Ars Nova News

?In April and May 2016, Joe's Pub at The Public will present the revival of Kiki and Herb, the legendary and fanatically-loved cabaret duo played by Mx Justin Vivian Bond and Kenny Mellman. Born in 1992 in San Francisco and retired in 2007 in New York City, the "perverse" and "transcendental" (The New York Times) septuagenarian lounge-singers will debut a new show entitled Seeking Asylum!

Ars Nova, New York's incubator for boundary-pushing theater, expands its monthly variety Showgasm. series with first-ever Showgasm. XXL on April 21 atMarquee NY. Hosted by John Early, “one of the Ten Best Comedians of 2015” (Time Out New York), with DJ Hamm Samwich, this raucous variety-show-meets-party will supersize its showcase of fresh comedy, music, burlesque, vaudeville and everything-in-between for a one-night only blow-out event. All proceeds will benefit Ars Nova and its work to discover, develop and launch the next generation of talent.

Joe's Pub at The Public has announced its nightly performances, April 6-17, 2016. Scroll down for more details and visit www.joespub.com for a complete list of shows!

What do you get when you mix Broadway and Bluegrass? The band at Roundabout Theatre Company's revival of THE ROBBER BRIDEGROOM has a pretty good idea.

Lesser America (The Bachelors, Carnival Kids, Trevor) will present HALF MOON BAY by Dan Moyer. It will be directed by Jess Chayes (AD of Peter and The Starcatcher) starring Keilly McQuail (You Got Older, Her Requiem) and Gabriel King (These Seven Sicknesses). Previews begin May 12 at Cherry Lane Theatre, where Lesser America is the inaugural Company in Residence. Opening set for Thursday, May 19.

The premiere staging of the new musical MIDNIGHT AT THE NEVER GET, which opens this week at Manhattan cabaret institution Don't Tell Mama, has announced that it will extend. A fifth performance will be added to the limited run due to popular demand. The show, which stars Sam Bolen and Mark Sonnenblick, was written by Sonnenblick, and directed by Don't Tell Mama's Associate Director of Programming Max Friedman.

On Saturday May 7, Brooklyn band Sky-Pony will hit the stage at NYC's Mercury Lounge. Freddy Hall & The Best Intentions will open.

The full cast and creative team have been announced for the world-premiere production of WRINGER, a new musical by Jacob Yandura and Rebekah Greer Melocik. Produced by the award-winning New York City Children's Theater, WRINGER will play New York City Center Stage II April 8-17, 2016.

In Episode 407 of 'Something New' -- the musical theatre podcast that interviews artists and premieres original songs -- award-winning songwriter Joel B. New sat down with Farah Alvin, a Broadway actress and Holistic Health Counselor.

PlayMakers Repertory Company concludes its Mainstage Season with Stephen Sondheim's musical masterpiece 'Sweeney Todd,' onstage now through April 23.  BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

The Goodman commissioned world premiere of CARLYLE by Thomas Bradshaw, directed by Benjamin Kamine, features an all-Chicago cast with James Earl Jones II in the titular role, joined by Patrick Clear (Janice's Father), Maureen Gallagher (Janice's Mother), Tim Rhoze (CARLYLE's Father), Levenix Riddle (Omar/Tyrone), Tiffany Scott (Janice/Sarah), Charlette Speigner (Anita Hill/Shaniqua) and Nate Whelden (Mark).

Second Stage Theatre will begin the 2016 Uptown Series with the world premiere of Sofia Alvarez's FRIEND ART, directed by Portia Krieger. FRIEND ART will feature ZOE CHAO, AARON COSTA GANIS, ANABELLE LEMIEUX and Tony Award nominee CONSTANTINE MAROULIS (Rock of Ages, "American Idol"). FRIEND ART will begin previews on Tuesday, May 17th and will officially open on Thursday, May 26th. 

The YALE INSTITUTE FOR MUSIC THEATRE announces the two original book musicals which have been selected for this year's two-week summer lab:  Blessing, music and lyrics by Andrew R. Butler and book by Andrew Farmer, directed by Kent Nicholson; and The White City, music by Avi Amon and book and lyrics by Julia Gytri, directed by Mark Brokaw. The 2016 Institute, which runs June 12-25 at Yale School of Drama, will culminate with open rehearsal readings of each project, presented as part of the International Festival of Arts & Ideas, on June 24 and 25.

The workshop of award-winning composer/lyricist/playwright/performer Max Vernon's new musical THE VIEW UPSTAIRS, directed by Scott Ebersold and with choreography by Spencer Liff and music direction by Matt Aument, will hold their industry presentations this week, starting today, March 31st, and continuing tomorrow, Friday, April 1st, in New York City.

This April, Feinstein's/54 Below, Broadway's Supper Club, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond.

The Play Company (PlayCo), the NYC-based theater company that produces outstanding contemporary plays from around the world, brings together top chefs and theater artists for this year's Cabaret Gourmet, PlayCo's annual gala. Drummer, DJ, producer, culinary entrepreneur and tastemaker, Questlove will be honored at the unique event, which features savory and sweet tasting dishes prepared by hand selected chefs from some of New York City's most celebrated restaurants, on the occasion of the publication of his forthcoming book somethingtofoodabout set for release the next day, April 12. The evening, which celebrates creativity in all its facets, will be MC'd by Tony nominee (Hand to God) and PlayCo alum (Enjoy, The Ugly One) Steven Boyer, with musical entertainment provided by indie pop band Sky-Pony.

PlayPenn, Philadelphia's nationally recognized professional new play development organization, will hold its 12th annual New Play Development Conference from July 5 - July 24 in Philadelphia at The Drake, a new home for new plays. The Conference, including three weeks of intensive work on six works-in-progress, will offer staged readings open to the public. The six selected plays and playwrights are:

The Broadway revival of Arthur Miller's The Crucible, starring Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan, opens tonight, March 31, at the Walter Kerr Theatre, 219 West 48 Street. Scroll down to learn more about the full company!

In an opium den at the turn of the 20th century, Willow sacrifices her life to pay off her father's debt by working in an occult underground society called 'The Cave.' In this musical exploration of fairy tales, myths, and spiritualism, Willow fights to find light not only in the grim and strange shadow-world around her, but also within herself.

In a time where source material is a controversial topic, many people state that there have been a lack of original ideas for Broadway shows. Recently, movie adaptations have been the newest trend to hit the stage. However, adaptations are certainly not a new phenomenon. Since the beginning of what is generally considered the traditional Broadway musical, shows have been adapted from other works. Classic shows such as SHOW BOAT and THE KING AND I found the origins to their stories in novels. More recently, novel adaptations have found success with THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, and the 2014 Tony Winner for Best Musical, A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER.