Andrew Lippa News

Pacific Northwest Ballet continues its 2013-2014 season with George Balanchine's A Midsummer Night's Dream. A complete delight for all ages, this full-length ballet is based on William Shakespeare's comedy about the romantic adventures, quarrels and reunions of two pairs of mortal lovers and the king and queen of the fairies. Balanchine's Midsummer, which New York City Ballet premiered in 1962, was the first original evening-length ballet he choreographed in America. Staged by PNB Founding Artistic Director Francia Russell, PNB's production is an enchanted landscape where misunderstandings and mayhem weave tangled paths through the opulent layers of Martin Pakledinaz's designs and Balanchine's marvelously crafted partnerings. All ends well in Act II's wedding festivities with the recognition of ideal love, tenderly portrayed in an exquisite pas de deux. A Midsummer Night's Dream plays for eight performances only, April 11-19 at McCaw Hall at Seattle Center Tickets start at $28 and may be purchased by calling the PNB Box Office at 206. 441.2424, online at PNB.org, or in person at the PNB Box Office at 301 Mercer Street.

The 2013/2014 National Tour of the new musical THE ADDAMS FAMILY, based on the bizarre and beloved family of characters created by legendary cartoonist Charles Addams, will make its Jacksonville premiere on Friday, May 2nd at 8PM at the Times-Union Center's Moran Theater!

San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus (SFGMC) joins nearly 400 exceptional self-released and independent label artists, as well as former major label acts named by Music Resource Group (MRG) as Nominees in The 13th Independent Music Awards (The IMAs), the influential awards program for independent bands and fans. SFGMC's original cast recording of 'I Am Harvey Milk' is nominated for 'Best Soundtrack/Cast Recording.' 'I Am Harvey Milk' is an emotional celebration of an American icon. Part choral work, part theater piece, it weaves the story of Harvey Milk's life - from boyhood to his rise as the first openly gay man to hold public office in California and to his untimely assassination.

Working Management and Hayes Theatre Co presents, Time is a Traveller, starring David Harris as part of its Cabaret in Residence at the Hayes Theatre Co on every Sunday from April 13 - May 4.

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!

Hale Center Theater Orem has announced its 2015 Season. This season represents a great milestone in the history of the theater as it is the 25th Anniversary of its founding.

The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center has launched an exciting new division of the National Theater Institute, the National Music Theater Institute (NMTI). An unparalleled program, NMTI is for driven students seeking a launching pad into the music theater profession through broad-based, ensemble training.

North Raleigh Arts and Creative Theatre is taking audiences back to the roaring 1920s with Andrew Lippa's The Wild Party. Originally performed Off-Broadway in 2000, The Wild Party is based on a long-form poem of the same name by Joseph Moncure March, published in 1928. The plot revolves around unsatisfied lovers Queenie and Burrs, and their subsequent love interests, Black and Kate. It begins as vaudeville couple Queenie and Burrs throw the titular party, as Queenie decides she needs to do something about Burrs' increasingly violent demeanor. The show progresses largely over the course of one roaring party featuring plenty of bathtub gin, a little bit of drugs, some violence for good measure, and plenty of partygoers who aren't sure what they really want.

The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center has launched an exciting new division of the National Theater Institute, the National Music Theater Institute (NMTI). An unparalleled program, NMTI is for driven students seeking a launching pad into the music theater profession through broad-based, ensemble training. Applications for the inaugural fall 2014 semester are due by March 20.

The 2013/2014 National Tour of the musical The Addams Family, based on the bizarre and beloved family of characters created by legendary cartoonist Charles Addams, will make its McCallum Theatre premiere, as part of the Rabobank Broadway Blockbuster Series, for five performances, tonight, March 14, through Sunday, March 16. The Addams Family, which began performances on Broadway in March 2010 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre and ran through December 2011, immediately became one of Broadway's biggest hits. Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune described the production as 'classic, full-tilt, fast paced, old-fashioned musical comedy!' and John Simon of Bloomberg News called it 'Uproarious! A glitzy-gloomy musical entirely worthy of the macabre drawings by Charles Addams.'

After a sold out presentation at Ars Nova's ANT Fest last June, DEBUTANTE. returns to New York City for its world premiere production. Written by Ryann Weir, created & directed by Annie Tippe and produced by Robb Nanus (Andrew Lippa's I Am Harvey Milk), the production will be staged at the Bernie Wohl Center (647 Columbus Avenue).

Adam Wachter's original musical Tarrytown will get a private industry reading on Monday, March 10th in New York City. Tarrytown is a one act present day musical loosely based on Washington Irving's 'The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow.' Wachter has written the book, music & lyrics. Andrew Keenan-Bolger ('Submissions Only') directs.

Nice Swan Theatre Company will be one of the first in the UK to stage the musical version of the cult TV hit The Addams Family.

Students from the Humphreys School of Musical Theatre (HSMT) will perform in four nationally distributed choreography DVDs for the Music Theatre International (MTI) Broadway Junior collection of musicals. The news was announced today by Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) and educational musical theatre consultancy firm iTheatrics. iTheatrics, which is based in New York City, is producing the DVDs, which will feature original choreography by its chief choreographer, Steven G. Kennedy.

Ralph Macchio and Mario Cantone will headline the cast of a special industry reading of A Room of My Own, the anticipated new comedy written and directed by Charles Messina. Mr. Macchio and Mr. Cantone will be joined by a cast that includes Colin Critchley, Gina Ferranti, Kendra Jain, and Johnny Tammaro. The invitation only reading is set for Monday, March 17, 2014 on the Irene Diamond Stage at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street).

This March, April and May at 54 BELOW presents a lineup of the brightest talent from Broadway and beyond. Located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54th Street. For a detailed schedule of upcoming performances at 54 Below and to purchase tickets, visit www.54Below.com.

As same-sex marriages soon overtake churches and government halls in England and Wales, so too will British culture invade The Saban Theatre (8440 Wilshire Boulevard) in Beverly Hills as Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles (GMCLA) presents 'God Save the Queen(s),' the second show of the Chorus's 35th season, on Saturday March 29, 2014 at 8 p.m. and Sunday March 30, 2014 at 3 p.m.

The Johnny Mercer Foundation and the American Music Theatre Project (AMTP) at Northwestern University will present the 9th Annual Johnny Mercer Foundation Songwriters Project. The weeklong songwriting workshop for emerging songwriters and writing teams will take place from June 22 through 28, on Northwestern's Evanston campus.

Musical Theatre West just announced yesterday that for its 2014-15 season of shows, they will be presenting the first production of the Broadway musical BIG FISH since its New York debut. The California show will also feature the original Broadway sets and costumes. BIG FISH will run October 31 - November 16, 2014. Based on the film by Tim Burton, the musical features music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa and book by John August.

This just in! Producers Cameron Mackintosh and The Really Useful Group just announced that THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA will welcome a starry leading combination beginning Monday, May 12.