BroadwayWorld.com CD/Books/DVDs Stories

Listen: Grace McLean Sings 'Penelope' From PENELOPE: LIVE AT JOE'S PUB

Fri, 12 Jun 2026 12:27:05 PST

The tile song, “Penelope,” from Penelope: Live at Joe’s Pub, starring Grace McLean, is available to stream or download today, Friday, June 12. The full album, featuring the show’s Richard Rodgers Award-winning folk-pop score, will be available on Friday, July 17. Penelope features music and lyrics by Alex Bechtel, and book by Alex Bechtel, Grace McLean, and Eva Steinmetz. The album is produced by Alex Bechtel, Grace McLean, and Eva Steinmetz.

Penelope will be performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this summer, with McLean in the title role, from August 5 to August 30. Tickets are available HERE.

Penelope waited twenty years for Odysseus to return from the Trojan War. Now she’s ready to share her side of the story – but she’s going to need a drink first. Sharp, funny and unexpectedly moving, this is Penelope’s Odyssey.

Penelope is inspired by the composer’s experience of being forced to quarantine in separate cities from his romantic partner during the COVID pandemic. This musical for one actor and a five-piece band uses folk-pop songs, irreverent comedy, poetic physical gesture, and stirring instrumental pieces to tell the story of a day in the life of Penelope of Ithaca, stuck waiting for Odysseus to return.

After acclaimed productions at Hudson Valley Shakespeare, Signature Theatre in Washgingon DC, Theatre Horizon/Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, and the Ancram Center for the Arts, the creators of Penelope held three concerts at Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater to record a live cast album of the musical, starring Grace McLean in the title role, directed by Eva Steinmetz, and with Alex Bechtel at the piano. Penelope is available for licensing through Concord Theatricals.

Listen: REUNIONS - A NEW MUSICAL Releases Original Cast Recording

Fri, 12 Jun 2026 12:09:00 PST

Reunions, a new musical with book and lyrics by Jeffrey Scharf and music by Jimmy Calire, which had a run last year at New York City Center Stage (ii), has released an original cast recording of the musical, digitally, on Friday, June 12 on Joy Machine Records. The show was directed and choreographed by Gabriel Barre (Andrew Lippa’s Wild Party; Amazing Grace) and Davenport Theatrical Enterprises was Executive Producer.

The recording is produced by Sonny Paladino, who also did the musical arrangements for the show, and will be available on all streaming platforms.

Reunions is a musical adaptation of two famous one-act plays with a common theme: What happens when you rediscover the life you almost lived? The musical is divided into two acts with each act a different story.

“The Twelve Pound Look” is based on the play by J.M. Barrie, the creator of Peter Pan. The play takes place in Downton Abbey-era London. Harry Sims is about to be knighted when the past catches up with him in this ripped-from-the headlines look at issues of social class, a woman's "place" and the high price of success.

“A Sunny Morning” is based on the enchanting play by Spain’s prolific Quintero Brothers. The action takes place in a park in Madrid where the hope of love springs eternal, even among septuagenarians.

The cast of reunions featured Bryan Fenkart as Sir Harry, Joanna Glushak as Dona Laura, Chilina Kennedy as Kate, Courtney Reed as Lady Sims, Daniel Torres as Edward/Juanito, and Chip Zien as Don Gonzalo. The swings are Janet Aldrich, Keith Lee Grant and Pearl Rhein.

Listen: TWO STRANGERS (CARRY A CAKE ACROSS NEW YORK) 'American Express' Club Remix

Fri, 12 Jun 2026 10:43:47 PST

Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) released an "American Express" Club Remix, produced and composed by Tony-Nominated Orchestrator Lux Pyramid. Listen here!

The full Broadway cast album is available for listening on Apple Music and Spotify. The album stars Olivier Award-winner Sam Tutty and Tony Award nominee Christiani Pitts.

The cast album is produced by orchestrator Lux Pyramid (collaborations with Suki Waterhouse, Rita Ora, and more) and co-produced by the show’s writers and composers Jim Barne and Kit Buchan, as well as the show’s Director Tim Jackson and Music Supervisor Nick Finlow.

Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) is an original new musical comedy about timing, connections, and unexpected detours. Meet Dougal, an impossibly upbeat Brit who has just landed in New York City for the first time to attend the wedding of the father he’s never met. Meet Robin, the sister of the bride and a no-nonsense New Yorker with a lot of errands to run — including picking up the groom’s estranged son from the airport. These two strangers begin their journey together, navigating New York City, secrets, and second chances.

Maury Yeston to Celebrate New Biography With Concert and Event at Symphony Space

Thu, 11 Jun 2026 13:56:00 PST

Composer/lyricist Maury Yeston – who recently celebrated his landmark 80th birthday – will join author Joshua Rosenblum and theater journalist Peter Filichia at the Leonard Nimoy Thalia at Symphony Space on Monday, June 29 at 7:00 PM for a special pre-release event celebrating Rosenblum’s forthcoming book, A VERY UNUSUAL WAY: Maury Yeston and His Singular Path to Broadway and Beyond (State University of New York Press). Copies of the book – which is due in stores and online on July 1 – will be available for purchase and signing.

Filichia will moderate a conversation about the book and Yeston’s remarkably varied career, and Shereen Ahmed, Karen Akers, Benjamin Eakeley, Jill Paice, Elena Shaddow, and pianist/music director Fred Lassen will perform some of Yeston’s most memorable songs. These include “My Husband Makes Movies” and “Unusual Way” from Nine, “I Want to Go to Hollywood” and “Love Can’t Happen” from Grand Hotel, “My Grandmother’s Love Letters,” from December Songs, “Shimmy Like They Do in Paris” from Death Takes a Holiday, and “Home,” from Phantom.

A VERY UNUSUAL WAY is a career chronicle combined with close examinations of some of Yeston's most noteworthy compositions, including songs from his Tony Award–winning musicals Nine, Titanic, and Grand Hotel, as well as his lesser-known works. The book also highlights the many celebrated artistic figures and collaborators who have featured prominently in Yeston’s life, including Stephen Sondheim, Placido Domingo, Federico Fellini, Raul Julia, Jane Krakowski, Alan Jay Lerner, Sophia Loren, Yo-Yo Ma, Rob Marshall, Alan Menken, Mike Nichols, Barbra Streisand, Tommy Tune, and Jonathan Tunick.

A VERY UNUSUAL WAY: Maury Yeston and His Singular Path to Broadway and Beyond can be pre-ordered from Amazon and select independent online booksellers.

Creative Goods Launches Corn Puddin' Candle in Honor of SCHMIGADOON!

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 16:43:40 PST

Creative Goods is launching a brand new piece of merchandise to celebrate the Schmigadoon’s Best Musical Tony Award!

Take the Schmigadoon picnic home with you with this realistic corn puddin candle! Scented like sweet, freshly baked corn puddin, this soy wax blended corn cob shaped candle comes in a custom aluminum container with pop tin lid.

Retailing for $35, the candle is available for purchase at the theater starting this evening and is also available online for pre-order.

At the 79th Annual Tony Awards, Schmigadoon! took home the Tony Awards for Best Book of a Musical, Best Orchestrations, Best Original Score, and Best Musical.

Schmigadoon! stars Alex Brightman and Sara Chase as Josh Skinner and Melissa Gimble, a couple who accidentally wanders into Schmigadoon – the magical town where every day is a musical. Everybody has a song for everything, the corn is as high as an elephant’s eye, and the only bridge out of town leads nowhere. Melissa and Josh soon discover the only way to escape is by finding true love—which may or may not be with each other.

The musical also stars Saturday Night Live alum Ana Gasteyer as Mildred Layton, Ann Harada reprising her role of Florence Menlove, Tony Award-nominee Brad Oscar as Mayor Menlove, Isabelle McCalla as Emma Tate, Ivan Hernandez as Doc, Maulik Pancholy as The Reverend, Max Clayton as Danny Bailey, McKenzie Kurtz as Betsy and Ayaan Diop as Carson.

POWER AND GREED by Spencer Weber Waller to be Published

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 14:44:05 PST

Methuen Drama/Bloomsbury Publishing will publish Power and Greed: Monopolies, Mergers, and Cartels on the American Stage by Spencer Weber Waller, on October 15, 2026.

At a moment when the economics of live entertainment are under growing scrutiny, Power and Greed arrives as a major new work exploring how concentrated power has shaped the American theatre industry for more than a century. Drawing on extensive archival research and written with a clear eye toward the present, the book reveals how monopolies, mergers, and powerful booking alliances controlled what reached the stage, who got booked, where productions played, how tickets were priced, and who ultimately profited.

Long before today’s debates over consolidation, dynamic pricing, and consumer access, the battle for control of the American stage was already underway. In Power and Greed, Waller traces the rise of The Theatrical Syndicate, the Shubert Brothers, the Vaudeville Combine, and other dominant forces that transformed theatre into a business defined as much by gatekeeping and leverage as by artistry and ambition. Their influence extended far beyond Broadway, shaping the touring circuit and determining what audiences across North America were able to see.

By placing today’s anxieties about live entertainment within a longer historical arc, Power and Greed offers a strikingly timely account of the systems that continue to shape the field. Recent controversy surrounding Live Nation/Ticketmaster and the 2023 Taylor Swift Eras Tour rollout renewed national attention on market consolidation, pricing, and consumer frustration. Waller’s book shows that these tensions are not new, but part of a much longer story about power, access, and control in the entertainment industry.

