Justin to Participate in BROADWAY BARKS - Shubert Alley, NYC - July 12, 2014

Wicked stars Justin Guarini, Christine Dwyer, P.J. Benjamin, and Mary Testa show off their four-legged companions.

by BWW News Desk

June 23

http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Zach-Braff-Audra-McDonald-Lena-Hall-More-to-Take-Part-in-BROADWAY-BARKS-16-20140623#.U6jovfldXoF

BROADWAY BARKS announces their 16th annual star-studded dog and cat adoption event featuring celebrities from the hottest shows on Broadway to benefit New York City animal shelters and adoption agencies. Founded by Mary Tyler Moore and Bernadette Peters, the event, produced by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS will take place on Saturday, July 12 in Shubert Alley (located between 44th and 45th Streets, between Broadway and Eighth Avenue). The festivities begin at 3:00 p.m. where you can meet all the adoptable dogs and cats; celebrity presentations of pets from animal shelters citywide will take place between 5-6:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
Marking its 16th anniversary of the organization, BROADWAY BARKS will again help hundreds of New York City's shelter animals find permanent homes by informing New Yorkers about the plight of the thousands of homeless dogs and cats in the metropolitan area. This year's sponsors include the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®,) the Shubert Organization, Jujamcyn Theaters, Daryl Roth, Clarence Nederlander, Michael David of The Dodgers, Marty and Perry Granoff, Mary Jo and Ted Shenand The New York Times
Celebrity participants include:
Brooks Ashmanskas (Bullets Over Broadway)
Sierra Boggess (The Phantom of the Opera)
Paige Brady (Matilda The Musical)
Zach Braff (Bullets Over Broadway)
Krystal Joy Brown (Motown The Musical)
Danny Burstein (Cabaret)
Jane Carr (A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder)
Victoria Clark (Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella)
Lauren Cohn (Mamma Mia!)
Jenn Colella (If/Then)
Nick Cordero (Bullets Over Broadway)
Colin Donnell (Violet)
John Dossett (Newsies)
Christine Dwyer (Wicked)
Linda Emond (Cabaret)
Felicia Finley (Mamma Mia!)
Jessie Fisher (Once)
Alexander Gemignani (Violet)
Sarah Greene (The Cripple of Inishmaan)
Justin Guarini (Wicked)
Lena Hall (Hedwig and the Angry Inch)
Matt Harrington (Matilda The Musical)
Samantha Hill (LES MISERABLES)
Jackie Hoffman (The Addams Family)
James Monroe Iglehart (Aladdin)
Rachel Bay Jones (Pippin)
Andy Karl (Rocky)
Anika Larsen (Beautiful - The Carole King Musical)
Adriane Lenox (After Midnight)
Lesli Margherita (Matilda The Musical)
Kyle Dean Massey (Pippin)
Marin Mazzie (Bullets Over Broadway)
Audra McDonald (Lady Day at Emerson Bar & Grill)
Judy McLane (Mamma Mia!)
Andy Mientus (LES MISERABLES)
Bebe Neuwirth (Blue Bloods)
Jim Norton (Of Mice and Men)
Jill Paice (Matilda The Musical)
Vincent Pastore (Bullets Over Broadway)
Gabriella Pizzolo (Matilda The Musical)
Karine Plantadit (After Midnight)
Courtney Reed (Aladdin)
Ciara Renee (Pippin)
Cliff Saunders (LES MISERABLES)
Margo Seibert (Rocky)
Christopher Sieber (Matilda The Musical)
Ripley Sobo (Matilda The Musical)
Jarrod Spector (Beautiful - The Carole King Musical)
Will Swenson (LES MISERABLES)
Mary Testa (Wicked)
Ava Ulloa (Matilda The Musical)
Betsy Wolfe (Bullets Over Broadway)
Lenny Wolpe (Bullets Over Broadway)
Heléne Yorke (Bullets Over Broadway)
Karen Ziemba (Bullets Over Broadway)
"First, we love animals at BC/EFA and most especially those furry and four-footed pals who at one time or another needed a forever home," said BC/EFA's executive director Tom Viola. "Second, we also love Bernadette Peters, one of our earliest and now long time champions. In appreciation of the theatre community's unprecedented commitment to more than 26 years of fundraising, BC/EFA is happy to join Bernadette,Mary Tyler Moore and a host of Broadway's best each summer for BROADWAY BARKS. It's one of the happiest days of our annual event calendar."
"Since 2003, the lives of more than 250,000 dogs and cats have been saved through the combined efforts of the Alliance Participating Organizations, many of which, including Animal Care & Control of NYC, have participated in Broadway Barks over the years," says Jane Hoffman, president of the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals. "This spirit of a collaborative community, manifested so clearly in BROADWAY BARKS, is moving us closer to the day when no New York City dog or cat of reasonable health and temperament will be killed simply because we do not have a home for them. We congratulateBernadette Peters and Mary Tyler Moore for 16 brilliant years of saving lives through BROADWAY BARKS."
BARKS will feature adoptable animals from the following New York City animal shelters and adoption agencies including: ASPCA®, Abandoned Angels Cocker Spaniel Rescue, Adopt a Boxer Rescue, Animal Care and Control of NYC (AC&C), Animal Haven, Anjellicle Cats Rescue, Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons (ARF), BARC (Brooklyn Animal Resource Coalition), Bideawee, Bobbi & the Strays, City Critters, Humane Society of New York (HSNY), Husky House, KittyKind, Loving Touch Animal Center, Manhattan Valley Cat Rescue, Metropolitan Maltese Rescue, Mid Atlantic Great Dane Rescue League, NY Pet-I-Care, PetResQ, P.L.U.T.O. Rescue (Pet Lovers United Together As One), Posh Pets Rescue, Russell Refuge, Save Kitty Foundation, Sean CaseyAnimal Rescue, Stray from the Heart, Tigger Foundation and Urban Cat League.
Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos

Justin to Participate in Industry Reading of GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN, a New High School Musical - June 20, 2014

by BWW News DeskJune 16

Stageworks Media will present an industry reading of GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN, a New High School Musical written by Eric Price and directed byDaniel Goldstein (Godspell). Set in a prep school, GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN is a modern retelling of the Jane Austin classic Emma, and features a score comprised of contemporary pop songs made famous by female singers, songwriters, and female-led bands. GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN will be presented on Friday, June 20th at 11:00 am at 54Below (254 West 54th Street, NYC).
Featured in the cast of GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN are Emilee Dupre (Chaplin), Justin Guarini (Wicked, Romeo & Juliet), Adam Kantor (Next to Normal), Andrew Keenan-Bolger (Newsies, ... Spelling Bee), Caitlin Kinnunen (The Bridges of Madison County), Janet Krupin (If/Then, Hands on a Hardbody), Lorinda Lisitza (The Ted & Lo Show), Marla Mindelle (Cinderella, Sister Act), Patti Murin (Fly By Night, Lysistrata Jones), Ryann Redmond (If/Then, Bring It On),Brian Sears (The Book of Mormon), and Zakiya Young (Stick Fly, The Little Mermaid).
GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN has as score which features hit songs made famous by artists such as Sara Bareilles, Whitney Houston, Katy Perry, Alanis Morissette,Avril Lavigne, Blondie, Shania Twain, Salt 'N' Pepa, Natasha Bedingfield, and Cyndi Lauper, among others. The music director is Paul Staroba (A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder), and musical arrangements are by Michael Holland(Godspell).
GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN is the second project developed by Stageworks Media as part of The Stageworks Collection -- musicals that are conceived, developed, and delivered with the high school performing artist in mind. The first, Cyrano de Burger Shack, is currently having its first pilot productions presented at schools / youth arts programs such as the Avenues School in NYC and the French Woods Festival in Hancock, NY.
"As a high school Theatre Director, it is often difficult to choose a musical that is perfectly suited for students. Not only do you need to choose material that fits your student roster, but also content that is suited for high school-age kids. We need new work with popular music, created by theatre professionals, and scored and adapted for teenage voices, bands and orchestras. The Stageworks Collection provides us with a great opportunity to combine popular music and high school-set stories. It also put parents and school administrators at ease," says David Weinstein, Director, French Woods Festival, Hancock, NY.
Founded in September 2013 by Michael Barra, Stageworks Media is a multi-platform production company focused on adapting content for stages around the globe, and developing theatrical-inspired stories for film, TV, digital, and publishing. Stageworks Media develops new work for the stage, connecting large, branded intellectual property owners -- film studios, music publishers, book publishers, etc. -- with the thriving theatrical licensing marketplace. Allowing content owners to activate their otherwise dormant library assets, Stageworks Media works with these companies to select properties to develop as stage musicals, with a special focus on the regional, community, university and high school theatre licensing markets through its Stageworks Collection. They will also in turn package those resulting new musicals for a life in TV and film.
Stageworks Media also produces and manages the immersive theatre hit Speakeasy Dollhouse - the original, Speakeasy Dollhouse: The Bloody Beginning, and its newest chapter, Speakeasy Dollhouse: The Brother Booth (performed at the historic Players Club).
For more information on the presentation of GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN or the Stageworks Collection, call Stageworks Media at (212) 268-0600 or email info@stageworksmedia.com.
Broadway World

