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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PLEASE
ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER’S SMASH HIT
“SCHOOL OF ROCK – THE MUSICAL”
WILL PLAY PERFORMANCE 1,309 ON SUNDAY EVENING –
ITS FINAL ON BROADWAY
MULTI-YEAR RUN WILL CLOSE WITH DOZENS OF KID ALUMNI PERFORMERS
JAMMING ON THE WINTER GARDEN THEATRE STAGE
New York, NY (January 17, 2019) – Andrew Lloyd Webber’s smash hit School of Rock – The Musical will end its final Broadway performance on Sunday evening by welcoming back dozens of former young cast members back to the Winter Garden Theatre stage for one last epic jam session.
School of Rock – The Musical opened to audience and critical acclaim on Sunday, December 6, 2015, at the Winter Garden (where Lloyd Webber’s Cats reigned supreme for almost two decades). As of January 20, 2019, the show will have played 1,309 performances and 31 previews. The production recouped its entire Broadway investment in May of 2017, and was nominated for four 2016 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Score (Andrew Lloyd Webber and Glenn Slater), Best Book (Julian Fellowes), and Best Leading Actor in a Musical (Alex Brightman).
School of Rock – The Musical opened in London’s West End, also to rave reviews, on November 14, 2016, breaking all house records at the Gillian Lynne Theatre (a record previously held by War Horse) and was nominated for three 2017 Olivier Awards, including Best New Musical, Best Actor in a Musical (David Fynn) and Outstanding Achievement in Music, which it won.
As it continues to bring its infectious rock and roll spirit to audiences all over the world, School of Rock is shredding it nightly in London, on its North American tour, and at Her Majesty’s Theatre in Melbourne, Australia. School of Rock will also be opening in China, Sydney, Brisbane and across Asia in 2019.
In addition to the professional companies, and in an unprecedented move, Andrew Lloyd Webber teamed up with R&H Theatricals, a division of Rodgers & Hammerstein, to grant youth performance groups and schools the rights to perform the production before it even opened on Broadway. The premiere was performed by Oakland’s School for the Arts at the fabled Curran in San Francisco from March 3-12, 2016. As of today, more than 1,000 schools have performed School of Rock around the world.
In June of 2016, it was announced that Andrew Lloyd Webber partnered with The American Theatre Wing to establish The Andrew Lloyd Webber Initiative. The Initiative has provided more than $1.5 million in grants and scholarships for schools wishing to enhance their theater programs and students wishing to further their theater training, reaching over twenty-two thousand students nationwide.
The current Broadway cast of School of Rock includes Justin Collette as “Dewey,” Mamie Parris as “Rosalie,” Jonathan Gould as “Ned,” Lori Eve Marinacci as “Patty,” Conner John Gillooly as “Dewey Alternate,” Matthew Jost as “Zack,” Levi Buksbazen as “Freddy,” Montgomery Lamb as “Katie,” Jordan Cole as “Lawrence,” Ava Briglia as “Summer,” Hudson Loverro as “Billy,” and Layla Capers as “Tomika.” The adult ensemble includes Leo Ash Evens, Matt Bittner, Steven Booth, Badia Farha, Alan H. Green, Kara Haller, Michael Hartney, Lizzie Klemperer, Cassie Okenka, Diane Phelan, Jesse Swimm, Joel Waggoner, Jonathan Wagner, and Jeremy Woodard. The kids’ ensemble includes Caroline Basu, Duke Cutler, Darrow Golub, Katie Greendorfer, Madison Elizabeth Lagares, Madalen Yarbrough Mills, Nirvaan Pal, Theodora Silverman, Mikey Sohn, and Sarah Walsh.
School of Rock features choreography by JoAnn M. Hunter, scenic and costume design by Anna Louizos, lighting design by Natasha Katz, and sound design by Mick Potter and music supervision by Ethan Popp.
School of Rock — The Musical is produced on Broadway by Andrew Lloyd Webber for The Really Useful Group, Warner Music Group & Access Industries, The Shubert Organization, and The Nederlander Organization. Ken Davenport and Madeleine Lloyd Webber serve as Executive Producers.
The show has featured an incredible lineup of young musicians since it began and has even influenced a new generation of young rockers to pick up instruments. Night after night, the kids’ band has been wowing audiences with their technical skills and rock star prowess.
School of Rock – The Musical’s original kids’ band also introduced the world to Brandon Niederauer, who originated the role of “Zack,” shredding onstage at the Winter Garden Theatre nightly from November 9, 2015 to July 30, 2017, and is now a world-famous teenage guitarist. Niederauer has played with such notable musicians as The Allman Brothers Band, Buddy Guy, Stevie Nicks, Lady Gaga, Slash, Jon Batiste, George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, Dr. John, Otis Taylor, Gary Clark Jr., and countless others.
During his time in School of Rock, Niederauer played a cover of Jimi Hendrix’s “Voodoo Child” with the other members of the kids’ band. To check out the video, click here. He has also paid tribute to Hendrix’s legendary rendition of The Star Spangled Banner, played at venues all over the country, including Madison Square Garden, and recently opened the live broadcast of “Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert” on NBC on April 1, 2018.
Among the Broadway production’s many unforgettable moments were visits from Jack Black, Mike White, and the cast of the film School of Rock. The halls of Horace Green have also hosted music legends Slash, Barbra Streisand, Lin Manuel Miranda, Sting, and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Stevie Nicks, who joined the School of Rock -The Musical band for a surprise curtain call performance. Nicks led the band in Fleetwood Mac’s classic hit “Rhiannon,” joined by School of Rock cast members Brandon Niederauer, Jersey Sullivan, Evie Dolan, Ethan Khusidman, and Dante Melucci.
In 2017, School of Rock also became part of a celebratory achievement for Andrew Lloyd Webber. That year, the legendary composer made history by joining Rodgers & Hammerstein as the only composer to have four musical running simultaneously on Broadway with School of Rock – The Musical; Sunset Boulevard, Cats and The Phantom of The Opera.
On November 30, 2018, School of Rock – The Musical released a deluxe edition of the Original Cast Recording via Warner Bros Records. A new song and music video “School of Rock – The Musical (Medley)” is available now.
Watch “School of Rock – The Musical (Medley)” Music Video HERE
Stream “Teacher’s Pet” & “School of Rock – The Musical (Medley)” HERE
Stream School Of Rock The Musical – Original Cast Recording HERE
The official video for “School of Rock – The Musical (Medley)” features “Teacher’s Pet,” “Stick It To The Man,” and “When I Climb To The Top Of Mount Rock” arranged and produced by Kurt Hugo Schneider, a musical creator and YouTube star whose channel has brought in over 1.5 Billion views to date. Rising talents VINCINT and Kirsten Collins contributed vocals to the new recording and can be seen performing in the video.
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www.SchoolOfRockTheMusical.com
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