NewsI Am Helen Sinclair! On the Road With Bullets Over Broadway Leading Lady Emma StrattonRising star Emma Stratton, who recently headlined the national tour of Anything Goes, is now taking on the role of Helen Sinclair in the first national tour of Bullets Over Broadway. She takes us on the road, from the company's October launch, and invites readers to join the "Bullets Babes and Beaus" as they bring the show to a variety of exciting cities!
November 24, 2015
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I Am Helen Sinclair! On the Road With Bullets Over Broadway Leading Lady Emma Stratton
I Am Helen Sinclair! On the Road With Bullets Over Broadway Leading Lady Emma Stratton
Rising star Emma Stratton, who recently headlined the national tour of Anything Goes, is now taking on the role of Helen Sinclair in the first national tour of Bullets Over Broadway. She takes us on the road, from the company's October launch, and invites readers to join the "Bullets Babes and Beaus" as they bring the show to a variety of exciting cities!
43 PHOTOS
And we’re off! After three and a half weeks of rehearsals, we leave the New 42nd Street Studios for Tech in Utica, NY!
Emma Stratton
A first look at Helen! So exciting to finally see the show with all of the elements. Everything and everyone look amazing!
Emma Stratton
Susan Stroman joins us for a few days in tech. Here she is going over our finale choreography. It was so incredible to have a living legend directing us on this incredible production before we open!
Emma Stratton
Backstage fun with our bulletsbeaus (Jake and Conor) during tech! (There is NO laughing in this cast. Never. No fun.)
Emma Stratton
Press photos with Matthew Murphy after our previews in Utica!
Our bulletsbeaus and wonderful director, Jeff Whiting, and assistant director, Michael LaMasa, at our opening night party in Cleveland!
Emma Stratton
Now for the bulletsbabes!
Emma Stratton
My station (and tiger onesie)! Filled with photos of loved one’s and previous casts, makeup, and notes. I love keeping my station homey!
Emma Stratton
Visited Jeff (Cheech), Michael (David), and Bradley (Warner) in their dressing room to have a pre-show dance party. Here we are “listening” to "Time Warp" (Rocky Horror is one of our favorites).
Emma Stratton
Most of the Bullets Babes in our tiger onesies before our show in Cleveland!
Emma Stratton
Karly (our fabulous wig supervisor) makes a few last minute adjustments to our bulletsbabes before they open the show with Tiger Rag! These women are INCREDIBLE at what they do!!
Emma Stratton
Bowling night with the touring cast of 42nd Street! So fun to see some familiar faces and catch up with our 42nd Street friends on their layover in Cleveland for the night.
Emma Stratton
We were told by many people in Cleveland to check out “Melt” - a gourmet grilled cheese sandwich restaurant. I got a chicken and waffles grilled cheese sandwich… needless to say, we were not disappointed.
Emma Stratton
More exploring! Hannah (Ellen), Joey (bulletsbeau) and I went to the Cleveland Botanical Gardens and met a few friends!
Emma Stratton
Hannah and Joey being adorable.
Emma Stratton
Beautiful gardens on a rainy day! My favorite weather.
Emma Stratton
Steaming the plague away before the show. Many of us got a bad cold during our stay in Cleveland. Nothing like steaming and "Downton Abbey" to get you ready for a two-show day!
Emma Stratton
Post-makeup selfie before Helen is created!
Emma Stratton
After!
Emma Stratton
Last adventure in Cleveland for me! Had a quiet day to myself before a 5 show weekend to see the Monet exhibit at the Cleveland Art Museum. Such a gorgeous building!
Emma Stratton
Off we go for a string of one and two-nighters for the week! My first real bus selfie on tour (I am laying on the floor on a folded mattress pad. Ahh, the glamour!)
Emma Stratton
Low and behold, our first night in New Brunswick left me in the ER! Cut my eye open during a quick change… good news - no stitches!
Emma Stratton
Our beautiful baggage loaders Blaire (Josette/bulletsbabe), and Brian (bulletsbeau - if you couldn’t tell already) loading our bags before we jet off to Burlington, Vermont!