Part theatre history, part business history, and part legal drama, Power and Greed tells the story of the real struggle behind the curtain: who had the power to produce, present, book, and profit from live performance in America — and what it took for the law to finally begin catching up. The result is a deeply researched and highly relevant new book for anyone interested in Broadway, touring, theatrical production, antitrust law, or the future of live entertainment.

April Brucker Releases New Book 250 YEARS OF AMERICAN VENTRILOQUISM

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 15:45:19 PST

As America celebrates its 250th anniversary, historians are publishing books about presidents, wars, founding fathers, and the nation's defining moments. Stage/television ventriloquist and author April Brucker has chosen a slightly different subject: talking dummies.

Brucker's new book, 250 Years of American Ventriloquism - How Ventriloquism Influenced American Culture, offers what may be one of the most unusual commemorative volumes released during the nation's Semiquincentennial celebration.

The book traces the history of ventriloquism in America from the colonial era to the digital age, revealing how generations of ventriloquists helped shape entertainment, broadcasting, comedy, advertising, and popular culture.

While ventriloquism is often viewed as a novelty act, Brucker argues that its cultural influence has been surprisingly significant. Long before social media influencers and reality television personalities, ventriloquists were among America's most recognizable entertainers, drawing crowds in theaters, dominating vaudeville stages, appearing on radio and television, and introducing memorable characters that became household names.

The book follows the evolution of the art form alongside the growth of the United States itself. Through historical research, industry insights, and stories of legendary performers, readers discover how ventriloquists adapted to changing technologies and shifting cultural tastes while remaining part of the American entertainment landscape for nearly two and a half centuries.

"America's 250th anniversary has inspired countless books about the people who helped build the nation," Brucker said. "This may be the only one that gives equal time to wooden figures with painted smiles. But ventriloquists have entertained Americans for generations and played a much larger role in shaping popular culture than most people realize."

Among the topics explored are ventriloquism's influence on comedy, character creation, storytelling, broadcasting, celebrity culture, and family entertainment. The book also examines how the art form survived the decline of vaudeville, adapted to television, and found new audiences through contemporary media platforms.

Brucker, a Las Vegas-based actress, comedian, ventriloquist, television personality, and author, has appeared on numerous television programs, including Entertainment Tonight, Judge Jerry, Today, My Strange Addiction, Secret Restoration, and What Would You Do? She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing and Screenwriting from Antioch University Los Angeles.

250 Years of American Ventriloquism - How Ventriloquism Influenced American Culture is available in paperback, hardcover, and Kindle eBook editions through booksellers worldwide.

Mary Kouyoumdjian's PAPER PIANOS Sets World Premiere Recording

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 15:15:44 PST

Paper Pianos, the Pulitzer Prize finalist work co-created by GRAMMY-nominated Armenian-American composer Mary Kouyoumdjian and South African-American director and writer Nigel Maister, will receive its world premiere recording, arriving digitally via Cantaloupe Music on Friday, August 7, 2026. Paper Pianos' third movement, All Good Things, is now available as a single.

Performed by the GRAMMY Award-winning ensemble Alarm Will Sound, the music-theatre and sonic-documentary work explores the journeys and obstacles refugees confront as they uproot lives and livelihoods, families and friendships, in search of safer harbors.

The work examines dislocation, longing, and optimism, both from the perspective of refugees themselves and from those who provide services to them. Artist proceeds from the album will be donated to the International Rescue Committee (IRC), a nonprofit humanitarian organization that provides support to refugees.

Paper Pianos draws on interviews conducted by Maister and Kouyoumdjian with refugees and refugee resettlement workers. It is anchored in four distinct voices of refugees and resettlement workers who have immigrated to New York: Afghan pianist Milad Yousufi and refugee resettlement workers Getachew "Gee-Gee" Bashir (Ethiopia), Hani Ali (Somalia), and Akil Aljaysh (Iraq), themselves refugees.

"What piqued my interest when we began this project, were the stories of those we seldom, if ever, hear from or about: the people who aid, resettle, comfort, greet on arrival, and provide orientation and guidance for newly arriving refugees, many who arrive on these shores with little more than their memories of home and the clothes on their backs," Maister states.

"Interviewing the four extraordinarily generous individuals whose stories make up Paper Pianos gave us insight into all these journeys. Though each story is unique, all share one element: that the gratitude they have for being given a second chance in this country is tempered by real and painful sacrifice: of family, friends, comfort, the familiar, dreams, aspirations, and more."

Alarm Will Sound gave the world premiere of Paper Pianos at EMPAC in Troy, New York on February 25, 2023, followed by a performance at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center on May 10, 2025. Featuring projections by Kevork Mourad, the work brings together music, recorded testimony, animation, and documentary storytelling in a multimedia performance event conceived by Mary Kouyoumdjian, Nigel Maister, and Mourad, with scenic design by Afsoon Pajoufar and lighting design by Seth Reiser.

The tracklist can be found below. This work includes pre-recorded sounds and interviews on topics of conflict and violence that some listeners may find disturbing and may not be suitable for children.

Paper Pianos Tracklist

I. Overture: This is Not a Choice (Gee-Gee's Primer) [10:58]

II. Child of War [17:50]

III. All Good Things [18:16]

IV. Bad to Worse [24:23]

V. Flight [05:47]

VI. An Open Fist [09:59]

About Mary Kouyoumdjian

Mary Kouyoumdjian is a GRAMMY-nominated composer and documentarian with projects ranging from concert works to multimedia collaborations and film scores. As a first-generation Armenian-American and having come from a family directly affected by the Lebanese Civil War and Armenian Genocide, her compositional work often integrates recorded testimonies with resilient individuals and field recordings of place to invite empathy by humanizing complex experiences around social and political conflict.

A finalist for the 2024 Pulitzer Prize in Music for her music-documentary Paper Pianos, Kouyoumdjian has received commissions for the New York Philharmonic, Kronos Quartet, Carnegie Hall, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Beth Morrison Projects, Alarm Will Sound, Bang on a Can, Brooklyn Youth Chorus, and Roomful of Teeth, among others.

Her work has been featured internationally at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, LA Opera, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Metropolitan Museum of Art, MASS MoCA, the Barbican Centre, Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), Millennium Park, Benaroya Hall, Prototype Festival, Cabrillo Festival, Big Ears Festival, Cal Performances, Tribeca Film Festival, and PBS.

Her debut portrait album, WITNESS with the Kronos Quartet, was released in 2025, and the world premiere recording of her opera, Adoration, was nominated for a 2025 GRAMMY Award for Best Opera Recording. Kouyoumdjian is on faculty at The New School and is based in Brooklyn, NY.

About Nigel Maister

Nigel Maister is a director, writer, designer, visual artist, and performer, and a founding member of Alarm Will Sound. Nigel has staged, developed, and/or designed concerts at venues throughout the country and internationally, including Columbia's Miller Theatre, The Kitchen, Zankel Hall, Cal Performances, the Holland and River to River festivals, and in Korea.

He wrote the libretto for and directed I Was Here I Was I, a site-specific music-theatre work created for the Temple of Dendur (music by Kate Soper) at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, co-developed/directed AWS's acclaimed 1969, Conceived, designed, and directed John Cage's Song Books for the Holland Festival, and performed his own text, Paper Trails (music by Stefan Freund), at the John Adams-curated In Your Ear Festival at Zankel Hall.

Maister wrote and is developing A Young Person's Guide to New Music and its accompanying piece, Anindi, Wilson, and the Super Super for Alarm Will Sound. He is a MacDowell fellow and currently serves as the Artistic Director of the International Theatre Program at the University of Rochester.

About Alarm Will Sound

ALARM WILL SOUND is “one of the most vital and original ensembles on the American music scene” (The New York Times). A GRAMMY®-winning, 22-member band committed to innovative performances and recordings of today’s music, they have established a reputation for performing demanding music with energetic virtuosity.

With classical skill and unlimited curiosity, Alarm Will Sound takes on music from a wide variety of styles. “Stylistically omnivorous and physically versatile” (The Log Journal), their repertoire comes from around the world and ranges from the arch-modernist to the pop-influenced. Since its inception, Alarm Will Sound has been associated with composers at the forefront of contemporary music. The group itself includes many composer-performers, which allows for an unusual degree of insight into the creation and performance of new work.

Alarm Will Sound is the resident ensemble at the Mizzou International Composers Festival. Held each July at the University of Missouri in Columbia, the festival features eight world premieres by early-career composers. In 2013-14, Alarm Will Sound served as artists-in-residence at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Alarm Will Sound may be heard on twenty recordings, including Land of Winter, featuring music by Donnacha Dennehy for which they won the 2026 GRAMMY® for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance, and the premiere recording of Steve Reich’s Radio Rewrite. Acoustica, their genre-bending, critically-acclaimed album, features live-performance arrangements of music by electronica guru Aphex Twin. Learn more at alarmwillsound.com.

Mary Kouyoumdjian's PAPER PIANOS Sets World Premiere Recording

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 15:15:44 PST

Paper Pianos Tracklist

I. Overture: This is Not a Choice (Gee-Gee's Primer) [10:58]

II. Child of War [17:50]

III. All Good Things [18:16]

IV. Bad to Worse [24:23]

V. Flight [05:47]

VI. An Open Fist [09:59]

About Mary Kouyoumdjian

About Nigel Maister

About Alarm Will Sound

Video: Kimiko Glenn and Philip Labes Sing 'Liberal Love' From GOOD GUY WITH A GUN!

