Brought to you by Boneau/Bryan-Brown
Friday, January 27, 2012

The Friday Broadway Ticker: 
click on hyperlinked items for more information

Andrew Lloyd Webber talks about how much he likes the new Broadway JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR • • • Who Loves You Baby?! Watch the stars of JERSEY BOYS perform on “Imus in the Morning” • • • Great news! RT @nytimestheater: “WIT,” starring Cynthia Nixon, is Ben Brantley’s latest #nytcriticspicks. • • • New York Times calls WIT with Cynthia Nixon @MTC_NYC “inescapably moving” • • • 

For $2 a Star, a Retailer Gets 5-Star Reviews
New York Times -  by DAVID STREITFELD

In the brutal world of online commerce, where a competing product is just a click away, retailers need all the juice they can get to close a sale.

Some exalt themselves by anonymously posting their own laudatory reviews. Now there is an even simpler approach: offering a refund to customers in exchange for a write-up.

By the time VIP Deals ended its rebate on Amazon.com late last month, its leather case for the Kindle Fire was receiving the sort of acclaim once reserved for the likes of Kim Jong-il. Hundreds of reviewers proclaimed the case a marvel, a delight, exactly what they needed to achieve bliss. And definitely worth five stars.

As the collective wisdom of the crowd displaces traditional advertising, the roaring engines of e-commerce are being stoked by favorable reviews. The VIP deal reflects the importance merchants place on these evaluations — and the lengths to which they go to game the system.

Fake reviews are drawing the attention of regulators. They have cracked down on a few firms for deceitful hyping and suspect these are far from isolated instances. “Advertising disguised as editorial is an old problem, but it’s now presenting itself in different ways,” said Mary K. Engle, the Federal Trade Commission’s associate director for advertising practices. “We’re very concerned.”

To read this article in its entirety, click the link below
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/27/technology/for-2-a-star-a-retailer-gets-5-star-reviews.html

Women’s Wear Daily

Feature on Carla Gugino:

http://www.wwd.com/eye/people/the-road-for-carla-gugino-5576560

Backstage Newspaper

Feature on Rosemary Harris:

http://www.backstage.com/bso/news-and-features-features/rosemary-harris-returns-to-broadway-in-the-1005994362.story

Broadway.com

Feature on Jim Dale:

http://www.broadway.com/shows/road-mecca/buzz/159544/new-feature-the-road-to-mecca-star-jim-dales-role-call-of-favorite-characters/

Watch the stars of the Tony, Olivier and Grammy Award-winning Broadway musical JERSEY BOYS perform on “Imus In The Morning” on the Fox Business News.   JERSEY BOYS stars Matt Bogart, Andy Karl, Jarrod Spector, Quinn VanAntwerp.

JERSEY BOYS will also perform in the 2^nd annual “Imus On Broadway” concert at the Hard Rock Café on Monday, January 30.  The concert raises money for the Imus Ranch for Kids with Cancer.

JERSEY BOYS opened on Broadway to critical acclaim on November 6, 2005 at the August Wilson Theatre. The show is currently playing in New York; London; in cities across the U.S. on two National Tours; it will move to the Paris Casino in Las Vegas in March, 2012; and will also open in Auckland, New Zealand in April, 2012.

JERSEY BOYS is written by Marshall Brickman & Rick Elice, with music by Bob Gaudio, lyrics by Bob Crewe, and is directed by two-time Tony Award-winner Des McAnuff and choreographed by Sergio Trujillo.

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www.JerseyBoysBroadway.com

Follow JERSEY BOYS on Twitter: @JerseyBoysInfo or on Facebook.

Follow BBB on Twitter: @BBBway or on Facebook.

For the most up to date press releases visit our Blog.

Brought to you by Boneau/Bryan-Brown
Thursday, January 26, 2012

Today’s Tweets from BBB
Follow us on Twitter –  http://twitter.com/BBBway
Click on any hyperlinked  item for more information: 

BECOMING CHAPLIN, new musical about one of the world’s most Iconic entertainers to play Bway in the 2012-2013 Season • • • WIT‘s Cynthia Nixon, Margaret Edson, & Lynne Meadow will be on NPR’s “All Thing’s Considered” today (@npratc) • • • Here’s some video footage of WIT RT @PlaybillVideo: “WIT” With “Sex in the City”‘s Cynthia Nixon: @BBBway • • • The JERSEY BOYS do Dayton: via @youtube • • • 

Google privacy policy is subject to backlash
Washington Post– by HAYLEY TSUKAYAMA

Google’s announcement that it is sharing more user data across its services has already raised the hackles of privacy advocates, technology writers and caught the attention of at least one national data-protection agency.