Emma Stratton
Burlington treats… Maple. Cupcakes. This place was INCREDIBLE! Not shown: Maple Latte. We love it here!
Emma Stratton
Dinner is a red curry and chickpea burrito. If you ever need to find me, I’ll be in Burlington.
Emma Stratton
Impromptu trip to Penn State on my day off! Spent time with good friends and had a much needed voice lesson with my amazing college voice teacher Mary Saunders-Barton! (Look at how cute she is!)
Emma Stratton
The beautiful drive from Penn State to Philadelphia for the week.
Emma Stratton
Our incredible ensemble getting ready to warm up before our Philly opening at the Academy Of Music. This is the most beautiful theatre i’ve ever seen! We could not be more excited to be here all week.
Emma Stratton
Our KILLER band on the stage! They are all unbelievable musicians and we are so proud to be working with them every night. (Jon, Jordan, Jacob, Henry, Josh, Joe, Chris, Brian, Robbie, and Matt).
Emma Stratton
Michael (David) and I had an early morning interview after our opening in Philly.
Emma Stratton
Bradley (Warner) and I had the pleasure of meeting and teaching a masterclass to high schoolers who are interested in pursuing acting as a career!
Emma Stratton
Surprise! Jeff Whiting (our director) surprised us in Philly and saw the show twice! His love and dedication for this show is really inspiring.
Emma Stratton
Halloween fell on a five-show weekend for us, but we still decided to dress up after our Saturday evening show! Here I am as Audrey Horne from "Twin Peaks" (most people had no idea who that was, so most of the time I said I was a librarian. Shout out to "Twin Peaks" lovers!)
Emma Stratton
Bradley physicalizing how exhausted he is after a long week of press and exploring Philly. He cracks me up.
Emma Stratton
Our crew is absolutely amazing… they move so fast it’s hard to get a picture with all of them! Here they are loading out to drive into Dayton, Ohio.
Emma Stratton
Ian (one of our bulletsbeaus) spices things up for our long drive to Dayton by wearing a kilt and matching shirt/hat.
Emma Stratton
Back to the show! Our hot dogs are ready to make their Dayton debut! (Come see this show, y’all. They. Are. Hilarious).
Emma Stratton
Karly fixes me before I go out for "Second Fiddle!" She was also our wig supervisor for Anything Goes and is a dear, dear friend!
Emma Stratton
Time in between scenes means Jeff and I play dress up - here’s a 2015 Helen Sinclair in a wrap scarf and aviators pushing the paparazzi away.
Emma Stratton
A second act tradition with Andrew (bulletsbeau) and I - dancing before the final chase scene!
Emma Stratton
Out for a post show beer at the brewing company and what do we find?! Vote for Helen! (I tried to do my best impression of her but it feels strange without the makeup/wig/clothes…)
Emma Stratton
9 bullseye tonight! Thinking of joining a league...
Emma Stratton
And with that, Helen, Warner, and the rest of the cast are off to Nashville for the week! Come see this wonderful production - we could not be more proud of this show! Keep up with us on instagram under “bulletsbabes", “bulletsbeaus", and me, ladystrat! You can also find me at emmastratton.com. Thanks, Playbill! Xo
Following his work on the Broadway production, which was originally directed and choreographed by five-time Tony Award winner Susan Stroman, the tour is helmed by Jeff Whiting. Clare Cook recreates Stroman's Tony-nominated choreography.
The cast features Michael Williams as David Shayne, Emma Stratton as Helen Sinclair, Jeff Brooks as Cheech, Bradley Allan Zarr as Warner Purcell, Michael Corvino as Nick Valenti, Hannah Rose DeFlumeri as Ellen, Rick Grossman as Julian Marx, Jemma Jane as Olive Neal and Rachel Bahler as Eden Brent.
