Mabel Martin

A fan of the romantic but put-upon-by-tradition women in Jane Austen novels and the witty men created by Oscar Wilde, Kathryn Farren has successfully woven those elements together in Victorian-era England with a modern perspective on female equality, the importance of family, standing in one's own truth, and the power of love to overcome fear and hatred in her World Premiere play EMBRIDGE at Little Fish Theatre in San Pedro.

NBC's HAIRSPRAY LIVE will air Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 8 p.m. ET/PT and will originate from Los Angeles. The all-star cast includes Harvey Fierstein as Edna Turnblad, Jennifer Hudson as Motormouth Mabel, Martin Short as Wilbur Turnblad, Derek Hough as Corny Collins, Ariana Grandeas Penny Pingleton, Andrea Martin as Prudy Pingleton and Kristin Chenoweth as Velma Von Tussle. Rosie O'Donnell and Sean Hayes will also make special appearances in the broadcast.

Today, BWW participated in a live conference call with HAIRSPRAY LIVE!'s award-winning director Kenny Leon (THE WIZ LIVE!) and Emmy Award-winning live television director Alex Rudzinski (GREASE LIVE), who shared the latest developments in their work on the show.

This just in! Essence.com has just broken the news that HAIRSPRAY LIVE! has completed its all-star dream cast with not one, but two final cast members - direct from Broadway!

NBC today unveiled the highly anticipated HAIRSPRAY LIVE! first-look promo — featuring the all-star cast in costume for the first time!

The Public Theater (Artistic Director, Oskar Eustis; Executive Director, Patrick Willingham) last night presented its Gala performance of THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. The complete cast of THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE featured Glenn Close as Ruth, Rocio Del Mar Valles as Isabel, Montego Glover as Kate, Jonathan Groff as Frederic, Eric Idle as The Sergeant, Kevin Kline as The Pirate King, Norm Lewis as Samuel, Anika Noni Rose as Mabel, Martin Short as Major-General Stanley, and Betsy Wolfe as Edith. BroadwayWorld was there for the special event and you can check out photos from the sta-studded arrivals below!

The Public Theater (Artistic Director, Oskar Eustis; Executive Director, Patrick Willingham) last night presented its Gala performance of THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. The complete cast of THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE featured Glenn Close as Ruth, Rocio Del Mar Valles as Isabel, Montego Glover as Kate, Jonathan Groff as Frederic, Eric Idle as The Sergeant, Kevin Kline as The Pirate King, Norm Lewis as Samuel, Anika Noni Rose as Mabel, Martin Short as Major-General Stanley, and Betsy Wolfe as Edith. BroadwayWorld wa sthere for the special event and you can check out photos from the curtain call below!