominees for Best Movie/Limited Supporting Actress as their 2023 Emmys episode submissions.
SEEQuinta Brunson, Niecy Nash-Betts, Jessica Williams, ‘P-Valley’ among winners in 5th Annual Aafca TV Awards
Claire Danes is a three-time Emmy winner looking to take home her fourth trophy on her 10th nomination. She’s in the running for her role in “Fleishman is in Trouble” as Rachel, who goes missing without a trace leaving her ex-husband Toby (Jesse Eisenberg) with their kids. She submitted the seventh episode of the eight-episode series, “Me-Time,” in which Rachel reveals to Libby (Best Movie/Limited Actress nominee Lizzy Caplan) the complexities of her childhood, her extramarital affair and how she ended up high on a hallucinogen.
“Welcome to Chippendales” has two nominees in this category: first-time Emmy contender Annaleigh Ashford as Irene, the Chippendales accountant who ends up marrying the...
SEEQuinta Brunson, Niecy Nash-Betts, Jessica Williams, ‘P-Valley’ among winners in 5th Annual Aafca TV Awards
Claire Danes is a three-time Emmy winner looking to take home her fourth trophy on her 10th nomination. She’s in the running for her role in “Fleishman is in Trouble” as Rachel, who goes missing without a trace leaving her ex-husband Toby (Jesse Eisenberg) with their kids. She submitted the seventh episode of the eight-episode series, “Me-Time,” in which Rachel reveals to Libby (Best Movie/Limited Actress nominee Lizzy Caplan) the complexities of her childhood, her extramarital affair and how she ended up high on a hallucinogen.
“Welcome to Chippendales” has two nominees in this category: first-time Emmy contender Annaleigh Ashford as Irene, the Chippendales accountant who ends up marrying the...
- 7/30/2023
- by Daniel Montgomery and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Exclusive: AMC Networks streaming service, AllBlk, has renewed four of its most popular series: Double Cross, Terror Lake Drive, Hush and Wicked City.
The vigilante “Wonder Twins,” are back as Double Cross returns for its fifth season. Ashley A. Williams and Jeff Logan will reprise their roles as crime fighters Erica and Eric Cross, respectively, and continue their crusade against child trafficking no matter the cost. This season the duo is faced with a case hitting extremely close to home as Eric’s newborn son is kidnapped. Meanwhile, the twins discover a bus full of elementary school children has mysteriously vanished. With the stakes higher than ever it will take a village to get everyone home safely.
Hush, which has been renewed for a second season set to premiere in November, follows the story of top marriage and sex therapist, TV personality, and best-selling author, Dr. Draya Logan (Joyful Drake...
The vigilante “Wonder Twins,” are back as Double Cross returns for its fifth season. Ashley A. Williams and Jeff Logan will reprise their roles as crime fighters Erica and Eric Cross, respectively, and continue their crusade against child trafficking no matter the cost. This season the duo is faced with a case hitting extremely close to home as Eric’s newborn son is kidnapped. Meanwhile, the twins discover a bus full of elementary school children has mysteriously vanished. With the stakes higher than ever it will take a village to get everyone home safely.
Hush, which has been renewed for a second season set to premiere in November, follows the story of top marriage and sex therapist, TV personality, and best-selling author, Dr. Draya Logan (Joyful Drake...
- 6/16/2023
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
When the nominations for the 2023 Tony Awards were announced in May, Ain’t No Mo’ earned a pleasantly surprising six nominations, despite fears that the Tonys would forget about the play that closed months earlier despite a star-studded campaign to save it.
But when the 2023 Tony Awards were handed out Sunday night, Ain’t No Mo’ failed to win a single award for which it was nominated.
Other multiple nominees shut out include nine-time nominee & Juliet and six-time nominees Into the Woods and the Jessica Chastain-fronted A Doll’s House.
Even Chastain didn’t win the best actress Tony some experts expected her to take home, losing to fellow Hollywood star Jodie Comer (Prima Facie).
And in the best lead actor in a play category, Wendell Pierce was similarly snubbed for his role in Death of a Salesman, a project often popular with Tony voters but that didn’t perform as well this time,...
But when the 2023 Tony Awards were handed out Sunday night, Ain’t No Mo’ failed to win a single award for which it was nominated.
Other multiple nominees shut out include nine-time nominee & Juliet and six-time nominees Into the Woods and the Jessica Chastain-fronted A Doll’s House.