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 11:19:22 PST

Good Guy With A Gun!, the comedy musical concept album, will arrive at all DSPs on July 31. Featuring a cast of film, Broadway, and TV actors including Chris Sullivan (This Is Us), Kimiko Glenn (Orange Is the New Black, Waitress, Spiderverse trilogy), Anthony Rapp (Rent), Yvette Nicole Brown (Community, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Office), Rebecca Naomi Jones (Passing Strange, American Idiot, Hedwig and the Angry Inch), Jason Alexander (Seinfeld, Merrily We Roll Along), Richard Kind (Mad About You, Curb Your Enthusiasm), Kristen Schaal (Flight of the Conchords), and Emmy-winning actor Paul Walter Hauser, Good Guy With A Gun is a standalone album after workshopping at Second City Hollywood and Z Space San Francisco.

After being held up gunpoint, actor/musician/composer Philip Labes began fleshing out the concept with his then-roommate Micah O’Konis, and the pair composed the music and lyrics over the next few years before bringing in Hal Rosenfeld (The Greatest Showman, In The Heights, “Only Murders in the Building,” Top Gun: Maverick, and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street) as Musical Director/Executive Music Producer to bring the idea to full sonic life.

Set in Washington, DC, Good Guy With A Gun! tells the story of NRA lobbyist Ron Barkley (Sullivan) and his daughter Jenna (Glenn), who attends protests with her stoner boyfriend (Labes). When Ron is confronted at gunpoint by a disgruntled keyboard warrior (Rapp), he prays to God (Alexander) for help and receives it in the form of a magical gun that makes people conservative. Ron uses the gun to brainwash Jenna's friends, driving the two of them apart, and in response, Jenna prays for a magical weapon of her own– a megaphone that turns people liberal. Now Jenna has the chance to turn her dad into the person she's always wanted him to be.

Today the album’s creators revealed “Liberal Love,” the first track released from the album. Liberal Love features Glenn and Labes pining away about their newfound relationship (“Our preferred pronoun is ‘us’”). Additional songs will be released prior to the album release on July 31; a full tracklist is included below.

THE PANSY CRAZE, Hosted by Mason Alexander Park, Debuts on Audible

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 19:43:43 PST

The Pansy Craze, presented by Audible Theater and Rachel Brosnahan's Scrap Paper Pictures, premieres today exclusively on Audible.

Created by Hunter Bird and Mason Alexander Park and hosted by Park, the six-part audio variety series was recorded live at Audible's Minetta Lane Theatre in New York City in 2025. The production was directed by Joanna McKeon (Episodes 1–3) and Hunter Bird (Episodes 4–6).

Combining elements of cabaret, historical storytelling, comedy, and music, The Pansy Craze explores moments in LGBTQ+ history when queer culture was celebrated, commodified, and criminalized. Through songs, sketches, and personal narratives, Park and a lineup of guest artists revisit figures, performances, and cultural movements that helped shape queer history.

The series features appearances by Jackie Cox, Laverne Cox, Lea DeLaria, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Sasha Velour, and Evan Rachel Wood.

Episodes examine topics ranging from gender-nonconforming performers on the stages of Restoration England and Victorian music halls to Broadway's drag balls of the 1920s, Harlem nightlife of the 1930s, television pioneer Jim Bailey, the glam rock movement of the 1970s, and the evolution of LGBTQ+ visibility in American culture over the last three decades.

Episode Guide

The six-part series includes:

Episode 1: From Codpieces to Corsets: 300 Years on London's Wicked Stages
Featuring Lea DeLaria, the episode explores performers including Ned Kynaston and Annie Hindle.

Episode 2: The Queerest Night on Broadway!
Featuring Jackie Cox, the episode examines Mae West's controversial Broadway production The Pleasure Man.

Episode 3: The Queen of the Pansies and the King of Harlem
Featuring Laverne Cox, the episode highlights performers Jean Malin and Gladys Bentley.

Episode 4: Pansies in Primetime: Jim Bailey and the Television Revolution
Featuring Jesse Tyler Ferguson, the episode focuses on entertainer Jim Bailey and his impact on television.

Episode 5: The Rise and Fall of Glam Rock
Featuring Evan Rachel Wood, the episode traces the influence of artists including David Bowie and Marc Bolan.

Episode 6: Gender, I Hardly Know'er: The Last 35 Years in America
Featuring Sasha Velour, the final installment explores key moments in LGBTQ+ history from the 1990s through today.

Listening Information

The Pansy Craze is now available exclusively through Audible.

Stage Partners to Launch New Play Commissions with EdTA and California Thespians

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 19:11:38 PST

For the third year, independent play publisher Stage Partners has announced two new play commissions. The purpose of each commission is to engage professional playwrights to create inspiring new works especially for school theatre programs.

Stage Partners has once again paired with the Educational Theatre Association to commission a new one-act play, this year by seasoned theatre teacher and playwright Mandy Conner. The second collaboration is with California Thespians to commission a new one-act play by the prolific writer Ian McWethy. Both partnerships will give students and teachers the opportunity to participate in new play development, while offering playwrights resources to create a new play for a public premiere, and subsequent publication and licensing by Stage Partners.

"With these new commissions, we further our commitment to connect playwrights with theatre groups for the benefit of all the artists involved. With each new commission, a great new play emerges." says Stage Partners Founder & Artistic Director Jason Pizzarello.

"The Educational Theatre Association is proud to continue our partnership with Stage Partners to support the creation of new work that invites students and educators into the development process. This commission gives students the opportunity to collaborate with professional artists and experience what it means to help shape a new play from the beginning. We are especially excited to welcome Mandy Conner, whose experience as both a theatre educator and playwright makes her an ideal artist for this project." -Jay Gerlach, Interim Executive Director, Educational Theatre Association

Camofleurs: The Unseen Women of 1918 by Mandy Conner will receive a premiere workshop reading at this year's International Thespian Festival in June 2026 at Indiana University. It will be presented by Stage Partners in conjunction with the Educational Theatre Association. Students attending the festival will have the opportunity to participate in the workshop, helmed by Maria McConville, Director of Education & Engagement at Stage Partners. This is the third year this commission is taking place. Last year's festival culminated in a successful workshop of Peter Gil-Sheridan's Retreat, which was published by Stage Partners.

In conjunction with California Thespians, Stage Partners has commissioned playwright Ian McWethy to develop a new one-act play for a California high school theatre troupe to premiere at the CA Thespian Conference in 2027. Los Alamitos High School has been selected for the partnership. Stacy Castiglione, Performing Arts Department Chair, will be the director.

Stage Partners is an independent play publisher dedicated to making exceptional new plays accessible to all theatres and schools. Founded and run by writers experienced in theatrical licensing, Stage Partners aims to make finding the perfect new play easy, engaging, and exciting, whether you are a new drama teacher or an experienced artistic director. With scripts that are always free to read, lightning-fast licensing, and a passionate staff, Stage Partners is committed to offering industry-best services to both its customers and its playwrights. www.yourstagepartners.com

Mandy Conner has been teaching in high school theatre in Texas for the past thirty years. She began her love for theatre while attending McLennan Community College and Texas Tech University, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in English. She is currently a Masters of Fine Arts Candidate at the University of Idaho.

She has earned fifteen trips to the Regional UIL One Act Play Meet (including her original productions of Ago, Should Not Cause Harm, Unclaimed, and 11), and has had nine appearances at the UIL State One Act Play Meet (including her original productions of Lafayette No. 1, Should Not Cause Harm, Rue, and Where the Sky Meets the Sea). She received the 2018 K-12 Educator of the Year Award from the Texas Educational Theatre Association and the 2020 UIL Sponsor Excellence Award.

In addition to teaching, directing, and writing, Mandy conducts creativity workshops throughout the state. Mandy resides in Texas with her husband Chris and two daughters, Edie and Josie.

Ian McWethy Over sixty of Ian's plays have been published and have been performed in all fifty states as well as fifty countries abroad. He's also co-written two novels with Carrie McCrossen, Margot Mertz Takes It Down and Margot Mertz For The Win, published by Penguin Random House. He's happily married to that same Carrie McCrossen, where they live in Los Angeles with their two kiddos. Mr. McWethy is represented by Alex Platis of Game Plan Media, and Jay Patel of Peikoff Mahan.

Sir Stephen Hough Sets 'Piano Postcards' with New Covers of MARY POPPINS, FROZEN & More

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 13:19:00 PST

Sir Stephen Hough will release his solo piano album, Stephen Hough's Piano Postcards, on July 3 in both physical and digital formats from Hyperion Records. The album combines Hough's own arrangements with a selection of favorite piano works, including selections from Mary Poppins, Frozen, and more. A series of six digital singles are now available below.

On the road for most of the year, Hough travels internationally performing concertos, sonatas, chamber music, and his own compositions. With Piano Postcards, Hough revisits forgotten songs, old favorites, and arrangements of his own.

The album also reflects the influence of two recordings Hough discovered as a child: Clive Lythgoe Plays, by the British pianist of the 1950s and ’60s, and the 1966 RCA Victrola compilation Keyboard Giants of the Past, featuring luminaries of the piano repertoire such as Rachmaninoff, Gabrilowitsch, Cortot, and Paderewski.

Featuring 26 tracks, ten of which are arrangements by Sir Stephen Hough, the album opens with Hough’s transcription of Richard and Robert Sherman’s The Mary Poppins Suite, originally commissioned for the pianist Lang Lang and his 2022 album The Disney Book featuring “Chim chim cher-ee,” “Feed the Birds,” and “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious." The final movement also includes references to Beethoven, Weber, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Stravinsky.

Alongside The Mary Poppins Suite are his versions of songs from Disney's Frozen, Mulan, and Coco, including the world premiere recordings of "Reflection" and "Remember Me." At the heart of Piano Postcards is Hough's personal treasury of encores: short works he has collected, performed, and carried with him across decades.