On Tuesday, the search giant announced that it was placing 60 of its Web services under a unified privacy policy that would allow the company to share data between any of those services. (Google Books, Google Wallet and Google Chrome are excluded due to different regulatory and technical issues.) Any user with a Google account — used to sign in to services such as Gmail, YouTube and personalized search — must agree to the policy. Users who don’t want to have their data shared have the option to close their accounts with Google.

Some praised the company for being so open about the changes, including European Commissioner for Justice Vivian Reding. Reding, vice president of the EC, is the continent’s leading advocate for laws on Internet privacy and data protection, and said Google’s move was a step in the right direction.

“Google was quick. Even before the Commission decided on the new European law, Google made the first step in the direction of new privacy rules. I can only applaud the direction,” she said in a statement.

But not having the right to choose what information is shared between services is the source of a great deal of criticism. In remarks to The Washington Post’s Cecilia Kang, Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) said that he thinks it is “imperative” that users have control over what information they want to have shared between the services Google offers.

To read this article  in its entirety, click the link below
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/google-privacy-policy-is-subject-of-backlash/2012/01/25/gIQAzwZCRQ_story.html

The Billboard Charts ~ Issue Date: 2012-02-04

Billboard Top Broadway Cast Album Catalog:

#1.  Wicked, Original Broadway Cast Recording

#2. The Book of Mormon, Original Broadway Cast Recording   

#3.  Jersey Boys, Original Broadway Cast Recording

From the slums of London to the heights of Hollywood, BECOMING CHAPLIN is the showbiz Broadway musical about the silent film legend the world couldn’t stop talking about -  Charlie Chaplin. The brand new 22-person musical reveals the man behind the legend, the undeniable genius that forever changed the way America went to the movies.

BECOMING CHAPLIN will be produced on Broadway by Bob and Mindy Rich (who together head Rich Entertainment Group, a division of Rich Products Corporation, Roy Gabay (Fela!, The Little Dog Laughed, Steel Magnolias), and John and Claire Caudwell (John is a high profile UK entrepreneur, philanthropist and champion of many charitable causes including his own charitable foundation “Caudwell Children”), with additional producers to be announced.  Bob and Mindy Rich and John and Claire Caudwell are also collaborating in this season’s Broadway production of Jesus Christ Superstar.

The new musical comes to Broadway following the popular success of a production at the La Jolla Playhouse in 2010, under the name Limelight. Of the transfer to Broadway, producers Bob and Mindy Rich said, “We were thrilled that La Jolla audiences responded so positively to what was then Limelight, and we have taken the necessary time since that production to restructure the musical for Broadway audiences. Charlie Chaplin holds such an iconic place in the history of the entertainment world and indeed of the 20^th century. BECOMING CHAPLIN, a new musical penned by respected film composer Christopher Curtis, a fresh voice to the musical theatre, and three-time Tony-winning writer Thomas Meehan, will not only give audiences insight into the life and career of this fascinating man, but also explore the factors that launched him from a young artist struggling to make a name for himself to an entertainment icon. Helmed by one of Broadway’s best director/choreographers, Warren Carlyle, BECOMING CHAPLIN brings the legend back to life for 2012 audiences.”

For more information, visit:

www.BecomingChaplinBroadway.com

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center announced today that BROADWAY BACKWARDS 7 , the only Broadway event custom-made for the gay and lesbian community, their friends and families, will feature two-time Tony Award-winner Chita Rivera, Tony Award-nominees Adam Pascal (Memphis) and Andrew Rannells (The Book of Mormon) and two-time Emmy Award-winning comedian Bruce Vilanch.

The one-night-only production will be held Monday, March 5 at 8 PM at Broadway’s Al Hirschfeld Theatre (302 West 45^th Street). BROADWAY BACKWARDS 7 is produced by Broadway Cares and will benefit BC/EFA and the Center.

BROADWAY BACKWARDS 7 also will include performances by Bryan Batt (TV’s “Mad Men”), Sierra Boggess (Master Class, Love Never Dies), Mario Cantone (Laugh Whore), Robin De Jesús (La Cage Aux Folles), Shawna Hamic (Les Misérables 25th Anniversary Tour) and Telly Leung (Godspell). Additional performers will be announced in the coming weeks.

The box office opens tomorrow, Thursday, January 26 at 10:00 AM, for The Stratford Shakespeare Festival’s hit production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR.  Directed by the Stratford Shakespeare Festival’s Artistic Director Des McAnuff, JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR will open March 22, 2012 (previews begin March 1) at the Neil Simon Theatre (250 West 52^nd Street).

The cast will feature Paul Nolan as Jesus Christ, Josh Young as Judas Iscariot, Chilina Kennedy as Mary Magdalene, Tom Hewitt as Pontius Pilate, Bruce Dow as King Herod, Marcus Nance as Caiaphas and Aaron Walpole as Annas.