Even Chastain didn’t win the best actress Tony some experts expected her to take home, losing to fellow Hollywood star Jodie Comer (Prima Facie).
And in the best lead actor in a play category, Wendell Pierce was similarly snubbed for his role in Death of a Salesman, a project often popular with Tony voters but that didn’t perform as well this time,...
- 6/12/2023
- by Hilary Lewis
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“Steve would always say this as a comedy, and I find Mrs. Lovett to surely and truly be the clown as she was written to be,” says Annaleigh Ashford of her character in the Broadway revival of “Sweeney Todd.” “But every clown is crying underneath the laughter.” She is one of the lucky actors who can call the late, revered composer Stephen Sondheim by his first name, having previously worked with him on a revival of “Sunday in the Park With George.” That production did not submit for Tony Awards consideration, but her antics as Mrs. Lovett this season has landed her a Lead Actress in a Musical nomination. Watch the exclusive video interview above.
Ashford both feels at home in a comedy and relishes its challenges. “I think it’s the hardest,” she admits, “you have to be more honest than anything else to get a laugh.” Wringing laughter...
Ashford both feels at home in a comedy and relishes its challenges. “I think it’s the hardest,” she admits, “you have to be more honest than anything else to get a laugh.” Wringing laughter...
- 6/2/2023
- by Sam Eckmann
- Gold Derby
Great casting is one of the things best defined by what it is not. There’s an alchemy to the assembling of a cast — particularly a larger ensemble — that can only be achieved with luck and a sharp eye. And while the 2022-2023 TV season saw plenty of larger-than-life performances and jaw-dropping transformations, these four first-year series managed, in wildly different ways, the same balancing act of star turns and sharply delineated supporting roles. Here are four series worthy of Emmy Award consideration for their feats of casting.
“Andor”Lucasfilm Ltd. “Andor” (Disney+)
Tony Gilroy’s gritty sci-fi/spy thriller is the adult, character-driven “Star Wars” many of us have been waiting for. But Cassian’s origin story would not have been as brilliant without the talented ensemble cast built around Diego Luna by casting directors Nina Gold and Martin Ware: Stellen Skarsgård as the eccentric antiques dealer organizing...
“Andor”Lucasfilm Ltd. “Andor” (Disney+)
Tony Gilroy’s gritty sci-fi/spy thriller is the adult, character-driven “Star Wars” many of us have been waiting for. But Cassian’s origin story would not have been as brilliant without the talented ensemble cast built around Diego Luna by casting directors Nina Gold and Martin Ware: Stellen Skarsgård as the eccentric antiques dealer organizing...
- 5/24/2023
- by Mark Peikert, Sarah Shachat, Jim Hemphill and Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
2023 Drama League Awards winners: Annaleigh Ashford (‘Sweeney Todd’) takes Distinguished Performance
Winners of the 2023 Drama League Awards were announced on Friday, May 19, 2023, at an in-person ceremony, hosted by Emmy-winning reporter Frank Dilella at The Ziegfeld Ballroom. The Drama League Awards honor both Broadway and Off-Broadway productions from the 2022-2023 theater season.
“Leopoldstadt” asserted itself as the dominant play of the season, picking up the Best Play prize. Tom Stoppard’s drama has been perched atop Gold Derby’s Tony Awards odds since we launched the prediction center. With Tony favorite “Kimberly Akimbo” out of the running for Best Musical (the Drama League already considered that tuner for its Off-Broadway run), “Some Like it Hot” cruised to a win in that category. It prevailed over four of its fellow Tony nominees: “& Juliet,” “New York, New York,” and “Shucked.”
The Drama League bolstered the Tony prospects of “A Doll’s House” by bestowing it with the Best Revival of a Play prize. But the...
“Leopoldstadt” asserted itself as the dominant play of the season, picking up the Best Play prize. Tom Stoppard’s drama has been perched atop Gold Derby’s Tony Awards odds since we launched the prediction center. With Tony favorite “Kimberly Akimbo” out of the running for Best Musical (the Drama League already considered that tuner for its Off-Broadway run), “Some Like it Hot” cruised to a win in that category. It prevailed over four of its fellow Tony nominees: “& Juliet,” “New York, New York,” and “Shucked.”
The Drama League bolstered the Tony prospects of “A Doll’s House” by bestowing it with the Best Revival of a Play prize. But the...
- 5/20/2023
- by Sam Eckmann
- Gold Derby
Josh Groban has gone on world tours, performed at the Olympics, co-hosted the Tony Awards and appeared on Broadway once before, but playing Sweeney Todd has been his hardest task yet.
