Spirits of Broadway and theater lovers
feeling uplifted at Curtain Up!
BY NYCKOLE MAREE
Broadway is back and better than
ever following the three-day Curtain
Up! festival, which showcased show
tunes in the heart of Times Square stretching
between 45th and 48th Streets between
Sept. 17-19 to celebrate Broadway and its
historic reopening.
Playbill partnership with The Broadway
League, the Times Square Alliance, and
much more sponsorship companies in
bringing this celebration to life. The Friday
festival opener had theatergoers grinning
from ear to ear with a day full of festivities.
The Playbill Piano Bar event was a musical
sing-along with a variety of performers
playing at a bright yellow piano, covered
with Playbills, known as the Sing For Hope
Piano.
Joe Iconis, a composer for the Broadway
show, “Be More Chill,” sang some fanfavorite
show tunes like “Don’t Rain on
My Parade,” from the musical, Funny Girl.
Later on during the day, people were “Defying
Gravity” as they were singing along
to songs from the musical, “Wicked” with
pianist Paul Loesel.
This event brought all walks of life to
Performers at the Jimmy Awards Concert held during the Curtain Up! Festival
in Times Square on Sept. 17, 2021.
come together to share their love of Broadway
in fi nding a human connection that
has been long overdue since the start of
the pandemic.
“I feel during the pandemic everyone
was yearning for that connection when
broadway got shut down,” said Abraham
Hussein, a Broadway goer who fl ew from
Dallas to see fi ve Broadway shows on opening
week. “I don’t think anyone realize the
gravity that was going to be and as time
PHOTO BY NYCKOLE MAREE
went on it got harder and harder, but now
it is open we are so excited that is back.”
Besides hearing and singing along to
show tunes, audience members got to hear
a q&a section with the Netfl ix cast of Dear
White People. Marque Richardson, Logan
Browning, Deron Horton, and Bryan Terrell
Clark discussed the crossover of theatre to
television/fi lm and the remarkable steps
towards diversifying the arts for BIPOC
(Black, Indigenous, and People of Color)
members of the community. This was an
informative event that resonated with audience
members in bringing up the conversation
about misrepresentation in the media.
“They made a lot of good points about
diversity behind the scenes and us as
colored people not being just tap dancing
performers but people who actually have
seats at the table,” said Matthew Self, an
audience member. “When it comes to decision
making, we can use our voices to tell
our own stories, then it will be more about
authenticity than so a caricature of people
think we are.”
The showstopper event of the night
was The Jimmy Awards Reunion Concert,
hosted by Broadway’s Jelani Alladin.
This event brought together alumni of
the famed Jimmy Awards and the National
High School Musical Theatre Awards
program. They each had a moment in the
spotlight with solo numbers from classic
and contemporary Broadway shows. Then
joined together for a grand fi nale in singing
“Morning Glow” from the musical Pippin.
McKenzie Kurtz, who played Anna on
the Broadway adaptation of Frozen, gave
the audience an amazing performance of
her version of Fanny Brice as she sang,
“Don’t Rain On My Parade.” The concert
also featured Elena Holder and Bryson
Battle who are the two top winners from
the virtual 2021 Jimmy Awards making
their New York Performance debuts.
Here are ways to rediscover Times Square this fall season
BY NYCKOLE MAREE
You can hear the buzzing in the
streets, with New Yorkers and
tourists fi lling Times Square with
excitement.
Since last March, Broadway had shut
down its doors due to the ongoing pandemic
but with COVID-19 protocols being
in place and people getting vaccinated.
Broadway can fi nally belt out a tune in reopening
its doors to the public. This means
with the return of Broadway is the return of
Times Square to its full glorious capacity.
NYC & Company, New York City’s
marketing and tourism organization, has
put together a compendium of ways to
rediscover Times Square.
“As the offi cial destination marketing
organization and convention and visitors
bureau for the fi ve boroughs, NYC & Company
is thrilled to welcome New Yorkers
and visitors from around the world as they
re-discover the Crossroads of the World,”
said Chris Heywood an Executive Vice
President of Global Communication at
NYC & Company. “In Times Square, you
can really experience fi rst-hand the kinetic
energy that makes NYC the world’s ultimate
urban destination with its world-class
Broadway crew members were on hand in Times Square helping to guide
visitors.
hotels, dining, arts, culture, attractions,
tours, and live entertainment. It’s exhilarating
to reach this milestone in the tourism
industry and the city’s recovery from the
pandemic.”
On Sept. 14, audiences celebrated
the reopening of Broadway’s Waitress,
Hadestown, Hamilton, Wicked, The Lion
King, and Chicago. Theatergoers know
tickets are in high demand and prices
FILE PHOTO/DEAN MOSES
are skyrocketing out of their price range.
The TKTS discount ticket booth in Times
Square (under the red steps) at Broadway
and 47th Street reopens for its upcoming
season for a chance for every theater
lover to see a show. TKTS sells same-day
discounted tickets to matinee and evening
performances as well as next-day tickets
to performances with up to (50% off)
Broadway and Off-Broadway productions.
With tourist season in full effect, visitors
can stay close to the Times Square attractions
in nearby hotels like the Arlo Midtown,
Civilian NYC, and The New York Marriott
Marquis. The hotels offer guests to escape
to the Caribbean island in the middle of
Manhattan or unwind at a multi-story spa
without leaving New York City. So, when is
the best time to visit the city?
In addition to Broadway, there is plenty
of attractions, like The Big Bus Tours New
York, Madame Tussauds New York, the
largest Krispy Kreme store in the world,
and many more.
Experiencing great entertainment and
a place to stay will bring out an appetite.
Visitors can enjoy cuisine from around the
world with great restaurants like Amor Loco
(which serves an array of Mexican cuisines),
Le Bernardin (is a French dining restaurant
known for its exquisite, fresh seafood), Marvelous
by Fred (which offers a selection of
meringues, brioches, croissants, and waffl es),
and many more.
New York City is slowly going back to
normalcy and Times Square will attract
visitors in attending reopenings to get the
full experience of the Big Apple.
For all there is to do and see in New York
City, visit nycgo.com.
4 September 23, 2021 Schneps Media
/nycgo.com
