Andrew Lippa News

The Drama League has announced that Norm Lewis and Brad Oscar have joined the roster of special guests for their 28th Annual Musical Celebration of Broadway honoring Tony® and EmmyAward®-winner Kristin Chenoweth, to be held on February 6, 2012 at the famed Pierre Hotel (2 East 61st Street). Designed by celebrity event planner Preston Bailey, the Gala supports the educational initiatives of The Drama League Directors Project.

The first national tour of the new musical THE ADDAMS FAMILY comes to the Tulsa Performing Arts Center for eight performances only.

The Drama League's 28th Annual Benefit Gala Online Auction goes live on Tuesday, January 17 at www.biddingforgood.com/thedramaleague with over forty-five exclusive and elegant items announced (please see list attached), some of the highlights include:

Manhattan Theatre Club will present its annual Winter Benefit, an evening of cocktails and dinner followed by a special one-night-only cabaret-style show featuring some of the biggest stars of musical theatre on Monday, January 30, 2012 at The Plaza (58th Street & Fifth Avenue).

Starving Artist Studios, a new performing arts training facility in Central Florida, brings Tony-Award winning composer and lyricist Jason Robert Brown to Orlando for a Concert and Master Class.

The Drama League (Executive Director Gabriel Shanks; Gala Chairpersons Bonnie Comley and Stewart F. Lane) has announced the roster of special guest for their 28th Annual Musical Celebration of Broadway honoring Tony® and EmmyAward®-winner Kristin Chenoweth, to be held on February 6, 2012 at the famed Pierre Hotel (2 East 61st Street). Designed by celebrity event planner Preston Bailey, the Gala supports the educational initiatives of The Drama League Directors Project.

The national tour of the new musical comedy THE ADDAMS FAMILY, based on the bizarre and beloved family of characters created by legendary cartoonist Charles Addams, will make its Boston premiere February 7-19, 2012 at the Citi Performing Arts Center Shubert Theatre as part of the LEXUS 2011-12 Broadway In Boston Series. Press night for the engagement is Wednesday, February 8 at 7 PM.

Denver Center Attractions has announced a high-spirited, award-winning season of Broadway hits headed to Denver.

The first national tour of the new musical THE ADDAMS FAMILY comes to the Tulsa Performing Arts Center for eight performances only.

According to the New York Times, Broadway producing team Kevin McCollum and Jeffrey Seller decided to end their partnership to produce independently. The duo, which has been working together for 21 years, are the founders of The Producing Office, established in 1994. They described their decision as a 'natural evolution.'

Broadway veteran Taye Diggs recently released a childrens' book titled Chocolate Me. In the video below, Diggs visits 'The Talk' where he chats about the book, his youth, and more! Click below to check it out!

With an alluring and gorgeous Morticia (played by Broadway diva Sara Gittelfinger) and a charming and swellegant Gomez (Great White Way heartthrob Douglas Sills) leading the charge, the onstage iteration of Charles Addams' cartoon family is surely a dysfunctional lot. But, more importantly, they are enormously winning-their interpersonal relationships are not so unlike your own, I daresay-and composer/lyricist Andrew Lippa and book writers Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice have crafted a storyline that broadens the family's appeal, while more deeply etching the family's brand (particularly in these days of all-encompassing marketing ploys) on American pop culture.

The 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 Nashville premiere January 3 through 8 at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center as part of the HCA/TriStar Broadway at TPAC series

To kick off the New Year, actor Taye Diggs and Idina Menzel attended the Strip's favorite show ABSINTHE on January 1, 2012 to enjoy the raucous comedy from The Gazillionaire, Penny Pibbets and the rest of the eccentric gang.

Sara Gettelfinger may have a resume that other actresses covet-now starring as the mysterious, intriguing, maybe even a little bit frightening Morticia Addams in the national tour of The Addams Family, she's been on Broadway in A Free Man of Color, Seussical the Musical, The Boys from Syracuse, Nine and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and she's toured in Fosse and 101 Dalmatians-but, truth be told, the highlight of her resume for me, at least, is a stint on the storied, now lamented and defunct, CBS soap opera Guiding Light.

Tony Award winner Stephen Oremus has joined Twitter: @stephenoremus.

Today in 1972, Broadway veteran Taye Diggs was born. In 1996, he originated the role of the landlord Benny in Jonathan Larson's Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning Rent, which also starred his future wife, Idina Menzel. After Rent he appeared as Mr. Black alongside Idina Menzel's character of Kate in Andrew Lippa's off-Broadway production of The Wild Party. Diggs also played The Bandleader in the 2002 film version of the long-running Broadway revival of Chicago and filled in as Billy Flynn on Broadway. He also temporarily filled in for Norbert Leo Butz (an original Rent standby) as the love interest Fiyero of Idina Menzel's Elphaba character in Wicked.

As the clock ticks towards 2012, BroadwayWorld caught up with 100 of your Broadway favorites and industry supporters about their hopes for themselves and those they love in the new year.