TGIF Feature: Eva Noblezada sings "Don't Forget Me"

Every day, the team at Broadway Box picks a video clip of a performance as the "Hot Clip." On Thursday, they picked Eva Noblezada, star of Hadestown and Miss Saigon, singing "Don't Forget Me," from the NBC series Smash.

In the song, she displays her great control and shows why she's in demand on Broadway. She inspires show-stopping goosebumps at the 2:18 mark.

Noblezada shows her great versatility in her movie debut in the recently released Yellow Rose, in which she plays an aspiring country singer. Yeah. Country! 

Enjoy!

Dear White American Theater: Open letter says racism mutes POC plays, musicals

'Soft Power' by David Henry Hwang is one of the few Broadway productions with a largely Asian cast.

ASAM NEWS

In the aftermath of the George Floyd killing, America takes a good hard look at itself in addressing systemic racism in institutions, the glare of the spotlight has turned to the theater industry.

Hundreds of theater industry workers published an open letter Monday condemning racism in the theater industry. Among the signers are dozens of AAPI artists including Sandra Oh (Killing Eve), Conrad Ricamora (How to Get Away With Murder, Soft Power) and playwright David Henry Hwang (Soft Power).

The letter comes as protests condemning the killing and mistreatment of Black people continue around the world heightening racial inequities throughout US society, including Broadway.

The open letter was addressed to “White American Theater,” according to TIME Magazine. It called out the theater industry for systemic racism and demanded that changes be made.

“We have watched you exploit us, shame us, diminish us, and exclude us. We see you. We have always seen you,” the letter reads. “And now you will see us.

The letter slams the theater for its acts of racism, patriarchy and white privilege. It accuses theater executives of whitewashing BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) stories to satisfy white audiences. It also discusses the theater’s history of tokenism, saying that the theater would promote BIPOC stories and work only when it was convenient for them.

“We have watched you amplify our voices when we are heralded by the press, but refuse to defend our aesthetic when we are not, allowing our livelihoods to be destroyed by a monolithic and racist culture,” the letter reads.

According to an annual study from the Asian American Performers Action Coalition (AAPAC) found that in the 2016-17 theatrical season, 86.8 percent of shows were written by white playwrights. Around 66.8 percent of roles were held by White performers.

The AAPAC study found that 7.3 percent of roles were held by Asian American performers and 1.5 percent of shows were written by Asian American playwrights.

The letter also specifically called out anti-blackness in theater.

“We have watched you promote anti-Blackness again and again. We see you,” the letter reads.

There is also a website called “We See You White American Theater” which details how the letter began as a small private discussion and evolved into a much larger one. The website has a link to a petition that demands change for BIPOC theatremakers.

“This ends TODAY,” the letter concludes.

Views From the Edge contributed to this report.

TGIF Feature: Filipino American musical to debut off-Broadway

ASAM NEWS

A new musical,  Felix Starro, will make its debut in September 2019. It will be the first-ever off-Broadway musical created by Filipino Americans, according to Playbill.
The musical version of Felix Starro is written by Filipino American playwright Jessica Hagedorn, who previously turned her novel Dogeaters into a play.

According to Balitang America News, the musical is inspired by Lysley Tenorio’s short story of the same title. Felix Starro tells the story of a young, undocumented Filipino immigrant boy name Felix, whose father is a famous faith healer in San Francisco. His family’s faith healing business, however, is a scam, and Felix is forced to go along with this lie. He soon develops a plan to leave his family business and start a new life in America.

The musical is produced by Ma-Yi Theater Company in New York. Ma-Yi Theater Company is known for bringing more Asian playwrights and actors onto the stage. 

In February of 2019, the company produced Suicide Forest, written and starred by Kristen Haruna Lee. Based on the legendary Japanese myth, Suicide Forest is a bilingual play that tells a tale of female submissiveness in the Japanese patriarchal society. The play shows how the protagonist breaks her silence and overcomes this challenge.
Felix Starro will be directed by Ralph B. Peña from Ma-Yi Theater Company. The orchestra will be conducted by Paulo K Tiról, and choreography by Brandon Bieber, according to Playbill. 

The opening night for Felix Starro is set to be on September 3. Previews will begin on August 23. For tickets and more information visit Ma-YiTheatre.org.

Lea Salonga receives first Grammy nomination

ONCE ON THIS ISLAND

Lea Salonga, center, played theh part of one of the Immortal Gods in the Broadway musical 'Once On This Island.'

