Alan Menken News

The laughs are plentiful, the songs are bright and jazzy and there's not an actor dressed as an animal or inanimate object in sight .

Disney's Aladdin, a new musical comedy based on the Academy Award®-winning animated film, opened on Broadway last night, March 20th, 2014, at the New Amsterdam Theatre, after beginning performances on February 26th, 2014. Produced by Disney Theatrical Productions, the show features music by Tony Award® and eight-time Oscar® winner Alan Menken(Beauty and the Beast, Newsies, Sister Act), lyrics by two-time Oscar winner Howard Ashman (Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid), three-time Tony Award and three-time Oscar winnerTim Rice (Evita, Aida) and two-time Tony Award nominee Chad Beguelin (The Wedding Singer), with a book by Beguelin, and is directed and choreographed by Tony Award winnerCasey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon). BroadwayWorld was there for all of the magical opening night festivities, and below you can check out full photo coverage from the after party!

NJTV, New Jersey's public television network, has launched The Arts Project with Maddie Orton, a new monthly series

Today we are celebrating the many marvelous musicals that have been produced by Disney on Broadway over the last two decades, with a special focus on the two most popular properties of the moment - Broadway's ALADDIN and mega-hit movie musical FROZEN.

Disney's Aladdin, a new musical comedy based on the Academy Award-winning animated film, opens on Broadway tonight, March 20th, 2014, at the New Amsterdam Theatre. Let's see what the critics had to say...

In honor of the pair joining one of The Great White Way's most beloved musicals, BroadwayWorld presents a look back at some of their finest performances and moments on stage!

The Children's Theatre of Cincinnati celebrates its 90th birthday with a world premiere, an educational rock-and-roll spectacular - featuring one of Cincinnati's favorite bands on stage - plus two Disney favorites. The 2014-2015 season includes:

Newsies, The Tony Award-winning show celebrates two years on Broadway March 29th at the Nederlander Theatre (208 West 41st Street, New York City) with gifts and one of a kind audience experiences.

They're at it again! Hop on a magic carpet ride with the writers of MURDER FOR TWO and escape to a whole new world as they play you one of the songs they definitely wrote from the new Broadway show ALADDIN. Watch below!

Disney's Aladdin, a new musical comedy based on the Academy Award®-winning animated film, opens on Broadway tonight, March 20th, 2014, at the New Amsterdam Theatre, after beginning performances on February 26th, 2014. Produced by Disney Theatrical Productions, the show features music by Tony Award® and eight-time Oscar® winner Alan Menken(Beauty and the Beast, Newsies, Sister Act), lyrics by two-time Oscar winner Howard Ashman (Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid), three-time Tony Award and three-time Oscar winnerTim Rice (Evita, Aida) and two-time Tony Award nominee Chad Beguelin (The Wedding Singer), with a book by Beguelin, and is directed and choreographed by Tony Award winnerCasey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon). BroadwayWorld brings you highlights of the cast in action below!

Disney's Aladdin, a new musical comedy based on the Academy Award-winning animated film, opens tomorrow night, March 20th. Produced by Disney Theatrical Productions, the show features music by Tony Award and eight-time Oscar winner Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast, Newsies, Sister Act), lyrics by two-time Oscar winner Howard Ashman (Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid), three-time Tony Award and three-time Oscar winner Tim Rice (Evita, Aida) and two-time Tony Award nominee Chad Beguelin (The Wedding Singer), with a book by Beguelin, and is directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon). Scroll down to learn more about the full company, plus watch interviews with the cast!

Casey Nicholaw, the Tony Award-winning director and choreographer of Disney's ALADDIN, a new musical comedy based on the Academy Award-winning animated film, is featured in the April 2014 issue of Vanity Fair. Renowned photographer Max Abadian shot Nicholaw along with ALADDIN's beautiful ladies Tia Altinay, Daisy Hobbs, Nikki Long, Rhea Patterson, Khori Michelle Petinaud, Ariel Reid, and Marisha Wallace. Check out a behind-the-scenes look at the photo shoot below!

Laughter is coming from the stage floor when Bristol Riverside Theatre presents Neil Simon's sidesplitting comedy Laughter on the 23rd Floor today, March 18-April 13. Directed by Keith Baker, the ensemble cast features K.O. Delmarcelle, David Edwards, Bruce Graham, Benjamin Lloyd, Megan McDermott, Jason Silverman, and Carl N. Wallnau.

Samuel French, the 184-year-old publishing and licensing company, has announced the new members of its 2014 Advisory Committee. They comprise notable industry professionals representing a wide spectrum of interests and perspectives in the theatrical community. The 2014 Advisory Committee members are Polly Carl (Director and Editor of HowlRound: A Center for the Theater Commons at Emerson College), Kristoffer Diaz (playwright and educator; plays include The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity, Welcome to Arroyo's, The Upstairs Concierge), Seth Glewen (Co-Head of The Gersh Agency Theater Department), Amanda Green (Tony-nominated lyricist/composer), Mark S. Hoebee (Producing Artistic Director of the Paper Mill Playhouse), David Roth (Head of Theatre Dept. at Staples High School in Westport, CT), and Lou Ursone (Executive Director of Curtain Call Theatre).

It's one of my all time favorite shows so naturally I'm a little picky about it. I mean, Howard Ashman and Alan Menken's "Little Shop of Horrors" is one of those near perfect musicals. Great story, great characters, super fun music, it's got it all. But just as the plant in the show feeds on blood, so does the show, metaphorically speaking of blood as being the grit, funk, soul and attitudes of 1960's doo-wop and B-horror movies. And while there's a ton of talent and great voices on the stage of the current joint production from ACT and The 5th Avenue Theatre, there's also a shocking lack of that "blood" from the production.

ROCKY hit Broadway last night, officially opening with stars Andy Karl and Margo Seibert at Broadway's historic Winter Garden Theatre. The show features an original score by Stephen Flahertyand Lynn Ahrens and a book by Thomas Meehan and Sylvester Stallone, who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for the 1976 Oscar-winning Best Picture, Rocky.The production is directed by Alex Timbers, with choreography by Steven Hoggett, and Kelly Devine. BroadwayWorld was on the windy and frigid red carpet and you can check out photo coverage from the star-studded theatre arrivals below!

From the magical romances of ALADDIN and THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY to the perils of showbiz in CABARET, BULLETS OVER BROADWAY and ACT ONE; from the gripping physicality of ROCKY to the revolutionary tune of LES MISERABLES and the friendship and loss of OF MICE AND MEN, this season runs the gamut when it comes to captivating tales. BroadwayWorld has rounded up this season's musical adaptations and the plays, books and films that inspired them. Scroll down for the list, and be sure to let us know your favorites!