The ensemble comprises Blaire Baker, Mary Callahan, Jake Corcoran, Elizabeth Dugas, Carissa Fiorillo, Patrick Graver, Andrew Hendrick, Lainee Hunter, Justin Jutras, Brian Martin, Conor McGiffin, Andrew Metzgar, Corinne Munsch, Kaylee Olson, Joey Ortolani, Kelly Peterson, Lexie Plath and Ian Saunders. The creative team also includes Jason Ardizzone-West (scenic design), Carolyn Wong (lighting design, based on the original Broadway lighting design by Donald Holder), Shannon Slaton (sound design) and Bernie Ardia (wig and hair design). The tour features six-time Tony Award winner William Ivey Long’s original Broadway costumes.
Bullets Over Broadway will travel to more than 40 cities in its first season, including Los Angeles, CA (Pantages Theatre); Philadelphia, PA (Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts); Seattle, WA (The Paramount Theatre); Nashville, TN (Tennessee Performing Arts Center); St. Paul, MN (The Ordway); Memphis, TN (The Orpheum Theatre); Providence, RI (Providence Performing Arts Center); West Palm Beach, FL (Kravis Center); Dayton, OH (Schuster Center); Dallas, TX (Music Hall at Fair Park); Houston, TX (The Hobby Center) with additional cities to be announced. For a complete list of tour engagements, visit BulletsOverBroadway.com.
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Bullets Over Broadway, written by Woody Allen and based on the screenplay by Allen and Douglas McGrath for the 1994 film of the same name, ended its Broadway run Aug. 24, 2014, at the St. James Theatre following 156 regular performances and 33 previews.
Five-time Tony Award winner Susan Stroman (The Producers, Contact, The Scottsboro Boys) directed and choreographed the musical that was adapted for the stage by Allen. Reviews for the production, which did not feature an original score, were mixed. Bullets did receive six 2014 Tony nominations, although it was not nominated for Best Musical.
Veteran musical supervisor Glen Kelly (The Producers, The Nance, Young Frankenstein) adapted and penned additional lyrics for the pre-existing songs from the 1920s and 30s, which were used for the score. The score includes such tunes as "Tain't Nobody's Bus'ness," "Running Wild," "Let's Misbehave," "I Found A New Baby" and more.
The original Broadway cast featured Tony Award nominee Marin Mazzie (Passion, Ragtime, Next to Normal) as leading lady Helen Sinclair, Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominee Zach Braff ("Scrubs," "Garden State") in his Broadway debut as playwright David Shayne, Tony Award winner Karen Ziemba (Chicago, Contact, Steel Pier) as Eden Brent, Brooks Ashmanskas(Promises, Promises; Present Laughter) as Warner Purcell, Nick Cordero (Rock of Ages) as Cheech, Betsy Wolfe (Last Five Years, Drood) as Ellen, Lenny Wolpe (The Drowsy Chaperone) as Julian Marx, Heléne Yorke (Grease) as Olive Neal and Vincent Pastore ("Sopranos") as gangster Nick Valenti.
The design team included Santo Loquasto (scenic design), William Ivey Long (costume design), Donald Holder (lighting design), Peter Hylenski (sound design), Paul Huntley (wig and hair design), William Berloni (animal training), Doug Besterman (orchestrations) and Andy Einhorn (music direction/conductor/vocal arrangements).
"Bullets Over Broadway" centers on an aspiring playwright who finds out that his play God of Our Fathers is getting the Broadway treatment thanks to a wealthy gangster who has taken a sudden interest in producing. The only snag is that his dimwitted moll has to star in one of the leading roles. Thrown into the mix are a mafia thug with a real knack for playwriting and a theatrical grand dame who gives Norma Desmond a run for her money.
Allen's numerous films include "Blue Jasmine," "Annie Hall," "Manhattan," "Crimes and Misdemeanors," "Husbands and Wives," "Love and Death," "Stardust Memories," "Crimes and Misdemeanors," "The Purple Rose of Cairo" and many more (about one a year since the 1970s). His plays include Don't Drink the Water (1966), Death Knocks (1968), Play It Again, Sam (1969), Death (1975), God (1975), The Query (1976), My Apology (1980), The Floating Light Bulb (1981), Death Defying Acts (1995), Writer's Block (2003) and A Second Hand Memory (2004).