Also in the cast: Matt Alfano as Thaddeus, Mary Antonini as Elizabeth, Karen Burthwright as Ruth, Jacqueline Burtney as Mary (Martha’s Sister), Mark Cassius as Matthew, Ryan Gifford as Bartholomew, Kaylee Harwood as Sarah, Jeremy Kushnier as James the Lesser/Priest, Mike Nadajewski as Peter, Melissa O’Neil as Martha/Maid by the Fire, Laurin Padolina as Rachel, Katrina Reynolds as Esther, Jaz Sealey as Thomas, Jason Sermonia as John, Julius Sermonia as James, Lee Siegel as Simon Zealotes, Jonathan Winsby as Phillip, Sandy Winsby as Andrew, and Krista Leis and Matthew Rossoff as swings.

In addition to Mr. McAnuff as Director, the creative team includes Choreographer Lisa Shriver, Musical Director Rick Fox, Set Designer Robert Brill, Costume Designer Paul Tazewell, Lighting Designer Howell Binkley, Sound Designer Steve Canyon Kennedy and Video Designer Sean Nieuwenhuis.

This ground-breaking rock opera, which reinvented musical theatre for the modern age, tells the story of the last week of Christ’s life.  The score includes such chart-topping songs as “I Don’t Know How To Love Him,” “Everything’s Alright” and “Superstar.”

Tickets for JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR are available at the Neil Simon Theatre, 250 West 52^nd Street, beginning Thursday, January 26.  Box office hours are Monday through Saturday 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM.  Tickets also available through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 877-250-2929.  Group sales (of 15 or more) are on sale now and available by calling 1-877-536-3437.

Ticket Pricing:

Ticket prices (including the $2 facility fee) range from $62-$99 for previews (March 1-March 21), $62-$142 for performances March 22 onward.

#     #     #

For more information, visit www.SuperstarOnBroadway.com.

Follow JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR on Twitter: @SuperstarBway and on Facebook.

Follow BBB on Twitter: @BBBway and on Facebook. Visit our website.

Brought to you by Boneau/Bryan-Brown
Tuesday, January 24, 2012 

Today’s Tweets from BBB
Follow us on Twitter –  http://twitter.com/BBBway
Click on any hyperlinked  item for more information:

Watch ANYTHING GOES perform on “The Rosie Show” • • •

What Twitter-app integration may mean for ticket sales
TicketNews.com – by KRISTINA LAFOUNTAIN

A recent partnership between music intelligence platform The Echo Nest and social media giant Twitter will help to build artist-to-fan interaction. The real question is whether it also may lead to an increase in ticket sales.

The integration between the two companies will enable application developers to incorporate “tweets” from music artists’ Verified Accounts into their app. The partnership, announced earlier this month, is part of a Twitter pilot program that opens Verified Accounts’ public data to the developers of music and entertainment service apps. –

The Twitter integration could also be good news for the ticketing industry.

Those artists who already rely on Twitter to communicate upcoming tour dates and music releases with fans may be able to reach a wider audience through those apps utilizing the API. Meanwhile, the apps themselves may be able to convert user awareness of a particular artist into consumer transactions.

On a discovery app like Discovr Music, users are encouraged to check out new artists or songs similar to those to which they already listen. The integration of Twitter allows users to more easily receive communications from those unfamiliar artists — potentially resulting in the purchase of new music or concert tickets — without ever leaving the app.

To read this article in its entirety, please click the link below
http://www.ticketnews.com/news/What-Twitter-app-integration-may-mean-for-ticket-sales11223794

Broadway Ad Breakdowns
Sunday, January 22, 2012
(b/w unless otherwise indicated)

New York Times
ARTS & LEISURE

The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess
Full Page – Color
Magic Bird
4” x 14” – Color/AmEx
Anything Goes
6” x 3” – Color
Seminar
2” x 7” – Color
War Horse
2” x 7” – Color
Wicked
2” x 7” – Color

Daily News

Memphis
3” x 12” – Color

Newsday
FanFare

Jersey Boys
6” x 2” – Color
Wicked
3” x 11” – Color
War Horse
2” x 5.5”

Star-Ledger
Arts & Escapes

Phantom of the Opera
6” x 3” – Color

Bergen Record
No theatrical advertising

New York Post
No theatrical advertising

Friday, January 20, 2012
(b/w unless otherwise indicated)

New York Times
Weekend Arts

Chinglish
Quarter Page
Road To Mecca
2” x 21” (Third Page)
Seminar
2” x 7”
War Horse
2” x 7”

Daily News
Seen & Heard

Memphis
3” x 12” – Color

New York Post
Pulse

Priscilla Queen of the Desert
6” x 2” – Color 

Bergen Record
No theatrical advertising

Newsday
No theatrical advertising

Star-Ledger
No theatrical advertising

Watch here!

