Lexington native in lead role with Broadway royalty including Lin-Manuel Miranda
Lexington native Colton Ryan steps back into the Broadway spotlight this month in “New York, New York,” as Jimmy Doyle, a role Robert De Niro played in the 1977 movie that inspired the new musical.
In it, Ryan and co-star Anna Uzele, playing the part Liza Minnelli had in the movie, are surrounded by Broadway royalty including five-time Tony Award-winning director and choreographer Susan Stroman and music by the duo of John Kander and the late Fred Ebb, whose legendary list of Broadway smashes includes “Cabaret” and “Chicago.”
The musical also features additional lyrics by Pulitzer, Tony, Emmy & Grammy Award winner and Academy Award nominee Lin-Manuel Miranda, who of course created the Broadway smash hit, “Hamilton.”
“To be this guy, it feels very much in an eerie way similar to my life story to my experiences,” Ryan told CBS New York. “I’m just pinching myself, it’s wild.”
Lin-Manuel Miranda on Kander and Ebb
“This is the love letter to New York that this city needs.” Lin-Manuel Miranda speaks on working with (and keeping up with!) John Kander, the legacy of Fred Ebb, and his journey with New York, New York. Keep your ears pricked for a preview of a new song!
Posted by New York New York Broadway on Friday, February 3, 2023
Miranda told CBS New York that iconic title song for the show, “New York, New York” helped him experiment with lyrics for the song “Cheering for Me Now.”
“The cast is as diverse as our city, that’s also what I’m really thrilled with,” Miranda said. “It reaches for as much of New York as an evening of theatre can reach for.”
Ryan has most recently been seen on TV in series such as Hulu’s “The Girl from Plainville” and the second episode of Peacock’s “Poker Face.” His big break was being cast in Broadway’s “Dear Evan Hansen” as a cover for several roles including the title part before graduating from Baldwin-Wallace University in Ohio. In 2021, Ryan played a pivotal role in the film version of the musical.
Lexington SCAPA graduate is lead actor on series streaming now on Hulu
The School for Creative and Performing Arts (SCAPA) at Lafayette High School graduate returned to Lexington in 2019 to play Tony in the Lexington Theatre Company’s production of “West Side Story.” This will be his first time originating a leading role on Broadway.
“New York, New York” is the story of a lounge singer and saxophonist who meet on VJ Day and struggle to launch their music careers in Post-World War II New York. It begins previews at Broadway’s St. James Theatre March 24 and opens April 26.
UK Opera Theatre Stars of Tomorrow Gala
Who could be the next person from the Bluegrass or the University of Kentucky to make it to screen or stage? The answer could be on the stage of the Lexington Opera House at 7:30 p.m. March 24 and 25, and 2 p.m. March 26 in the University of Kentucky Opera Theatre’s Stars of Tomorrow Opera Gala. The concert will feature current and former UK voice students and be recorded for an upcoming KET special. Visit bit.ly/ukoperatheatre for tickets.
Silas House’s ‘Lark Ascending’ wins major book award
“Lark Ascending” by Eastern Kentucky native and Lexington resident Silas House has won the 2023 Southern Book Prize in fiction. Nominations for the award come from Southern independent booksellers, are voted on by their customers, and it is presented by the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance. House’s fellow winners were Mary Laura Philpott in non-fiction for “Bomb Shelter” and author Antwan Eady and illustrator Gracey Zhang in children’s books for “Nigel and the Moon.”
Commenting on House’s novel, Cathy Graham from Copperfish Books in Punta Gorda, Florida said, “Lark Ascending” is “A haunting story, one that makes you really think about the trajectory of our collective lives.”
The prize includes a donation in the author’s name to a charity of their choice, and House’s will go to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, “as a tribute to Seamus, the good beagle in ‘Lark Ascending’ who has found a place in the heart of many readers.”
Kentucky Bach Choir music director bows out
The Kentucky Bach Choir’s March 5 concert was the last for Marlon Hurst, who has been the director of the group for the majority of its 15 year history.
The choir was founded as the Lexington Bach Choir by Richard Sowers in 2007 with the intention of sharing Bach’s music around the community. When Sowers left Lexington to become director of music at a Virginia church in 2009, Hurst became director of the choir and led its growth, including taking the name Kentucky Bach Choir after the dissolution of the Louisville Bach Choir.
Hurst, director of music and arts at First Presbyterian Church of Lexington, is leaving to take a comparable post in South Carolina.
Rich Copley is a former arts writer and editor for the Herald-Leader who continues to enjoy Lexington’s arts and culture.