Playbill Centerfolds (The Skivvies) feature Justin at 54 Below - June 20, 2014 - VIDEO added

PHOTOS

Playbill Centerfolds

Featuring Justin Guarini, Alice Ripley, & more (6/20)

Cover charge: $30 – $60

Cover Charge Additional $5 At Door

Food & Beverage Minimum: $25

Wed, June 4	9:30pm	Doors 8:45pm	$30/$40/$55	Buy Tickets
Fri, June 20	11:00pm	Doors 10:00pm	$30/$40/$60	Buy Tickets
Tue, July 1	9:30pm	Doors 8:45pm	$30/$40/$55	Buy Tickets
Sat, July 26	11:00pm	Doors 10:00pm	$30/$40/$60	Buy Tickets
Sat, Aug 2	11:00pm	Doors 10:00pm	$30/$40/$60	Buy Tickets
Fri, Aug 22	11:00pm	Doors 10:00pm	$30/$40/$60	Buy Tickets

*Tickets on the day of performance after 2:00pm are only available by calling 646.476.3551.

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!
This “musically thrilling” undie-rock, comedy-pop duo don’t just strip down their musical arrangements, they literally strip down to their underwear to perform their distinctive mashups and eccentric originals for cello and ukulele, with touches of glockenspiel, melodica, and a surprising array of under-used instruments. Award-winning singer-actors Lauren Molina (Marry Me a Little, Sweeney Todd, Rock of Ages) and Nick Cearley (All Shook Up) became YouTube sensations as The Skivvies, with living room videos that displayed their powerful harmonies as well as their powerful abs. Those clips led to live shows that The Wall Street Journal called “smart, sophisticated…ingenious,” and Out Magazine, “The Skivvies have managed to carve out a niche that we never knew needed to exist: part Weird Al- parody and part sexy burlesque…and unusual explosion of satire and sultry.” They also have a single and music video directed by Augusten Burroughs, bestselling author of Running With Scissors. They will be joined by special guest stars who will strip down and rock out. Expect a hilarious evening of genre-hopping pop perfection.
www.theskivviesnyc.com

June 20 guests: 
Alice Ripley
Greg Hildreth
Jenna Leigh Green
Patrick Paige and Paige Davis
Justin Guarini
Jason Tam
Patti Murin

54 Below

Justin in Bombers-Boomer-Broadway Celebrity Softball Games for Charity - June 23, 2014 - VIDEO added