Joel Grey and Sutton Foster Perform “Friendship”

He’s a Broadway legend who’s 79 going on 49, and she’s a two-time Tony winner. Watch as Joel Grey and Sutton Foster perform “Friendship” from the musical Anything Goes.

Sutton Foster and Colin Donnell Perform “You’re the Top”

Watch Tony winner Sutton Foster and Colin Donnell perform “You’re the Top” from the musical Anything Goes, now playing on Broadway!

Brought to you by Boneau/Bryan-Brown
Monday, January 23, 2012

Today’s Tweets from BBB
Follow us on Twitter –  http://twitter.com/BBBway
Click on any hyperlinked  item for more information:

WIT’s Cynthia Nixon will be on “Live with Kelly” (@LiveKelly) tomorrow with special guest co-host Mary J. Blige • • • The hilarious Charles Busch returns to Theater for the New City in his new comedy JUDITH OF BETHULIA. • • • PRINCE OF BROADWAY opening directly in New York in Nov 2012 • • • Happy opening to @PublicTheaterNY’s GOB SQUAD’S KITCHEN! #kitchenlive • • • Happy birthday to the legendary Chita Rivera. What’s your favorite Chita performance? • • • 

YouTube hits 4 billion daily video views
Reuters – by Alexei Oreskovic

YouTube, Google Inc’s video website, is streaming 4 billion online videos every day, a 25 percent increase in the past eight months, according to the company.

The jump in video views comes as Google pushes YouTube beyond the personal computer, with versions of the site that work on smartphones and televisions, and as the company steps up efforts to offer more professional-grade content on the site.

According to the company, roughly 60 hours of video is now uploaded to YouTube every minute, compared with the 48 hours of video uploaded per minute in May.

YouTube, which Google acquired for $1.65 billion in 2006, represents one of Google’s key opportunities to generate new sources of revenue outside its traditional Internet search advertising business.

Last week, Google said that its business running graphical “display” ads – many of which are integrated alongside YouTube videos – was generating $5 billion in revenue on an annualized run rate basis.

To read this article in its entirety, please click the link below
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/23/us-google-youtube-idUSTRE80M0TS20120123

Joe Iconis, Joseph Craig, et al. Set for TEDxBroadway
BroadwayWorld News Desk

The inaugural TEDxBroadway— a one-day event about the future of Broadway as a place—will kick off at 11am today at New World Stages in New York City.

The daylong event will bring together some of the smartest, most interesting people in academics, entertainment, marketing, customer service and beyond to answer the question: “What’s the BEST that Broadway can be twenty years from now?”

The event will feature provocative presentations by entrepreneurs, producers, artists and business experts— including Jujamcyn Theaters president Jordan Roth, Sleep No More producer Randy Weiner, two-time Tony Award-winner and former Lincoln Center Director Gregory Mosher, cultural communications guru Patricia Martin, and digital customer service trailblazer Frank Eliason.

The event will also include performances by actor, writer, musician Matt Sax and musical theater writer and concert performer Joe Iconis, as well as a video presentation from Neil Patrick Harris.

To read this article in its entirety, please click the link below
http://broadwayworld.com/article/Joe-Iconis-Joseph-Craig-et-al-Set-for-TEDxBroadway-123-20120122

Link to Broadway Grosses for the week ending January 22, 2012:

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/158900-Broadway-Grosses-Jan-16-22

http://www.broadwayworld.com/grosses.cfm

Current week:
1. Wicked – $1,534,111
2. The Lion King
3. Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark
4. The Book of Mormon
5. How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

Last week:
1. Wicked – $1,792,976
2. The Lion King
3. Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark
4. The Book of Mormon
5. How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

5 Years Ago:
1.  Wicked - $1,365,614
2.  Jersey Boys
3.  Mary Poppins
4.  The Lion King
5.  Spamalot

10 Years Ago:
1.  The Producers - $1,242,422
2.  The Lion King
3.  Mamma Mia!
4.  Aida
5.  42^nd Street

Opening this week:

Broadway                               

Wit – Samuel J. Friedman Theatre  – Thursday, January 26   

Off Broadway                             

You Are Dead. You Are Here. – Here  – Tuesday, January 24   

Yosemite  – Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre  – Thursday, January 26                                                                                    

City Council Meeting – Here  – Thursday, January 26   

Growing Up Gonzales  – Jan Hus Playhouse  – Thursday, January 26 

Wuthering Heights – New Victory Theater  – Friday, January 27  

Botch  – Here  – Saturday, January 28                                                                                    

Psycho Therapy – Cherry Lane Theatre  – Sunday, January 29