>> how long does it the take to get the actors ready. >> we have a half an hour. >> at home. >> i'll come home, and do the next reading. >> and on stage. >> ♪ you make me feel >> outside the steven s sonhim theater on west 33rd street, the drifters. >> ♪ they say the neon lights are bright, on broadway. they say it is always in the air. >> on broadway. >> but when you're walking down the street, and you haven't had you have this to eat. the glitter runs right off and you're no where. >> on broadway. >> they say the lights are

bright. >> on broadway. >> ♪ >> on broadway. >> ♪ >> ♪ >> ♪ >> ♪ >> on broadway. >> ♪ >> ♪ >> ♪ >> ♪ on broadway >> wow, wow, anna i cannot think of a better way to start this half an hour by being serenaded by drifters from the cast of beautiful. >> that was so great, and tonight on broadway up close we have back stain page to the

biggest shows and biggest stars. >> ♪ you make me feel like a natural woman ♪ >> carol king, wrote these hits. >> ♪ will you still love me tomorrow ♪ >> long before going solo. now, jesse muhler shares king's timeless songs and life story with a modern audience in beautiful: the carol king musical. >> it is wild to be able to go on stage every night and pretend to be the person that could write this music. that could have that talent. >> jesse welcome us into her dressing room, minutes before performing another sold out show. she looks back on how she won the now tony nominated role. >> i think in the audition i did a little bit in between. i tried to do a little touch of her, sort of book of quality and then, enough of my own voice. >> king's best using 1971 album half a street sits on the shelf above us. one of the records that helped jesse perfect carol king's

tone. >> ♪ i feel the earth move under my feet ♪ >> i have my own, and which was really great and informative because it is a different listening experience. it literally sound different. >> ♪ >> jesse also plays piano on sage but sound comes from below. >> the orchestra is key. i'm a musician. i'm up there playing the the keys, because the keys are fully functional, but, the the sound you are hearing is from jason howland in the pit. >> in order to play carol throughout the years jesse also needs these. >> the first change we do is 29 seconds i think, so we're going from a full, like carol king carnegie hall into carol king, 16 years old. >> carol king now 72 years old waited four months to see the show. fearing it would be too painful to watch. one night she surprised the cast and she showed up unannounced. what did she say to you and what did you ask her. >> she kind of was like you are doing it, you got it.

to me i was like i don't node to hear more because i don't want to over think it. i was really happy. >> ♪ you've got a friend >> they shined in the tony nominated les miserable, an opportunity he has been waiting for since he was 13. >> road trip down to los angeles to see the show. it blew blue our mind. i said i want to be up there. and, yeah, i have always wanted to be in les miserable. >> after auditions for year he plays police inspector who hunts viewing testify john bell john until it kills him. >> the whole time he thinks he is doing the right thing. that makes it fun. it is all great. that is great thing about les miss it is journal friday wickedness to god, and, you know, maybe my character. >> when he got the part will revisited victor hugo's famous novel and traced his footsteps in paris.

>> it just put everything in more realistic perspective. >> from hippy hog'sberg inner hair to a drag queen in queen of the desert, there is no limit to what will swenson can do, but he admits, dark side of the theater is especially thrilling. >> it is always fun to play somebody with a little bit of dirt on him, bad guys, a lot of fun to do. >> she's back on broadway for first time in over a decade and immediately nominated for another tony. her new show, is ready. >> the older i'm getting more i want to work with people i love. >> in her first musical since wicked, she plays a woman rebuilding her life in manhattan. contemporary musical reunite her with old pals from rent and wicked. >> the director of rent, and david stone from wick and mark platt from wicked. >> she found out about tony nomination as she was driving her son to school. naturally she's a big fan of her oscar winning movie role in frozen. >> the most beautiful thing bit is giving my son a bath

and having him sing a song back to me, and i know, it gets a little older he will start to appreciate it even more. >> ♪ >> porter is dazzling lead of boots, an infectious uplifting musical about unlikely partnership between a british shoemaker and drag queen named lola. willie won a tony and grammy for his port trail last year. >> does that add more pressure when you get on stage or relief some pressure. >> i don't receive it that way. i receive it as, a validation. >> licensing before l ola there was dream girls, the show that hooked billy on broadway. >> seeing the tony awards that was defining moment. >> looking back on his first acting gig as a 15 year-old in pittsburgh, billy says musical theater saved his life. >> it was the best job to have as a teenager from the ghetto, because, you know, there was no time for me to get into any

trouble. it really prepared me. for the riggers of the industry. >> from there he made his way to broadway making his new york debut in the original cast of miss saigon, billy has been in high demand on tv, film and stage ever since. he have is coming up on 500 performances in boots, and just released a new album entitled billy's back on broadway. >> for me it is more about how can i use the gift that i have been given, to be of a service. >> i'm inspired, standing in billy's presence. and his dressing room. the walls, covered in fond memories and extraordinary milestones. but, of course, i could not resist raiding lola's closet. >> do you get used to wearing this type of heel. >> well, i have to tell you i'm a little kid in the beginning of the show who is prancing around in little heels. you know, i used to go into my aunt sharon's closet and put on her heels when i was a little wii like. >> so you have years of

training. >> i have had years of secret training. >> yes. coming up from the silver screen to center stage. >> we're thinking about what play toss do next. >> the the hollywood a listers shining bright on broadway. and then, backstage, and beyond. >> how long does it take to get the actors ready. >> well, we have a half an hour. >> a rare look behind the curtain. >> see the behind the glass that protects everybody from the noise. >> sights and sound backstage