Drawn from a wide range of traditions, the collection includes music by Sergei Rachmaninov, Abram Chasins, Jean Sibelius, Robert Schumann, Christian Sinding, Edward MacDowell, and Enrique Granados, alongside Handel's Minuet in G minor in Wilhelm Kempff's arrangement, Fritz Kreisler's Liebesleid, and Rimsky-Korsakov's Flight of the Bumblebee from The Tale of Tsar Saltan. Also included are three works by Cécile Chaminade: Toccata, Thème varié, and Les sylvains.

Music from Asia includes Kōsaku Yamada's Aka Tombo and Deng Yu-Hsien's Spring Breeze Prelude. Folk and popular traditions appear in the Mexican song Cielito lindo and Eden Ahbez's Nature Boy. Two musical snapshots from Malcolm Williamson's Travel Diaries continue the album's theme of travel, memory, and place including Paris: II. Flower-Sellers (Place de la Madeleine) and New York: V. Broadway (Midnight).

Tracklisting

Richard Sherman & Robert Sherman, arr. Stephen Hough
Mary Poppins Suite [9'10]
1) Chim chim cher-ee [2'17]
2) Feed the birds [3'14]
3) Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious [3'39]

Abram Chasins
4) Prelude No 14 (No 2 in E flat minor from Preludes Book 3, Op 12) [1'35]

Sergei Rachmaninov
5) Preludes Op 32, No 12 in G sharp minor: Allegro [2'39]

Fritz Kreisler, arr. Sergei Rachmaninov
6) Liebesleid (No 2 of 3 Alt-Wiener Tanzweisen) [4'55]

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, arr. Sergei Rachmaninov
7) The flight of the bumblebee (Transcription from Skazka o Tsare Saltane The Tale of Tsar Saltan) [1'10]

Deng Yu-Hsien , arr. Stephen Hough
8) Spring breeze prelude [2'33]

Kōsaku Yamada, arr. Stephen Hough
9) Aka tombo [2'07]

Robert Lopez & Kristen Anderson-Lopez, arr. Stephen Hough
10) Do you want to build a snowman? [2'25]

Matthew Wilder, arr. Stephen Hough
11) Reflection [2'50]

Robert Lopez & Kristen Anderson-Lopez, arr. Stephen Hough
12) Remember me [2'47]

Quirino Mendoza y Cortés, arr. Stephen Hough
13) Cielito lindo [2'50]

Enrique Granados
14) Andaluza (Playera) (No 5 of Danzas españolas, Op 37) [4'02]

George Frideric Handel, arr. Wilhelm Kempff
15) Minuet in G minor HWV434/4 [3'13]

Cécile Chaminade
16) Toccata Op 39 [3'30]
17) Thème varié in A major Op 89 [4'19]
18) Les sylvains Op 60 [4'10]

Léo Delibes
19) Passepied (No 6 of Scène du Bal dans Le roi s'amuse) [1'39]

Malcolm Williamson
20) Flower-sellers (Place de la Madeleine) (No 2 of Travel Diaries – Paris) [1'51]
21) Broadway (Midnight) (No 5 of Travel Diaries – New York) [1'58]

Jean Sibelius
22) Étude in A minor (No 2 of Thirteen Pieces, Op 76) [1'33]

Eden Ahbez, arr. Stephen Hough
23) Nature boy [4'13]

Edward MacDowell
24) To a wild rose (No 1 of Woodland sketches, Op 51) [2'02]

Robert Schumann
25) Vogel als Prophet (No 7 of Waldszenen, Op 82) [2'42]

Christian Sinding
26) Rustle of Spring (No 3 of Six Pieces, Op 32) [2'55]

About Sir Stephen Hough

Sir Stephen Hough is a pianist, composer and writer. He was the first classical performer to be awarded a MacArthur Fellowship, was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the New Year Honors 2014, and was awarded a Knighthood for Services to Music in the Queen’s Birthday Honors 2022.

He has performed extensively in recital and with most of the world’s major orchestras, and his catalog of over 70 albums has garnered four Grammy nominations, eight Gramophone Awards and France’s Diapason d’Or de l’Année. As a composer, he has been commissioned by Westminster Abbey, Westminster Cathedral, Wigmore Hall, the Gilmore Foundation, the Genesis Foundation, members of the Berlin Philharmonic, amongst others.

He wrote the commissioned work for the 2022 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, performed by all 30 competitors, and his String Quartet No.1 Les Six Rencontres, commissioned for the Takács Quartet, was recorded for Hyperion Records. His music is published by Josef Weinberger Ltd.

As an author, Hough’s memoir Enough: Scenes from Childhood was published by Faber & Faber in Spring 2023. It follows his 2019 collection of essays for Faber, Rough Ideas: Reflections on Music and More – a 2020 Royal Philharmonic Society Award winner and one of Financial Times’ Book of the Year 2019 – as well as his first novel, The Final Retreat (Sylph Editions, 2018). Hough is an Honorary Bencher of the Middle Temple, an Honorary Member of the Royal Philharmonic Society, and was a Visiting Fellow at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University from 2019 to 2022.

MICHAEL Biopic Will be Available to Watch at Home in June

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 10:48:02 PST

Michael is heading home. The hit biopic about Michael Jackson is set to arrive on Premium Digital and Premium Video on Demand beginning June 9, where it will be available to rent or purchase on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Fandango at Home, Google TV, YouTube, and more.

The physical media release on DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K UHD will hit shelves on July 14, with exclusive editions including a Collectible Edition with Photo Book from Lionsgate and Walmart and Amazon Exclusive SteelBooks. Take a look at the special feature lineup below.

Michael stars Jaafar Jackson in the titular role, along with Nia Long, Juliano Valdi, KeiLyn Durrel Jones, Laura Harrier, Miles Teller, and Colman Domingo. Directed by Antoine Fuqua, written by John Logan, and produced by Graham King, p.g.a., John Branca, and John McClain,

The film was released in theaters on April 24 and broke records for the biggest domestic opening for a musical biopic, with $97.2 million domestically. It has since grossed more than $850 million to date.

Michael is the cinematic portrayal of the life and legacy of the influential artist. The film tells the story of Michael Jackson’s life beyond the music, tracing his journey from the discovery of his talent as the lead of The Jackson 5 to his pursuit of becoming the biggest entertainer in the world. The movie highlights both his life off-stage and some of his best-known performances from his early solo career. A sequel is in development.

Special Features

Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough: The Making of Michael
Home Is Where His Heart Is: Behind the Gates of Hayvenhurst
In the Mirror: Becoming Michael & Joe Time-lapses*
- In the Mirror: “Billie Jean” Time-lapse
- In the Mirror: “Thriller” Zombie Time-lapse
- In the Mirror: “Off the Wall” Time-lapse
- In the Mirror: Joe Jackson Time-lapse
First Look*
Becoming Michael*
Before the Big Screen*
On the Set of Michael*
Trailers*

*On 4K UHD and Blu-ray only, not on DVD

Photo Credit: Glen Wilson/Lionsgate

Listen: SNOW WHITE & ME: A NEW MUSICAL Recording Out Now

Fri, 29 May 2026 12:46:26 PST

Snow White & Me: A New Musical - Original Cast Recording, is now available on streaming and digital platforms Friday, May 29. Listen to the album here!

With music and lyrics by West End composer Pippa Cleary and book by Philip LaZebnik and Ronald Kruschak, Snow White & Me is a new family musical that brings a contemporary twist to the world of classic fairytales.

LaZebnik’s screenwriting credits include Disney’s Pocahontas and Mulan, and DreamWorks’ The Prince of Egypt and The Road to El Dorado. Cleary’s West End credits include The Great British Bake Off Musical, The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾ The Musical and the Olivier-nominated My Son’s a Queer (But What Can You Do?), created by Rob Madge which played New York City Center last year. Kruschak, a German-based writer, producer and filmmaker, initiated Snow White & Me as both a musical and film project; his musical A Little Peace, written with German composer-producer Ralph Siegel, premiered at Festival Hall Neuschwanstein and Deutsches Theater Munich in 2024.

Following many successful productions across Europe, including Czechia and Germany, Snow White & Me received its first English-language production at the Conservatory for the Performing Arts at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, directed by Lisa Brescia, whose Broadway performing credits include Dear Evan Hansen, Mamma Mia!, and Wicked. This new original cast recording brings together that Missouri cast with West End musicians and a London-based musical creative team. Scott Schwartz was Dramaturg on the project and crucial to the show’s development.

The album features Rob Madge as the Magic Mirror, and director Lisa Brescia on the album’s final bonus track “My Sister,” performed with Cleary. Gea Rose Henry stars as Daisy, Angelina Nazario as Alex, Joe Murphy as Prince Jeremy, Kylie Howard as Endora, Matthew Kischer as Rumpelstiltskin, and Quinten Loveland as the Wolf.

Ensemble vocals feature students from Stephens College, including Keira Anderson, Chloe Anderson, Zack Anderson, Gabriel Beech, Stella Brown, Macie Bruderer, Josh Crowley, Isabella Clutter, Vivian K. Dick, Olivia Evans, Molly Foster, Carina Galloway, Devin Michael Leming, Wyatt Logan, Lily Mace, Wyatt Munsey, Hugh Paul, Sophia Poole, Isaac Robinson, Libby Serber, Kaley Sikora, Sydnee Sisk, Olivia Starnes, Kylie Steinhauser, Sarah Whitehead, Mallory Womeldorff and Nicholas Youngstead.

