BWW TV gets a first look at '9 to 5'

BroadwayWorld TV recently got to sit on a rehearsal for the national tour of 9 to 5: The Musical ahead of its Sept. 21 launch in Nashville. Watch the clip below:

During the rehearsal, director/choreographer Jeff Calhoun read aloud a letter from none other than Dolly Parton herself, who said she hoped everyone was enjoying her music and that she could not wait to see them in Nashville later this month.

Diana prepares for '9 to 5' debut

Diana has been busy preparing for the national tour of Dolly Parton's 9 to 5: The Musical, spending most of August in rehearsals for the show that kicks off at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center on Tuesday, Sept. 21, as evidence by her recent tweets like the following:

First day of 9 to 5 rehearsal, yeehaw!
9:07 AM Aug 19th via MOTOBLUR

Day 2 has begun w/ a wig fitting (the wigs are AWESOME), then music, then learning the "cowgirls revenge" good times!
9:31 AM Aug 20th via MOTOBLUR

Hello workout, its been a lil while, but it was nice seeing ya! Gotta get in tip TOP shape for Doralee.
7:40 PM Aug 20th via MOTOBLUR

Dolly Parton recently vlogged about the tour, encouraging everyone to get out there and buy tickets:



More casting details have been revealed, including Joseph Mahowald's announced portrayal of Franklin Hart.

For updated tour dates and destinations, visit 9to5TheMusical.com.

Diana announces starring role in '9 to 5' national tour

Earlier this week, Diana tweeted about her starring role as Doralee Rhodes in the first ever national tour of Dolly Parton's movie and Broadway musical 9 to 5:

"It's official: I will be playing Miss Doralee Rhodes in the 1st Nat'l Tour of 9 to 5 The Musical :-) plus, we open in NASHVILLE!!!"

The tour will kick off at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville, Tenn., on Tues., Sept. 21. A list of tentatively scheduled dates is as follows:


September 21-26 @ Tennessee Performing Arts Center (Nashville, TN)
September 28-October 3rd @ Fox Theatre (Atlanta, GA)
October 5-10 @ Ovens Auditorium (Charlotte, NC)
October 12-17 @ Civic Center (Des Moines, IA)
October 22-24 @ Von Braun Center (Huntsville, AL)
October 26-31 @ Carol Morsani Hall-The Straz Center (Tampa, FL)
November 2-7 @ The Orpheum (Memphis, TN)
November 9-21 @ The Hobby Center (Houston, TX)
December 7-12 @ The Majestic Theatre (San Antonio, TX)
December 15-19 @ Wharton Center (E. Lansing, MI)
December 27-January 2 @ Philharmonic Center for the Arts (Naples, FL)
January 4-9 @ The Peace Center (Greenville, SC)
January 11-16 @ Clowes Memorial Hall (Indianapolis, IN)
January 18-31 @ Bank of America Theater (Chicago, IL)
February 1-6 @ Shuster Performing Arts Center (Dayton, OH)
February 8-20 @ Fabulous Fox Theater (St. Louis)
February 22-27 @ Gammage Auditorium (Tempe, AZ)
March 9-20 @ Sacramento Theater (Sacramento, CA)
March 24-27 @ INB Performing Arts Center (Spokane, WA)
April 5-24 @ 5th Avenue Theater (Seattle, WA)
April 26-May 8 @ Buell Theater (Denver, CO)
May 10-15 @ Segerstrom Hall (Costa Mesa, CA)
May 31-June 5 @ Benedum Center (Pittsburgh, PA)
June 7-12 @ Civic Center Music Hall (Oklahoma City, OK)
June 14-19 @ Tulsa Performing Arts Center (Tulsa, OK)
July 12-24 @ Ordway Center (Minneapolis, MN)
July 26-31 @ Bass Peformance Hall (Ft. Worth, TX)

An article on Playbill.com provided a little background on the story:

The Broadway musical — based on the hit 1980 movie comedy about women in an oppressive office workplace — closed on Broadway Sept. 6, 2009. The book was by Patricia Resnick, based on the screenplay that she co-wrote. Music and lyrics were by Dolly Parton, who wrote an entirely new score for the show (excluding the catchy title tune, of course).

The tour will be directed and choreographed by Tony nominee Jeff Calhoun. Ticket info is still forthcoming and will be available at 9to5theMusical.com in the near future.

