Alan Menken News

At today's 'Broadway & Beyond...Celebrating the Stars of Disney on Broadway' event at Disney's D23 expo, stage stars Heidi Blickenstaff, Merle Dandridge, Ashley Brown, Josh Strickland, and Alton Fitzgerald White debuted a brand new song from the Broadway-bound production of ALADDIN, titled 'Somebody's Got Your Back.' Check it out, courtesy of Attractions Magazine, below!

Anyone who's seen any of the annual Zilker summer musicals in Austin's Zilker Park know that, though the productions are free to the public, the entertainment value and quality are always top-notch. Zilker's 55th annual production, Little Shop of Horrors, does not disappoint. This is a dazzling, colorful, and hysterically funny take on a staple of musical theater. The shop may be little, but the entertainment value is gigantic.

Tonight, for one night only, two of the world's most celebrated songwriters and composers will take to the stage for 'Richard M. Sherman and Alan Menken: The Disney Songbook.' The concert will take place at the D23 Expo 2013 at the Anaheim Convention Center in the D23 Expo Arena tonight, Saturday, August 10.

After receiving critical acclaim and box office sellouts earlier this season for Stephen Sondheim's Assassins and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Music Box Musicals will round out its inaugural season with an up-close-and-personal presentation of the cult classic Little Shop of Horrors at The Music Box Theater, 2623 Colquitt, Houston, TX, today, August 8 through August 31, 2013.

Newsies is currently in its second year on Broadway and is still bringing audiences to their feet nightly at the Nederlander Theatre. BroadwayWorld is excited to bring you an exclusive look at the just-released new televsion spot for the Tony-winning musical below!

Columbus Children's Theatre will present Disney's The Little Mermaid, Jr. today, August 7-18, 2013 at the Park Street Theatre located at 512 N Park Street.

The Tony-nominated LEAP OF FAITH, which played a short run of 24 previews and 20 performances on Broadway in Spring of 2012, will open at the Piedmont Players Theatre in Salisbury, North Carolina this Fall. The regional premiere will run October 17-19 & 23-26 at 7:30pm and October 20 at 2:30pm.

The electrifying Susan Egan will perform her internationally acclaimed concert: The Belle Of Broadway at Le Centre Pierre-Peladeau in Montreal on Sat., Sept. 7 at 8 p.m.

Dallas Summer Musicals, Inc. (DSM)announces their 2013-2014 season of shows, with eight touring Broadway productions and two specials coming to the Music Hall at Fair Park. DSM has been entertaining North Texas audiences with the finest in professional live theatrical entertainmentfor 74 seasons, since 1941.

Dallas Summer Musicals, Inc. (DSM)announces their 2013-2014 season of shows, with eight touring Broadway productions and two specials coming to the Music Hall at Fair Park. DSM has been entertaining North Texas audiences with the finest in professional live theatrical entertainmentfor 74 seasons, since 1941.

Earlier this year, on March 18, Van Dean, Kenny Howard, and Michael J. Moritz, Jr. brought together a melange of Broadway's most impressive young talent for WHEN I GROW UP: BROADWAY'S NEXT GENERATION, a cabaret concert at 54 BELOW. Kenny Howard says that this group inspired him 'not only with their talents but also with a maturity that is far beyond their years.' For this cabaret concert, the children tackle the adult repertoire of their heroes, taking on music from SPRING AWAKENING, THE DROWSY CHAPERONE, THE LAST FIVE YEARS, AVENUE Q, [TITLE OF SHOW], and more.

Exclusively at Disney's D23 Expo August 9–11 at the Anaheim Convention Center, Disney fans are invited to explore the incredible roster of film, stage, and music projects on the horizon at The Walt Disney Studios, with a variety of panel discussions, sneak peeks, and exhibits.

I love horror movies, especially the kind of cheesy stuff from the 1950's and 1960's that director Roger Corman was famous for. It's been said that he shot the cult favorite, The LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, in four days, and it certainly has a look that would suggest as much. But, underneath its filthy veneer is a bizarre black comedy that deserved a far better fate than the faded copies that clog up discount DVD bins. So, Howard Ashman (book and lyrics) and Alan Menken (music) dusted off the basic premise of this crazy little film, and crafted a clever and funny off-Broadway musical which, in turn, spawned a motion picture. Stray Dog Theatre closes their tenth season on a high note with a very imaginative and well cast production of this creepy classic.

Disney's THE LITTLE MERMAID will grace the Starlight stage, today, July 23-28. Based on Hans Christian Andersen's famous and timeless tale, Disney's THE LITTLE MERMAID is a family musical that features classic songs: 'Part of Your World,' 'Kiss the Girl,' and the Academy Award-winning 'Under the Sea.'

Happy Birthday Alan Menken! For Disney, Menken has scored The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Pocahontas, each of which won him two Academy Awards. He also composed the scores for The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, Enchanted, and Tangled. Menken has collaborated on several occasions with lyricists includingHoward Ashman,Tim RiceandStephen Schwartz. On Broadway, Menken has composed for The Little Mermaid, Little Shop of Horrors, King David, Beauty and the Beast and, now, Sister Act.

For one week only, Dutch musical actress Ana Milva Gomes, who plays Doloris van Cartier in the Vienna production of SISTER ACT, will be playing in the Dutch production of the same show at the Circustheater Scheveningen.

As announced this morning, Oscar-, Grammy- and Tony-winning composer Alan Menken and lyricist Glenn Slater have been nominated for a 2013 Emmy for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics for their song 'More Or Less The Kind Of Thing You May Or May Not Possibly See On Broadway', which aired during the 'Sing Like A Larry Bird' episode of ABC's THE NEIGHBORS this season. If the duo takes home the award, Menken will have achieved the fabled 'EGOT' -- that is, he will have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony.

ABC received 45 nominations for the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards this morning, including nods for Kerry Washington and Connie Britton, both for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.