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The Big BroadwayCon 2017 Wrap Up!

BroadwayConthe theatre-addict’s pipeline to merchandise, networking, cavorting, hobnobbingwith each other and the celebs who make the Great White Way greatmay be over for 2017's edition, but, like reliving a favorite show in your mind’s eye, the takeaway is indelible.

groban ohara broadwaycon 2017

Josh Groban (Natasha, Pierre, & The Great Comet of 1812) and 2015 Tony winner Kelli O'Hara (The King and I) were just some of the star-studded guests at this year's BroadwayCon.

Like Comic Con and its countless spin-offs, this three-day event at the Javits Center was packed with panels, workshops, seminars, autograph signings, stars, selfies, cosplayers, etc.only with BroadwayCon you also had performances (both planned and spontaneous), sing-alongs, and countless other show-bizzy comings and goings. So much so that the following highlights, impressions, quotes and tidbits of, on and around the second annual BroadwayCon will have do. [Exact dates and times have been omitted, becauseaside from opening and closing ceremoniesthe “who and what” outweigh the “when.”]

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The Inevitable Last Minute Schedule Morph: Working actors, directors, and designers slated to appear don’t always make it to their scheduled whatever. It happens. It disappoints. You move on. And sometimes you get a reality jolt that pays off with discovery of an industry insidersometimes better than the originalwho steps into to the vacant slot and knocks your socks off.

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Strolling the marketplace crowd, an area bursting with fans checking out contests, mic ops, cool merchandise from t-shirts 101 to the unexpected (customized handbags and hats), the energy is contagious. Back at the StubHub lounge visitors recharged their phones (and themselves) and there were even costumes to pop on for personal promos and a couple of “Be A Broadway Star” board games to play between events.

Opening Ceremony (4pm on Friday 1/27). Okay, not so much a ceremony as a 50-minute musical zeroing in on the hearts and passions of the audience, i.e., those in the Broadway know, press, and volunteer people wranglers.

Written by Ryan Scott Oliver, David Alpert, Tessa Netting and Andrew Briedis the show’s main character was Carl (Sam Tanabe of Allegiance) who arrives in New York just as the truculent Mayoress (Olivier Award winner Lesli Margherita) decided to pull the plug on Broadway. Moving things along were musical parodies tweaking songs from Thoroughly Modern Millie, Gypsy, and Hairspray.

James Monroe Iglehart

Jam-packed with exuberant ensemble belters, there were also a handful of Broadway notables who took on minor roles, among them Tony winners Alice Ripley (Next to Normal), James Monroe Iglehart (above)who played Genie in Aladdin until recently when he joined the cast of Hamiltonand and Tony nominee Carolee Carmello.

The show was laced with theatrical in-jokes, while the plot poked a stick into the current administration’s beehive of totalitarian restrictions.

Singing voices were in top form, although acting nuance was sacrificed to reach the back rows of the large, one level space fitted with folding chairs. Two giant screens did little to enhance the experience aside from delayed subtitles (an occasional close-up would have been nice). Still, by the end when streamers and confetti showered over the stage, the cheers from the audience were sincere and BroadwayCon had its official launch!

As for the events themselves here are a handful worth noting:

Hamilton: Will the madness never end? Overlapping the NFL’s announcement on Saturday that three of the show’s original actresses (Phillipa Soo, Renee Elise Goldsberry, and Jasmine Cephas) will be performing “America the Beautiful” at the Super Bowl’s televised pre-game show was multi-tasking superstar Lin-Manuel Miranda who made a surprise FaceTime appearance from London (where he’s filming Mary Poppins Returns) during the Hamilton panel. The Tony and Pulitzer winner was asked a number of questions, including which Hamilton role would he play if he could. His answerAngelicabrought the Q&A around to which Hamilton roles he felt could be played by the opposite gender?

“The challenge is always keys and making it sing-able, depending on where your voice is, but I think that we’re going to see anything and everything, and I think that’s great,” he said, adding, “That’s going to be the fun of watching the show evolve over the course of many years.”

FYI: If you haven’t yet heard, word is the number of coveted Hamilton lottery tickets up for grabs is being doubled this year. So go for itand good luck!

Chandeliers and Caviar: Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812: Directly following the Opening Ceremony, the creators and first tier cast members of this luminous nuevo-Broadway musical took the stage. Some fans came to see the show’s celebrity Pierre, aka Josh Groban who, like the rest of the participants, were laid back and up to the task of sharing how they initially became involved in the project as well as the show’s overall impact. They also disclosed some backstage interactions, including their standard warm-up: an en mass gathering to sing “Bag of dicks.” Show biz bonding wrapped in divine irreverence...it doesn’t get much better than that!

20 Years On Pride Rock: At this Lion King retrospective back-and-forth, Whoopi Goldberg (the voice of head hyena Shenzi in the animated film) was slated to share the stage with the hit Broadway show’s director Julie Taymor (whose next Broadway project will be directing Clive Owen in M. Butterfly). MIA Goldberg was replaced by Disney Theatrical Group President Thomas Schumacher, who was involved with the production from the outset. The discussion shed light on Taymor’s choices, influences and challenges, and ultimately her statement: “It’s the most fun thing I’ve ever done in my life.” 

Other Popular/Noteworthy BroadwayCon Comings & Goings

A Bronx Tale Panel: Stars Nick Cordero, Richard H. Blake, Bobby Conte Thornton, and Ariana Debose were joined by lyricist Glenn Slater and a somewhat tardy Chazz Palminteri, who wrote the book based on his life experiences. Once Palminteri arrived, he was at his talkative best, quoting Hitchcock and telling it like it was back in the day in term of family, racism, and the characters he encountered growing up and made famous on stage and film.

Annie 40-Year Reunion: A coming together of several of the original creative team cast members from the original Broadway production, including Broadway’s first Annie, Andrea McCardle, as well as book writer Thomas Meehan, composer Charles Strouse, and lyricist/director Martin Charnin.

Most telling disclosure: Dorothy Louden, who picked up a Tony playing the curmudgeonly Miss Hannigan, was true to her charactershe really did hate kids. Who knew?

A panel discussion about being a replacement on Broadway (i.e., stepping into another performer’s shows)

A choreography tutorial Born to Boogie featuring Tony-winning choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler (Hamilton; In the Heights) and Spencer Liff (Emmy winner for So You Think You Can Dance), among others.

A timely panel dedicated to discussing the problems and prejudice and thoughtlessness encountered by first-rate actors with disabilities.

Amelie Broadway

One of this year's most highly anticipated musicals, Amélie.

A peek into the very near future offering First Looks at ten of Broadway’s Spring arrivals: Amélie, Anastasia, Bandstand, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Come From Away, Indecent, Miss Saigon, Significant Other, The Play That Goes Wrong, and Sunday in the Park With George, as well as a scene from the upcoming Michael John LaChiusa movie musical starring noted Broadway stars Audra McDonald and Cheyenne Jackson.

Belle and Maurice, Beauty and the Beast

Cosplayers portray Belle and Maurice from Beauty and the Beast.

Cosplayers galore (Curtain Up on Cosplay), with Hamiltonians, Elphabas, Glindas, Waitresses, Tracy Turnblads, and numerous Cats strutting around Javits alone, in couples, and in packs. Which is not to say there weren’t some wildcards tucked into the fun, like conjoined twins Daisy and Violet Hilton from Side Show; and the competitionyes there was a contestwinners: Flotsam and Jetsam from Disney’s The Little Mermaid.

Blizzard Party Line Panel: Not so much a weather necessity like it was in 2016, but it did allow BroadwayCon to dial and chat up Broadway favorites Kristin Chenoweth, Idina Menzel, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Laura Bell Bundy, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and Billy Porter.

Q&A with Tony winners/Broadway icons Joel Grey and Chita Rivera.

Post-show concerts and the ultimate Slumber Party featuring a not-to-be-forgotten game of Truth or Dare.

Autograph Tables: Fan lines snaked around the area blocked off for autograph lottery winners ready to meet, greet, and score signatures from their favorite Broadway celebrities. Among those on the schedule over the three day event were Anthony Rapp; Tony-winner LaChanze; Carolee Carmello; Lesli Margherita; Tony Roberts; Tony nominees/husband & wife Danny Burstein and Rebecca Luker; Tony winner Kelli O’Hara; Judy Kuhn and Tony-winner Michael Cerveris fresh from the long-running Fun Home; and Chita Rivera.

Closing Ceremony: A recap of the BroadwayCon 2017 with Sam Tanabe returning as Carl, and a message from co-founders co-founders Anthony Rapp and Melissa Anelli: “We recognize that this weekend has been a welcome escape, from the harsh reality of the world outside it...We cannot restrict the empowerment we feel after a weekend like this to only those who are privileged enough to be a part of it. The theatre community is not one event, one moment, or one weekend, its spirit is ever growing. We here onstage are asking you as one to take what you felt this weekend with you. If you leave here and are met with hatred, intolerance, oppression, and bigotry from people who want to build walls, take away rights and tear down spirits, please remember what it was like this weekend—the times that you felt impassioned, enlightened, welcomed, informed, safe, included, happy, encouraged, accepted, and loved.”

About the Author

City Guide Theatre Editor Griffin Miller moved to New York to pursue an acting/writing career in the 1980s after graduating magna cum laude from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Since then, she has written for The New York Times, For the Bride, Hotels, and a number of other publications, mostly in the areas of travel and performance arts. An active member of The New York Travel Writers Association, she is also a playwright and award-winning collage artist. In addition, she sits on the board of The Lewis Carroll Society of North America. Griffin is married to Richard Sandomir, a reporter for The New York Times.

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