Entertainment

Jordan Donica, Tony Award Nominee For ‘Camelot,’ Is Broadway’s Rising Star In 2023

Published

1 year ago

2023-05-30

Kiara Grace

N.Y. – At nine or ten, Jordan Donica’s aunt took him to New York City to rid him of any concept he could make on Broadway. Thank goodness, that plan completely bombed.

“It was pouring outside, but that didn’t stop me from dancing around Times Square. In his own words: “My aunt had to tell me to slow down,” he reflects on his time in New York, where he is now a contented resident. Here, in the center where all things radiate outward, is what I love most.

Donica hasn’t slowed down, either, as he has just been nominated for his first Tony for playing the handsome, brave knight Sir Lancelot in a stunning Lincoln Centre Theatre rendition of the classic musical “Camelot.”

I can only be grateful, and that gratitude fuels my desire to strive even more. Really. In his own words, “my first thought was, ‘I’m excited to get back to work.'”

The life of Donica, a man with a big voice who moved about a lot as a young man but always kept Broadway as his ultimate goal, is inspiring. He began telling his middle school pals that he already had his life figured out. The words “Broadway Bound” were included in his initial email address.

Donica, who graduated from Otterbein University in 2016, honed his skills in regional theatre, performing in productions such as “Jesus Christ Superstar” at the Weathervane Playhouse in Ohio and “South Pacific” at the Utah Shakespeare Festival.

Donica hasn’t slowed down, either, as he has just been nominated for his first Tony for playing the handsome, brave knight Sir Lancelot.

In 2016, he made his Broadway debut as Raoul in “The Phantom of the Opera,” completing a full circle. As a young boy, he had watched the Phantom’s performance in New York and been blown away by his talent. To paraphrase, “I was thinking, ‘I need to learn how to utilize my voice the way that man is using his voice.’ Then I went out to accomplish that.

Donica has appeared in “Charmed,” “Blue Bloods,” and the Los Angeles and San Francisco productions of “Hamilton,” where he played the roles of the Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson, respectively. When “My Fair Lady” was revived at Lincoln Centre Theatre in 2018, he debuted in the part of Freddy Eynsford-Hill.

He portrays a noble but self-centered knight in the epic “Camelot,” who finds himself in a love triangle with King Arthur and Guinevere. Songs by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe remain, but Aaron Sorkin has rewritten the plot to center on the democratic ideal.

In “My Fair Lady” and “Camelot,” Donica played roles that needed him to be both passionate and sweet and brave and sword-catching, respectively, under the direction of Tony Award–winning director Bartlett Sher.

She comments, “You have a wonderful artist on your hands who is capable of immersing themselves in a part and in a world and delivering very different things in both cases.” “What makes him so unique is the way his body and voice are so in sync with each other, as well as his profound intelligence and boundless creativity.”

Donica in “Camelot” starts out appearing on stage almost like a holy angel (singing “C’est Moi” with the words “Here I stand as pure as a prayer/Incredibly clean with virtue to spare”), but by the end of the music she has become quite human, a process that he characterizes as both sobering and enjoyable.

Donica hasn’t slowed down, either, as he has just been nominated for his first Tony for playing the handsome, brave knight Sir Lancelot.

“America is my personal Camelot. And every day, we must struggle to spread the word about what freedom and the United States mean. If we don’t bring it into being through words, he argues, it doesn’t exist.

The part requires a lot of vocal and physical stamina. He planned and acquired 15 pounds, reasoning that he would lose water weight by sweating. His physical therapist immediately saw that Donica had dropped weight during his most recent visit because the table’s settings no longer accommodated him.

Donica celebrated his first birthday in Chicago after being born in Minnesota. He then spent the next eight years in Tennessee before relocating to Indiana. He wondered if there was a future in Kidz Bop and commercials featuring singing children (such as those for Oscar Mayer hot dogs and Welch’s juice).

When I was a kid, I watched those advertisements with my mom and thought, “Those kids there are so cute! I bet I could do that!” He questions, “Why don’t I try that?” I don’t think she took me seriously at all. However, I truly believed that I was being serious.

