Latest news with #Top40
Winnipeg Free Press
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Snow in August
Don't feel bad if you didn't see your name on Frozen's cast list. Rainbow Stage auditioned more 1,000 people in the open call for its summer production of Disney's most famous musical of the gen Z and alpha childhood eras, which opened Thursday. 'We wanted to find some diamonds in the rough [and] we wanted to feel accessible to every kid who loves Frozen… And our worst nightmares came true. Everyone could sing!' says Rainbow Stage artistic director and Frozen's director Carson Nattress. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS From left: Frozen music director Andrew St. Hilaire, choreographer Jaz Sealey and director (and Rainbow Stage artistic director) Carson Nattrass auditioned more than 1,000 actors for this production. 'It's been overwhelming in every sense — and then we went on sale and our system crashed, because people are so moved by this story.' If you're not someone who watches movies with the kids in your family, you've still probably heard Frozen's iconic power anthem, 2013's Let It Go. Like most contemporary Disney, Frozen takes its inspiration more from Top 40 than the jazz and Tin Pan Alley influences that coloured the musicals of the 1990s, so it may be confused for a regular pop hit. Also like so much recent Disney fare, Frozen is essentially an original story — bearing almost no connection to mythology, legends or fairy tales beyond a loose resemblance to Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen — which may mean its plot is unfamiliar. In short: when Queen Elsa (voiced by Broadway stalwart Idina Menzel in the movie) accidentally plunges her kingdom into eternal winter with her ice powers, her sister younger Anna (voiced by Hollywood actress Kristen Bell) sets out on a dangerous quest to find her and bring back summer. Along the way, this being Disney, she finds wisecracking sidekicks in talking or anthropomorphized creatures (a snowman and a reindeer among them) who join her for one reason or another on her journey — which is ultimately about love and sisterhood. Where some productions opt for older professional actors to play young leads, Rainbow Stage decided that for a show still so popular with children, it wanted to stay authentic. For the roles of Young Anna and Young Elsa, they were set on finding actors who fit this age description, even if they were amateurs. An open call format then just made sense. 'It's not teen years playing kids. We have true kid energy. It's very sweet,' says Nattress. But an open call, in this case, meant an open floodgate. Rainbow Stage's creative team saw groups of 10 kids at once for about three days straight in search of Young Anna and Young Elsa. It meant tough odds for hopeful talent and tough choices for Rainbow Stage. They narrowed their callback list to 20 children, but in the end just two actors felt too few. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS From left: Frozen music director Andrew St. Hilaire, choreographer Jaz Sealey and director (and Rainbow Stage artistic director) Carson Nattrass auditioned more than 1,000 actors. 'Layla (North) stole the role of Young Elsa,' says Nattress. 'And then we didn't know what to do, when Emmaline (Arnold) and Kari (Castillo) auditioned,' he adds, concerning the role of Young Anna. 'And I remember Jaz [Sealey] yelled from his car, 'Can we just have them share the role and alternate every night?' And we looked at each other and went, 'That's a great idea, because they both earned it.'' Sealey, Frozen's choreographer, had his Rainbow Stage debut himself as a performer in 2000. Like more than a few RS alumni, he's gone on to do notable things in the theatre world. After debuting on Broadway's 2012 production of Jesus Christ Superstar, he's continued to appear in Broadway's Aladdin since its original production in 2014. Nattress says this makes him one of the longest serving actors in Broadway history. Sealey's taken a little break from Broadway to choreograph Frozen. All this underscores the spirit of Winnipeg's musical theatre community, where casts are often mixed age-wise with child actors learning their chops alongside established performers who likewise got their start as kids. Nattress says that while young performers benefit from the example of adults, those adults are often charmed by their younger peers' energy and sincerity. 'It turns the tables,' he says. 'They — we — all battle our egos. And there's something about (a mixed-age cast) that takes the edge off for the adults… it removes cynicism.' North, Arnold and Castillo have their older counterparts in Julia Davis, who plays Anna, and Tiera Lee Watts, who plays Elsa. Both are from Winnipeg, but Watts — who debuted at Rainbow Stage just a couple of months ago in Rock of Ages — now lives in Toronto. '(Tiera's) Elsa is elegant, intelligent, a powerhouse… Her voice is stunning. She's exactly what you look for,' says Nattress. Supplied Layla Forth as Young Elsa (left) and Kari Castillo, one of two people playing Young Anna, build a snowman in the Rainbow Stage production of Frozen. While Elsa gets the musical's biggest tune, Let It Go, Anna is on stage non-stop as the hero of the journey. She's shot out of a cannon and sings number after number. 'Julia Davis, I can't say enough about her, because the role of Anna in Frozen is probably one of the hardest roles that in my recent memory of modern musical theatre,' says Nattress. Monthly What you need to know now about gardening in Winnipeg. An email with advice, ideas and tips to keep your outdoor and indoor plants growing. 'She's hilarious, she's sweet. It's like all the things that if I were a kid who loves Frozen and knows the spirit of Anna, you're gonna see her and go, 'There she is.'' While it's common these days for theatre productions to take boldly interpretative approaches to well-established material, postmodern-ing this and that, Nattress wanted to stay true to the source. 'It was our conversation on the first day of rehearsal: carrying the responsibility of telling the story to people who love it this music. (We come) from a place of honoring the source material,' he says. '(People) are coming because they love this Academy Award-winning film that changed animated musicals and the tropes within them forever.' Conrad SweatmanReporter Conrad Sweatman is an arts reporter and feature writer. Before joining the Free Press full-time in 2024, he worked in the U.K. and Canadian cultural sectors, freelanced for outlets including The Walrus, VICE and Prairie Fire. Read more about Conrad. 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Forbes
