"It's an iconic piece of art that you wanna be part of," says Sonya Tayeh, who is choreographing the upcoming live telecast of Rent. Photo courtesy Tayeh
When the live broadcast of Jesus Christ Superstar won NBC a ratings bonanza and a slew of Emmys last year, it was a good bet more rock operas would follow. Now Fox has lined up Broadway's Michael Greif to direct Brandon Victor Dixon, Vanessa Hudgens and Keala Settle (among others) in a live telecast of Rent on January 27 at 7pm (tape-delayed in the Pacific time zone). Jonathan Larson's 1996 hit musical, a rock remake of La Bohème, moves Puccini's aspiring artists from Paris to the Lower East Side to struggle with art, poverty, AIDS and drugs. It was a sensation, winning multiple Tonys and the Pulitzer Prize, and made stars of Greif (who directed the original production), its young cast (which included Idina Menzel, Taye Diggs and Daphne Rubin-Vega), and Larson, who died tragically the day before its first preview. Sonya Tayeh, whose visceral style has much in common with the show's mood, is choreographing Rent Live, and we spoke with her last week.
Compagnie Hervé KOUBI will perform Barbarian Nights at Fall for Dance. Photo by Pierangela Flisi, Courtesy New York City Center
As the fall performance season kicks into high gear, we've been cramming as much excellent dance on our calendars as possible. But if you're feeling overwhelmed by all the options, we've got you covered: From rare U.S. appearances by one of our 2018 "25 to Watch" to an autumn mainstay for New Yorkers, Romeo and Juliet to The Handmaid's Tale, here's what caught our eye.
Alice Sheppard in DESCENT. Photo by MANCC/Chris Cameron
You nominated the best performances you've seen so far in 2018, and we narrowed them down to our favorites. Now it's time to cast your vote to decide who will be featured in our December issue!
Voting is open until September 17. Only one submission per person will be counted.
Sonya Tayeh was tapped to choreograph the stage adaptation of Baz Luhrman's opulent Moulin Rouge! Photo by Carolyn DiLoreto, Courtesy Tayeh
Paris, 1900. A penniless writer and a prized courtesan fall in love to a soundtrack mashing up Christina Aguilera with Nirvana and David Bowie with The Beatles. Baz Luhrmann's opulent Moulin Rouge! arrived on the silver screen in 2001 perfectly poised for a stage-musical adaptation, and this month it's finally happening—with Broadway darlings Aaron Tveit and Karen Olivo in the lead roles and choreography by Sonya Tayeh, no less. July 10–Aug. 19. emersoncolonialtheatre.com.
