Alan Menken News

From February 20-March 2, 2014, Houston Ballet presents the North American Premiere of David Bintley's Aladdin, the first work by the celebrated English choreographer to enter Houston Ballet's repertoire.

Today, check out some of BWW's most popular interviews from 2013, and catch up on anything that you might have missed within the last 12 months!

Newsies, the Tony Award-winning “critics' pick” Broadway musical smash announces a new campaign called “NEWSIES: Get Up and Go,” in support of Disney Magic of Healthy Living. The campaign will promote fun ways that kids can lead healthier lifestyles through dance, inspired by the show's Tony Award-winning choreography and music.

The enchanting musical Beauty and the Beast delighted audiences at San Francisco's Curran Theater on opening night and is the perfect dose of holiday entertainment for children of all ages. Disney's timeless tale of love and transformation is touring the country and will be in San Francisco through January 5, 2014. A NETworks Presentations event, this show forgoes some of the more costly set designs of the original Broadway show but loses nothing of the melodic magnificence of Menken, Ashman and Rice's original masterpiece. Musical Director/Conductor Kevin Francis Finn helms the lush orchestrations of Danny Troob, while the beautifully crafted book by Linda Woolverton brings her animated original to the stage in superb fashion.

Gloria Steinem, acclaimed feminist author and activist, took her family to see the Tony Award®-winning smash-hit musical Newsies at the Nederlander Theatre (208 W 41st St.) on Friday night. Following the performance, Ms. Steinem went backstage and enthusiastically greeted actress Kara Lindsay, who plays trailblazing journalist Katherine Plumber, exclaiming, 'a fellow organizer!' The two chatted at length about the 1899 newsboy strike on which the musical is based and the real-life journalist, Nellie Bly, who inspired Lindsay's character.

Multi-award winning Foothill Music Theatre and Foothill Theatre Arts present the rock musical comedyLITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS. Scroll down for a first look at the cast in action below!

Below, we continue our 'Meet the Staff' series by profiling our BWW Newsdesk Editor Jessica Showers!

Cast members from Newsies, the Tony Award® winning new American musical, will appear with Neil Patrick Harris in the opening number of the 2013 Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade. The original song, 'Are You Ready For Christmas?,' is staged by Newsies' Tony Award winning choreographer, Christopher Gattelli and written by David Javerbaum ('The Daily Show,' Cry-Baby) and Adam Schlesinger ('Fountains of Wayne,'Cry-Baby), who have previously penned tunes for Neil Patrick Harris' hosting turns on The Tony Awards and The Emmy Awards. The parade airs on ABC, beginning at 10:00am EST/ 9:00am C/P, on Christmas morning, Wednesday, December 25, 2013.

ABC's fairytale comedy pilot GALAVANT has found its prince.

JemmThree, the UK's first 24/7 radio station dedicated to musical theatre, is having a Musical Theatre Christmas by raising the curtain on nine musicals, with many narrated by the shows' own writing teams.

"Disney's Beauty and the Beast," the award-winning Broadway hit musical, will return to the Gallo Center for the Arts for a two-night engagement in January. Produced by NETworks Presentations, this elaborate theatrical production previously played to capacity audiences during a five-performance run at the Gallo Center in 2010.

What can I say about this show - it instantly puts you in the Christmas spirit and has the audience transfixed from beginning to end.

With it's catchy tunes (including the ever popular rendition of "My Guy"), fun-loving nuns, and a bit of crime on the side, this movie became a household favorite. Much to our pleasure, the movie was turned into SISTER ACT THE MUSICAL, and made its debut on Broadway in 2011. The show is currently touring North America, and makes its way to New Orleans this week.

The company of NETworks Presentations' national tour of Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, the award-winning worldwide smash hit Broadway musical, created their own version of the Christmas classic 'Silver Belles'. Watch below!

Great Performances, New York City's premier catering company, and its staff performance troupe, 90 Square Arts, are pleased to announce their 2014 production of Len Jenkin's Pilgrims of the Night.

DISNEY'S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, the award-winning worldwide smash hit Broadway musical, is returning to Wharton Center as part of the MSU Federal Credit Union Broadway at Wharton Center Series. Produced by NETworks Presentations, this elaborate theatrical production comes to life on stage February 18-23, 2014. Tickets are available online at whartoncenter.com, at the Auto- Owners Ticket Office at Wharton Center, or by calling 1-800-WHARTON.

New works hub New York Theatre Barn is teaming up with the Tony® and Drama Desk Award-winning BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop to take a trip down memory lane by presenting an evening of 'assignment songs' from BMI alumni. Hosted by BMI Fun Committee members Kate Anderson,Timothy Huang and Sara Wordsworth, 'Your Holiday Assignment is….' will take place today, December 16, 2013 at 7:30 PM at the D-Lounge of the Daryl Roth Theatre in New York City as part of New York Theatre Barn's revolutionary new musical development platform NYTB in the D-Lounge, produced by Laura Brandel and Jason Najjoum. Patrick Cook, director of the Musical Theatre Workshop, is also producing.

Highlights this week include a HIT LIST concert at 54 Below, the 2013 Hammerstein Awards, the opening of A CHRISTMAS STORY, and more!