In Snow White & Me, two girls from the real world, Alex and Daisy, are pulled into a fairytale kingdom where stories are being rewritten by the evil Queen Endora. With the help of a hapless prince, a cast of familiar fairytale figures, and a little courage, they must save Snow White and discover that they have the power to shape their own stories. Full of heart, comedy, adventure, and sweeping family-musical emotion, the score draws on Cleary’s lifelong love of Disney, with influences including Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz.

Listen: 'LES MISÉRABLES' THE 40th ANNIVERSARY ALL-STAR CAST Out Now

Fri, 29 May 2026 11:45:36 PST

Les Misérables: The 40th Anniversary All-Star Cast is available on streaming and digital platforms and as a double CD starting today, Friday, May 29. Listen here!

Cameron Mackintosh said: “As Les Mis approached its 40th record-breaking year in London last October, I felt it was the perfect time to record the first complete album of the contemporary production of this great musical as it is now staged all over the world. We wanted it to have the quality of a studio recording while maintaining the excitement and emotion of being on stage with the actors, right in the midst of the action. With the Arena Spectacular World Tour and the London anniversary company playing simultaneously last year, I decided to put together an all-star cast drawn from both productions featuring the stars who currently are playing Les Misérables around the world. The result is thrilling. And how timely that it should be released just in time for the Grand Finale of the World Tour in Dublin ahead of playing Birmingham, London’s Royal Albert Hall and New York’s Radio City Music Hall whilst the London production at the Sondheim Theatre continues to play to packed houses and nightly standing ovations. Hopefully audiences will enjoy Hearing The People Sing on this new cast album as much as we enjoyed making it.”

The company of The 40th Anniversary All-Star Cast includes Killian Donnelly (Valjean), Bradley Jaden (Javert), Katie Hall (Fantine), Shan Ako (Eponine), Adam Gillen (Thénardier), Marina Prior (Madame Thénardier), Beatrice Penny-Touré (Cosette), Jac Yarrow (Marius), and James D. Gish (Enjolras).

As the West End production is now in its 41st year at London’s Sondheim Theatre, Les Misérables: The Arena Concert Spectacular will end its two-year World Tour at New York’s Radio City Music Hall for 22 performances only July 23 to August 9, featuring many of the same cast members from this recording. The production has been touring since September 2024, visiting 30 cities around the world and selling over one million tickets. The show has been played to packed houses and breaking box office records, most recently in Australia, Japan and Shanghai – the longest single engagement of the tour, where performances sold out in hours each time tickets were released.

Prior to the New York engagement, the Arena Spectacular will play a limited number of venues in the UK and Ireland including the 3Arena, Dublin (May 29-June 6), Utilita Arena, Birmingham (June 11-14), and the iconic Royal Albert Hall, London (June 18-21). For tickets, please visit worldtour.lesmis.com.

Les Misérables: The 40th Anniversary All-Star Cast digital album and CD edition feature a full- colour 24-page booklet with production photography and liner notes by producer Cameron Mackintosh, writers Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg, and theater journalist Dominic Cavendish. The show features music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer, with the original French text by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel. The show is based on the novel by Victor Hugo. This new recording was produced by Lee McCutcheon, Stephen Metcalfe, and Cameron Mackintosh.

THE LOST BOYS to Release Original Broadway Cast Recording

Fri, 29 May 2026 09:00:20 PST

The Lost Boys (Original Broadway Cast Recording) will be released on Friday July 24th. The official companion to the 12-time Tony Award-nominated Broadway musical features music and lyrics by 2026 Tony Award nominees The Rescues. The album is produced by The Rescues (Kyler England, AG, Gabriel Mann) alongside Ethan Popp, recorded by Ian Kagey, and mixed by Richard Furch.

To celebrate today’s announcement, the single “Secret Comes Out” is available to stream everywhere now HERE. Fans can pre-order the full Cast Recording HERE.

The Lost Boys is nominated for 12 Tony Awards including Best Musical, 5 Drama Desk Awards, 4 Drama League Awards including Best Musical, and 10 Dorian Theater Awards including Outstanding Broadway Musical, and won 2 Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards for Favorite New Musical and Favorite Featured Actress in a Musical (Shoshana Bean), the 2026 Clarence Derwent Award by the Actors' Equity Foundation for Ali Louis Bourzgui’s “breakthrough performances of the season,” a Theatre World Award for LJ Benet, and 2 Outer Critics Circle Awards for Outstanding Scenic Design of a Play or Musical (Dane Laffrey) and Outstanding Lighting Design of a Play or Musical (Michael Arden and Jen Schriever).

The Lost Boys will launch a North American National Tour in Spring 2028, at Playhouse Square in Cleveland. Additional cities and tour dates will be announced at a later date.

Perfect weather. Beautiful beaches. And a charming boardwalk…as long as you ignore all the “Missing” posters.

When Lucy and her two teenage sons move to town in desperate need of a fresh start, they soon uncover the darker side of this sunny coastal community. While Lucy tries to piece her family’s life back together, Michael keeps pulling away in search of belonging. As he finds connection with a local rock band and its charismatic leader, his younger brother Sam comes face-to-face with a startling reality: When night falls, Michael’s new friends are even more dangerous than they first appeared.

A new block of tickets for THE LOST BOYS is now on sale through Sunday, March 7, 2027. THE LOST BOYS stars LJ Benet, Grammy Award winner and Three-time and 2026 Tony Award nominee Shoshana Bean (Hell’s Kitchen, Wicked, Mr. Saturday Night, Waitress), 2026 Tony Award Nominee Ali Louis Bourzgui, Benjamin Pajak, Maria Wirries, Paul Alexander Nolan, Jennifer Duka, Miguel Gil, Brian Flores, Sean Grandillo, and Dean Maupin. The cast also features Ryan Behan, Grace Capeless, Mateus Leite Cardoso, Ben Crawford, Dominic Dorset, Carissa Gaughran, Ashley Jenkins, Liesie Kelly, Cameron Loyal, Pierre Marais, Mason Olshavsky, Hank Santos, Colin Trudell, DeLaney Westfall, and Pierce Wheeler.

New Book 'Seething Lane' Explores Theatre Royal Drury Lane and King Charles II's Mistresses

Tue, 26 May 2026 19:39:09 PST

Historian and filmmaker Jack Jewers will release his new historical novel SEETHING LANE on September 3 through Moonflower Books.

Set in January 1670 during one of London’s harshest winters, the novel follows diarist Samuel Pepys as he investigates the murder of an aristocrat connected to the world of royal mistresses and the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. The story incorporates historical figures including Nell Gwyn, Aphra Behn, and several of King Charles II’s mistresses.

Jewers’ research for the novel also explores the history of Theatre Royal Drury Lane, described as the world’s oldest theatre in continuous use. Opened by King Charles II in 1663, the venue became closely associated with actress Nell Gwyn, who rose from selling oranges at the theatre to becoming one of its leading comedic performers and later the mistress of the king.

The theatre has survived multiple rebuilds and played a significant role in British theatrical history, including early performances of what became the British national anthem and the development of British pantomime through performer Joseph Grimaldi. Samuel Pepys also documented visits to the Original Theatre in his diaries, including one performance interrupted by a hailstorm due to the building’s exposure to the elements.

SEETHING LANE is Jewers’ second Samuel Pepys novel following The Lost Diary of Samuel Pepys, which was named among the Sunday Times historical fiction books of the year in 2022.

New Box Set Collecting Seven Solo Donna Summer Albums

Tue, 26 May 2026 12:19:47 PST

A new box set is collecting all of Donna Summer's solo albums that were released on Casablanca Records from 1975 to 1979. Donna Summer: The Casablanca Studio Albums will be available on 7CD or 10LP Colored Vinyl on October 2, 2026. Pre-orders are available here.

The set spotlights Summer's era on Neil Bogart’s Casablanca Records. Her smash single "Love To Love You Baby” arrived in November 1975. Reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Billboard Dance Club chart (where it stayed for one month), it was followed by Love To Love You Baby, her first album for the label. She capitalized on her success with four albums released in three years: A Love Trilogy, Four Seasons Of Love, I Remember Yesterday and Once Upon A Time...

The set also includes the Live And More double album, recorded at Los Angeles’ Universal Amphitheatre in 1978, and featuring “Last Dance,” one of Summer's biggest hits, earning her an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and a GRAMMY. Side 4 was reserved for the only studio track, the 17-minute opus “MacArthur Park Suite,” which enjoyed a viral resurgence during the Winter Olympics thanks to Alysa Liu.

Bad Girls rounds out the Casablanca years with the hits “Bad Girls” (#1 on the Billboard Hot 100), “Hot Stuff” (#1 on the Billboard Hot 100), and “Dim All the Lights” (#2 on the Billboard Hot 100). This made Summer the first female artist ever to have two songs simultaneously in the Top 3: “Hot Stuff” at #2 and “Bad Girls” at #3. All of the albums were produced by Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte, save Love To Love You Baby, which was produced by Pete Bellotte.

Both the 7CD box set and the multi-colored - light blue, hot pink, green, yellow, orange, indigo and violet - 10LP vinyl set is accompanied by a new 3,500-word essay penned by Christian John Wikane (“A Night at the Disco”) culled from interviews with Donna, Bruce Sudano, Pete Bellotte, Pattie Brooks, Alec R. Costandinos, Leroy Gómez, Steve Greenberg, David Hodo, Cecil Holmes, and Bernie Worrell. The limited-edition vinyl set also includes a reproduction of the 1977 “Four Seasons Of Love” calendar poster.