“It’s definitely the most challenging thing I’ve ever done. Physically, vocally, emotionally. I can say pretty safely that this is the hardest endeavor, creatively I’ve ever taken on. But it’s a wonderful way to be tired,” Groban says.
Groban stars opposite Annaleigh Ashford in the current Broadway revival of the Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler musical, directed by Thomas Kail. This production fills the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre with a 26-piece orchestra and atmospheric fog that encompasses its large ensemble and the infamous, hinged barber’s chair that looms over the proceedings. Groban’s operatic baritone elevates the classic score, as he plays the aggrieved, murderous barber out for revenge, while Ashford’s Mrs. Lovett meets him...
“It’s definitely the most challenging thing I’ve ever done. Physically, vocally, emotionally. I can say pretty safely that this is the hardest endeavor, creatively I’ve ever taken on. But it’s a wonderful way to be tired,” Groban says.
Groban stars opposite Annaleigh Ashford in the current Broadway revival of the Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler musical, directed by Thomas Kail. This production fills the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre with a 26-piece orchestra and atmospheric fog that encompasses its large ensemble and the infamous, hinged barber’s chair that looms over the proceedings. Groban’s operatic baritone elevates the classic score, as he plays the aggrieved, murderous barber out for revenge, while Ashford’s Mrs. Lovett meets him...
- 5/14/2023
- by Caitlin Huston
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
When Jesse Green wrote in his New York Times review of this season’s revival of “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” that the show had been “restored to its proper size,” he meant its orchestrations, staging, and ensemble, but he could have been forecasting its Tony Awards nominations success, too. This most recent remounting of the legendary Stephen Sondheim musical received eight Tony bids, the most of any musical revival of the year. But how does it stack up against the original production and the two revivals that preceded it?
While this “Sweeney” is back to its original scale, it is actually just shy of the very first production in terms of the Tonys, missing its nominations record by one. The original from 1979 netted nine bids for Best Musical, Director (Hal Prince), Actor (Len Cariou), Actress (Angela Lansbury), Score, Book, and Scenic, Costume and Lighting Designs. The...
While this “Sweeney” is back to its original scale, it is actually just shy of the very first production in terms of the Tonys, missing its nominations record by one. The original from 1979 netted nine bids for Best Musical, Director (Hal Prince), Actor (Len Cariou), Actress (Angela Lansbury), Score, Book, and Scenic, Costume and Lighting Designs. The...
- 5/4/2023
- by David Buchanan
- Gold Derby
With the announcement of the Tony Awards nominations on May 2, we now know the shows and performers in contention for the 76th annual ceremony. The 40 members of the Tony nominating committee recognized 27 of the 38 eligible productions across 26 competitive categories.
A new stage adaptation of the 1959 film “Some Like It Hot” leads all productions with 13 nominations. That tally includes a nomination for the top honor of Best Musical and four bids for its performers, Christian Borle, J. Harrison Ghee, Kevin Del Aguila, and NaTasha Yvette Williams. Three other new musicals are tied for second place with nine nominations: “& Juliet,” “New York, New York,” and “Shucked,” all earning Best Musical bids. Of the six eligible Musical Revivals, the late Stephen Sondheim’s “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” leads with eight, including Best Revival and three acting nominations for Annaleigh Ashford, Josh Groban, and Ruthie Ann Miles, who are all...
A new stage adaptation of the 1959 film “Some Like It Hot” leads all productions with 13 nominations. That tally includes a nomination for the top honor of Best Musical and four bids for its performers, Christian Borle, J. Harrison Ghee, Kevin Del Aguila, and NaTasha Yvette Williams. Three other new musicals are tied for second place with nine nominations: “& Juliet,” “New York, New York,” and “Shucked,” all earning Best Musical bids. Of the six eligible Musical Revivals, the late Stephen Sondheim’s “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” leads with eight, including Best Revival and three acting nominations for Annaleigh Ashford, Josh Groban, and Ruthie Ann Miles, who are all...
- 5/2/2023
- by David Buchanan
- Gold Derby
According to our combined predictions as of this writing, the five who are expected to receive Best Actress in a Musical nominations at this year’s Tony Awards are Victoria Clark (“Kimberly Akimbo”), Annaleigh Ashford (“Sweeney Todd”), Micaela Diamond (“Parade”), Sara Bareilles (“Into the Woods”), and Patina Miller (“Into the Woods”). However, there is a contender I think deserves to be in the conversation much more, and that would be Adrianna Hicks (“Some Like It Hot”).
