Wayman Wong

Good morning BroadwayWorld! Today's top stories: Watch the new trailer for Mary Poppins Returns, starring Lin-Manuel Miranda and Emily Blunt, and more!

Matthew Morrison couldn't be more 'Glee'-ful about launching Bay Area Cabaret's 15th Anniversary Season on Sept. 30 at the world-famous Venetian Room at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco. 'I love places that have so much history,' says the Tony, Emmy and Golden Globe nominee. Among the celebrated singers who've sung there: Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Marlene Dietrich, Peggy Lee and Tina Turner. And in 1961, Tony Bennett first performed 'I Left My Heart in San Francisco' there, which is especially apt since the Fairmont sits high upon Nob Hill, 'where little cable cars climb halfway to the stars.'

Critics are calling San Francisco Playhouse's revival of 'Sunday in the Park With George' a 'masterpiece.' But its director, Bill English, found out firsthand that 'Art isn't easy,' to quote one of the show's lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. In putting it together (with James Lapine's libretto), English knew he had cast 'the perfect Dot' in the award-winning actress Nanci Zoppi.

David Henry Hwang and Jeanine Tesori's 'Soft Power,' a new musical satire that takes a hard look at America and China, hopes to go out with a bang this Fourth of July weekend.

Conrad Ricamora is best-known to millions of TV viewers as Oliver, the cute computer whiz, on ABC's 'How to Get Away With Murder.' But this 2013 Theatre World Award winner also can slay an audience onstage as he has proven Off-Broadway in 'Here Lies Love' and on Broadway in 'The King and I.' And Ricamora is currently 'killing it' as the star of 'Soft Power,' David Henry Hwang and Jeanine Tesori's bold, new musical. Directed by Leigh Silverman, it is playing through July 8 at the Curran in San Francisco.

On June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court ruled that marriage equality would be the law of the land in America. Three days later, Tom Andersen, an award-winning, out singer-songwriter released a music video that wed his recording of 'Morning Glow' (from 'Pippin') to dozens of images of happy gay couples. The golden-toned tenor said he sought to capture the feel-good euphoria of the LGBT community and its straight allies. Since its posting on YouTube, Andersen says he's heard from fans of the video from all around the world.

Jeremy Jordan plays Winn on the CW's 'Supergirl,' but he proved to be a superguy himself as he raised thousands for charity Sunday at a Broadway @ the Herbst concert in San Francisco. The Tony nominee from 'Newsies' sent his golden voice skyrocketing into the rafters of the historic hall. He was accompanied by Seth Rudetsky, his wise and wisecracking musical director and Sirius XM radio star. And proceeds went to benefit the San Francisco Men's Chorus, Project Open Hand and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

'Disney's Newsies' has been making headlines all this summer at America's regional theaters, from the MUNY in St. Louis to the Music Theatre of Wichita. Others 'carrying this banner,' Tony-winning musical have included the Wagon Wheel in Indiana, Connecticut Repertory Theatre, Red Mountain Theatre Company in Alabama, the Maine State Music Theatre and Orlando REP in Florida.

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Today's big news: Write Act Repertory's new musical LILI MARLENE opens tonight at St. Luke's Theatre!

When David Moscow made his 'Big'-screen debut in 1988, it was huge. Penny Marshall had plucked this precocious, 11-year-old kid from the Bronx to play the younger version of Tom Hanks' character, Josh Baskin. This comic fantasy-fable about a boy who literally became 'Big' overnight, was a giant box-office hit. Moscow was nominated for a Young Artist Award for Best Young Actor in a Comedy. And in that same season, another kid won for Best Young Actor in a Drama: Christian Bale for 'Empire of the Sun.'

'Monsoon Wedding,' the new musical based on Mira Nair's acclaimed 2001 movie, has been showered with praise at Berkeley Repertory Theatre in Berkeley, Calif. Karen D'Souza of the San Jose Mercury News writes: 'You are swept up' by its 'swirling typhoon of sound and color.' This Indian musical has curried such favor with its audiences that it's been extended through July 16.

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Today's big news: The Drama Desk Award nominations are being announced from Feinstein's/54 Below, and A DOLL'S HOUSE, PART 2 bows on Broadway!

Stephen Sondheim says his new musical with David Ives was never called 'Bunuel,' and he criticized Michael Riedel's 'misreporting' of the title in the New York Post last fall.

Here's how I slept with dozens of guys and gals on Wednesday, April 19 ... to get bargain tickets to 'Sunday in the Park With George.' It's called 'rush,' and many Broadway shows offer discounted seats around $40-$50 (a pittance compared to the regular ducats that run $150 and up). They're sold as soon as the box office opens at 10 a.m., so the early bird gets the rush. At many shows, getting in line by 7 a.m. often does the trick.

Nikita Burshteyn, 22, is an award-winning actor who's making a name for himself in the San Francisco Bay Area, and not just because he's got a tricky name to pronounce. When he played Judas in 'Jesus Christ Superstar' at STAGE 1 Theater in Newark, Linda and Nick Hodges of BroadwayWorld.com raved: 'The show should be renamed 'Nikita Burshteyn Superstar.' The theater should be filled with talent agents waiting to give him an offer.' When he played Tony in 'West Side Story' at Broadway by the Bay in Redwood City, Joanne Engelhardt of the Palo Alto Daily News gushed: 'With Tom Cruise-good looks and an angelic voice, Burshteyn is the real deal.' And when he did his San Francisco cabaret act, 'Livin' Nikita Loca,' Richard Connema of Talkin' Broadway compared his 'full-throated voice and flawless phrasing' to Jonathan Groff's.

Christopher Gattelli, the Tony-winning choreographer, is practically jumping with joy over the success of ''Disney's Newsies: The Broadway Musical!'' and its giant leap to the big screen. Its three-day screenings (Feb. 16, 18 and 22) broke records to become the highest-grossing Broadway event from Fathom Events. And now ''Disney's Newsies'' will return for an encore showing on Saturday, March 4, at 12:55 p.m.

When Jose Llana was 19, 'Something Wonderful' happened: The Filipino-American actor made his Broadway bow as Lun Tha, the mellow young lover, in Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein's 'The King and I.' Lou Diamond Phillips played the titanic and titular ruler of Siam in that 1996 Tony-winning revival. Now, two decades later, Llana has followed in Phillips' footsteps as the new King of Broadway, with his glorious voice and regal bearing. What's more, he is taking the 2015 Tony-winning revival across America.

For Ben Fankhauser, life is 'Beautiful.' He's about to celebrate his one-year anniversary touring in that Broadway bio musical about Carole King. It showcases Abby Mueller, the sister of its original Tony-winning star, Jessie Mueller. In 'Beautiful,' Fankhauser plays Barry Mann, who teamed up with Cynthia Weil to co-write top pop hits like 'On Broadway' and 'You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling.'

By Wayman Wong Jonathan Groff and his cast ran the rainbow of emotions at the world premiere of their 'Looking' movie Sunday night (June 26) at the historic Castro Theatre in San Francisco. Their picture, which will air July 23 on HBO, capped the 40th anniversary of the acclaimed Frameline LGBT film festival on Pride Weekend. And Groff said he could not have been prouder than to have 1,400 fans cheer the sold-out, crowd-pleasing finale to his two-year-old cable series about gay friends seeking sex and love.

Jonathan Groff recently appeared at the historic Curran Theatre in San Francisco and wowed the crowd by 'Looking' back at his stage and screen career.