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♪ >> people travel from all over, to experience broadway's talent, firsthand, on stage but what goes on behind the scenes is just as impressive. >> right, i got a rare chance to go behind the curtain of one of broadway's most beloved shows of all time, les miserable. >> it is incredible to be back home where les miss began it is really special. >> les miss fans are like equivalent of like trekies or star wars fans. >> huge news to broadway buffs that les miss is back on the great white way returning to the imperial theater where the show ran over 5200 times, between 1990 and 2003. >> this is completely new design from the original. new direction. a new set design, lighting design. everything is new for this new production of the show. >> we showed up an hour and a half before show time to see everything that happens, behind the scenes. trinity wheeler gave us the stage tour. >> to see everybody setting up for first scene which in the

new production takes place on the ship which is different from the original les miss. >> it takes a lot of manpower to pull all of this off. >> i have 38 mechanics, 18 in the orchestra. crew members, my gosh, there is 40 something people on the crew, easily. >> so we went backstage to meet some of those crew like susan who oversees all of the hair, wigs, make up for the cast. >> this is the the fountain wig before she gets her haircut off, and to support her daughter. >> here are the wigs for after the dramatic scenes. >> we do a persian where she doesn't to have cut her hair. >> they have to restyle over 80 wigs before every show so actors can put on their hair quickly. they only have a half an hour to get the entire cast ready for show time. actors do their own make up with the exception of some prosthetic and special effects. >> that silicone piece. >> wow. >> it has a sticky thing on there that we put it on there and it comes in the pizza box. >> next we made our way through all of the nearly 200

multi piece costumes backstage. it takes up to eight hours of laundry every day just to keep up with the wear and tear. >> how many members of the cast have you seen naked. >> a lot. >> a lot. >> a lot. >> but i don't tell. >> that is helen todd, wardrobe supervisor who has seen it all after 30 years in business. >> we deal with pregnancy, weight gain and weight loss, we deal with body image. you deal with the needs for the show. people not knowing how to move in a period costume. >> go, cut. >> back on stage the actors arrived and they were doing an abbreviated run through. >> what you see behind me is the call, they work out all of the physical scenes to make sure no one gets hurt come show time. >> hi, come on in. >> that is musical director jim lowe who took us under stage to the orchestra pit. >> the main thing i do is conduct the shows, right here is where the wood wind, clarinets and, we have a whole percussion set up and he hangs out behind this class to protect everybody else from the noise.

you can imagine the symbols down in this room. >> ♪ >> and the pressure is on jim as an actor misses up on jim. >> hopefully that never happens, but when it does, everybody in the pit watches me and i try to figure out how to best fix it. >> but sometimes it does happen as nickie james, who plays, told us when she invited us back to her dressing room. >> i looked in his eyes and said that is not what i'm supposed to be saying right now. in this moment, it was like momentary and then you get right back in it. >> there are no second takes on these theaters so need pros always want to deliver the best show for their devoted les miss fans. the story does not give you glitz and glamour of some broadway productions but audiences are sure to love this classic show as much as the cast loves performing it. >> i'm literally living my dream every single night. >> ♪ >> from stage tours to the front door. >> hi. >> hey. >> the star of a laden takes

us on a wild ride to show us what a day in his life is like. >> i'll come home and dot next scene. >> with broadway up close your backstage

♪ >> every wonder what a broadway actor's life is like when they're not on stage? i'm actually very curious. >> i can tell you since i actually got to spend a day of the star of aladdin. so before he becomes aladdin

on stage adam jenkins has a very full day here at home. he is inviting us inside. come on. >> hi. >> hey. >> how are you. >> hi, nice to meet you nice to meet you. >> come on in. >> ♪ >> that is his three month-old son twins jack and alice and his wife kelly. >> we love the show. >> years and years ago. >> as the saying goes, it rains, it pores, the day their family expand todd four was right when adam start add laden. >> i gave birth on the day he started rehearsal. >> big upside is when he doesn't have a matinee adam is home most of the day to help out with the baby routine. >> feeding, activities, changing, suiting, batting, and then they wake up and do it all over again. >> speaking of meal time. >> yes, fill a few bottles. it is a jig saw puzzle. >> how many, babe.

