Skip to footer

Misty Copeland will star in the Broadway musical 'On the Town'

Copeland will take on a role previously performed by New York City Ballet dancer Megan Fairchild. The current production of 'Town' was nominated for such Tony Awards as Best Revival of a Musical and Best Choreography.

|
Mary Altaffer/AP
Misty Copeland speaks to reporters during a news conference.

Ballet dancer Misty Copeland will appear on the Broadway stage.

Ms. Copeland, who recently became the first African-American woman to become a principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre, will reportedly star in the Broadway musical “On the Town.” 

Copeland will star as Ivy Smith, a lead role currently being played by Megan Fairchild, who is also a professional ballet dancer who was previously a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet. Copeland will begin her appearances in late August. 

“Town” originally opened on Broadway in the 1940s and has been revived several times since then. The newest version opened in 2014 and was nominated for Best Revival of a Musical as well as Best Choreography and Best Direction for John Rando. Actor Tony Yazbeck earned a Best Lead Actor in a Musical Tony nomination for his role as Gabey, a World War II sailor who along with his friends Ozzie (Clyde Alves) and Chip (Jay Armstrong Johnson) are on leave for 24 hours in New York City. The 1949 film version of “Town” starred Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Jules Munshin as the trio of sailors, while Vera-Ellen played Ivy Smith and Betty Garrett and Ann Miller portrayed other love interests Hildy and Claire, respectively. The film won an Academy Award for Best Score and the movie is often called one of the best musical films of all time.

The musical has some other links with the ballet apart from Copeland and Ms. Fairchild’s participation. “Town” was originally choreographed by Jerome Robbins, who was a choreographer for and performed for American Ballet Theatre (ABT). “Town” itself is based on Mr. Robbins’ ballet “Fancy Free,” which he created for the ABT. In addition, New York City Ballet dancer Tiler Peck served as a substitute for Fairchild while Fairchild held the role of Ivy, filling in for some shows this past March.

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.
editor@csmonitor.com
Subscribe
Mark Sappenfield
Editor

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

Subscribe to insightful journalism

QR Code to Misty Copeland will star in the Broadway musical 'On the Town'
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Culture-Cafe/2015/0706/Misty-Copeland-will-star-in-the-Broadway-musical-On-the-Town
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe