Hamilton

‘WEST SIDE STORY,’ ‘HANGMEN’ GET SBA FUNDS TO RESUME PERFORMANCES; ‘HAMILTON’ SECURES $50 MILLION

July 12, 2021 by Philip Boroff

Ivo van Hove’s video-heavy revival of West Side Story, which was originally produced by Scott Rudin and opened a month before Broadway was shuttered, has scored a $10 million Small Business Administration grant to reopen.

A person familiar with the production said it will imminently announce when it will resume, along with who will oversee it. Following multiple reports alleging that Rudin abused his staff, the producer has said that he’s stepping back from the entertainment business. There’d been industry speculation that the musical, which was capitalized at $16 million and received mixed reviews, would not return. Continue Reading

‘WAITRESS’ SCORES $10 MILLION TIP FROM FEDS

July 7, 2021 by Philip Boroff

Broadway is usually a risky business — but the remount of Waitress looks like an excellent bet.

Pop star Sara Bareilles, who wrote the musical’s acclaimed score, will return to the lead role for the first six weeks of the four-month engagement, scheduled to begin Sept. 2 at the Barrymore Theatre. And the U.S. Small Business Administration has awarded the production $10 million as part of its disaster relief program for the live entertainment industry.Continue Reading

SBA TARGETS JULY 4 FOR MOST SHUTTERED VENUE GRANT DECISIONS

June 16, 2021 by Philip Boroff

The U.S. Small Business Administration plans to notify 10,000 Shuttered Venue Operators Grant applicants, or 70 percent of the total, about awards by Independence Day, Broadway League President Charlotte St. Martin wrote to members.Continue Reading

CUOMO SAYS BROADWAY CAN REOPEN AT FULL CAPACITY SEPT. 14; RECOMMENDS INDUSTRY REQUIRE VACCINATION FOR ENTRY

May 5, 2021 by Philip Boroff

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said today that Broadway can resume performances at 100 percent capacity on Sept. 14 and recommends that Broadway require Covid-19 vaccinations for entry to theaters.

“The simplest formula: 100 percent vaccinated,” Cuomo said at a news conference. “The theaters are going to have to make those decisions.”Continue Reading

BROADWAY CONDUCTORS & ARRANGERS WILL FOSTER INCLUSION IN THE PIT

October 26, 2020 by Philip Boroff

Growing up in Las Vegas, Ilana Atkins started studying piano at six but eventually hit a wall with classical music.

“The music didn’t speak to me,” she said. “As I got older, the most consistent response I got was, ‘Oh girl, you’re light skinned and you play the piano, you could be the next Alicia Keys.'”Continue Reading

‘HAMILTON’ PRODUCER RECEIVED EMERGENCY SMALL BUSINESS LOAN (EXCLUSIVE)

July 7, 2020 by Philip Boroff

Jeffrey Seller, the lead producer of the blockbuster Hamilton and a producer of the film version that streamed on Disney+, received an emergency small business loan for his company backed by the federal government, according to Treasury Dept. data released on Monday.Continue Reading

‘HAMILTON’-ENDOWED PUBLIC THEATER DELAYS FURLOUGHS WITH $4 MILLION OF U.S. AID

May 21, 2020 by Philip Boroff

EXCLUSIVE: The Public Theater, which has earned tens of millions of dollars launching Hamilton, received federal assistance meant to preserve jobs threatened by the pandemic.

The Public borrowed roughly $4 million through the Paycheck Protection Program, according to Shareeza Bhola, a spokeswoman for the nonprofit. The loans, which are overseen by the Treasury Department and Small Business Administration, may be forgiven when borrowers spend at least 75 percent of the money on payroll over eight weeks.Continue Reading