At a theatre camp, he went to in Indianapolis, Donica was the only one who committed to falling back into the arms of a stranger as part of a team-building exercise for the actors.

He reflects on his elementary school teacher’s words, “You’re going to do well in this because you trust.” When you’re in the theatre, you’re safe. I’m afraid you will put me in a bad place since I’ve been taught to trust.

The trip to New York City was challenging for a young man who preferred open spaces to crowded ones. His mother wasn’t trying to discourage him; she only checked to see if he was serious. Now since they’re friends, he’s invited her to the Tonys.

On June 11, he competes against Kevin Del Aguila (Some Like It Hot) and Kevin Cahoon and Alex Newell (Shucked) for the greatest performance by an actor in a featured role in a musical.

Donica, who has been known to watch reruns of the Tony Awards on YouTube, is still in disbelief that he will be in attendance. To this day, I don’t believe it, mostly because I never intended to become a Tony Award winner. As a kid, I wanted to participate in a Tony Awards performance.

SOURCE – (AP)

Entertainment

Gladiator II Rakes in $87 Million in Weekend Debut

Published

1 week ago

2024-11-18

Geoff Brown

Despite not playing in theaters in the United States, Canada, and China until this coming Friday, Gladiator II earned $87 million over the weekend, which is the best foreign opening for a Ridley Scott film to date.

Last week, the picture premiered in 63 countries, including the UK, and grossed $11.4 million from 722 theatres. Particularly impressive was its performance in France, where it raised $10.3 million from 729 outlets.

But this one is a little weaker compared to February’s smash hit sequel, Dune: Part Two, which grossed $97 million worldwide in its opening weekend. At the same time, Deadpool & Wolverine made $233 million for Disney, while Inside Out 2 for Pixar grossed $140 million.

The Fall Guy, an action comedy starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, earned $36.7 million in its opening weekend worldwide, while Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga earned $30 million.

Last Monday, King Charles III attended a screening of Gladiator II in London, capping off a weeks-long worldwide press tour for the film’s cast and production. A Mexican biscuit brand, Rome’s public transportation system, and a German bank VR are just a few multinational brands it has teamed up with to boost its visibility.

In Australia, dessert merchant Oliver Brown offered a special edition of pistachio-heavy puds and drinks dubbed the Emperor’s Collection. The Gladiator II salted caramel latte is available at French Coffee Shop, a business in Paris.

After poor statistics for Venom: The Last Dance and The Rock’s comedy Red One, which premiered worldwide last week, fans hope that Scott’s delayed sequel can lift the global box office for the last month and a half of the year.

Some are predicting a Barbenheimer-style struggle for the top spot in the US box office when Gladiator II and the highly anticipated musical Wicked premiere on the same day, even though double-bill events are unlikely to be very popular.

Gladiator Star Russell Crowe Honored in Rome

Gladiator Star Russell Crowe Honored in Rome

Entertainment

Blizzard’s Remastered Versions Of Warcraft 1 And 2 Are Now Available On PCs.

Published

2 weeks ago

2024-11-13

Salman Ahmad

Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment

(VOR News) – It has been said by Blizzard that it does not intend to remake Warcraft 1 and 2 since the company believes that these games are “just not that fun any longer.”

When the corporation first made this declaration, it has been almost exactly eight years since it was delivered.

However, the firm has only recently made the news that it will be doing precisely that, and as part of the celebrations for Warcraft’s 30th anniversary, both of the remastered versions are now available to play. The celebrations did not start until today.

The public first played Warcraft in 1994.

This game played a significant role in Blizzard’s rise to the top of the competition. In the year that followed, Warcraft 2 was hastily created in order to suit the requirements of the burgeoning fanbase that the first Warcraft had established.

Additionally, the company has just disclosed that they will be remastering the games, and these remasters will contain a variety of additions to the traditional real-time strategic action that is included in the games.

The initial stage of these enhancements to the development process consists of a new collection of hand-drawn pictures that may be toggled on and off in real time. The artistic style of the originals has been said to be completely captured by these photos, according to the assertions made.