In this stage musical adaptation of Billy Wilder‘s 1959 Academy Award-winning film of the same name, Hicks plays Sugar Kane, the lead singer of an all-girl band. While venturing out to San Diego, she develops a friendship with the band’s newest musicians who happen to be a pair of men disguising themselves as women to escape the mob. One of them in particular, Joe/Josephine, falls in love with Sugar. Hicks had huge...
In this stage musical adaptation of Billy Wilder‘s 1959 Academy Award-winning film of the same name, Hicks plays Sugar Kane, the lead singer of an all-girl band. While venturing out to San Diego, she develops a friendship with the band’s newest musicians who happen to be a pair of men disguising themselves as women to escape the mob. One of them in particular, Joe/Josephine, falls in love with Sugar. Hicks had huge...
- 4/17/2023
- by Jeffrey Kare
- Gold Derby
First “Company,” then “Into the Woods,” and now the demon barber of Fleet Street. In the year or so since legendary composer Stephen Sondheim’s death, Broadway has seen an increasing number of revivals of his works. The trend continued on March 26 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre with the opening of a new production of his masterpiece, “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.” Tony nominee and internationally-renowned vocalist Josh Groban plays the menacing title role as the wronged barber out for revenge, starring opposite Tony winner Annaleigh Ashford as Mrs. Lovett, the schemer who devises baking Todd’s victims into meat pies in an austere nineteenth-century London.
Led by Tony-winning “Hamilton” director Thomas Kail, the ensemble also boasts Tony winner Ruthie Ann Miles (“The King and I”), Jordan Fisher, Gaten Matarazzo, and many others amongst its 25 players. Kail has also enlisted three-time Tony winner Alex Lacamoire as music supervisor...
Led by Tony-winning “Hamilton” director Thomas Kail, the ensemble also boasts Tony winner Ruthie Ann Miles (“The King and I”), Jordan Fisher, Gaten Matarazzo, and many others amongst its 25 players. Kail has also enlisted three-time Tony winner Alex Lacamoire as music supervisor...
- 3/27/2023
- by David Buchanan
- Gold Derby
In a Broadway season that might be remembered for a lovely, pared-down minimalism – the intriguing starkness of A Doll’s House with Jessica Chastain, the less-is-more near-concert-style presentations of Into the Woods and Parade – director Thomas Kail’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street will stand out for, among many other attributes, its full-on, unabashed ambition. A prodigious theatrical event that aims for greatness and achieves it, this revival of the Stephen Sondheim-Hugh Wheeler masterpiece is not to be missed.
With Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford leading a flawless, 25-member cast that also includes Stranger Things‘ Gaten Matarazzo, the revival, opening tonight at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, makes the case that Sweeney just might be Sondheim’s greatest work (at least until the next production of Sunday in the Park comes...
With Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford leading a flawless, 25-member cast that also includes Stranger Things‘ Gaten Matarazzo, the revival, opening tonight at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, makes the case that Sweeney just might be Sondheim’s greatest work (at least until the next production of Sunday in the Park comes...
- 3/27/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
In the lead-up to Tony nominations being announced on May 2, Sam Eckmann and I are predicting 10 of the Musical categories, where new breakout shows like “Kimberly Akimbo” and “Some Like it Hot” and revivals of “Sweeney Todd” and “Into the Woods” will compete for the highest honors of the New York theatre community. Nominations will be announced on May 2 and winners will be revealed on June 11. Watch the full video slugfest above.
At the outset, I declare that I think “Kimberly Akimbo” will have “a sensational Tony night.” The new show by Jeanine Tesori and David Lindsay-Abaire leads both of our predictions for the Best Musical prize, but we agree that “Some Like it Hot” will be a strong challenger. Sam describes it as “a ‘Hello Dolly!’ for the modern times,” noting how it’s both “super funny but also very poignant.”
As for Revival, Sam deems this contest “a...
At the outset, I declare that I think “Kimberly Akimbo” will have “a sensational Tony night.” The new show by Jeanine Tesori and David Lindsay-Abaire leads both of our predictions for the Best Musical prize, but we agree that “Some Like it Hot” will be a strong challenger. Sam describes it as “a ‘Hello Dolly!’ for the modern times,” noting how it’s both “super funny but also very poignant.”
As for Revival, Sam deems this contest “a...
- 3/22/2023
- by David Buchanan
- Gold Derby
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