With an estimated 150 million records sold worldwide, Summer was ranked No. 24 on Billboard’s 50th Anniversary list of the “Hot 100 Artists of All Time.” A five-time GRAMMY winner, she was the first artist to win Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female, and the first-ever recipient of Best Dance Recording. Summer was the first female artist to receive GRAMMY Awards in four distinct genres: R&B, Dance, Rock, and Gospel.

Summer earned six American Music Awards, three consecutive No.1 platinum double albums, 11 gold albums, four No.1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, three platinum singles, and 12 gold singles. Over 38 years, she charted 33 Top Ten hits on Billboard’s disco/dance/dance club charts. She holds the record for the most consecutive double albums to reach No.1 on the Billboard charts (three in a row) and was the first female artist to score four No.1 singles in a 12-month period: three solo and one duet with Barbra Streisand.

A Broadway musical based on her life, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, played on Broadway in 2018 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. The three actresses who play the role of musical icon Donna Summer in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical were Tony Award winner LaChanze (The Color Purple, Once on This Island) as "Diva Donna," Ariana DeBose (Hamilton, West Side Story) as "Disco Donna" and Storm Lever (Freaky Friday) as "Duckling Donna."

LaChanze received a Tony Award nomination for Leading Actress in a Musical for her performance as Diva Donna and Ariana DeBose received a Tony Award nomination for Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance as Disco Donna.

Listen: The Lumineers' Neyla Pekarek Releases THE QUEEN OF MAGIC EP

Fri, 22 May 2026 13:54:15 PST

The new EP The Queen of Magic, the new musical written by Neyla Pekarek – the singer/songwriter formerly of The Lumineers – is out now. Listen here!

The Queen of Magic features five tunes from her new musical, which paints the picture of magician Adelaide Herrmann, who made a name for herself in a male-dominated art form. The story is told by way of big, earnest vocals, lush strings, intricate piano lines, and a rock band, bringing this vintage vibe into the 21st century. The EP is produced by Loren Dorland.

Today Friday, May 22, Pekarek will celebrate the EP with a special “Vaudevillian Extravaganza” at Denver’s Oriental Theater, featuring curiosities and amusements from special guests “Maven of Magic” Erica Sodos, barbershop quartet Sunday Night Social, “Mistress of Hoops” Kenzey Simper, and “Enchantress of Dance” Memento Mori. Many surprises await this evening of unmatched spectacle. Tickets are available HERE.

The Queen of Magic is the untold story of Adelaide Hermann, world famous magician, artistic visionary, and fierce businesswoman. A contemporary of magical greats such as Harry Houdini, Adelaide not only excelled in her field, she reshaped it entirely, taking the old 19th century magic show standard and creating the theatrical spectacle we know and love today. Adelaide’s legacy lives on for the next generation of magic lovers and makers in this heart-warming, humorous, and at times harrowing musical tale.

The Queen of Magic features music and lyrics by Pekarek, with additional writing by Gabrielle Mirabella on the tracks “Get to Work” and “Feed the Flame.” The EP features guest vocalists Brian Cronan (“Dream with Me”) and Mary-Kate Morrissey of Broadway’s Wicked f(“Never Enough”). The vocal choir features Jadyn Diaz, Siobhan Drown, Ashley Wiggington, Bailey Hinkley-Grogan, and Heather Wiegert.

Listen: PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK: THE MUSICAL Recording Out Now

Fri, 22 May 2026 13:30:24 PST

Picnic at Hanging Rock: The Musical – Original Off-Broadway Cast Recording is now available in digital and streaming formats. The musical is adapted from the acclaimed novel by Joan Lindsay, and features book and lyrics by Hilary Bell and music and arrangements by Greta Gertler Gold. Listen here!

The album’s cast features Tatianna Córdoba, Erin Davie, Carly Rose Gendell, Gillian Han, Alexandra Humphreys, Bradley Lewis, Kate Louissant, Marina Pires, Maddie Robert, Reese Sebastian Diaz, Lizzy Tucker, Kaye Tuckerman, and Sarah Walsh.

First brought to global recognition through Peter Weir’s iconic film, this musical adaptation reimagines the story through a female lens. On Valentine’s Day in 1900, a group of teenage schoolgirls go on a picnic to the foreboding Hanging Rock. Three vanish without a trace.

A tale that came to author Joan Lindsay in a dream, Picnic at Hanging Rock unfolds against a backdrop of Australia’s wild natural beauty, exploring the fates of spirited young women determined to navigate the constraints of their futures. In giving voice to those who have been kept silent, it also brings a compelling First Nations perspective to light. Prepare to be captivated by a haunting exploration of innocence, mystery, and the unseen forces shaping our destinies.

'Busted Broadway' Launches Record Label for Unhinged Musical Comedy Albums

Thu, 21 May 2026 15:45:50 PST

Busted Broadway has launched an independent musical theatre record label positioned to release original dark-humor concept cast albums geared towards absurd, edgy, and intentionally outrageous musical theatre titles.

The label creates and develops original Broadway-style cast albums for music and video streaming platforms, with an eye toward future live concert performances and physical media releases.

Aimed at theatre non-goers, comedy audiences, and listeners looking for something more unhinged than traditional musical theatre offerings, the company describes its work as subject matter that is "too ridiculous, too raunchy, and too absurd to see the stage."

The label's first announced projects include Human Centipede the Musical and Genghis Khan the Musical. Busted Broadway has already independently released two singles under the label, including the official "Busted Broadway Theme Song" and the debut single from the Human Centipede the Musical cast album.

Launched earlier this year, Busted Broadway combines Broadway-style songwriting with dark comedy, offensive humor, internet culture, current events, and irreverent entertainment. For more information, visit Busted Broadway.

Sherri Shepherd Sets Debut Romance Novel LIFE IS A K DRAMA

Thu, 21 May 2026 15:24:18 PST

Sherri Shepherd, who is wrapping a four-year run as host of the daytime talk show Sherri, is entering the world of publishing with her debut novel, Life is a K Drama. Co-written with bestselling author Jayci Lee, the romance novel will hit shelves on April 6, 2027, from MIRA Books.

Life is a K Drama centers on single mom Keisha Thomson, the owner of Harlem soul-food restaurant True Soul. Set between Harlem and Seoul, the story follows Keisha as a spark develops between her and Korean business magnate Han Seojun.

Described as a heartfelt "love letter to K dramas," the novel traces their relationship, beginning as a cultural and culinary clash before becoming a whirlwind romance that upends everything they thought they knew about love, ambition, and what it means to put yourself first.

About Sherri Shepherd

Sherri Shepherd is a Daytime Emmy Award-winning talk show host, comedian, actress, and New York Times bestselling author. She most recently hosted the nationally syndicated daytime talk show SHERRI for four seasons. A multiple NAACP Image Award winner, Shepherd co-hosts her popular podcast Two Funny Mamas with Kym Whitley and recently launched a new podcast, Auntie and Ajumma, with author Jayci Lee.

Sherri’s career spans three decades across television, film, Broadway, and stand-up comedy. She was a co-host of the daytime talk show The View for seven years and has also hosted Dish Nation, The Newly Wed Game, Best Ever Trivia Show, among others. On stage, she made history portraying the first African American evil stepmother in Cinderella on Broadway and frequently tours nationwide as a stand-up comic, often selling out theaters.

Her television credits include 30 Rock, Friends, Sex Lives of College Girls, Mr. Iglesias, Trial & Error, Sherri, Everybody Loves Raymond, The Jamie Foxx Show, and Less Than Perfect. Her film credits include STRAW, Brian Banks, Precious, and Beauty Shop, with her upcoming film Angel in the Rubble set for release later this year.

Photo credit: Robert Ector; Alice Kuo Shippee

Listen to the Tony-Nominated Tunes from Concord Theatricals Recordings

Fri, 29 May 2026 11:00:20 PST

The 79th Annual Tony Awards are upon us and 'tis the season for celebrating the shows that have made this Broadway season great. Theatre fans who haven't made it to New York City can still enjoy some of the most talked about performances of the year through their cast recordings, and one of the labels making that possible (since 2017) is Concord Theatricals Recordings. This season, they brought us the acclaimed 2025 Cast Recording of Ragtime, which is up for a whopping 11 Tony Awards.

While we await Tonys night (June 7, 2026), we're saluting the Tony, Grammy, and Drama Desk Awards celebrated shows of Concord Theatricals Recordings- From Some Like It Hot to Come From Away; Smash to Death Becomes Her. Enjoy a show-stopping 50 songs from their catalog here!

Fun Facts:

-Two Concord Theatricals Recordings albums have won Grammy Awards for Best Musical Theater Album: Into the Woods (2022 Broadway Cast Recording) and Some Like It Hot (Original Broadway Cast Recording).

-Concord Theatricals Recordings albums have picked up seven total Grammy nominations for Best Musical Theater Album.

-Concord Theatricals Recordings' most Tony-nominated show is Some Like It Hot (Original Broadway Cast Recording) with 13 nominations; followed by Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel and Ragtime (2025 Broadway Cast Recording) with 11 nominations.

Learn more at concordtheatricals.com

Exclusive Listen: Reese Sebastian Diaz Sings 'My Path' From PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK

Thu, 21 May 2026 11:19:40 PST

Picnic at Hanging Rock: The Musical – Original Off-Broadway Cast Recording is being released in digital and streaming formats on Friday, May 22. Ahead of the album's release, BroadwayWorld has an exclusive first listen to Reese Sebastian Diaz singing 'My Path'. Listen here!

The musical is adapted from the acclaimed novel by Joan Lindsay, and features book and lyrics by Hilary Bell and music and arrangements by Greta Gertler Gold. Anessa Marie Scolpini serves as music director and orchestrations by Greta Gertler Gold, Adam Gold, and Rob Jost. The show is currently planning its UK premiere for 2027.