Specifically, Blizzard has implemented “modern controls” for Warcraft 1, which include the option to move with a right click, the ability to pick bounding boxes, and a faster progression rate.

These features are all present in the Warcraft game.

The alterations that have been made include these, however they are not the only ones. It is important to note that these changes have been introduced in addition to the user interface and user experience enhancements that have been implemented throughout both games.

Tool tips, health bars, mission decision screens, and increased unit selection are some of the enhancements that have been introduced in this version of the game. As an additional feature, the multiplayer mode that was included in the first version of Warcraft 2 is still included in the remastered version of the game.

As an additional point of interest, each and every one of the legacy custom maps is entirely compatible with the new edition and may be played in the same capacity.

Despite the fact that there is currently no information regarding whether or not Warcraft 1 Remastered and Warcraft 2 Remastered will eventually be made available on other markets, both of these remastered versions of the game are currently available for purchase on Battle.net for personal computers at prices of $9.99 and $14.99, respectively.

Both of these versions of the game are remastered versions of the original game. A Battle Chest bundle is also available for purchase, and it can be purchased for the price of $39.99. All of the titles that have been remastered are included in this bundle, in addition to Blizzard’s Warcraft 3: Reforged, which has been met with a considerable deal of criticism.

Blizzard has been making continual efforts to improve the game ever since it was first made available to the public in the year 2020.

This is despite the fact that the game was met with poor reviews practically immediately after it was released. An entirely new upgrade, version 2.0, is currently being made available to all gamers without delay.

One of the numerous enhancements to the quality of life that are included in this is “much, much more,” in addition to a wide range of options for personalizing the hockey experience within the game and a new ladder.

In addition to the high-definition versions of all of the older Warcraft assets, these upgrades also include new environments and lighting, a redesigned user interface, and a variety of other enhancements.

SOURCE: EG

Entertainment

Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 Returns Without Kevin Costner

Published

2 weeks ago

2024-11-11

Geoff Brown

Yellowstone is finally returning for the second half of its fifth season without Kevin Costner

Yellowstone will finally return for the second half of its fifth season. We have a lot to speak about, such as recalling what is going on in this program, Kevin Costner’s departure, and whether or not season 5, part 2, will truly end Yellowstone.

Season 5 Part 1 ended on a cliffhanger—we could be in for a full-fledged Dutton family civil war—and we’ve been waiting for nearly two years.

A quick recap: nothing changes from how this program usually goes, except it’s a little more intense. Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) despised Jamie Dutton. Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley) despised Beth Dutton.

That has always been the case since childhood trauma, but now things have escalated. Their father, John Dutton (Kevin Costner), is now Montana’s Governor, and Jamie, who should be his top legal thinker, is played by a group of local businessmen known as Market Equities.

Anyway, Jamie and Beth are attempting to kill each other, and John appears to be leaning toward Beth’s side.

Given Kevin Costner’s public exit from the program, part 2 of season 5 will be especially noteworthy. Long story short, he departed to make his Horizon films and never returned.

So, how will Yellowstone pick up the tale without John? That much is unknown, which adds to the season’s appeal!

Of course, our other characters continue to do what they do. Rip (Cole Hauser) is doing his Rip thing. Kayce (Luke Grimes) oversees the ranch. His wife, Monica (Kelsey Asbille), is still grieving the loss of their unborn son.

But we do have some high stakes to pick up—and they will begin on Sunday, November 10th, whether Kevin Costner appears on screen or not.

Another twist: While we believed season 5 would conclude the Yellowstone story, part 2 is in the works.

There have also been suggestions that Yellowstone could return for a sixth season, starring Cole Hauser and Kelly Reilly as Rip and Beth. Hmm, certainly!

Yellowstone’s fifth season, part 2, will air each episode of the truncated half-season on Sunday nights at 8:00 PM EST.

The episodes will then be shown on linear TV, Hulu with Live TV, or the Paramount Network website and app for those with a cable subscription. The premiere will also re-air on CBS at 10:00 p.m. EST.

Yellowstone season 5, part 2, will consist of six episodes, the first of which is currently accessible to watch and stream. That implies the series might end with five more episodes of Western family drama.