VIDEOs

Batting Practice

Introduction

RBI Single to the Left

2 for 2 with 2 Singles

Interview with Justin pre-Times Square Tonys Simulcast - June 8, 2014

JUSTIN GUARINI'S TONYS INTERVIEW REMINDS US THE 'AMERICAN IDOL' RUNNER-UP IS STILL SINGING

by Alanna Bennett

Kelly Clarkson was the official winner of the first-ever season ofAmerican Idol, but we all know from the years that came after that that finding post-Idol fame is rarely that simple. Just ask Justin Guarini, Clarkson’s runner-up, who did not pull a Clay Aiken by becoming the more famous one, and who largely fell off the radar post-Idol. But he’s fine, you guys! Justin Guarini’s on Broadway now, and the Tonys reminded us of that!
To a certain sect of people between the ages of 22 and 40, the buoyant and boyish Guarini rocked throughout his Idol days is a wonderful, vaguely traumatizing reminder of the early 2000s. So is, for that matter, From Justin To Kelly, that movie he made with Clarkson immediately following Idol to best capitalize on their fame. It was…not amazing. Let’s just say there’s a reason there wasn’t one starring Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard.
Guarini joined the cast of the Broadway production of Wickedthis past February; he’s playing Fiyero, love interest to Elphaba and crush to all. And what he was doing immediately prior to this was pretty cool (and weird), too: He was playing Paris opposite Orlando Bloom’s Romeo in Broadway’s Romeo & Juliet. Oh, and he’d like everyone to know the rumors of his post-Idolpoverty were greatly exaggerated:
My money troubles were really sensationalized by the media [Guarini posted a personal blog in fall 2013 that mentioned skipping meals]. It’s not even remotely the truth. What I really wanted to get across is that I wasn’t facing poverty or even close to poverty, but that I was humbled by life now as opposed to what it was 10 years ago. Ten years ago I was a millionaire and I didn’t know what to do with it. And I thought that type of money was always going to be there for me.  And here I am 10 years later still very well taken care of, but I have three kids. Ten years ago it was just me and I could spend the money however I wanted . 
Alright, you go be fancy at your Tonys, Guarini — but we’ll always remember From Justin To Kelly. We don’t have the power to forget.
Bustle

Audience Choice Awards to Wicked - June 5, 2014 [VIDEO added]

Photo by: Bruce Glikas

The cast of 'Wicked'

ABOUT THE SHOW

• Overview
• Reviews
• Cast & Creative
• Photos
• Videos

BUY TICKETS

It's Trophy Time! Wicked Wins Big at the 2014 Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards

What’s it like to have a shelf overflowing with beautiful, shiny Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards? Ask the hit musical Wicked, who has once againracked up trophies for Favorite Long-Running Show and Favorite Tour in 2014. That means Wicked has been voted Favorite Long-Running Show six years in a row! Check out these Hot Shots of stars Christine Dwyer,Jenni Barber, Justin Guarini and the cast accepting their awards and thanking the fans for their votes. It’s a beautiful day in Oz!

Broadway.com

Kerry Butler and Justin Guarini Will Host Times Square Simulcast of Tony Awards - June 8 [VIDEO added]

PHOTOS

"One Song Glory" by Justin at Times Square

"I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry"

by TV News Desk 

For the sixth year, the Tony Awards® will be simulcast live in Times Square...and you're invited! Past Tony Award nominee Kerry Butler and singer Justin Guarini (Wicked) will host the outdoor celebration of Broadway, which is free and open to the public, right in the heart of New York City's Theatre District.
The simulcast, which was announced by Clear Channel Spectacolor, will be presented in partnership with the Times Square Alliance and the City of New York. Clear Channel Spectacolor is co-producer of the 2014 Simulcast and an official media partner of the American Theatre Wing's 68th Annual Tony Awards.
A Front-Row Seat to All the Action
Theatre lovers will have a front-row seat to all the action on Tony night. The simulcast will take place rain or shine, with full audio and seating for 1,000 guests starting at 7:00 pm. This year we will be at the downtown (southern) end of Times Square, on Broadway between 42nd and 43rd Streets. The event is free and all are welcome.
The Times Square simulcast will include the NY1 lead-in programs and the CBS telecast of the Tony Awards. The event begins at 7:00 pm and will air portions of the Tony Awards Red Carpet courtesy of NY1. The entirety of the Tony Awards show, including the Creative Arts Awards which can only otherwise be seen live inside Radio City Music Hall, will also be broadcast at the event (TonyAwards.com will post on-demand clips of the Creative Arts Awards on Tony night). The outdoor celebration of Broadway will also feature special guest appearances from Broadway favorites.
Hosts and Special Appearances
Co-host Kerry Butler was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical in 2008 for her role inXanadu. Butler is currently starring in Under My Skin Off Broadway at The Little Shubert Theatre. Co-host Justin Guarini was first runner-up on the debut season of American Idol and is now starring in Broadway's Wicked as Fiyero.