>> there is ten pieces per bottle. >> five, five and a half. >> five, five abe a half, coming up. >> and then bam, there we go. just a clicking sound, and go, jack, go. >> all right. >> are you ready for a walk, guys. >> after eating i tag along while they took the twins for a stroll around their queen's neighborhood. >> so what is it like living in sunnyside. >> you know, it is great. a lot of families, quiet. feels safe. we have been here for about five years and we really like it. it is really nice neighborhood feel. >> before heading in for the show adam still had one more thing to do, because looking good in a tiny vest with no shirt doesn't just happen. >> i got to work out. >> you got to get your guns going. >> thirteen laps is 1 mile, ready. >> lets go. >> he put me through the aladdin drill starting with some cardio. then we did arm work. >> i try to do like 15 to 20. >> and pumped up our chest. >> ♪ >> wow.

>> he was a master at pull ups but i needed some help. >> don't let me go aladdin. >> then we mixed in endurance training. >> i have to jump from building to building and i don't want to miss and fall to my doom. >> then we worked on agility to prepare for his rooftop jumping in the show. >> i'm not as agile as you, it is hard, i have a new respect for what you do. lets see you do it on stage. >> you got it. >> ♪ >> it is funny, i get to work and sometimes that is my moment, to relax. show is at 8:00. i have to be here at 7:30. that is pretty typical. before i show i like to eat fruit. it gives me a lot of energy. then i try to get into a little zen head space, maybe i do a little meditation. part of my ritual is i don't think a lot of actors do is you want to see up here, i got my juggling balls, here and as part of my ritual. >> yeah. >> i juggle before the the show, because it sort of gets

me focused. >> and yes, he prepares for those kissing scenes. >> no garlic chicken on stage left that would not be good. >> after spending the day with adam i can say with confidence that this talented family man doesn't have to fix a thing. when you see him in aladdin i'm sure you'll agree. >> ♪ >> you don't have to go to hollywood to see a big celebrity, just go to the broadway show. >> it is so true, anna we have denzel washington in the raisin in the son, james franco of mice and men. we caught up with both stars to talk about their experience on the great white way. >> so what impressed you most about your co-star, performance. >> what impressed me the most? well, he is playing a very kind of annex stream character , and what you want when you are playing opposite from someone like that is you want to be, pulled into kind of the imagery circumstances. and, so chris does it, so

well. >> what is it about this play that speaks to you on a personal level. >> i don't know, i mean it is a great play and, you know, kenny leon, the director and i worked together and had great success with fences, and we were just thinking about what play toss do next, and he said, lets do raisin in the sun. he said really. so that is how it happened. coming up, braid way on a budget, the secret to great seats, how you can score show tickets for

♪ >> after going behind the scenes of these broadway shows i can understand why tickets are so expensive but unfortunately it is that cost, that people cannot handle. >> it doesn't have to be that way. we went straight to the source, theaters, to find out how you can see broadway on a budget. >> ♪ another show >> gentlemen's guide is 50 percent as well. so that is it.

>> the famous staircase, the center piece of times square. >> but it is located on forty-seventh and broadway, it is discounted prices, draw crowds from all over the world. >> from australia. >> don't let long lines leave you with a long face. >> you want to pete crowds, you can come after the line is done or you can use one of our satellite locations, and, generally an hour and a half to two hours after we have opened, the line has dramatically reduced or disappeared all together. >> have a great time. >> don't worry, there are lots of tickets available. >> you can be sure you are paying the lowest fee in the industry. >> from times square, straight to the theater box office. >> we have cards here if you want to fill one out with your name, indicate whether you want one or two tickets. tickets are $37 cash or credit. >> that is right, tickets for under $40. >> it gives people a chances specially if you are really

driven and want to be in theater to see some of the other works that is out there. >> some shows like kinky boots hold ticket lotteries two and a half hours before the show. >> my friend called me and said do you want to see the the show. i'm right down the street. >> many productions also have special offers for students, just make sure to bring your id. >> we will. >> i'm really excited. it is going to be amazing. >> i'm very excited. >> i'm so excited. >> from rwanda jessica... >> wow. >> i think that says it all. >> now you have no excuse to see a great broadway show. >> we have had so much fun going to the theater, we hope you did too. thanks for watching i'm

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live from center city in philadelphia this is fox 29 news at 6:00. ♪ >> right now on fox 29 news at 6:00, celebrating our nation's birthday. a live look at the benjamin

franklin parkway just about an hour from now one of our nation's birthday celebrations will get underway. happy independence day to you. i'm lucy noland. iain page has the evening off. >> let's get right over to chief meteorologist scott williams and scott, thank goodness the rain has moved out just in time for tonight's fireworks and let me be the first to tell you thank you. all right. thanks so much, lucy. of course, much improved across our area. a lot of folks are excited about the sunshine returning across our area. take a look at folks out and about. they are eating outdoors. the sun is out and look at the temperature right now. 76 degrees. how fitting for this independent day. humidity comfortable right now at 38% right now. but it is still a little breezy as we look at hurricane arthur it's rapidly moving away. no more rainfall. the cloud cover is decreasing but take look at the breezy conditions in its wake. if you are stepping outdoors, we're looking at dry but breezy cooler than average temperatures as well for the fourth of july.