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Coldplay Earns A Milestone New Hit With A Quarter-Century-Old Song
Coldplay's catalog is stacked with hits, but the band's popularity extends far beyond those tunes chosen as singles. Even album cuts that were never pushed to radio can find a second life, and right now, 'Sparks' is enjoying its moment. In the middle of a historic tour, which has spawned multiple viral moments – including a kiss-cam controversy – the understated track becomes the group's latest chart win, and rises to a new high yet again. 'Sparks' Reaches the Top 40 for the First Time This week, 'Sparks' climbs to No. 39 on the Official Singles chart. As it ascends, the tune breaks into the top 40 on the ranking of the most consumed cuts in the U.K. for the first time. The track also improves to No. 80 on the Official Streaming list. 'Sparks' has only appeared on both tallies for little while – less than two months at most – and its momentum is still building. Coldplay Lands Its Thirtieth Top 40 Hit As it rises to No. 39, 'Sparks' becomes Coldplay's milestone thirtieth top 40 single in the U.K. The band first entered that tier on the main list of the most consumed songs in the country a quarter-century ago, when 'Shiver' debuted at No. 35 in 2000. Three Coldplay Tracks Charting at Once Alongside 'Sparks,' Coldplay keeps two other cuts on the U.K. rankings. 'Viva La Vida' and 'Yellow' both slip on the main singles list, but remain on a pair of charts each, largely thanks to streaming success. 'Yellow' also hits a milestone of its own, snagging its one-hundredth week on the Official Streaming chart. 'Viva La Vida' and 'Yellow' Fall Side-by-Side Coincidentally, 'Viva La Vida' and 'Yellow' now sit next to one another on the Official Singles chart, landing at Nos. 97 and 98, respectively. 'Viva La Vida' celebrates 156 weeks on the all-consumption tally — exactly three years — which is not uncommon for albums, but remains a feat not seen very often for songs.
Perth Now
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Boy George joins forces with Worricka for new single Mesmerised
Boy George has collaborated with Worricka on the new single Mesmerised. The Culture Club frontman has teamed up with the singer-songwriter for the new electronic track that features vocals from George. He said: "I love Worricka's jazzy tones and we have worked on a few things together. "I don't know why we have never written together, but we should. "He sounds great doing reggae and he brings a familiar flavour with his voice but he still sounds like himself. "I hear a bit of Jessye Norman and that's serious praise." Worricka added of the new track – which will be released on July 24: "It's about the first moments of infatuation when you meet someone on the dance floor in a club. "We shared the stage for the first time many years ago at The Jazz Cafe in London when George asked me to join him to open a charity show. "Now we share the stage once again with Mesmerised." George, 64, recently released his latest solo album SE18 but took aim at the streaming models that are so prevalent in modern music. The Do You Really Want to Hurt Me singer told Radio Times: "To be honest, streaming's a waste of time. "My most streamed track last year was The Crying Game (a cover of Dave Berry's 1964 hit). I didn't even write it – nothing to do with me! People are allowed to like what they like, but please..." The singer – whose real name is George O'Dowd – highlighted the contrast between streaming and physical media, as his new album has been successful despite little promotion. He said: "I just had my first Top 40 album, which is hilarious, you know, because I haven't really promoted it. It's vinyl-only, so you can only get it at this place called electricStage. It's a new print-to-order vinyl service. "Usually you have to wait like six months for vinyl. So it has revolutionised how you buy vinyl records." SE18 is named after the London postcode where George lived as a teenager and he set out his "old school" approach for the album previously. He told UK TV show This Morning: "This is not going to be streamed, it's CD and vinyl only, I'm taking it right back. "My audience doesn't seem to care about streaming. They like the product, the lyrics."
Reuters
27-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
South African rand weakens, interest rate decision ahead
JOHANNESBURG, May 27 (Reuters) - South Africa's rand weakened early on Tuesday, with investors focussed firmly on the central bank's impending interest rate decision later this week. At 0827 GMT, the rand traded at 17.9225 against the dollar , about 0.3% softer than its previous close. Economists polled by Reuters expect the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) to cut its main interest rate by 25 basis points to 7.25% on Thursday. South Africa's inflation stayed below the SARB's target range of 3% to 6% in April while the local currency has recovered from its recent losses to trade below 18 per dollar. Central bank data earlier in the day showed South Africa's composite leading business cycle indicator rose 1.1% month on month in March. On the stock market, the Top-40 (.JTOPI), opens new tab index was little changed. South Africa's benchmark 2030 government bond was stronger in early trading, with the yield down 2.5 basis points at 8.865%.
Reuters
23-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
South African assets gain as gold climbs
JOHANNESBURG, May 23 (Reuters) - South Africa's rand, stocks and government bonds strengthened on Friday, boosted by higher gold prices as worries over the United States' worsening fiscal health sent investors into the safe-haven asset. At 0929 GMT, the rand traded at 17.9150 against the dollar , 0.5% stronger than Thursday's closing level. South Africa is a major producer of precious metals and benefits from higher gold prices. Gold prices rose on Friday and were poised for their biggest weekly gain in more than a month, as a softer U.S. dollar and concerns over the country's fiscal outlook boosted bullion's safe-haven appeal. On the stock market, the Top-40 (.JTOPI), opens new tab index was last up 0.7%. South Africa's benchmark 2030 government bond was also stronger in early deals, with the yield down 2.5 basis points to 8.87%.