Source

For up-to-the-minute news follow Clear Channel Outdoor on Twitter.com/CCOutdoorNA

Visit TonyAwards.com, and follow the Tonys at Facebook.com/TheTonyAwards, @TheTonyAwards on Twitter, and Instagram.com/TheTonyAwards. #TonyAwards

Broadway World

"Lovesick" and MORE - LOVESICK at 54 Below, a Broadway Cabaret - June 2, 2014

BWW Interview: Justin Guarini Talks Bringing LOVESICK to 54 Below, His New WICKED Gig & More!

Tomorrow, June 2, Broadway veteran and current star of Wicked Justin Guarini brings his new cabaret show LOVESICK to 54 Below. Directed by Gordon Greenberg, the show is a tribute to all the horrifying places love has taken him - from a Catholic school closet in Doylestown, PA to the revolving hotel rooms at American Idol, and, ultimately, to Broadway.

With a seven-piece band, back up vocalists Shayla Benoit, Rashidra Scott and Rebecca LaChance, and music from Burt Bacharachto Beck to Mika, LOVESICK promises to be an evening of raucous and revealing storytelling - and a full-on party.

Justin recently took the time to chat with BroadwayWorld all about the new show, what it's like stepping into Fiyero's shoes, and so much more. Check out he full interview below!

---

Your new show, LOVESICK, seems like a really fun concept. How'd you come up with the idea?

Gordon Greenburg, the director called me up. He and I are actually cousins by marriage. We worked with each other before at the Bucks County Playhouse doing a radio play adaptation of IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE. Robyn Goodman, the artistic director, called him and said, 'Hey, we'd love to do something for Valentine's Day, who do you think we could get?' So he called me and asked me if I'd like to do a fun cabaret piece for Valentine's Day, and I thought that was a great idea.

My very first show on Broadway was WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN and one of the opening numbers was "Lovesick." So we thought, why not call it that and make it all about funny, interesting, mostly embarrassing stories from throughout my love life. So from that idea, I started digging through my past and finding some really embarrassing stories, and putting them to music that I loved to sing and that fit with the stories. Gordon and I crafted a really funny, touching and entertaining piece for the Bucks County Playhouse.

Have you tweaked the set at all from that initial production?

Yes! What's really great about doing at 54 Below is that we have a tight hour time limit. So the stories are sharper. We've actually even mixed in the music with the stories themselves and created this really seamless piece that fits perfectly into the hour. I think it was about an hour and a half before. We've really stripped it to the essence of the stories, the essence of the humor, the essence of the embarrassment. I'm just so excited, because having my 11-piece band in 54 Below... with the richness of the sound in the space is gonna be so fun.

What kind of music can the audience expect to hear?

I purposefully picked an eclectic mix. There are tunes from Broadway, pop tunes, soul tunes. It's everything from WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN, with that beautiful David Yazbek score, to Bacharach, to Mika, to Donny Hathaway, to Harry Connick Jr. I love to sing all kinds of music. I studied vocal performance in school, so I love being able to touch on different genres yet make them all a part of this piece. It will be all kinds of music with a rich sound.

You developed the show at the Bucks County Playhouse, and you're originally from Doylestown. What was that like for you getting to perform on your home turf?

