Broadway Says Thanks
Broadway is going on the road to show its appreciation for help it received in the aftermath of Sept. 11. And, while you're at it, please come to New York and see a Broadway show.
The thank-you is an hour-long musical revue called "New York Loves America: The Broadway Tour" and is put together by the League of American Theatres and Producers.
A group of five theater performers led by Sandy Duncan start the 14-city, 16-day tour Saturday. The tour will include such places as Miami, Cleveland, Austin, New Orleans, Washington - and Broadway, N.C., population 1,015, according to Rand McNally.
"During these past four months, our city and Broadway have been the recipients of a tremendous outpouring of attention, affection and love from the rest of the country," Jed Bernstein, president of the League of American Theatres and Producers, said at a news conference. "This is not a familiar position for New York. New York is used to being admired, perhaps, but not always beloved. It's a time when we have to give back."
The free show will feature songs from current Broadway musicals as well as numbers from productions opening later this spring, including "One Mo' Time" and "Oklahoma!"
"They are sending us to do something we couldn't be happier doing," said Duncan, best known in the theater for starring in "Peter Pan" on Broadway and on the road. "We are going to do it from the bottom of our hearts. We are doing to do it with great love and great respect. And I think that we will hopefully be able to communicate that to America."
Besides Duncan, the singers include Ruthie Henshall, Michael Mulheren, Paige Price and Keith Byron Kirk, all veterans of Broadway shows.
Bernstein said the cast will be meeting with the mayors of these cities, and, in some cases, with governors, if the performances are in a capital city. They will also talk to firefighters and rescue workers if that city sent people to help New York after the terrorist attacks.
"We will have fire helmets from Engine 54, our local firehouse which lost 15 men, and the surviving men have agreed to sign these helmets and present one to each mayor as a kind of tangible way of saying 'thank you,"' Bernstein added.
He said the show would, for the most part, not be performed in theaters, but rather in other prominent locations in each of the cities visited, such as Bayside Marketplace in Miami, Peachtree Center in Atlanta and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.
Broadway theaters were closed for two days after the September attacks, and business plummeted. Grosses gradually climbed back, although they are not quite as strong as they were a year ago. January, February and the first two weeks of March are particularly lean months for New York theater, and many shows, particularly long-running musicals such as "Les Miserables," "The Phantom of the Opera" and "Chicago," are offering discount deals.
"This was a city that was brought to its knees but it is standing up again, Bernstein said. "We want to send the message that New York is open for business."
Tour schedule and dates:
- Miami, Jan. 19;
- Tampa, Jan. 20;
- Cleveland, Jan. 21;
- New Orleans, Jan. 22;
- Houston, Jan. 23;
- Austin, Texas, Jan. 24;
- Atlanta, Jan. 25;
- Broadway, N.C., Jan 27;
- Washington, Jan. 28;
- Baltimore, Jan. 29;
- San Francisco, Jan. 30;
- Los Angeles, Jan. 31;
- Phoenix, Feb. 1;
- Denver, Feb. 2.
By Michael Kuchwara
© MMII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed