Clayton Howe’s Entertainmentx

Andréa Burns Part 2:”Listen More, Talk Less”

ANDRÉA BURNS (andreaburns.com)(IG:@theandreaburns) received an Outer Critics Circle Award Nomination for her portrayal of Gloria Fajardo in Broadway’s On Your Feet! She is a winner of a Drama Desk Award for her creation of the role of Daniela, the saucy hairdresser in the Tony Award-winning musical In The Heights. 
Ms. Burns began her career touring the opera houses of Europe as Maria in West Side Story when she was 18 years old. She has appeared on Broadway as Belle in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, as Vicki Nichols in The Full Monty, as Googie Gomez in The Ritz and has sung concerts at Carnegie Hall. She starred opposite Nathan Lane on Broadway in the Lincoln Center production of The Nance  which subsequently broadcast on PBS' "Great Performances". Ms. Burns was in the original company of Jason Robert Brown’s critically acclaimed Songs for a New World and has since become one of the foremost interpreters of his work. Burns portrayed Lucille Frank in the national tour of Jason Robert Brown's Parade, directed by Harold Prince, for which she received a Touring Broadway Awards nomination for Best Actress. She was also selected by Stephen Sondheim to create the role of Celeste in his musical Saturday Night in its New York premiere. 
Ms. Burns' debut solo album A Deeper Shade Of Red was described by Playbill as "superb on all counts”. “100 Stories," a single she co-wrote with her brother, music producer Mike Burns, rose to the #2 spot on the 2006 Billboard Hot Dance Club Play charts. A favorite at 54 Below Broadway Supper Club,  Andréa performs her one woman show all of over the world, which has been hailed by the New York Times as “ uproarious, ebullient and playful”.
Television credits include Mad About You (Reboot), Jessica Jones, Kevin Can Wait, Blue Bloods, Law & Order: SVU, Rescue Me, The Electric Company (2009 TV series), and Wonder Pets. She can also be heard on the original cast recordings of On Your Feet!, In The Heights, Songs for a New World, This Ordinary Thursday - The Songs of Georgia Stitt, Saturday Night, It’s Only Life, Dear Edwina, Shine, Broadway Bound, and Broadway Musicals of 1953.
Ms. Burns can be heard as the voice of Elaine Stritch in Alexandra Jacob’s new biography, “Still Here - The Madcap, Nervy, Singular Life of Elaine Stritch.”
She is married to director Peter Flynn. Their son, Hudson, is featured on the cover art of her solo album, A Deeper Shade of Red.

Andréa Burns Part 1: ”Grace and Gratitude”

ANDRÉA BURNS (andreaburns.com)(IG:@theandreaburns) received an Outer Critics Circle Award Nomination for her portrayal of Gloria Fajardo in Broadway’s On Your Feet! She is a winner of a Drama Desk Award for her creation of the role of Daniela, the saucy hairdresser in the Tony Award-winning musical In The Heights. 
Ms. Burns began her career touring the opera houses of Europe as Maria in West Side Story when she was 18 years old. She has appeared on Broadway as Belle in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, as Vicki Nichols in The Full Monty, as Googie Gomez in The Ritz and has sung concerts at Carnegie Hall. She starred opposite Nathan Lane on Broadway in the Lincoln Center production of The Nance  which subsequently broadcast on PBS' "Great Performances". Ms. Burns was in the original company of Jason Robert Brown’s critically acclaimed Songs for a New World and has since become one of the foremost interpreters of his work. Burns portrayed Lucille Frank in the national tour of Jason Robert Brown's Parade, directed by Harold Prince, for which she received a Touring Broadway Awards nomination for Best Actress. She was also selected by Stephen Sondheim to create the role of Celeste in his musical Saturday Night in its New York premiere. 
Ms. Burns' debut solo album A Deeper Shade Of Red was described by Playbill as "superb on all counts”. “100 Stories," a single she co-wrote with her brother, music producer Mike Burns, rose to the #2 spot on the 2006 Billboard Hot Dance Club Play charts. A favorite at 54 Below Broadway Supper Club,  Andréa performs her one woman show all of over the world, which has been hailed by the New York Times as “ uproarious, ebullient and playful”.
Television credits include Mad About You (Reboot), Jessica Jones, Kevin Can Wait, Blue Bloods, Law & Order: SVU, Rescue Me, The Electric Company (2009 TV series), and Wonder Pets. She can also be heard on the original cast recordings of On Your Feet!, In The Heights, Songs for a New World, This Ordinary Thursday - The Songs of Georgia Stitt, Saturday Night, It’s Only Life, Dear Edwina, Shine, Broadway Bound, and Broadway Musicals of 1953.
Ms. Burns can be heard as the voice of Elaine Stritch in Alexandra Jacob’s new biography, “Still Here - The Madcap, Nervy, Singular Life of Elaine Stritch.”
She is married to director Peter Flynn. Their son, Hudson, is featured on the cover art of her solo album, A Deeper Shade of Red.

Telly Leung Part 2: ”Permission and Producing”

Telly Leung (tellyleung.com)(IG:@tellyleung)(TW:@tellyleung) (Tickets to Telly's Latest directing project Godspell U-M Dept. Production ) was born and raised in New York City. He grew up in a traditional Chinese home in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. He is a proud alumni of New York's prestigious math & science specialized high school, Stuyvesant High School. After Stuyvesant, Telly was admitted to Carnegie Mellon University's School of Drama (CMU), where he received most of his formal training in acting, singing, and dance. It was also at CMU that Telly met fellow CMU-alum and KINKY BOOTS Tony-Award Winner, Billy Porter, who returned to his alma mater to direct the main stage production of Sondheim's COMPANY. After casting Telly as Bobby in "Company", Porter made a phone call to his colleagues who were involved in the upcoming Broadway revival of FLOWER DRUM SONG and landed Telly an audition. In the fall of 2002, Telly made his Broadway debut in the revival of 'Flower Drum Song", starring Lea Salonga, as a member of the ensemble and an understudy for Wang Ta. After playing Bobby in Sondheim's COMPANY in college, Telly would later get the opportunity to work with the legendary Stephen Sondheim in Roundabout's Broadway revival of PACIFIC OVERTURES in 2005. After PACIFIC OVERTURES, Telly originated the role of Boq in the Chicago company of WICKED, collaborating with fellow CMU-alum, Stephen Schwartz. Other Broadway credits include the final company of RENT - where he also got to make his film debut in Radical Media / Sony's RENT: FILMED LIVE ON BROADWAY, which is available on DVD and Blue Ray. After RENT ended its Broadway run, Telly went on an international tour with original RENT stars Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp in RENT: THE BROADWAY TOUR. He would later reprise the role of Angel in RENT at the Hollywood Bowl, directed by Neil Patrick Harris and starring Vanessa Hudgens, Aaron Tveit, Skylar Astin, & Wayne Brady. In 2011, Telly would get another opportunity to collaborate with composer Stephen Schwartz in the Broadway revival of GODSPELL at the Circle in the Square Theater.
Telly was involved in the development of Broadway's ALLEGIANCE, creating the role of "Sammy" alongside Lea Salonga (MISS SAIGON) and George Takei (STAR TREK). ALLEGIANCE is the story of one Japanese-American family's struggles and triumphs during the Japanese Internment of World War II. The musical made its sold-out world premiere at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego in 2012 and premiered on Broadway in the Fall of 2015. He received critical aceeclaim for his "star turn" (NBC-NY) as Sammy, performed with "breakout power" (Newsday), with Rex Reed of the NY Observer praising his portrayal of Sammy as "beautifully played and powerfully sung by handsome and awesomely talented Telly Leung."In 2016, Telly starred opposite Justin Guarini (American Idol) in IN TRANSIT, Broadway's first a cappella musical with music by Oscar-winner Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Russell Kaplan, Sara Wordsworth and James-Allen Ford, with direction and choreography by Tony-Award Winner Kathleen Marshall. In June 2017, Telly Leung began his star turn as the title character in Disney’s ALADDIN on Broadway. He would continue to play the role for two years, and his caricature would eventually earn a coveted spot on the wall’s of New York’s historic Sardi’s restaurant. Telly has performed live all over the world. Notable venues include Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Hollywood Bowl, the Baltimore Symphony, the St. Louis MUNY, The Shakespeare Theater (DC), Pittsburgh CLO, Paper Mill Playhouse, Dallas Theater Center, Philadelphia Theater Company, Sacramento Music Circus, the Old Globe, Fords Theater, North Carolina Theater, Four Seasons Theater, North Shore Music Theater, The Coterie in Los Angeles, The Magic Castle, NYC's Feinstein's / 54 Below, Birdland Jazz Club, and London's Hippodrome. Telly has appeared on television in GLEE (as Wes of the Dalton Academy Warblers), INSTINCT (CBS), ODD MOM OUT (Bravo), DEADBEAT (on Hulu), LAW AND ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT and played Kevin in the pilot of ABC's performing arts drama, LIMELIGHT. He was also heavily featured in the PBS documentary BROADWAY OR BUST as a teacher and performance coach for the Jimmy Awards. 
Telly is featured on the recordings of IN TRANSIT, ALLEGIANCE, GODSPELL, PACIFIC OVERTURES, FLOWER DRUMS SONG, DEAR EDWINA, THE BERNSTEIN MASS, SWEET BYE AND BYE and the mini-album of ALLEGIANCE. In 2012, Telly released his first solo album entitled {i'll cover you} on the Yellow Sound Label in 2012, and his follow-up album, "Songs for You" was released in 2016. All recordings are available on iTunes, Amazon, and Spotify.In 2013, Telly started TELLY LEUNG PRODUCTIONS and began his career as a producer. His producing credits include GRIND (a musical short film, starring Anthony Rapp) and BROADWAY @ LEARNING (a concert starring Broadway stars Adam Pascal, Eden Espinosa, and Marcus Paul James). In 2020, Telly started producing and co-hosting EMPATHY, a series of concerts and conversations with corporate learning leader and long-time collaborator Elliott Masie. He served as star and executive producer of THE NICE LIST, an original family-friendly holiday musical for “virtually” everyone that was completely created during the global pandemic with music by Gary Adler and Book / Lyrics by Phoebe Kreutz, directed by Alan Muraoka.Telly passionately believes in "paying it forward" and giving back to the next generation of theater artists and performers. Besides being heavily featured as a performance coach for the Jimmy awards on PBS' BROADWAY OR BUST, he can also be frequently seen teaching as a guest instructor in master classes all over the country. In 2013, he was selected as the Tam & Young Arts Chair at Iolani High School in Honolulu and spent a week teaching and performing alongside the students and faculty. He continues to teach young performers as part of a team of coaches at MTCA (Music Theater College Auditions) that helps high school students gain admission into the competitive university training programs. He also gives online coaching to aspiring performers via Stagelighter.com. In 2013, Telly joined the faculty at NYU's NEW STUDIO ON BROADWAY as an adjunct professor.
 

Telly Leung Part 1: ”Empathy, Kindness And The Ensemble”

Telly Leung (tellyleung.com)(IG:@tellyleung)(TW:@tellyleung) (Tickets to Telly's Latest directing project Godspell U-M Dept. Production ) was born and raised in New York City. He grew up in a traditional Chinese home in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. He is a proud alumni of New York's prestigious math & science specialized high school, Stuyvesant High School. After Stuyvesant, Telly was admitted to Carnegie Mellon University's School of Drama (CMU), where he received most of his formal training in acting, singing, and dance. It was also at CMU that Telly met fellow CMU-alum and KINKY BOOTS Tony-Award Winner, Billy Porter, who returned to his alma mater to direct the main stage production of Sondheim's COMPANY. After casting Telly as Bobby in "Company", Porter made a phone call to his colleagues who were involved in the upcoming Broadway revival of FLOWER DRUM SONG and landed Telly an audition. In the fall of 2002, Telly made his Broadway debut in the revival of 'Flower Drum Song", starring Lea Salonga, as a member of the ensemble and an understudy for Wang Ta. After playing Bobby in Sondheim's COMPANY in college, Telly would later get the opportunity to work with the legendary Stephen Sondheim in Roundabout's Broadway revival of PACIFIC OVERTURES in 2005. After PACIFIC OVERTURES, Telly originated the role of Boq in the Chicago company of WICKED, collaborating with fellow CMU-alum, Stephen Schwartz. Other Broadway credits include the final company of RENT - where he also got to make his film debut in Radical Media / Sony's RENT: FILMED LIVE ON BROADWAY, which is available on DVD and Blue Ray. After RENT ended its Broadway run, Telly went on an international tour with original RENT stars Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp in RENT: THE BROADWAY TOUR. He would later reprise the role of Angel in RENT at the Hollywood Bowl, directed by Neil Patrick Harris and starring Vanessa Hudgens, Aaron Tveit, Skylar Astin, & Wayne Brady. In 2011, Telly would get another opportunity to collaborate with composer Stephen Schwartz in the Broadway revival of GODSPELL at the Circle in the Square Theater.
Telly was involved in the development of Broadway's ALLEGIANCE, creating the role of "Sammy" alongside Lea Salonga (MISS SAIGON) and George Takei (STAR TREK). ALLEGIANCE is the story of one Japanese-American family's struggles and triumphs during the Japanese Internment of World War II. The musical made its sold-out world premiere at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego in 2012 and premiered on Broadway in the Fall of 2015. He received critical aceeclaim for his "star turn" (NBC-NY) as Sammy, performed with "breakout power" (Newsday), with Rex Reed of the NY Observer praising his portrayal of Sammy as "beautifully played and powerfully sung by handsome and awesomely talented Telly Leung."In 2016, Telly starred opposite Justin Guarini (American Idol) in IN TRANSIT, Broadway's first a cappella musical with music by Oscar-winner Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Russell Kaplan, Sara Wordsworth and James-Allen Ford, with direction and choreography by Tony-Award Winner Kathleen Marshall. In June 2017, Telly Leung began his star turn as the title character in Disney’s ALADDIN on Broadway. He would continue to play the role for two years, and his caricature would eventually earn a coveted spot on the wall’s of New York’s historic Sardi’s restaurant. Telly has performed live all over the world. Notable venues include Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Hollywood Bowl, the Baltimore Symphony, the St. Louis MUNY, The Shakespeare Theater (DC), Pittsburgh CLO, Paper Mill Playhouse, Dallas Theater Center, Philadelphia Theater Company, Sacramento Music Circus, the Old Globe, Fords Theater, North Carolina Theater, Four Seasons Theater, North Shore Music Theater, The Coterie in Los Angeles, The Magic Castle, NYC's Feinstein's / 54 Below, Birdland Jazz Club, and London's Hippodrome. Telly has appeared on television in GLEE (as Wes of the Dalton Academy Warblers), INSTINCT (CBS), ODD MOM OUT (Bravo), DEADBEAT (on Hulu), LAW AND ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT and played Kevin in the pilot of ABC's performing arts drama, LIMELIGHT. He was also heavily featured in the PBS documentary BROADWAY OR BUST as a teacher and performance coach for the Jimmy Awards. 
Telly is featured on the recordings of IN TRANSIT, ALLEGIANCE, GODSPELL, PACIFIC OVERTURES, FLOWER DRUMS SONG, DEAR EDWINA, THE BERNSTEIN MASS, SWEET BYE AND BYE and the mini-album of ALLEGIANCE. In 2012, Telly released his first solo album entitled {i'll cover you} on the Yellow Sound Label in 2012, and his follow-up album, "Songs for You" was released in 2016. All recordings are available on iTunes, Amazon, and Spotify.In 2013, Telly started TELLY LEUNG PRODUCTIONS and began his career as a producer. His producing credits include GRIND (a musical short film, starring Anthony Rapp) and BROADWAY @ LEARNING (a concert starring Broadway stars Adam Pascal, Eden Espinosa, and Marcus Paul James). In 2020, Telly started producing and co-hosting EMPATHY, a series of concerts and conversations with corporate learning leader and long-time collaborator Elliott Masie. He served as star and executive producer of THE NICE LIST, an original family-friendly holiday musical for “virtually” everyone that was completely created during the global pandemic with music by Gary Adler and Book / Lyrics by Phoebe Kreutz, directed by Alan Muraoka.Telly passionately believes in "paying it forward" and giving back to the next generation of theater artists and performers. Besides being heavily featured as a performance coach for the Jimmy awards on PBS' BROADWAY OR BUST, he can also be frequently seen teaching as a guest instructor in master classes all over the country. In 2013, he was selected as the Tam & Young Arts Chair at Iolani High School in Honolulu and spent a week teaching and performing alongside the students and faculty. He continues to teach young performers as part of a team of coaches at MTCA (Music Theater College Auditions) that helps high school students gain admission into the competitive university training programs. He also gives online coaching to aspiring performers via Stagelighter.com. In 2013, Telly joined the faculty at NYU's NEW STUDIO ON BROADWAY as an adjunct professor.
 

Tony Yazbeck Part 2: ”Keep Looking Up”

Tony Yazbeck (tonyyazbeckonline.com)(IG:@tonyyazbeckofficial)(TW:@tonyyazbeck) is an American actor, singer, and dancer, best known for his work on the Broadway stage including the 2014 revival of On the Town for which he received 2015 Tony Award and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations for lead actor in a musical. He will be appearing in "Flying Over Sunset" this fall as Cary Grant (flying-over-sunset.com). Yazbeck is also known for his principal roles on Broadway including J.M. Barrie in the Broadway production of Finding Neverland, Tulsa in Gypsy starring Patti LuPone, Billy Flynn in Chicago, Phil Davis in White Christmas, Al Deluca in A Chorus Line and the original casts of Broadway’s Never Gonna Dance and Oklahoma (2002 revival).
Yazbeck made his Broadway debut at the age of eleven playing a newsboy in the revival of Gypsy starring Tyne Daly. On television he was featured on NBC’s Smash, and he appeared in the feature documentary Every Little Step about the casting process for the 2006 revival of A Chorus Line on Broadway. Yazbeck is on the board of the YOUNG/ARTS program of the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts.

Tony Yazbeck Part 1: ”Be Bold & Be Kind”

Tony Yazbeck (tonyyazbeckonline.com)(IG:@tonyyazbeckofficial)(TW:@tonyyazbeck) is an American actor, singer, and dancer, best known for his work on the Broadway stage including the 2014 revival of On the Town for which he received 2015 Tony Award and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations for lead actor in a musical. He will be appearing in "Flying Over Sunset" this fall as Cary Grant (flying-over-sunset.com). Yazbeck is also known for his principal roles on Broadway including J.M. Barrie in the Broadway production of Finding Neverland, Tulsa in Gypsy starring Patti LuPone, Billy Flynn in Chicago, Phil Davis in White Christmas, Al Deluca in A Chorus Line and the original casts of Broadway’s Never Gonna Dance and Oklahoma (2002 revival).
Yazbeck made his Broadway debut at the age of eleven playing a newsboy in the revival of Gypsy starring Tyne Daly. On television he was featured on NBC’s Smash, and he appeared in the feature documentary Every Little Step about the casting process for the 2006 revival of A Chorus Line on Broadway. Yazbeck is on the board of the YOUNG/ARTS program of the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts.

Christiani Pitts Part 2 ”To those whom much is given, much is required”

Christiani Pitts (IG:@christianiworld)(christianipitts.com) is an actress, singer, dancer, performer, and educator. This conversation takes place at P.S. Kitchen on 48th street in MidTown Manhattan. We discuss her early inspirations to perform all the way to present day. I found there were many life lessons that could be taken away from this conversation and felt the chat to be quite relaxing. In the sense that, once you know your purpose, you can find comfort in that and allow it to move you on to larger goals/life achievements. Which is exactly what Christiani is doing. Enjoy!

Christiani Pitts Part 1 ”To those whom much is given, much is required”

Christiani Pitts (IG:@christianiworld)(christianipitts.com) is an actress, singer, dancer, performer, and educator. This conversation takes place at P.S. Kitchen on 48th street in MidTown Manhattan. We discuss her early inspirations to perform all the way to present day. I found there were many life lessons that could be taken away from this conversation and felt the chat to be quite relaxing. In the sense that, once you know your purpose, you can find comfort in that and allow it to move you on to larger goals/life achievements. Which is exactly what Christiani is doing. Enjoy!

CorBen Williams Part 2: ”Measure Twice, Cut Once”

CorBen Williams(corbenwilliams.com)(IG:@corben_w)(IG:@htbisb) is an actor based professionally out of New York City. Born and reared in North Pole, Alaska he attended New York Film Academy professional conservatory program, where he majored in Musical Theatre and Acting for Film. With additional schooling and training from UNCSA school of Dance (High School), NYCDA, Edge Performing Art Center, Millenium Dance Complex, Broadway Dance Center, and Steps on Broadway.
He most recently made his debut at Goodspeed Musical in their production of Meredith Wilson’s production of The Music Man as Davey Brit featured ensemble dancer. Via RWS workshopped Night Spot dir/chor. by Jesse Robb, His Song dir/chor. by Robin Levine, and Million Dreams dir/chor. by Chip Abbott for RWS Entertainment Group. He performed the role of T.J. in Westchester Broadway Theatre’s production of Sister Act. Working with the iconic Disney Cruise Line aboard the Disney Wonder, portrayed Simba in the Golden Mickeys, and Grand Pabbie in Frozen A Musical Spectacular. 

CorBen Williams Part 1: ”Measure Twice, Cut Once”

CorBen Williams(corbenwilliams.com)(IG:@corben_w)(IG:@htbisb) is an actor based professionally out of New York City. Born and reared in North Pole, Alaska he attended New York Film Academy professional conservatory program, where he majored in Musical Theatre and Acting for Film. With additional schooling and training from UNCSA school of Dance (High School), NYCDA, Edge Performing Art Center, Millenium Dance Complex, Broadway Dance Center, and Steps on Broadway.
He most recently made his debut at Goodspeed Musical in their production of Meredith Wilson’s production of The Music Man as Davey Brit featured ensemble dancer. Via RWS workshopped Night Spot dir/chor. by Jesse Robb, His Song dir/chor. by Robin Levine, and Million Dreams dir/chor. by Chip Abbott for RWS Entertainment Group. He performed the role of T.J. in Westchester Broadway Theatre’s production of Sister Act. Working with the iconic Disney Cruise Line aboard the Disney Wonder, portrayed Simba in the Golden Mickeys, and Grand Pabbie in Frozen A Musical Spectacular.