First brought to global recognition through Peter Weir’s iconic film, this musical adaptation powerfully reimagines the story through a female lens. On Valentine’s Day in 1900, a group of teenage schoolgirls go on a picnic to the foreboding Hanging Rock. Three vanish without a trace.

Reese Sebastian Diaz - ">

Listen: Henry Patterson Releases 'Broadway Maybe' Album of Musical Theater Covers

Wed, 20 May 2026 13:21:48 PST

Award-winning performer Henry Patterson has released his debut studio album, Broadway Maybe, featuring new renditions of songs from the musical theater and Broadway canon.

Framed through the lens of an actor in an audition room, the album features contemporary versions of musical numbers from shows like Sweeney Todd, Merrily We Roll Along and West Side Story. Among the twelve tracks is a selection from Les Misérables, for which lyricist Alain Boublil permitted Patterson to adapt selected lyrics.

“Although Broadway Maybe is framed around the experience of stepping into an audition room, I always wanted the emotions behind it to feel universal," shared Patterson. "Whether someone is navigating their career, relationships, identity or simply trying to find where they belong, the album is really about hope, ambition, vulnerability and the pressure of wanting something deeply whilst figuring yourself out along the way.”

Recorded at Abbey Road Studios, Patterson worked closely with musical director Leigh Stanford Thompson on the album's arrangements to create a sound that feels intimate and conversational. "Henry has this rare ability to completely disarm an audience through honesty. As a performer, he draws people into every lyric with a vulnerability and emotional immediacy that feels deeply personal," said Leigh.

The album also features a special guest appearance from Jim Caruso, who appears in the role of the casting director. Listen to the album below, with CD and vinyl options available here.

The Farm Theater and Stage Partners to Launch Exclusive Publishing Partnership

Tue, 19 May 2026 18:48:52 PST

The Farm Theater and Stage Partners have announced an exclusive partnership. Beginning this year, Stage Partners will be the publisher of The Farm Theater's College Collaboration Project plays, making them available for productions worldwide.

Each year, The Farm Theater partners with colleges and universities to commission an early-career playwright to create a new work that is produced by participating schools throughout the academic year. The commissioned playwright works in collaboration with faculty and students to create a full-length play with a majority of characters under the age of thirty. Past College Collaboration Project playwrights include Kimberly Bellflower (John Proctor Is the Villain), Jake Brasch (Our Tempest), Lindsay Joy (In the Event of My Death), Lia Romeo (Greek Tragedy), and Gina Femia (We're Okay, We're Okay, We're All Gonna Be Okay), among others.

"I am thrilled about partnering with Stage Partners because this will increase the accessibility to communities that want to join the conversation these plays inspire, keep these stories alive, and build greater awareness of these talented writers." -Padraic Lillis, Artistic Director, The Farm Theater

"For more than a decade, Stage Partners has been bringing new and exciting plays to thousands of theaters and schools around the world. As our name suggests, we are especially invested in collaborating with artists and arts organizations. This partnership with The Farm Theater is an exciting opportunity for us to use our growing platform to shed light on some truly amazing writers," says Stage Partners Founder & Artistic Director Jason Pizzarello.

The partnership will kick off with the publication of Gina Femia's We're Okay, We're Okay, We're All Gonna Be Okay, which will receive a public reading on May 20th at Urban Stages in New York City; as well as Lia Romeo's Greek Tragedy, which was previously produced at Centre College and Wells College.

"I am so honored that We're Okay, We're Okay, We're All Gonna Be Okay is an inaugural recipient of this new partnership between The Farm Theater and Stage Partners. I'm excited for the pipeline that this will create, for these new plays to more easily wind up in the hands of the college-aged actors for whom they were written," says playwright Gina Femia.

Lia Romeo added, "I'm thrilled to be working with Stage Partners to bring Greek Tragedy to new audiences. All playwrights dream of our work having a life beyond the first few productions, and this new partnership is a great way to help make that happen, and to make the College Collaboration Project an even more exciting opportunity."

Combining The Farm Theater's highly successful new play development process with Stage Partners' extensive distribution will ensure that these talented playwrights find the wide audiences that they deserve, and that young performers and theater artists have access to new plays that speak directly to them.

Stage Partners is an independent play publisher dedicated to making exceptional new plays accessible to all theaters and schools. Founded and run by writers experienced in theatrical licensing, Stage Partners aims to make finding the perfect new play easy, engaging, and exciting, whether you are a new drama teacher or an experienced artistic director. With scripts that are always free to read, lightning-fast licensing, and a passionate staff, Stage Partners is committed to offering industry-best services to both its customers and its playwrights. www.yourstagepartners.com

The Farm Theater develops early career artists that may not have the support system afforded others, through workshops, productions, and mentoring. The centerpiece of their programming is the College Collaboration Project. This program is in its twelfth year and has so far commissioned fourteen playwrights, worked in collaboration with twenty-five colleges, and been featured in American Theatre Magazine and Southern Theatre Magazine. The Farm Theater has produced numerous solo shows including Artistic Director Padraic Lillis' show on suicide awareness, You Get To Eleven, which was awarded Best Solo Show and Planet Advocate Award at the Planet Connections Theatre Festival, and then turned into a film that was presented on PBS. In 2017 The Farm Theater partnered with Planet Connections Theatre Festival to produce Alex Riad's The Floor Is Lava. The play was awarded Best New Play and Best Production of a New Play and The Farm Theater was awarded The Planet Advocate Award for raising money and awareness for Girls Who Code. The Farm Theater also hosts a popular podcast, The Bullpen Sessions, which features working artists talking about how they built their careers. www.thefarmtheater.org

Gina Femia is an award-winning playwright and performer whose work has been seen/developed at The Goodman Theater, MCC Theater, Playwrights Horizons, EST, Page 73, New Georges, The Playwrights Center, CTG, Theater of NOTE, Rivendell Theater, Cape Cod Theater Project, among others. Selected honors include The Kilroys List, Leah Ryan Prize, Doric Wilson Award, the Otis Guernsey New Voices Award, the Neukom Award in Playwriting, The Lammy Award for Drama (Finalist), and The Relentless Award (Semi-finalist & Honorable Mention), as well as nominations for Drama League and NYIT. Gina has received commissions from The Farm Theater (College Collaboration Commission), New Light Theater Project, Boomerang Theater and MCC/Parsnip Ship. Gina is a former Core Writer with the Playwrights Center, and an Alum of EST Youngblood, Page73's Interstate 73, Pipeline Theatre's PlayLab, New Georges' Audrey Residency, the Ingram New Play Lab at Nashville Rep, and Parsnip Ship's Radio Roots Writer's Group. Gina's a New Georges Affiliated Artist and has received residencies with Page73, Powerhouse, NTI at the O'Neill, Tofte Lake Center, and Everwood Foundation. As a teacher, Gina has worked with The Playwrights Center, Primary Stages ESPA, among others. Gina's debut YA novel, Alondra, was named a Best Book for Teens in 2023 and was a Finalist for a Golden Kite award. Learn more: www.femiagina.com.

Lia Romeo is a queer playwright, novelist, essayist, and screenwriter. She is a recent graduate of the Juilliard playwriting program. In 2025, the Off-Broadway production of her play Still was nominated for the Outer Critics' Circle award for Best New American Play. Her plays have been developed at the O'Neill, La Jolla Playhouse, the Lark, and elsewhere, and produced at Colt Coeur, Dorset Theatre Festival, NJ Rep, Mile Square Theatre, Edinburgh Fringe, and many others. Her plays are published by DPS, TRW, and Broadway Play Publishing. She is the associate artistic director of Project Y Theatre and the co-founder of the Parent-Caregiver Playwrights Group. She is also the author of two books, Dating the Devil (BelleBooks) and 11,002 Things to Be Miserable About (Abrams Image), and her essays have been published in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Newsweek, and other national publications. She was one of four television writers selected for the most recent season of the STARZ #takethelead Writers' Intensive. She is a cancer survivor and the mother of a seven-year-old son.

Samantha Pauly, Savy Jackson and More to be Featured on CAESAR: THE MUSICAL Studio Cast EP

Tue, 19 May 2026 11:56:18 PST

The studio cast EP Caesar: The Musical will be released in digital and streaming formats on Friday, June 19. Caesar: The Musical is a new adaptation of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, reimagined for a cast of all women. With book, music, and lyrics by Grace Yurchuk, the work remains rooted in Shakespeare’s original text while introducing a contemporary score. The EP is produced by Robbie Rozelle and features orchestrations by Alex Arlotta, with Yasuhiko Fukuoka serving as music director.

After early drafts of Caesar’s music garnered millions of views across social media, the project has grown into a broader mission to connect digital audiences with live performance while expanding opportunities for women in theater.

The recording features Samantha Pauly (The Great Gatsby, Six), Savy Jackson (Maybe Happy Ending, Bad Cinderella), Elizabeth Teeter (Heathers, Beetlejuice), Samantha Pollino (Chess, The Great Gatsby), Sherz Aletaha (Merrily We Roll Along), Cara Rose DiPietro, Katherine Lynn-Rose, Abigail Lehrer, and Grace Yurchuk. Ensemble members include Emily Frick, Maggie Greene, Clare Martin, Victoria Nichols, and Megan Onello. To pre-add or pre-save the digital album, please visit orcd.co/caesarep.