There's no better experience than being able to develop this kind of piece in front of a hometown crowd. I was shocked and amazed that we were able to pack the house during a HORRIBLE ice storm on Valentine's Day. And then on top of that, being able to develop it at a Broadway-worthy house... the Bucks County Playhouse was the place where so many Broadway shows got their start. Everyone from Liza Minnelli to Grace Kelly has been on that stage! Angela Lansburydeveloped a piece there. It has such a rich history and to be a part of it is such an honor.

I know that you've worked with your backup singers before. That must be fun to get to reunite with them...
Yes! Shayla [Benoit] I met years ago when we were doing RENT at the Surflight Theatre. Then Rashidra [Scott] I did a workshop of DRUMLINE with, and then Rebecca [LaChance] I just met through Gordon. It's so great to have people like Rebecca and Rashidra who are on Broadway and who are sluggin' through eight shows a week like I am.
And then something that a lot of people don't know about Shayla is that last year the Tonys got in touch with her and asked her if she and her business partner, Shady Theatrics, would shoot little pieces for the audience at the Tony while they are on commercial break. So she did that last year and she's currently shooting another whole set for this year. So its really awesome to be working with people who are doing eight shows a week and so active in the community. Then I have my personal band with me- we've done stuff all over the place together. It's a lot of heart up on the stage.
Speaking of eight shows a week, how are things going at the Gershwin?
I absolutely love it, no lie. It's one of the best jobs I've had on Broadway, easily. What really makes it, besides the fact that it's just a phenomenal piece, is the cast. They're all so kind and so talented. It's so nice that there aren't any bad apples in the bunch. It's like a big family onstage and everyone has everyone else's backs.
It was announced last week that the cast will be involved with the Tonys ceremony!
Yes, some of the cast will be performing! And I'm really excited to be doing something very special that's in conjunction with the Tonys. That will be announced soon! I'm very excited.
Is this the first Tonys that you'll have been involved with?
Yeah, this will be my first direct experience with it. I watch it on TV but I'll be actually involved- it's very, very exciting for me. My goal one day is to host the Tonys! It's big shoes to fill but I need to put it out there. I will work very hard! If there was ever any major telecast that I would want to host it would be the Tonys. It's the combination of all of my passions.
It's been a while now since you American Idol days and you've come so far since then... is there any advice that looking back you'd give your younger self?
I like to think that all of the 'mistakes' I made led me to this point. I wouldn't have learned anything if I did I right the first time [laughs]. I guess it would be to see the bigger picture. When you're in the throws of all the highs and lows, and the highs are really high and the lows are really low, it's easy to be myopic. So my advice to myself would be to see the bigger picture and trust that if you have a dream and you never give up, that eventually it will come back around to you. Most of the people who are a success are the ones that just didn't give up. They just kept going when everyone else quit. You never know where the path will lead you, especially in the business, but if you believe in your talent, work hard, and treat people right, then you'll win in one way or another.
Bottom line, why should people head over to 54 Below tomorrow for LOVESICK?
If you want to laugh and you want to get to know me in a way that you have never ever seen me before, then come on over!

---

LOVESICK plays at 54 Below tomorow, June 2, 2014 (9:30pm). Tickets on the day of performance after 2:00 are only available by calling 646.476.3551. Click here to buy tickets now!
Guarini's past Broadway credits include: Romeo & Juliet (Paris), American Idiot (Will), Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Carlos, original cast). Solo albums: Justin Guarini RCA Records, Stranger Things Have Happened. Regional: Ghost Brothers of Darkland County (World Premiere, Drake); Rent (Roger); Chicago (Billy Flynn); Joseph...Dreamcoat (Joseph). Film: Fast Girl, From Justin to Kelly. TV: "American Idol" season 1 (Fox), "Run of the House" (Fox), "Wizards of Waverly Place" (Disney), TV Guide Network (host).
© 2014 Copyright Wisdom Digital Media. All Rights reserved.
See Article