Diana performs at Birdland, Listening Room Cafe

Diana did two Nashville-related shows last week beginning with "Singin' In the Shower: Songs From Behind the Bathroom Door," a benefit concert for people affected by the May flood at Birdland in New York City. Diana sang "It's Raining Men" among other karaoke favorites. Watch the performance below:

"Singin' In the Shower," which donated all proceeds to the relief effort, was far from an average show. Per an article on Playbill.com:

Singin' in the Shower, according to press notes, is a "behind-the-scenes look into the one place where stage fright doesn't exist and clothing isn't required. Join us as we pull the shower curtain back to reveal the stage where today's entertainers debuted their talents: The Shower."

Diana also did a show at The Listening Room Cafe with fellow upcoming Nashville-based singers Robin Meade, Victoria Shaw and Cardin McKinney on Friday.

'Hair' closes on Broadway

And with that, the Broadway revival of the classic musical Hair closed its curtains for the final time at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre. Below is a video that Diana and fellow tribe member Josh Lamon posted on the show's official Facebook page earlier today:

More reaction from tribe members and fans will be posted in the coming days, but it's safe to say this is a sad day for all who have been involved since the new cast took over in March. Despite Diana's relatively short run in the show, there have been many memorable moments both on stage and off.

In other New York City-related news, Diana's concert at the Highline Ballroom on July 26 has been postponed indefinitely according to her Twitter.

Diana to perform set at the Highline Ballroom

Diana is one of three former American Idol finalists to perform a set at the Highline Ballroom over the next month. Diana's show will take place at the venue on Mon., July 26 at 8 p.m., while Taylor Hicks's show will happen on Sun., July 25. Constantine Maroulis's show already took place on Wed., June 16. The Ballroom is located on New York City's 431 W 16th St.

Meanwhile, Diana and Ace Young found time to promote the launch of Ubisoft's Dance on Broadway game for the Nintendo Wii at Nintendo's flagship store at Rockefeller Center on Fri., June 11. BroadwayWorld.com's BWW TV was there to cover the event:

The game features a few Hair favorites including "Aquarius" and "Let the Sunshine In."

In other news, press is still being drummed up ahead of Diana's participation in the "Singin' in the Shower" at Birdland on Mon., July 5. Per an article on Playbill.com:

Singin' in the Shower, according to press notes, is a "behind-the-scenes look into the one place where stage fright doesn't exist and clothing isn't required. Join us as we pull the shower curtain back to reveal the stage where today's entertainers debuted their talents: The Shower."

There's a great cause behind Diana's show, as proceeds will benefit the Nashville Flood relief effort.

'Hair' update: producers give away 500 tickets

As the current Hair tribe moves into its final two weeks on Broadway, assembled below are random items of note about the show.

The producers of Hair generously gave away 500 free tickets to Friday night's show in celebration of the revival of the show's launch during the Public Theater’s free 2008 Shakespeare in the Park season. An article on SILive.com detailed the giveaway, saying the first 500 people to stand in line at the show's box office before it opened at 10 a.m. would get a ticket.

Later that day, Diana and fellow Idol alums Ace Young and Constantine Maroulis as well as fellow Broadway actors Liam Redhead, Dayton Tavares and Michael Dameski participated as celebrity judges for Macy's Ticket to the Tonys semi-finalist competition at Macy's Herald Square. Per an article on TheaterMania.com:

Customers are encouraged to come out and show their support for the singers by casting their own vote to determine who will walk the red carpet at the 2010 Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall. The event will also feature USA Today's Elysa Gardner as a judge, and celebrity columnist Naughty But Nice Rob as host.

Meanwhile, Idol blogger Rickey Yaneza of Rickey.org recently attended a show and got star treatment from Diana and Ace, capturing his experience for TV.com. After the show, he went out to dinner with the two of them and learned some news:

So what did I learn?
1. Ace and Diana are NOT dating. Although they were very friendly! I think Ace flirts with anything that moves. I've always thought that he was a very formal straight up guy — but he was such a college jock! Hahaha. It was really fun to witness Ace's flirtatious ways. Oh the things I just can't write it in this blog!

2. Ace is going back to L.A. to write music for himself and others after Hair is finished.

3. Diana is going back to Nashville to work on her music. I tried to convince her to do Wicked on Broadway as Elphaba, but she said she wants to take a break from theater for the moment.

And numbers were revealed for the total amount of money raised during Hair's Love Out Loud: A Donation of LOVE from HAIR. An article on TheaterMania.com reported more than $15k raised over the duration of the benefit for the Fresh Air Fund.