OH MY GOD YES, get Jane!!
I'd like the cast to be more diverse, though. Everybody keeps suggesting all these white people. lol
I'd like the cast to be more diverse, though. Everybody keeps suggesting all these white people. lol
While it would be nice to have a racially diverse cast, it naturally would not fit that time period, honestly.nixy1991 wrote:OH MY GOD YES, get Jane!!
I'd like the cast to be more diverse, though. Everybody keeps suggesting all these white people. lol
I was under the impression they were going to update it?Nothin On Me wrote:While it would be nice to have a racially diverse cast, it naturally would not fit that time period, honestly.nixy1991 wrote:OH MY GOD YES, get Jane!!
I'd like the cast to be more diverse, though. Everybody keeps suggesting all these white people. lol
Oh, I was not aware of this. That makes me weary, then. Not saying I wouldn't not love a racially diverse cast, I just know the kind of backlash it may receive either way.nixy1991 wrote:I was under the impression they were going to update it?Nothin On Me wrote:While it would be nice to have a racially diverse cast, it naturally would not fit that time period, honestly.nixy1991 wrote:OH MY GOD YES, get Jane!!
I'd like the cast to be more diverse, though. Everybody keeps suggesting all these white people. lol
SC88 wrote:I have never seen this show, so I'm not sure which character she could play, but I want Amy Poehler to be part of it.
She's working on a show for NBC so it'd make sense.
Its def. Drake, there is no other way Jen/Drake would post that instagram photo at the same time if its not work relatedJenRox wrote:FYI, I bought the Hairspray DVD and major mistakes (the audio drops, the big Hairspray prop that didn't close, Kristin Chenoweth's bow, etc.) were fixed. The prop part must have been replaced with rehearsal footage because if you remember what I'm talking about, a mistake like that can't be fixed in editing, haha. I expect the same would happen with Birdie.
Anyone think maybe Drake could be Birdie? lol
http://ew.com/tv/2017/01/18/bye-bye-bir ... e-musical/Here’s the story, morning glory: Jennifer Lopez’s upcoming star turn in NBC’s next live musical, Bye Bye Birdie, will restore the show to its topical roots that some critics argue were ‘watered down’ in the beloved 1963 film version.
Lopez herself offered those words during NBC’s leg of the semi-annual Television Critics Association press tour, where she was promoting her sophomore series Shades of Blue. Asked to discuss her forthcoming role in the network’s fifth live musical, Lopez gushed about her excitement for tackling Birdie with a modern POV, even as it remains set in the ‘60s.
In Bye Bye Birdie, Lopez will star as Rosie, the sarcastic, whip-smart, and perennially put-upon secretary of a frazzled music agent named Albert — who happens to be her boyfriend but can’t seem to commit. A key facet of Rosie’s character, originated in the 1960 Broadway production by Chita Rivera, is her Puerto Rican heritage, which drives a wedge between Rosie and Albert’s racist mother; the latter’s jokes at Rosie’s expense inspires one of the leading lady’s most memorable songs, a solo of reckless abandon in act two called ‘Spanish Rose.’
However, in the 1963 movie, Janet Leigh played the role and though Rosie was still of Latin descent, the filmmakers scrapped both the song and much of the racial antagonism from Albert’s mother.
“The role of Rosie onstage…is such a great role, and it got watered down a little bit in the movie version,” said Lopez, who began her performing career in musical theater. “She was Puerto Rican, and Albert, who she was with, was not marrying her, [because] his mother did not like that she was Puerto Rican. There’s all these dynamics that were in the original play that didn’t make it into the movie.”
“It’s going to be interesting to actually play that part and be a woman who’s pushing 40 and feeling like, ‘Are we ever getting married?’ and wanting that and being the driver of the whole piece,” Lopez continued. “It’ll be authentic, it’ll be colorful, and we want to just push the envelope of how great these live television musicals can be. So I’m excited to take it on as a producer, and as a role.”
She’ll executive produce the musical with her producing partner Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas (with whom she brought the title to NBC) and Benny Medina, as well as Craig Zadan and Neil Meron. Harvey Fierstein will update the book for television, as he did for Hairspray Live.
Meanwhile, casting has not yet been announced for the other pivotal roles in the musical, including songwriter Albert (originated by Dick Van Dyke), local fan girl Kim MacAfee (immortalized onscreen by Ann-Margret), and of course, titular bad-boy musician Conrad Birdie (a role which we can only assume was written specifically so Nick Jonas could play him in 2017).
http://deadline.com/2017/03/bye-bye-bir ... 202035761/Tony winner Jerry Mitchell and Emmy winner Alex Rudzinski have signed on as directors for NBC’s Bye Bye Birdie Live holiday musical production starring Jennifer Lopez.
Mitchell has joined as stage director and World of Dance helmer Rudzinski will serve as the telecast’s live television director.
Set at the height of rock ’n’ roll, Bye Bye Birdie takes us to Sweet Apple, Ohio, where hip-thrusting music heartthrob Conrad Birdie is scheduled to give a lucky Sweet Apple lady “One Last Kiss” before being drafted into the Army. Conrad’s rock ’n’ roll ways send the small town reeling, giving the teens Birdie fever, shocking the parents with moral indignation, and placing songwriter/agent Albert Peterson along with his savvy sweetheart, Rosie, right in the thick of things. The story was inspired by the popularity of Elvis Presley and his induction into the Army in 1957.
Mitchell, who choreographed NBC’s 2016 production of Hairspray Live!, is currently directing the Gloria Estefan bio-musical On Your Feet on Broadway. He earned his Tonys for the choreography of the 2013 Tony-winning Best Musical Kinky Boots, for which he was also nominated as director, and the 2005 revival of La Cage Aux Folles.
Rudzinski is director and co-executive producer of NBC’s upcoming dance competition series “World of Dance, with judges Jennifer Lopez, Derek Hough and NE-YO, and host Jenna Dewan Tatum. Rudzinski, who was nominated for a DGA Award for his live television direction of Hairspray Live!, has won two Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Direction for a Variety Special for his work on Fox’s musical Grease Live! His other credits include directing 22 seasons of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars.
“It’s a joy to work with Jerry Mitchell and Alex Rudzinski again after their incredible partnership on ‘Hairspray Live!,’ which elevated our live musicals to a new height,” said Robert Greenblatt, Chairman, NBC Entertainment. “Jerry is the cream of the crop of Broadway director/choreographers with two hits running on Broadway right now, and Alex is peerless in the world of live television direction.”
Harvey Fierstein will pen the teleplay adaptation for Bye Bye Birdie Live. Lopez will executive produce with her producing partner Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas and Benny Medina alongside Craig Zadan and Neil Meron. Rudzinski is also an executive producer and Mitchell a producer. Universal Television will produce with Lopez’s Nuyorican Productions, Storyline and Sony Pictures Television.