Alan Menken News

Philadelphia Theatre Company has announced one additional performance only of their hit production The Scottsboro Boys on Sunday, February 19 at 7:30 PM at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre (Broad and Lombard Streets).

At last night's 54th ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS, Adele walked off with 6 Grammy awards including Record of the Year for 'Rolling in the Deep' and Pop Vocal Album, '21'. The singer made her comback performance after recent vocal chord surgery on the live presentation on CBS.

Hottest Articles on BroadwayWorld.com from this weekend Sunday, February 12, 2012 - Sunday, February 12, 2012.

Coming quick on the heels of the untimely death of iconic pop singer and film star Whitney Houston was last night's subdued and largely somber 2012 Grammy Awards telecast which had a definite focus on three soulful leading ladies in particular: Whitney, Jennifer Hudson and Adele, the latter being the night's across-the-board big winner. Begun on the completely wrong foot with an awkward and inappropriate religious tribute to Houston by charismatic but ineffectual host LL Cool J, the rest of the Grammy show managed to have sporadic moments of entertainment - the best and brightest being Bruno Mars, Foo Fighters, Tony Bennett & Carrie Underwood, as well as the button-pushing performance by rap/pop notable Nicki Minaj and some polished country stars. Pushing boundaries with an exorcism-themed theatrical spectacular, complete with a Leonard Bernstein/Stephen Sondheim sample from WEST SIDE STORY in the form of "I Feel Pretty", surely Nicki Minaj made many fans - and more than a few enemies, no doubt - with her expressive and eccentric production number, "Roman Holiday" - complete with priests, fire pits, confessional booths and levitations! The Grammys definitely had many lows and a few memorable highs beyond Minaj's exorcism, though, for the night was a veritable wake for Houston and a celebration of her musical legacy. Oscar-winning DREAMGIRLS star Jennifer Hudson gave Ms. Houston a truly tasteful and respectful tribute to mark the occasion.

The 2012 Grammy for 'Best Song Written for Visual Media' has been awarded to composer Alan Menken and lyricist Glenn Slater.

As previously announced, Newsies will move to Broadway's Nederlander Theatre for a strictly limited 101 performance run this spring, following its critically-hailed run at Paper Mill Playhouse in fall 2011. The musical, featuring a score by eight-time Academy Award® winner Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Sister Act) and Jack Feldman, and a book by four-time Tony Award® winner Harvey Fierstein (La Cage aux Folles, Torch Song Trilogy), will play its first Broadway preview on March 15th prior to its March 29th opening night; the final performance is scheduled for June 10th.

Broadway's LEAP OF FAITH is new musical based on the motion picture 'Leap of Faith,' produced by Paramount Pictures Corporation and written by Janus Cercone. The musical will begin previews on Tuesday, April 3 and will open in late April at the St. James Theatre. In the video below, be bring you an exclusive first look behind-the-scenes at the official photo shoot with stars Jessica Phillips and Raul Esparza!

FEINSTEIN'S AT LOEWS REGENCY will continue its Winter/Spring 2012 season with the debut of three time Tony Award-nominated singer and actress Judy Kuhn from March 6 to March 10. Her new show, exploring themes of love and happiness, will present an eclectic mix of theater and pop music by Joni Mitchell, Stephen Sondheim, Leonard Cohen, Cole Porter and more. She will be accompanied by Music Director Dan Lipton. The shows will take place at the Loews Regency Hotel (540 Park Avenue at 61st Street).

Today, February 8, Lincoln Center filmed the matinee performance of SISTER ACT for their famed archives. The show will now be preserved amongst the Broadway classics at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center Plaza.

The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts announced today its 2012-2013 Broadway Series.

Stage Entertainment, in cooperation with Disney Theatrical Productions, will present the Dutch premiere of The Little Mermaid. After presenting Tarzan, Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King, the Netherlands is the first country to scoop the European premiere of the Disney musical. Disney's The Little Mermaid opens on Saturday May 12, premiering at Martini Plaza in Groningen and then playing larger theaters in the Netherlands. Casting will be announced soon.

Paper Mill Playhouse has just announced casting for Damn Yankees, directed by Paper Mill Playhouse's Producing Artistic Director, Mark S. Hoebee, with choreography by Denis Jones. The cast features Howard McGillin (Applegate), Chryssie Whitehead (Lola), Christopher Charles Wood (Joe Hardy), Joseph Kolinski (Joe Boyd), Patti Cohenour (Meg Boyd) and Nancy Anderson (Gloria Thorpe). Damn Yankees begins performances on Wednesday, March 7, 2012, and runs at the Millburn, New Jersey theater through Sunday, April 1, 2012.

The Gexa Energy Broadway at the Hobby Center 2012-2013 season, announced today, contains both new hits and familiar Broadway favorites. The five-show season package includes the most beautiful love story ever told, Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, the spectacular new 25th anniversary production of LES MISÉRABLES, the high-flying new musical CATCH ME IF YOU CAN and the feel-good musical with heart and soul, SISTER ACT.

92YTribeca is set to host BEHIND THE MUSIC-AL: TEENAGE DREAMS, moderated by Steve Fickinger, Vice President of Creative Development for Disney Theatrical Group on Wed, Feb 22, 8pm, tickets from $10 adv / $12 door.

Philadelphia Theatre Company will present the second production and East Coast premiere of Barrymore Award-winning playwright Bruce Graham's newest play The Outgoing Tide, running March 23-April 22 at PTC's home at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre (Broad and Lombard Streets).

According to the Toronto Star, Toronto's Dancap Productions has just announced the line-up for 2012. Included in the upcoming season are In the Heights (February 7-19), Shrek the Musical (March 20-April 1), West Side Story (May 8-June 3), Beauty and the Beast (July 3-22), Million Dollar Quartet (July 20-29), and Prince of Broadway (August 2012)

The 2012-2013 Mirvish Production season announcement took place this morning, and features the World Premiere of Jason Robert Brown's Honeymoon in Vegas, an all-Canadian cast for Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's The Wizard of Oz and the smash-hit Book of Mormon. Members of the media, subscribers and eager theatre lovers filled the Ed Mirvish Theatre to hear the announcement, which also included La Cage Aux Folles, Sister Act and Backbeat plus the pre-Broadway run of Flashdance and the directorial debut of Colm Wilkinson in Bloodless.

The producers of Broadway's LEAP OF FAITH announced today that Kecia Lewis-Evans (The Drowsy Chaperone), Leslie Odom, Jr. ("Smash") and Krystal Joy Brown (Hair) will join previously announced Broadway cast members Raul Esparza, Jessica Phillips and Kendra Kassebaum. The full ensemble cast will be announced at a later date. The Broadway production will begin previews on Tuesday, April 3 and will open in late April (date to be announced) at the St. James Theatre (246 West 44th Street).