Expand the Canon Will Release Classic Monologue Collection by Historic Women Playwrights

Tue, 19 May 2026 05:20:18 PST

Expand the Canon Press will release its debut publication, 110 Standout Classic Monologues for Any Actor: from Overlooked Plays by Historic Women, on June 10, 2026, with presale opening May 12, 2026. Curated by Emily Lyon, Gagarin and Kalina Ko, and edited by Emily Lyon, Artistic Director of Expand the Canon, the anthology gathers monologues from plays written by women and gender expansive playwrights between 1640 and 1987, representing 34 playwrights across 15 countries on four continents.

The book addresses a persistent gap in audition preparation resources and educational texts for theater students. While Shakespeare, Chekov, and Wilde remain default sources for classical monologue material, those texts offer a narrow pool of roles, a limitation that falls disproportionately on femme performers and performers of color. 110 Standout Classic Monologues for Any Actor draws from a different pool entirely, centering playwrights whose work has long been underrepresented in acting curricula and casting rooms, as well as the classic canon itself. Tony Award-nominated actor John Douglas Thompson called it: “A monologue book of staggering consequence from classic plays written by formidable women and gender expansive playwrights. These writers and many others included in this collection have employed their craft to expand our human experience with language that put the actor through the intellectual and physical gauntlet with roles of complexity, humanity, and depth. Finally a book making the case to expand what we know about the classics and giving the artist new resources for expression.” The collection reaches across centuries and continents — from 17th-century Spanish dramatist Ana Caro to late-20th-century American writer Ntozake Shange. Other featured playwrights include Aphra Behn (England), Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (Mexico), Alice Childress (United States), Lesya Ukrainka (Ukraine), George Sand (France), and Catherine the Great (Russia), among 28 others. Countries of origin span Spain, France, Mexico, England, Ukraine, the United States, Canada, Germany, Russia, Ireland, China, Italy, Japan, Chile, and India.

The 110 pieces are divided across four categories — comedy verse, drama verse, comedy prose, and drama prose — offering options for actors working in both classical and contemporary styles.

“For years, we've heard from actors that they need a wider range of classic monologues. Rather than pointing folks to our full list of curated plays to search for a piece, we're thrilled to make it easy for all actors (yes, we have plenty of pieces for men in this book!) to choose a text that connects with and inspires them.” said Artistic Director Emily Lyon.

110 Standout Classic Monologues for Any Actor will be available for presale beginning May 20, 2026, and releases June 10, 2026. Presale is available now: https://www.expandthecanon.com/store/p/110-standout-classic-monologues-for-any-actor. The title will be distributed through Expand The Canon Press and will be available to stock through Ingram. Contact info@expandthecanon.com if interested in directly stocking the book in your store, library, or classroom.

Exclusive: Billy Eichner Looks Back on Theater-Filled Childhood in New Audio Memoir

Tue, 19 May 2026 10:45:02 PST

It’s more than a little surprising that Billy Eichner has never performed on a Broadway stage. Like the din of city traffic, an oversized slice of pizza, or the ever-present revival of Chicago, the actor and comedian seems inseparably linked to New York culture and, by extension, its theater scene. This is understandable, given that his famous creation, Billy on the Street, spent years roaming the streets of Manhattan. There, Eichner, could be found asking pop culture questions to many an unsuspecting bystander, including references to current Broadway productions.

And there’s the fact that Eichner himself is also a New Yorker. Growing up in Queens, he was only a stone’s throw away from Manhattan, though, as he tells it, even that felt too far at the time. In his new memoir, “Billy on Billy,” Eichner aims to return to that childlike wonder and appreciation for the art and artists that made such an impact on him at a young age.

“I think what the memoir forced me to do [was] to sit down and think about my childhood and the movies and the musicals and the pop singers and the actors that I loved as a child,” Eichner tells BroadwayWorld. He shares this pop culture obsession with his brash, flippant persona, who became responsible for such viral moments as “Name a woman” or the priceless reaction he received from one New Yorker after pushing her a bit too hard about Emma Stone’s Oscar chances.

But Eichner is so much more than this one character, as demonstrated by his sometimes wry, yet genuinely heartfelt narration of his new memoir. Despite a push from the publisher, the “book” is not available in print, which is by design. “I saw this as an opportunity to use my real voice and not use my ‘Billy on the Street’ voice,” says Eichner. “That was a big driving force for me behind writing the book in the first place: I want to show people the real me because I am very much not ‘Billy on the Street.’”

Eichner reiterates his love for the character (he is his creation, after all), but, nearly a decade after the end of the show's original run, he believes it’s time for audiences to get to know his authentic self. “I think you reach a point in your life when you want people to see who you really are. I didn't want people to inadvertently hear these… stories about my parents and my childhood and my love for entertainment and Broadway through my loud “Billy on the Street” voice. I wanted them to hear the real me.”

Indeed, the real Billy is on full display here. In some passages, we hear his voice break, particularly when he recalls the never-ending support from his parents, who both passed away before seeing him at his height of Billy on the Street fame. Other times, he performs samples of original songs to offer better context for his listeners. Eichner himself also loves other audiobooks from cultural icons, citing the audiobooks by Barbra Streisand and Mariah Carey as two particular favorites.

As Eichner freely admits, his “type” as an actor doesn’t exactly fit into one neat box, and neither do his tastes. A lifelong pop culture connoisseur, Eichner's childhood media diet was eclectic, with film and television interests that ranged from highbrow and queer indie cinema to mainstream Hollywood blockbusters and MTV. But, in true New York fashion, there was also a love of theater and Broadway. In the 1980s, he grew up attending shows with his parents, who only fed his deep appreciation for this and other art forms and those who help create them.

“That love you have for entertainers as a child: it's so pure. And [as] you get older, you get more jaded, you get more calloused, a little more cynical, especially for me because I'm in the industry. All of a sudden, it starts to become a business and you have to work hard to maintain that,” he shares. As a kid, Eichner consumed entertainment news, “reading everything from Page Six in the New York Post to The Village Voice and The New Yorker and Variety. When I discovered Variety as a kid, it was a mind-blowing moment because we didn't have the internet.”

Years before roaming the streets of New York for his show, Eichner’s college days were filled with acting projects quite different from the brash persona for which he came to be known. During that time, Eichner could be found performing works by Chekhov, Shakespeare and Moliere, as well as musicals from William Finn and Sondheim. It was while improvising in a college production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum that Eichner began to notice his flair for comedy.

“Sometimes [the jokes] that I threw in or my little ad-libs would get bigger laughs than some of the scripted lines. And so I knew that, in my head, even though I was trying to be a serious actor, I had this skill. I didn't exactly know how to apply it.” But it wasn’t until after graduation from Northwestern University that he fully committed to comedy.

“I would just go to these equity open calls all the time for everything [and] I never, ever, ever got cast. I couldn't get an agent, I couldn't get a manager, I couldn't get anything,” he shares, specifically recalling a pivotal moment during an open call for Forbidden Broadway, when he decided it was time to try a different approach.

“I remember thinking, ‘A lot of them are really good looking. I bet a lot of them are great singers… I bet a lot of them are really talented. But how many of us are going to make it practically speaking?’... And so that day in line, it was kind of a revelation. I said, ‘I've got to be more strategic than this…’ And so that's when I thought, ‘Okay, I'm funny. Not everyone’s funny; that’s a rare kind of skill to have.’”

With this newfound direction, Eichner decided to pursue comedy full stop, practicing standup and enrolling in improv classes at Upright Citizens Brigade. With these tools and his theater training, Eichner created a live stage show alongside friend and collaborator Robin Lord Taylor. “Creation Nation was a very theatrical show. It was some sort of hybrid between the comedy world and the theater world,” he explains. To get the show off the ground, Eichner and Taylor would need a performance space, leading them to connect with two young theater artists who would later become responsible for Broadway’s Hamilton.

“A friend of mine was renting office space and sharing it with Thomas Kail. At the time, [it] was him and Lin-Manuel [Miranda] and their whole crew from college. They were running the black box theater that was in the basement of the old Drama Bookshop and it was called the Arthur Seelen Theatre… My friend said to Tommy Kail, ‘Do you mind if my friend Billy uses the theater one night to try out his comedy show?’ They let us use that little black box theater and that became the show where eventually I ended up organically developing what became the 'Billy on the Street' persona…”

Creation Nation ultimately found its home at Ars Nova, a performance space that proved a natural fit for Eichner’s variety show, which was a mix of comedy sketches, celebrity interviews, and video segments. “We had a lot of success there, and that really launched my career, although it would take many years after that to get to TV. But that was the beginning of me. I finally got an agent, I got a manager, we got some good press in New York and that was the beginning of me thinking, ‘Okay, this might work out.’

And work out it did. After five successful seasons of the Billy on the Street television series, Eichner has continued to accrue a set of credits as varied as his media tastes. He plays Timon in Disney’s two Lion King reimaginings, voicing the iconic meerkat originated by Eichner’s hero Nathan Lane. He has appeared in several projects in the Ryan Murphy multiverse. He co-wrote and starred in the boundary-pushing queer rom-com Bros. Now, with a memoir under his belt, he looks forward to the chance to return to his theater origins.

“Billy on the Street can certainly be part of my life, but that persona, that character, which I've also done variations on in other projects— it can't be the only part of my creative life. I think if that happened, I would look back and feel disappointed. And so that kid, that teenager, that acting class student in college who loved all different genres and performed them and worked on them, this was a reminder to me that that's the type of artist I want to be and to continue trying to become that,” says the actor.

“Broadway is such a big part of my upbringing. I haven't gotten to do it yet. Hopefully one day, but I'm really a theater person at heart."

Billy on Billy: An Audio Memoir is now available from Macmillan Audio.