The Fairy Princess hopes you have a most excellent 2018.
She, among perhaps the great majority of the country, or at the very least, the great majority of the entertainment community, was thrilled to see the year of abject idiocy, 2017, fall by the wayside.
Social media should not be used if you do not have a basic understanding of the grammar of the language you propose that you speak, nor should it cater to people who only get their news from one source, the television, and one network in particular.
Anyway, 2017 is over –
So what is up thus far for 2018…
BroadwayCon is at it again, year three!
Yes, Virginia, there WILL be an Asian American Panel again this year, TFP is calling it Fan Tan Fantastic!
She has an absolutely stellar bunch of panelists – and yes, Gurl, she has enough panelists, there is a limit – and here they are:
ALI EWOLDT has become known for being the first Asian American to play the role of CHRISTINE DAAE on Broadway in PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. She made her Broadway debut as Cosette in Les Miserables, and was also in The King and I in the recent Lincoln Center revival. (Which won a TONY) (Pretty Fancy) She has a ton of other credits and we’ll get all into that at the panel.
Not giving away the farm, you understand, you’ll have to show up.
SHOBA NARAYAN has most recently been cast in the Second National Tour of HAMILTON. (Yes, that one) Prior to that she appeared on Broadway in Natasha and Pierre and The Great Comet of 1812, where she understudied the role of Natasha. Other theater credits include MISS SAIGON NAT’L TOUR, and workshops of MURDER AT THE GATES (written by Steven Sater, Tony Award winner) and PRINCE OF EGYPT (adaption of 1998 DreamWorks film).
Lots of TV stuff as well, but this is BROADWAYCON, so again, you’ll have to wait for it…wait for it…
RAYMOND J. LEE recently originated the role of RALPH in last season’s GROUNDHOG DAY. On Broadway he has been part of the casts of HONEYMOON IN VEGAS, ANYTHING GOES, MAMMA MIA. Ray also has a ton of plays and television appearances and is an activist in his own right, founding the Asian American Actors Alliance.
and finally….drumroll please…..cuz we have ALADDIN!
TELLY LEUNG is currently playing the title role in Disney’s ALADDIN on Broadway. Other Broadway & National Tour credits: In Transit, Allegiance (with George Takei and Lea Salonga), Godspell, Rent (final Broadway company), Wicked (Boq, Chicago company), Pacific Overtures, & Flower Drum Song.
Again, tons of television, including GLEE, (stop that screaming), recordings…and lots of other stuff we will get into in the fifty minutes that this glorious chat will take place in.
TFP is excited about this panel.
Also, TFP changed her hair – don’t worry, she is still repping, but yeah, she is shaking it up a bit…don’t freak out when you see it.
So here are the details: Javits Center. Jan 27th. 10AM.
BroadwayCon – make it so!
Oh, BLESS, don’t you just LURVE CHICAGO CZ JONES?
Come ON!
Other Fun News:
Lea Salonga and Merle Dandridge are holding it down over at ONCE ON THIS ISLAND on Broadway, and it is phenomenal.
TFP saw it, and the cast and the direction is stunning. They are adding Norm Lewis and Tamyra Gray January 7th, but if you can, go see our Gals, because they are breathtaking.
Young Jean Lee, the playwright, will become, in the upcoming season – the FIRST ASIAN AMERICAN FEMALE PLAYWRIGHT TO HAVE HER WORK ON BROADWAY.
This is a HUGE deal.
What is it called?
STRAIGHT WHITE MEN.
Yes, that is what the play is called and that is pretty much what you are going to see.
Here’s why TFP is excited – because while the play will star white men, ostensibly but not necessarily straight – this is an Asian American playwright examining race and culture but not having Asian American actors up there and, frankly – that is a relief.
Let’s pass the burden of privilege and calling it out to the people who have it.
Just this once.
TFP is looking forward to it.
RuthieAnn Miles and Ramin Karimloo are going to play our favorite Russian smartypantses in CHESS. They will be where they want to be and how they want to be and do what they always sang they could and say they never sweat at all…
(TFP may be a bit CHESS impaired.)
Anyway, they join Karen Olivio and Raul Esparza as the leads and this is going to play in D.C. on a pre-Broadway tryout and that should be SUPER AWESOME!
FROZEN, with music and lyrics by Kristin Anderson Lopez (In Transit) & Bobby Lopez (Avenue Q, Book of Mormon), based on the Disney movie is selling tickets for a February 2018 opening.
Everyone will be able to LET IT GO in no time flat.
Felt like they opened it on New Year’s Eve in NYC, but nah – get those Elsa dresses at the ready!
Turning for a moment to cable….
IRON FIST got a second season on NETFLIX – so while not everything was perfect round one, we still has some great fighting and there is a new showrunner – Raven Metzner from Sleepy Hollow – so…fingers crossed for some female kickassness, both in the story and in the fight scenes.
INTO THE BADLANDS done stole Lewis Tan from IRON FIST, so make sure you check out that show, which combines martial arts, a dystopian storyline and actually, more than one Asian lead character.
Something only ABC has been able to pull off…speaking of which…
FRESH OFF THE BOAT and AGENTS OF S.H.E.I.L.D. are holding strong and continue to be fan favorites over on ABC, which also has BLACKISH and THE GOOD DOCTOR in a very strong first season, which helped boost their Network Report card to B.
On their Network Diversity Cards.
Sorry, automatic response to getting a B.
B!
That was the highest grade, the highest grade of any network – and it matches the highest grade given EVER. Had ABC kept Dr. Ken and a few others, it would likely be at least a B+, but there you have it.
The start of 2018.
(They will never get into their safety school!)
And yeah, the other networks did worse.
WORSE THAN A B!
THEY DID NOT EVEN TURN IN THE ASSIGNMENT!
TFP‘s inner Tiger Mom is a growlin’.
TFP out.
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