ASAM NEWS

FILIPINA AMERICAN singer-actress Lea Salonga has received her first Grammy nomination, The Philippine Star reports.
According to Philippine Canadian Enquirer, Salonga received the nomination for her work on the Broadway musical album Once On This Island. The album is nominated for Best Music Theater Album.

Salonga took to Twitter last Friday (Ded. 7) to share the good news with her fans. She said that she actually had to check the Grammys website to confirm the news.

“Has to actually go to Grammy.com to see if it was true. And it’s true! I am officially a Grammy nominee!!! It may be a while before I get any sleep tonight! So thrilled to share this with my Island family. And that at 47 years old, one can still have a first!” she wrote in one tweet.

In another tweet, Salonga shared her excitement.

Lea Salonga

✔@MsLeaSalonga

Pardon me for screaming but... THE ONCE ON THIS ISLAND CAST ALBUM JUST GOT NOMINATED FOR A GRAMMY!!! OHHHHH MYYYYYY GODDDDDDDD!!!!!!!! We did it, Island Family!!!!!!!!!! Once On This Island Broadway

7,126

6:13 AM - Dec 7, 2018

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Broadway star loses her unborn baby

Broadway star Ruthie Ann Miles 'not doing well.'

ASAM NEWS

TONY AWARD-WINNING actress Ruth Ann Miles has lost her unborn baby that was almost carried to full term.

“Ruthie is simply not doing well. The only consolation she had in Abigail’s death was the fact that her unborn baby had survived. But now losing that baby? She’s crushed to her core,” a close friend to Miles told People magazine.

“She loved being a mom. She couldn’t wait to expand her family. Losing those kids, it’s destroyed her. How can she even survive this? It’s taking every bit of her faith to find a way through,” said the friend.

Miles was struck and injured while crossing a New York crosswalk two months ago. The accident also killed Mile’s 4-year-old daughter and the 1-year-old son of her friend, Lauren Lew.

The actress and her husband Jonathan Blumensein were expecting their child this month.

“At the time of the crash Ruthie was pregnant and was severely injured. This past Friday Ruthie and Jonathan lost their baby, Sophia Rosemary Wong Blumenstein,” Ben Rubinowitz said to the New York Daily News. “The pain suffered by Ruthie and Jonathan is nearly impossible to fathom.”

The driver of the vehicle, Dorothy Bruns, who has numerous past citations for running red lights, has been charged with manslaughter.

(Additional reporting by Views From the Edge)

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Broadway star injured in accident that kills her daughter

Ruth Ann Blumenstein (Miles) and her daughter Abigail.

ASAM NEWS

RUTH ANN BLUMENSTEIN, who uses the stage name Ruth Ann Miles, her friend and children were hit by a vehicle in New York, killing her daughter and the child of her friend.

Friends of Ruth Ann Blumenstein report the actress is no longer in critical condition and her unborn baby is unharmed after a car mowed her down in New York, killing her four-year-old daughter Abigail.

The update was posted on a Go Fund Me page for Tony-winning Miles which has raised $341,000, smashing its $5,000 goal.

Miles’ friend Lauren Lew was also injured in the incident and her one-year-old son Joshua was fatally injured.

A separate Go Fund Me page for Lew has also far surpassed its $5,000 goal and has raised $170,000.

According to the New York Post, Dorothy Brun is accused of running a red light and killing the children. She suffers from multiple sclerosis and suffers from seizures.

Police stripped her of her license yesterday, according to the Post, but she has not been charged in the case. She said she had no knowledge of what happened prior to the accident.

“We believe that (Bruns) had a seizure . . . It’s a real tragedy.” said Brooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez to the Post. An investigation is underway to determine if she should have been driving.

Heavy reports that both Miles and Lew were returning from a church event when they were struck. Witnesses said Brun showed little emotion after the accident. The vehicle she was driving has been cited 12 times for traffic violations. The citations were issued to the vehicle and not Brun. It is not known if she was driving the vehicle when it was cited.

Miles won a featured actress Tony in 2015 for her role as Lady Thiang in a revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The King and I. It marked her Broadway debut. Her other credits included Sunday in the Park with George and playing Imelda Marcos in David Byrne’s off-Broadway musical Here Lies Love. She also had a recurring role on the FX series The Americans.

Ruth Ann Miles as Imelda Marcos in 'Here Lies Love.'

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