They say the neon lights are bright on Broadway. There’s always magic in the air. Combine that with the prestige of the nation’s capital, and it’s a truly unique experience of the arts.
Time to celebrate “50 Years of Broadway at the Kennedy Center” this Friday and Saturday.
“We’re celebrating our 50th anniversary season, and there’s no way we could let that go by without celebrating all of the great Broadway shows that have been here,” Vice President Jeffrey Finn told WTOP. “We’ve put together a spectacular night of celebrating Broadway.”
The event salutes shows that started at the Kennedy Center before going to Broadway.
“In the ’70s, ‘Pippin’ was one of the first pre-Broadway engagements here,” Finn said. “‘Annie,’ a family favorite, was here before it transferred to Broadway and became a big hit. Possibly most iconic is ‘Les Mis,’ which premiered in London but came to the Kennedy Center in Dec. 1986 for several weeks before opening in March of ’87 on Broadway.”
The night will also include a number of other Broadway favorites.
“The list includes ‘Annie,’ ‘Cabaret,’ ‘Chess,’ ‘City of Angels,’ ‘Company,’ ‘Crazy for You,’ ‘Follies,’ ‘Funny Girl,’ ‘Guys and Dolls,’ ‘Gypsy,’ ‘Les Mis,’ ‘Little Shop of Horrors,’ ‘Merrily We Roll Along,’ ‘My Fair Lady,’ ‘Phantom,’ ‘Pippin,’ ‘Ragtime,’ ‘Sophisticated Ladies,’ ‘Sunday in the Park with George,’ ‘West Side Story’ and ‘Wicked,'” Finn said.
These show tunes will be performed by some of the originating stars.
“Frances Ruffelle, who played Éponine in the original ‘Les Mis’ and won a Tony for that role, will be back here on the Opera House stage recreating the famous song ‘On My Own,'” Finn said. “Stephanie J. Block, who’s a Tony winner on Broadway, created the role of Elphaba in the national tour of ‘Wicked’ and she’ll be performing ‘Defying Gravity.'”
The lineup also includes Alfie Boe (“Finding Neverland”), Sierra Boggess (“The Little Mermaid”), Gavin Creel (“Hello Dolly!”), Christopher Jackson (“Hamilton”), LaChanze (“The Color Purple”), Beth Leavel (“The Prom”), Norm Lewis (“Phantom of the Opera”), Andrea McArdle (“Annie”), Andrew Rannells (“The Book of Mormon”), Vanessa Williams (“Into the Woods”), Betsy Wolfe (“Waitress”) and Tony Yazbeck (“On the Town”).
“Most everybody is a Tony nominee or a Tony winner,” Finn said. “It’s a group that I’m thrilled to have put together and a group that will possibly never all be seen again together on stage, so it’s really a once-in-a-lifetime moment.”
The entire evening is hosted by Tony winner James Monroe Iglehart (“Aladdin”).
“One of the most energetic guys on Broadway,” Finn said. “He was the original Genie in ‘Aladdin’ on Broadway and won a Tony Award for the role. He is going to be the host of the evening and he’s got more energy than I think I’ve ever seen in one person. He’s going to be a great host for the evening and open up the night performing a number from ‘Pippin.'”
It’s the perfect way to kick off another year of shows, including “Ain’t Too Proud,” “Beautiful,” “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Mean Girls,” “Hamilton” and “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
“It’s a really special place to see a show,” Finn said. “We really do present and offer our audiences the very best quality and the most important art that can be seen on stage.”
Listen to our full conversation here.
